Data Coordinating Center for the Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Brain Atlas (AD-MBA) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 27 010

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 27 010

This funding opportunity (RFA-AG-27-010) from the National Institutes of Health is seeking a single applicant to run a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) that will build and operate the Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Brain Atlas (AD-MBA). The core idea is to create a centralized, unified resource where the broader aging and Alzheimer's disease research community can find, access, analyze, and visualize multiscale mouse brain datasets. These datasets will be generated by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Alzheimer's Disease Multimodal Atlas Projects (AD-MAPs), and they are expected to span multiple biological "layers" such as multi-omics data (for example, transcriptomic, epigenomic, proteomic and related molecular profiles) as well as connectomics data (information about neural connectivity and brain circuitry). The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, meaning the NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement and coordination with the awardee rather than a hands-off grant. Clinical trials are not allowed under this NOFO.

The DCC's responsibilities are framed around four main functions. First, the center must leverage the existing NIA-supported AD Knowledge Portal infrastructure to support data hosting, data deposition, and broad dissemination of the multimodal datasets coming from the AD-MAPs program. In practice, this implies that the DCC is not starting from scratch with a brand-new repository, but instead is expected to integrate tightly with an established platform and ensure that incoming datasets are curated and made available in a consistent, usable way. Second, the DCC is expected to actively facilitate collaborative analyses among the teams generating the data. That goes beyond simple storage and download functionality and points toward coordinated, cross-team work to compare, harmonize, and interpret datasets across sites, modalities, and experimental approaches.

Third, the DCC must develop, optimize, and incorporate tools that enable multiscale integration of multi-omics and connectomics data. This emphasis on "integration" is important: the goal is not merely to provide separate datasets in parallel, but to support methods and workflows that connect molecular-level information with circuit-level and anatomical information in the mouse brain, particularly in the context of aging and Alzheimer's-related biology. Fourth, the center must create a broadly accessible web-based interface that supports visualization and dissemination of the integrated data. In other words, the AD-MBA should be usable not only by computational experts who can write custom code, but also by a wider set of researchers who need intuitive ways to explore the atlas, query it, and visualize results across scales.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad on the U.S. side and includes many common NIH-eligible organization types such as universities (public and private), nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), and various governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as eligible tribal governments and tribal organizations. However, the NOFO places strict limits on foreign involvement. Non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. While "foreign components" as defined by NIH policy may be allowed in some cases, the NOFO makes a major restriction clear: NIH will no longer issue awards that include foreign subawards or subcontracts under this opportunity. Any application proposing foreign subawards/subcontracts will be considered noncompliant and will not be reviewed for funding. The policy does still allow certain non-monetary or non-subaward international interactions, such as unfunded collaborations, foreign consultants, or purchasing specialized supplies or equipment from foreign vendors, but not funded foreign subawards/subcontracts.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity in the health area (CFDA/Assistance Listing 93.866) using a cooperative agreement instrument. Only one award is expected. The original closing date listed is 2026-11-10. The posted summary does not specify an award ceiling amount. Overall, the program is designed to produce a durable, community-facing, NIA-aligned atlas resource that standardizes data deposition and access, supports cross-project collaboration, and provides modern integration and visualization capabilities for multiscale mouse brain data relevant to aging and Alzheimer's disease.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Data Coordinating Center for the Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Brain Atlas (AD-MBA) (U24 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): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-09-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-11-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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 AG 27 010

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