Broadening Opportunities for Computational Genomics and Data Science Education (UE5 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 23 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 23 002

The NIH funding opportunity "Broadening Opportunities for Computational Genomics and Data Science Education" (RFA-HG-23-002) is a Research Education Program award (UE5) offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning recipients should expect an active partnership and coordination component with NIH and related program infrastructure. The core purpose is workforce development: expanding access to high-quality training in computational genomics and data science so that more people, especially individuals from diverse backgrounds and groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences, are positioned to pursue further study and careers in these fields. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," so the supported activities are educational and training focused rather than human-subject clinical intervention studies.

The main activity supported under this NOFO is the creation of courses for skills development. In practical terms, NIH is looking to fund faculty-led efforts to design, build, and deliver new or enhanced undergraduate or masters-level coursework that teaches applied computational genomics, data science, or an integrated combination of both. The emphasis is on concrete skill-building through structured courses rather than loosely organized seminars or one-off events. A key feature of the program is that awardees are expected to leverage major NIH-supported cloud platforms and datasets to teach modern, scalable analysis workflows. The announcement highlights NHGRI's AnVIL platform and the All of Us Researcher Workbench as examples of the intended computing and data environments, reinforcing that students should gain hands-on experience with real-world tools, cloud-based computing, and contemporary genomic and biomedical data resources.

This UE5 program is also tied to a broader NIH initiative to strengthen diversity and capacity in computational genomics and data science education. Awardee support is described as being provided through the Educational Hub for Enhancing Diversity in Computational Genomics and Data Science, which was created under RFA-HG-22-002. That implies applicants should anticipate working within a coordinated ecosystem that may include shared curricular resources, technical support, community of practice activities, or common expectations around course development, dissemination, and evaluation, consistent with how hubs and cooperative agreements often function.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations, with a clear focus on minority-serving institutions (MSIs) as the primary intended applicants. The NOFO explicitly calls out MSIs and includes examples such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI). In addition to higher education institutions, the eligible applicant list includes various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), and even for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses. Faith-based or community-based organizations and certain federal agencies are also referenced as eligible in the narrative section. At the same time, NIH is strict about foreign involvement for this opportunity: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations/institutions) may not apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health under CFDA 93.172, categorized under health, and uses the discretionary funding mechanism. The original application closing date listed is June 10, 2024. The source information does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided fields, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO for budget limits, project period details, and any caps on direct costs, as well as the cooperative agreement terms that describe the roles of NIH staff and the Educational Hub.

Overall, this grant is best understood as a curriculum-building and capacity-expansion effort aimed at making computational genomics and data science training more accessible and more aligned with the tools used in current biomedical research. Competitive projects will likely be those that propose well-designed, credit-bearing courses at the undergraduate or masters level, incorporate authentic cloud-based genomic/data science workflows, and clearly support the program's diversity and pipeline goals while operating entirely within the non-clinical-trial scope of UE5 research education activities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Broadening Opportunities for Computational Genomics and Data Science Education (UE5 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): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-08-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-10. (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.

Apply for RFA HG 23 002

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