Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Tool Development Projects (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 22 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 22 011

The Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Tool Development Projects (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity (RFA-RM-22-011) that supports the creation of new tools and technologies aimed at improving how scientists find, measure, and interpret somatic variants across many kinds of human tissues. Somatic variants are genetic changes that arise after conception and can be present in only a subset of a persons cells, meaning they may not show up in standard genetic tests that focus on inherited (germline) DNA. The broader SMaHT Network exists to make it easier to discover new biology and identify disease mechanisms driven by these tissue-specific or cell-specific genomic changes, especially where current methods lack sensitivity, accuracy, or scalability.

This FOA focuses specifically on Technology and Tools Development Projects that will produce the next generation of capabilities for detecting and characterizing somatic mosaicism in diverse tissue contexts. In practical terms, the funded work is expected to push beyond routine approaches and address the technical barriers that make somatic variant discovery hard, such as low variant allele fractions, sequencing artifacts, sample quality issues, tissue heterogeneity, and the need to compare signals across multiple tissue types. Projects may include new experimental assays, improved sample processing methods, measurement platforms, computational pipelines, analytical frameworks, or integrated workflows that increase sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility when calling somatic variants. The emphasis is on enabling the SMaHT Network mission, meaning the deliverables should be broadly useful for studying somatic variation across human tissues rather than being narrowly tailored to a single lab setup.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, indicating that NIH expects substantial scientific or programmatic involvement during the project period. The activity category is Health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.310. The funding instrument uses the UG3/UH3 structure, which is commonly designed as a phased approach: an initial milestone-driven stage (UG3) that supports early development, optimization, and feasibility work, followed by a second stage (UH3) that supports expanded development, refinement, and readiness for broader use once predefined milestones are met. The FOA explicitly states Clinical Trial Not Allowed, so applications must stay within tool and technology development and cannot propose a clinical trial as defined by NIH.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This broad eligibility signals an intent to draw in diverse technical expertise and to encourage participation from institutions and communities that are often underrepresented in large biomedical research networks.

Key administrative details from the source information include an original closing date of July 8, 2022, and a creation date of February 23, 2022. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or an expected number of awards in the provided fields. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a tool-building initiative within a larger NIH network, aimed at producing robust, shareable, and scalable technologies that make somatic mosaicism easier to detect and study across many human tissues, ultimately enabling new insights into biology and disease mechanisms that are missed when focusing only on inherited genetic variation.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Tool Development Projects (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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