Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 236
The Genetic Susceptibility and Variability of Human Structural Birth Defects (R01) funding opportunity (PAR-17-236) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant aimed at advancing what is known about structural birth defects, with a clear emphasis on research that bridges basic biology and human relevance. The program is designed to fund innovative, hypothesis-driven projects that use animal models alongside translational and/or clinical approaches so that discoveries made in the lab can meaningfully inform the understanding of birth defects in human populations. The core idea is not simply to describe developmental abnormalities, but to identify why they happen, why some individuals are more susceptible than others, and why the same defect can vary in severity or presentation across different people.
A major scientific focus of the announcement is dissecting the contributors to susceptibility and variability. Applicants are encouraged to leverage modern tools and advances in genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and developmental biology to pinpoint specific genetic factors, epigenetic mechanisms, environmental contributors, and gene-by-environment interactions that influence risk for structural birth defects. This includes work that can connect molecular pathways to developmental outcomes, or that can explain differences in penetrance, expressivity, and phenotype severity. Projects that integrate mechanistic insights from animal systems with human data or clinically relevant observations align strongly with the intent of the FOA, since the goal is a clearer, more actionable understanding of human birth defects rather than findings that stay confined to model organisms.
The award mechanism is the NIH R01, which typically supports substantial, multi-year research projects led by an experienced principal investigator or investigative team. The posted award ceiling is $499,999, indicating an upper bound on the amount expected per award under this listing. The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.113, 93.121, and 93.865, and falls under the broad activity category of environment and health (with the listing also grouping it under income security and social services, reflecting the wider public impact area of maternal and child health). The original closing date shown for this announcement was 2019-11-05, and the record indicates it was created on 2017-03-29.
A distinctive programmatic feature is the expectation that funded investigators will participate as part of a broader community coordinated by NICHD. Awardees will join the NICHD Birth Defects Working Group and take part in annual meetings. These meetings are meant to function as an active forum for sharing progress, exchanging ideas, discussing methods and findings, sharing resources such as data or model systems, and building collaborations that support the goals of the NICHD Birth Defects Initiative. In practice, this means the program is not only funding individual projects but also intentionally building a network of investigators working on related problems, which can accelerate discovery and standardize approaches across the field.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. In addition to standard academic and research institutions, eligible applicants 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; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility signals an interest in drawing strong proposals from a diverse set of institutions and communities, which can be especially relevant for studying population variability, environmental exposures, and differences in risk across groups.
Overall, this FOA supports rigorous, mechanistic research that can explain the underlying causes and modifiers of structural birth defects, prioritizing studies that combine the strengths of animal modeling with translational or clinical relevance. It also places investigators into a structured collaborative environment through NICHD, making the program as much about building shared momentum in birth defects research as it is about funding individual projects.Apply for PAR 17 236
- The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Genetic Susceptibility and Variability of Human Structural Birth Defects (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.865.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-03-29.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-11-05. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $499,999.00 in funding.
- 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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Applicants also applied for:
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| Research on Autism Spectrum (R03-Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 399 Funding Number: PA 18 399 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Research on Autism Spectrum (R01- Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 401 Funding Number: PA 18 401 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Global Brain and Nervous System Disorders Research Across the Lifespan (R01 Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for PAR 18 835 Funding Number: PAR 18 835 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Global Brain and Nervous System Disorders Research Across the Lifespan (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 836 Funding Number: PAR 18 836 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $125,000 |
| Early Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA MH 19 121 Funding Number: RFA MH 19 121 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| U.S.-Brazil Collaborative Biomedical Research Program (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AI 18 054 Funding Number: RFA AI 18 054 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Mechanistic Studies of Gene-Environment Interplay in Dental, Oral, Craniofacial, and Other Diseases and Conditions (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 19 292 Funding Number: PAR 19 292 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Development of Novel and Robust Systems for Mechanistic Studies of Gene-Environment Interplay in Dental, Oral, Craniofacial, and Other Diseases and Conditions (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 19 293 Funding Number: PAR 19 293 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Small Research Grants for Establishing Basic Science-Clinical Collaborations to Understand Structural Birth Defects (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 20 065 Funding Number: PAR 20 065 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Small Research Grants for Analyses of Down Syndrome-related Research Data for the INCLUDE Project (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA OD 20 006 Funding Number: RFA OD 20 006 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Transformative Research Award for the INCLUDE (Investigation of Co-occurring Conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndrome) Project (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA OD 20 005 Funding Number: RFA OD 20 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 21 201 Funding Number: PA 21 201 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 21 200 Funding Number: PA 21 200 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 21 199 Funding Number: PA 21 199 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Autism Centers of Excellence: Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA HD 22 008 Funding Number: RFA HD 22 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Autism Centers of Excellence: Networks (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA HD 22 007 Funding Number: RFA HD 22 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Global Brain and Nervous System Disorders Research Across the Lifespan (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 21 319 Funding Number: PAR 21 319 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Global Brain and Nervous System Disorders Research Across the Lifespan (R01 Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for PAR 21 311 Funding Number: PAR 21 311 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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