This Clinical Observational (CO) Studies in Musculoskeletal, Rheumatic, and Skin Diseases (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR, was re-issued as a result of the Simplifying Review of Research Project Grant Applications [link: https://grants.nih.gov/policy-and-compliance/policy-topics/peer-review/simplifying-review]. The Simplified Review changes in Section V are the only changes that have been made. All other aspects of this funding opportunity remain the same.

PAR-24-280: Clinical Observational (CO) Studies in Musculoskeletal, Rheumatic, and Skin Diseases (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Posted Date: December 09, 2024 Earliest Submission Date: February 04, 2025 Expiration Date: November 03, 2026

Updates:

• March 31, 2025: This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission.
• April 4, 2024: Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025. See Notice NOT-OD-24-084.
• August 31, 2022: Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023. See Notice NOT-OD-22-198.
• August 5, 2022: Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. See Notice NOT-OD-22-189.

Part 1. Overview Information

Participating Organization(s): National Institutes of Health (NIH) Components of Participating Organizations: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Funding Opportunity Title: Clinical Observational (CO) Studies in Musculoskeletal, Rheumatic, and Skin Diseases (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Activity Code: R01 Research Project Grant Announcement Type: Reissue of PAR-24-036

Related Notices: See Notices of Special Interest associated with this funding opportunity.

Funding Opportunity Number (FON): PAR-24-280 Companion Funding Opportunity: None Number of Applications: See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility. Assistance Listing Number(s): 93.846

Funding Opportunity Purpose: The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to encourage Research Project Grant (R01) applications to pursue clinical observational (CO) studies to obtain data necessary for designing clinical studies for musculoskeletal, rheumatic, or skin diseases or conditions. Research data from observational studies supported by this NOFO can enhance clinical study design by providing essential information about disease symptoms, stages, and timing of disease progression; comorbid conditions; availability of potential research participants; and outcomes that are important to patients. They also can facilitate efforts to develop and/or validate objective biomarkers or subjective outcome measures for use in a future clinical study. A future clinical study may include a clinical trial or an observational study. Applicants to this NOFO are encouraged to propose studies that address significant obstacles or questions in the design of a clinical project, such as determining the appropriate primary or secondary outcome measures or identifying the stages of disease during which patients are most likely to respond to an intervention. Only observational studies will be supported through this NOFO.

Key Dates:

• Posted Date: December 09, 2024
• Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): February 04, 2025
• Application Due Dates:
  • New: March 04, 2025; November 04, 2025; March 04, 2026; July 02, 2026; November 02, 2026
  • Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed): March 04, 2025; November 04, 2025; March 04, 2026; July 02, 2026; November 02, 2026
  • AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed: Not Applicable
• Scientific Merit Review: July 2025, November 2025, March 2026, July 2026, November 2026
• Advisory Council Review: October 2025, January 2026, May 2026, October 2026, January 2027
• Earliest Start Date: July 02, 2025; November 04, 2025; July 02, 2026; November 04, 2026; March 04, 2026

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Expiration Date: November 03, 2026 Due Dates for E.O. 12372: Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions: It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

• Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
• Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
• Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.

Table of Contents:

• Part 1. Overview Information
• Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
  • Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description
  • Section II. Award Information
  • Section III. Eligibility Information
  • Section IV. Application and Submission Information
  • Section V. Application Review Information
  • Section VI. Award Administration Information
  • Section VII. Agency Contacts
  • Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

This NOFO is one part of the NIAMS Clinical Research program, which includes the NIAMS Exploratory Clinical Trial Grants (R61). The overall goals of the NIAMS Clinical Research program are to support well-designed, high impact studies that lead to advances in the prevention or reduction of symptoms and improve outcomes and function in patients with rheumatic, musculoskeletal, or skin conditions or diseases.

This NOFO will only support Clinical Observational (CO) studies, defined as a clinical study in which the investigator does not intervene to alter the care or treatment that people receive, but only observes and collects different outcomes and analyzes data. These studies often assess specific health characteristics of the enrolled participants by collecting biospecimens (e.g., for biomarker or genomic analyses), obtaining photographic, radiographic or other images, and/or collecting medical history or exposure data from research subjects. Applications that leverage telehealth methods, digital outcomes, or wearable devices are encouraged. Studies other than observational studies submitted to this NOFO will not be supported.

