Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 21 023
The NIH funding opportunity RFA-RM-21-023 supports the creation of an Integration, Dissemination, and Evaluation (BRIDGE) Center under the NIH Common Fund Bridge2AI program. Bridge2AI is aimed at tackling major biomedical and behavioral research challenges by producing "flagship" data sets and establishing best practices for collecting, curating, and preparing data that are genuinely ready for modern artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. In other words, it is not only about generating more data, but about generating higher-quality, well-documented, well-standardized data that can be reused across the research community and can support reliable AI/ML development.
This FOA specifically funds a single coordinated center (via a U54 cooperative agreement mechanism) that serves as the connective tissue across multiple Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects. Rather than acting as another data-producing project, the BRIDGE Center is designed to integrate what the data-generation teams are doing, identify cross-cutting needs, and turn lessons learned into broadly useful products and guidance. The center is expected to coordinate and align activities across projects so that the overall program produces consistent, interoperable resources and shared approaches instead of disconnected outputs that vary by project.
A major part of the BRIDGE Center's mission is dissemination. That includes getting Bridge2AI products, best practices, and guidance into the hands of the broader community, not just the funded teams. Dissemination also includes developing and sharing skill-building and workforce development materials and activities, reflecting NIH's emphasis on making sure researchers, data stewards, and practitioners can actually adopt the standards, tools, and workflows that Bridge2AI promotes. The goal is to lower the barrier for others to collect and prepare AI/ML-ready biomedical data using proven methods.
Another core responsibility is evaluation of the Bridge2AI program as a whole. The BRIDGE Center is expected to assess progress and effectiveness across program activities and to incorporate feedback from external stakeholder communities. This emphasizes accountability and continuous improvement, with evaluation informed not only by internal program goals but also by the needs and perspectives of communities likely to use or be affected by the resulting data sets, standards, and tools.
Structurally, the BRIDGE Center is described as bringing together several "cores" of expertise. These include administration (to manage the cooperative agreement and coordination functions), team science (to support effective cross-team collaboration), ethics (to ensure responsible data practices and address issues like consent, privacy, and fairness), standards (to promote harmonization and interoperability), tools optimization (to improve or align tools and workflows used across projects), and skills and workforce development (to train and support adoption). The combined emphasis makes it clear NIH is looking for a center that can operate both as a program integrator and as a practical engine for translating project-level work into reusable community resources.
The award is a cooperative agreement (U54), meaning NIH expects substantial involvement in the project beyond normal grants management, with ongoing collaboration between the awardee and NIH staff to shape and coordinate program activities. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," signaling that the funded work should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH policy, and should focus instead on coordination, infrastructure, best practices, and program evaluation related to AI/ML-ready data resources.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities, such as state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than IHEs); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly highlights categories of institutions and organizations often emphasized in federal funding for broad participation, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain internationally based elements under NIH rules even though a foreign organization cannot be the applicant.
Key administrative details from the listing include the funding instrument (cooperative agreement), activity category (health), CFDA number 93.310, and the original closing date of August 20, 2021. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided fields, but the intent is clearly to fund a central, program-wide integration and evaluation hub that supports and amplifies the impact of the Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects by producing shared deliverables, shared practices, broad dissemination, and credible program evaluation.Apply for RFA RM 21 023
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integration, Dissemination, and Evaluation (BRIDGE) Center for the NIH Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI) Program (U54 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 2021-06-08.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-08-20. (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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is RFA-RM-21-023 funding?
RFA-RM-21-023 supports the creation of a single Integration, Dissemination, and Evaluation (BRIDGE) Center under the NIH Common Fund Bridge2AI program. The BRIDGE Center is intended to coordinate, align, and support multiple Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects by producing shared deliverables, shared practices, broad dissemination materials, and program-wide evaluation.
What is the Bridge2AI program trying to achieve?
Bridge2AI aims to tackle major biomedical and behavioral research challenges by producing "flagship" data sets and establishing best practices for collecting, curating, and preparing data that are genuinely ready for modern artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. The emphasis is on higher-quality, well-documented, well-standardized data that can be reused across the research community and support reliable AI/ML development.
Is the BRIDGE Center a data-generation project?
No. The BRIDGE Center is not intended to be another data-producing project. Its role is to act as the connective tissue across Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects by integrating activities, identifying cross-cutting needs, and translating lessons learned into broadly useful products and guidance.
