Limited Competition for the Continuation of the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network Discovery Sites (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 18 513

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 18 513

This funding opportunity is a limited-competition NIH cooperative agreement (U01) focused on continuing the work of the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network. The MAPP Network is a long-running, multi-center research collaboration dedicated to improving understanding of urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS), an umbrella term that includes interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). The central idea behind the program is that these conditions are complex, heterogeneous, and often poorly explained by a single organ-based cause, so progress depends on coordinated, multidisciplinary research that can link symptoms, clinical features, biology, and longer-term outcomes across large groups of participants.

The stated goal of the MAPP Network is to generate new insights into the underlying pathophysiology, the natural history of the condition over time, clinical phenotypes (subgroups of patients with distinct symptom patterns or characteristics), and risk factors. Those insights are meant to create a stronger foundation for future clinical intervention research and, ultimately, better clinical management. In other words, this FOA is not primarily about testing a new treatment in a clinical trial; it is about deepening and extending a shared research resource and producing integrated analyses that clarify what UCPPS is, how it varies from patient to patient, and what drives symptom trajectories.

Structurally, the MAPP Network includes multiple collaborating components: nine Discovery Sites plus two centralized cores, a Data Coordination Core (DCC) and a Tissue and Technology Core (TATC). The Discovery Sites are the clinical research hubs that enroll and follow participants, collect standardized clinical and symptom data, and obtain biological specimens. The DCC supports the network-wide data infrastructure, harmonization, quality control, and cross-site analytics. The TATC supports biospecimen handling and related laboratory or technology platforms that enable network-wide biological analyses. The cooperative agreement mechanism signals that NIH is expected to have substantial scientific and programmatic involvement, and that the work is intended to be coordinated across the network rather than carried out as independent projects.

The purpose of this particular FOA is continuation funding for a defined set of existing sites rather than an open call for new teams. It invites applications only from the six major MAPP Discovery Sites that were previously funded under RFA-DK-13-507, and it supports an additional three-year project period. During this continuation period, the network will keep collecting longitudinal phenotypic data and biological samples from UCPPS participants who are already enrolled in the Trans-MAPP Symptoms Patterns Study protocol. The emphasis on longitudinal follow-up means the study is designed to capture changes over time, including symptom fluctuations, progression, stability, and associations with biological or clinical measures. Alongside continued data and sample collection, the FOA highlights the importance of highly collaborative, integrated analyses across sites, with the aim of identifying new insights into UCPPS that would be difficult to obtain from any single center working alone.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement funding instrument (U01). It is listed under a health-related activity category (noted as Food and Nutrition, Health) and is associated with CFDA number 93.847, which corresponds to NIH-related research support in this domain. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-DK-18-513, with an original closing date of November 14, 2018, and a creation date of September 14, 2018. An award ceiling and expected number of awards are not provided in the supplied listing, which is sometimes the case in brief summaries or when details are specified in the full FOA document.

Eligibility is intentionally narrow because this is a limited competition tied to continuation of an existing network. In the source listing, eligible applicants are identified as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, consistent with the fact that the eligible Discovery Sites are established academic research institutions. The FOA also clarifies restrictions related to foreign participation: non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. At the same time, foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a funded U.S. applicant can include certain foreign collaborations or elements when justified and permitted under NIH policy, even though the prime applicant organization itself must be U.S.-based and eligible.

A final practical detail embedded in the title is the clinical trial designation: "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." That signals applicants are not permitted to propose a clinical trial under this FOA. The continuation work is framed around ongoing observational and translational research activities, including standardized phenotyping, biospecimen collection, and collaborative analysis, rather than interventional testing of treatments.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition for the Continuation of the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network Discovery Sites (U01 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): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-09-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-11-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for RFA DK 18 513

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