NIAMS Centers of Research Translation (CORT) (P50 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AR 22 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AR 22 001

The NIAMS Centers of Research Translation (CORT) funding opportunity (RFA-AR-22-001) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program run by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). It uses the P50 “specialized center” grant mechanism, which is generally intended to support coordinated, multi-project research programs built around a central theme, shared leadership, and integrated scientific goals rather than isolated, single-investigator projects. As framed here, the program is explicitly labeled “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” meaning applicant centers must propose research activities that do not meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial, and they should not include trial-like components such as prospective assignment to an intervention to evaluate health outcomes. In practice, this pushes applicants toward translational research that can move discoveries toward clinical application without conducting interventional clinical trials under this award.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is categorized as a grant in the health funding activity area under CFDA (now Assistance Listing) number 93.846. The original closing date listed is May 11, 2021, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of December 9, 2020. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not provided in the excerpt, which usually means applicants would need to consult the full funding announcement or NIAMS guidance for budget limits, project period expectations, and the anticipated number of funded centers.

Eligibility is broad and spans many common NIH applicant types. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and an “other” category that NIH sometimes uses to capture additional eligible entities. The opportunity also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and 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; and U.S. territories or possessions. Taken together, the intent is to make the CORT center mechanism accessible to a wide range of organizations capable of mounting a coordinated translational research program.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations/foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, “foreign components,” as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. In practical terms, this means a U.S.-based applicant can propose scientifically justified work to be performed outside the United States as part of the project (for example, a defined collaboration, access to specialized resources, or unique populations), but the applicant itself must remain a domestic entity and must follow NIH’s rules for documenting and managing foreign components.

Overall, the opportunity supports the creation or continuation of NIAMS-focused translational research centers that bring together multiple disciplines and capabilities under a unified program, with the explicit boundary that the work must not include clinical trials. Applicants considering this program would typically need to demonstrate strong center leadership, a coherent translational theme aligned with NIAMS mission areas (arthritis and rheumatic diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and skin diseases), and the institutional capacity to run an integrated P50 center structure, while ensuring that any human-related work stays on the non-clinical-trial side of NIH policy and that any international involvement is structured as an allowable foreign component rather than a foreign applicant or non-domestic organizational component.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIAMS Centers of Research Translation (CORT) (P50 - 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): 93.846.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-11. (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 AR 22 001

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