How many BRIDGE Centers will be funded?
This funding opportunity is designed to support a single coordinated center. The intent is one program-wide integration and evaluation hub that works across the Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects.
What mechanism and funding instrument does this opportunity use?
The award mechanism is a U54 cooperative agreement. As a cooperative agreement, NIH expects substantial involvement beyond normal grants management, including ongoing collaboration between NIH staff and the awardee to shape and coordinate program activities.
What does "cooperative agreement" mean for how the project will run?
Because this is a U54 cooperative agreement, NIH anticipates being actively involved with the awardee in coordinating and guiding program activities. The awardee is expected to work closely with NIH staff rather than operating with minimal federal involvement.
What are the main responsibilities of the BRIDGE Center?
The BRIDGE Center is expected to (1) integrate and coordinate activities across Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects so outputs are consistent and interoperable, (2) disseminate Bridge2AI products, best practices, and guidance broadly to the community, and (3) evaluate progress and effectiveness across the Bridge2AI program, incorporating feedback from external stakeholder communities.
What does "integration" mean in the context of this center?
Integration refers to coordinating and aligning activities across multiple Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects so that the program produces consistent, interoperable resources and shared approaches, rather than disconnected outputs that differ by project.
What kinds of dissemination activities are expected?
Dissemination includes sharing Bridge2AI products, best practices, and guidance with the broader community (not only the funded teams). It also includes developing and sharing skill-building and workforce development materials and activities so that researchers, data stewards, and practitioners can adopt the standards, tools, and workflows promoted by Bridge2AI.
Why is workforce development included in this FOA?
NIH emphasizes adoption and usability. Workforce development materials and activities are intended to lower the barrier for others to collect and prepare AI/ML-ready biomedical data using proven methods, making Bridge2AI outputs more broadly usable.
What does the BRIDGE Center evaluate?
The center is expected to evaluate the Bridge2AI program as a whole by assessing progress and effectiveness across program activities and incorporating feedback from external stakeholder communities. This is intended to support accountability and continuous improvement.
Who are "external stakeholder communities" in this context?
The FOA indicates that evaluation should incorporate perspectives from communities likely to use or be affected by the resulting data sets, standards, and tools. The specific stakeholder groups are not enumerated in the provided listing.
What "cores" of expertise are expected within the BRIDGE Center?
The BRIDGE Center is described as bringing together several cores, including administration, team science, ethics, standards, tools optimization, and skills and workforce development. These cores collectively support coordination, responsible practices, harmonization, improved workflows, training, and program-wide impact.
What is the purpose of the ethics core?
The ethics core is intended to ensure responsible data practices and address issues such as consent, privacy, and fairness in the context of AI/ML-ready biomedical data resources and program activities.
What is the purpose of the standards core?
The standards core focuses on promoting harmonization and interoperability across projects, helping the overall program produce consistent and reusable outputs instead of project-by-project variation.
What is meant by "tools optimization" in this FOA?
Tools optimization refers to improving or aligning tools and workflows used across projects so that methods and outputs are more consistent, effective, and interoperable across the Bridge2AI program.
Does this FOA allow clinical trials?
No. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." The funded work should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH policy and should focus on coordination, infrastructure, best practices, dissemination, and evaluation related to AI/ML-ready data resources.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organizations and government entities, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than IHEs); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities.
Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible.
Can a U.S. applicant include international activities in any form?
Yes, certain "foreign components" (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed. This means a U.S. applicant may include some internationally based elements under NIH rules, even though a foreign organization cannot be the applicant.
Does the FOA highlight any specific institution types for broad participation?
Yes. The listing explicitly highlights categories often emphasized for broad participation in federal funding, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.
What is the activity category for this funding opportunity?
The activity category listed is health.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The listing includes CFDA number 93.310.
What was the original closing date listed for this FOA?
The original closing date provided in the listing is August 20, 2021.
Does the listing specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards?
No. The provided fields do not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards. However, the intent described is to fund a single coordinated BRIDGE Center.
What is the overall goal of creating the BRIDGE Center?
The overall goal is to support and amplify the impact of the Bridge2AI Data Generation Projects by producing shared deliverables and shared practices, enabling broad dissemination and adoption, and providing credible program evaluation so the program produces consistent, interoperable, reusable resources for AI/ML-ready biomedical and behavioral data.
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