Applications can include studies to obtain information about disease symptoms, stages, and timing of disease progression; comorbid conditions; availability of potential clinical study participants; and outcomes that are important to patients. These CO studies can also facilitate efforts to validate objective biomarkers or subjective outcome measures for use in a future clinical study. Applicants to this NOFO are encouraged to propose studies that address significant obstacles or questions in the design of a clinical study, such as determining the appropriate primary or secondary outcome measures or identifying the stages of disease during which patients are most likely to respond to an intervention. Applicants are also highly encouraged to consider use of the best available methods for design, assessment, and analysis in observational studies. Although these studies are intended to inform the planning and execution of future clinical research studies, the resulting data may also have a direct impact on clinical care.

Observational additions to ongoing clinical studies that are not clinical trials are permitted. Such permissible studies may include collecting data on patients who receive treatment as part of their standard of care, not as part of a research study protocol.

Ancillary observational additions to ongoing clinical studies are permitted.

Specific examples of research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Characterization of the frequency and/or severity of disease associated symptoms that would be measured as an outcome in future clinical studies.
• Association studies that compare a biochemical or imaging biomarker to other, established outcome measures to establish surrogate markers.
• Testing of clinical study recruitment strategies for rare diseases or underserved populations that would be candidates for participating in a future clinical study.
• Collection of data on adverse events from administration of treatment under a standard of care setting in an observational study protocol that could be used to design a future clinical research study.
• Collection of standard of care data in an observational study setting to be used as a historical control for a future clinical research study.

Only CO studies will be supported through this NOFO.

Enrollment for the proposed study cohort should match the diversity of the population affected by the disease, otherwise the application may be considered low priority by the NIAMS.

Applications Not Responsive to this PAR: Non-responsive applications include those that propose:

• Basic laboratory research or studies of laboratory animals.
• Disease mechanisms or pathophysiology, or therapeutic target identification.
• Studies on blood or tissue samples derived from human subjects, that are collected independently of the proposed project.
• Any NIH-defined clinical trials.
• Early stage biomarker discovery or development.

Non-responsive applications will be returned without review.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

Funding Instrument: Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.

Application Types Allowed:

• New
• Resubmission

The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO.

Clinical Trial? Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials. Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards: The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Award Budget: Direct costs are limited to $475,000 over the four-year period [exclusive of consortium/subcontractual Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs] with no more than $250,000 in any single year.

Award Project Period: The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is four years.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants:

Eligible Organizations:

• Higher Education Institutions
  • Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  • Private Institutions of Higher Education
• Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• For-Profit Organizations
  • Small Businesses
  • For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
• Local Governments
  • State Governments
  • County Governments
  • City or Township Governments
  • Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized).
• Federal Governments
  • Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession
• Other
  • Independent School Districts
  • Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
  • Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
  • Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
  • Regional Organizations

Foreign Organizations:

• Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.
• Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
• Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Required Registrations:

Applicant Organizations: Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information.

• System for Award Management (SAM): Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
• NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code: Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons: Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov: Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)): All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator): Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply-Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing: This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility:

Number of Applications: Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package: The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Page Limitations: All page limitations described in the How to Apply- Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission: The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply- Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

• SF424(R&R) Cover: All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.
• SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
• SF424(R&R) Other Project Information: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
  • Facilities and Other Resources: Applicants should also briefly describe the available infrastructure for groups of clinical researchers likely to conduct the research.
• SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
• R&R or Modular Budget: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
• R&R Subaward Budget: All instructions in the How to Apply-Application Guide must be followed.
• PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
• PHS 398 Research Plan: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
  • Research Strategy: The Significance section of the Research Strategy should contain a subsection with the heading "Necessity for Future Clinical Research Study." This subsection should describe how the information obtained through the proposed CO study will address a significant obstacle for the design of a future clinical study, which may include a clinical trial or an observational study. Describe the gap of knowledge that will be addressed by this CO study and how filling that gap will enhance the design of future clinical research. It is expected that the applicant will be able to demonstrate that the information obtained through this observational study will likely facilitate the design or conduct of high-quality clinical research. Applicants should briefly describe the current state of clinical research in the relevant disease, progress in development of candidate therapeutics, and available therapies in the pipeline. A CO study application could be considered high impact if all of the necessary components of a significant clinical study are integrated, including the preclinical therapy development and regulatory approvals, the appropriate clinical research network, access to patients, etc., and if it can be demonstrated that the CO study would provide the missing piece necessary to design the next clinical study. The researchers proposing the CO study need not be involved in the future study, but should be able to describe the current status of translational research for the disease to justify the need for the CO study.
  • Letters of Support: Letters of support from academic or industry groups may be included.
  • Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply- Application Guide.
  • Other Plan(s): All instructions in the How to Apply-Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
  • Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide. No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.
• PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information: When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply- Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:
  • If you answered “Yes” to the question “Are Human Subjects Involved?” on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.
  • Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
  • Delayed Onset Study: Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.
• PHS Assignment Request Form: All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM): See Part 2. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.

