NIDCD National Human Ear Resource Network (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DC 23 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DC 23 002

The NIDCD National Human Ear Resource Network (RFA-DC-23-002) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity designed to support several laboratories in forming a coordinated, collaborative network that serves as a national technology and service resource for scientists studying hearing and balance. The core purpose is to strengthen and expand the research communitys ability to use post-mortem human inner and middle ear tissues, especially human temporal bones, in both basic and clinically oriented studies. By building shared capacity and common standards across multiple labs, the program aims to make high-quality human ear specimens and related technical expertise more accessible, more consistent, and easier to integrate into research pipelines that currently rely heavily on animal models.

A central feature of the initiative is the creation of a service-oriented infrastructure. Network laboratories are expected to provide technical services covering the full chain of human ear tissue resource work: procuring temporal bones and other relevant tissues, preparing and preserving specimens, sectioning tissues appropriately for downstream assays, and distributing high-quality materials to qualified researchers. The FOA emphasizes improving and disseminating methods, not just maintaining existing practices. That includes developing and sharing better approaches to tissue preservation and processing, as well as optimizing visualization methods for human middle and inner ear structures, including delicate cellular and membranous components that are often difficult to preserve and interpret. In practical terms, the Network is meant to make it easier for outside investigators to obtain well-processed specimens and to use modern, reliable protocols that can support histology, imaging, and other analytic approaches.

Another major goal is broad dissemination of data and training. Network labs will digitize temporal bone images and upload them into NIDCD-approved databases so the wider community can access and use these materials. The program also calls for technical instruction opportunities focused on the specialized skills required to recover and process ear tissues from post-mortem temporal bones, which are notoriously challenging specimens. Beyond the bench-level work, the Network is expected to do active outreach to scientific and clinical audiences to encourage wider adoption of human temporal bone resources, connect researchers with Network capabilities, and foster collaboration between Network and non-Network laboratories. The intent is to reduce fragmentation in the field, increase awareness of available resources, and grow the overall user base for human ear tissues in auditory and vestibular research.

The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, meaning NIH anticipates substantial involvement in coordinating activities and ensuring the network functions as a coherent national resource rather than a collection of independent projects. A key expectation is coordination across participating laboratories to maximize national impact and avoid duplicative efforts, such as redundant protocol development or overlapping infrastructure where shared solutions would be more efficient. While the focus is strongly resource- and service-based, the FOA also allows individual laboratories to propose research components aimed at improving current techniques for processing and using human temporal bones, so long as those improvements clearly support the broader resource mission. Clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity.

Eligibility is broad across many domestic organization types, reflecting the programmatic goal of building widely accessible national infrastructure. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses, among others. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISI institutions, as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, but non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may participate, and foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy.

Administratively, the opportunity is run by NIH under CFDA 93.173, categorized as discretionary funding in the health area, and uses the cooperative agreement funding instrument. The original closing date listed for the opportunity was April 6, 2022, and the FOA was created February 11, 2022. Overall, the program is structured to accelerate translation from animal and in vitro findings to human biology by making well-characterized human ear tissues, high-quality imaging resources, and specialized know-how available at national scale, directly supporting NIDCDs mission areas in hearing, balance, and related communication disorders.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCD National Human Ear Resource Network (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): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-06. (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 DC 23 002

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