4. Submission Dates and Times: Part I. contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply-Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372): This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions: All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information: Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration. For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

• All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form.
• Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.
• The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply Application Guide.
• See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NIAMS, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Mandatory Disclosure: Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200.113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.1.35. Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at disclosures@oig.hhs.gov.

Post Submission Materials: Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy. Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria: Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

For this announcement, note the following: The goal of this initiative is to foster the development of CO studies (non-interventional) to obtain data necessary for designing future clinical research studies for musculoskeletal, rheumatic, or skin diseases or conditions. Evaluation of the applications will include the scientific rationale/premise of the study as outlined below. A CO study application could be considered high impact if all the necessary components of a significant clinical study are integrated, including the preclinical therapy development and regulatory approval, the appropriate clinical research network, access to patients, etc., and if the CO study would provide the missing piece necessary to design the study. The scientific review will also focus on the overall impact of the proposed CO study and will include the evaluation of the research design and all the review criteria described below. Accordingly, reviewers will emphasize the conceptual framework, the level of innovation (if appropriate), and the potential to significantly advance our clinical knowledge or understanding. Appropriate justification for the proposed work can be provided through rigorous literature citations, data from other sources, or, when available, from investigator-generated data.

Overall Impact: Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following scored review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed). An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact.

Scored Review Criteria: Reviewers will evaluate Factors 1, 2 and 3 in the determination of scientific merit, and in providing an overall impact score. In addition, Factors 1 and 2 will each receive a separate criterion score.

• Factor 1. Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation):

  • Significance: Evaluate the importance of the proposed research in the context of current scientific challenges and opportunities, either for advancing knowledge within the field, or more broadly. Assess whether the application addresses an important gap in knowledge in the field, would solve a critical problem, or create a valuable conceptual or technical advance. Evaluate the rationale for undertaking the study, the rigor of the scientific background for the work (e.g., prior literature and/or preliminary data) and whether the scientific background justifies the proposed study.
  • Innovation: Evaluate the extent to which innovation influences the importance of undertaking the proposed research. Note that while technical or conceptual innovation can influence the importance of the proposed research, a project that is not applying novel concepts or approaches may be of critical importance for the field. Evaluate whether the proposed work applies novel concepts, methods or technologies or uses existing concepts, methods, technologies in novel ways, to enhance the overall impact of the project.

• Factor 2. Rigor and Feasibility (Approach):

  • Approach: Evaluate the scientific quality of the proposed work. Evaluate the likelihood that compelling, reproducible findings will result (rigor) and assess whether the proposed studies can be done well and within the timeframes proposed (feasibility).
    • Rigor: Evaluate the potential to produce unbiased, reproducible, robust data. Evaluate the rigor of experimental design and whether appropriate controls are in place. Evaluate whether the sample size is sufficient and well-justified. Assess the quality of the plans for analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results. Evaluate whether the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex or age, in the design, analysis, and reporting. For applications involving human subjects or vertebrate animals, also evaluate:
      • the rigor of the intervention or study manipulation (if applicable to the study design).
      • whether outcome variables are justified.
      • whether the results will be generalizable or, in the case of a rare disease/special group, relevant to the particular subgroup.
      • whether the sample is appropriate and sufficiently diverse to address the proposed question(s). For applications involving human subjects, including clinical trials, assess the adequacy of inclusion plans as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research. Considerations of appropriateness may include disease/condition/behavior incidence, prevalence, or population burden, population representation, and/or current state of the science.
    • Feasibility: Evaluate whether the proposed approach is sound and achievable, including plans to address problems or new challenges that emerge in the work. For proposed studies in which feasibility may be less certain, evaluate whether the uncertainty is balanced by the potential for major advances. For applications involving human subjects, including clinical trials, evaluate the adequacy and feasibility of the plan to recruit and retain an appropriately diverse population of participants. Additionally, evaluate the likelihood of successfully achieving the proposed enrollment based on age, race, ethnicity, and sex. For clinical trial applications, evaluate whether the study timeline and milestones are feasible.

• Factor 3. Expertise and Resources (Investigator(s) and Environment):

  • Investigator(s): Evaluate whether the investigator(s) have demonstrated background, training, and expertise, as appropriate for their career stage, to conduct the proposed work. For Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) applications, assess the quality of the leadership plan to facilitate coordination and collaboration.
  • Environment: Evaluate whether the institutional resources are appropriate to ensure the successful execution of the proposed work.

Additional Review Criteria: As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, but will not give criterion scores for these items, and should consider them in providing an overall impact score.

• Protections for Human Subjects: For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects; 2) adequacy of protection against risks; 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others; 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained; and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials. For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption; 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics; and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.

• Vertebrate Animals: When the proposed research includes Vertebrate Animals, evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animals Section.

• Biohazards: When the proposed research includes Biohazards, evaluate whether specific materials or procedures that will be used are significantly hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and whether adequate protection is proposed.

• Resubmissions: As applicable, evaluate the full application as now presented.

• Renewals: As applicable, evaluate the progress made in the last funding period.

• Revisions: As applicable, evaluate the appropriateness of the proposed expansion of the scope of the project.

Additional Review Considerations: As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

• Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources: For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, evaluate the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.
• Not applicable
• Budget and Period of Support: Evaluate whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

2. Review and Selection Process: Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NIAMS, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this NOFO. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.5.1. Just-in-Time Procedures. This request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding.

Prior to making an award, NIH reviews an applicant’s federal award history in SAM.gov to ensure sound business practices. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov. NIH will consider any comments by the applicant in the Responsibility/Qualification records in SAM.gov to ascertain the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and performance record of managing Federal awards per 2 CFR Part 200.206 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.” This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates: After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: A Notice of Award (NoA) is the official authorizing document notifying the applicant that an award has been made and that funds may be requested from the designated HHS payment system or office. The NoA is signed by the Grants Management Officer and emailed to the recipient’s business official.

In accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Any pre-award costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the applicant's own risk. For more information on the Notice of Award, please refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 5. The Notice of Award and NIH Grants & Funding website, see Award Process.

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: The following Federal wide and HHS-specific policy requirements apply to awards funded through NIH:

• The rules listed at 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
• All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the terms and conditions in the Notice of Award (NoA). The NoA includes the requirements of this NOFO. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities.
• If a recipient receives an award, the recipient must follow all applicable nondiscrimination laws. The recipient agrees to this when registering in SAM.gov. The recipient must also submit an Assurance of Compliance (HHS-690). To learn more, see the Laws and Regulations Enforced by the HHS Office for Civil Rights website. HHS recognizes that NIH research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this NOFO.
• All federal statutes and regulations relevant to federal financial assistance, including those highlighted in NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4 Public Policy Requirements, Objectives and Other Appropriation Mandates.
• Recipients are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable federal regulations. NIH may terminate awards under certain circumstances. See 2 CFR Part 200.340 Termination and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.5.2 Remedies for Noncompliance or Enforcement Actions: Suspension, Termination, and Withholding of Support.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award: Not Applicable

3. Data Management and Sharing: Consistent with the 2023 NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

4. Reporting: When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.4.1 Reporting. To learn more about post-award monitoring and reporting, see the NIH Grants & Funding website, see Post-Award Monitoring and Reporting.

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.6 Closeout. NIH NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 2 CFR Part 200.301.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts:

• eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)
  • Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact)
  • Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
• General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
  • Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact)
  • Telephone: 301-480-7075
• Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
  • Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
  • Email: [email protected]

Scientific/Research Contact(s):

• Rheumatic Diseases:
  • Yan Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Telephone: (301) 594-5032
  • Email: [email protected]
• Osteoarthritis and Diagnostic Imaging:
  • Xincheng Zheng, M.D., Ph.D.
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Telephone: (301) 594-4953
  • Email: [email protected]
• Muscle Diseases:
  • Emily Carifi, Ph.D.
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Telephone: 301-594-5055
  • Email: [email protected]
• Orthopaedics:
  • Chuck Washabaugh, Ph.D.
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Telephone: 301-594-3513
  • Email: [email protected]
• Bone Diseases:
  • Faye H. Chen, Ph.D.
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Telephone: 301-594-9997
  • Email: [email protected]
• Skin Diseases:
  • Ricardo Cibotti, Ph.D.
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Telephone: 301-451-5888
  • Email: [email protected]

Peer Review Contact(s):

• Kathy Salaita, Sc.D.
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• Telephone: 301-594-5033
• Email: [email protected]

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s):

• Ms. Leslie Littlejohn
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• Telephone: 301-594-2545
• Email: [email protected]

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Authority and Regulations: Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 2 CFR Part 200.

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