Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) Methods and Analysis for Populations of Diverse Ancestry Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 20 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 20 001

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity RFA HG 20 001 supports the creation of Centers focused on improving Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) methods for people from diverse ancestral backgrounds. PRS are statistical tools that combine information from many genetic variants to estimate an individuals inherited risk for complex diseases and traits. A major limitation in the field has been that many existing PRS were developed primarily using data from people of European ancestry, which can reduce accuracy and usefulness when those scores are applied to other populations. This program is designed to directly address that gap by building a coordinated set of research Centers that can develop better methods and produce more reliable, broadly applicable PRS across multiple ancestries and a wide range of health-related outcomes.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01), meaning NIH expects to have substantial scientific and programmatic involvement in shaping and coordinating the work. Funded Centers are expected to work as part of a larger Consortium that also includes a separate Coordinating Center (funded through a different FOA). The overall idea is that individual Centers will contribute complementary expertise, data resources, and methodological advances, while the Coordinating Center helps align efforts across the Consortium, supports collaboration, and enables shared standards for analysis and data dissemination.

The scientific goals emphasize two core themes. First, the Consortium aims to leverage genetic diversity to improve PRS performance across populations. That includes developing and testing methods that account for differences in ancestry, linkage disequilibrium patterns, allele frequencies, and environmental or clinical context that can affect how well a PRS transports from one group to another. The intent is not just to produce scores, but also to refine the underlying statistical and computational approaches so that PRS can be applied more equitably and effectively in research and, eventually, in settings that influence healthcare decisions. Second, the program focuses on optimizing the integration of large-scale genomic and phenotype data. This involves harmonizing datasets, improving approaches to combining information across studies, and creating shared resources that make it easier for researchers to run collaborative analyses, compare PRS methods fairly, and disseminate PRS-related outputs in ways that are useful to the broader community.

Rather than funding brand-new data collection as the main emphasis, the Centers are expected to integrate and analyze existing datasets that already contain genomic information linked to phenotype data for complex diseases and traits. The work can span many health measures, reflecting the broad relevance of PRS to common conditions such as cardiometabolic disease, cancer risk, psychiatric traits, and other multifactorial outcomes. A key expectation is that Centers will produce deliverables that help the field move forward, such as validated PRS in diverse cohorts, improved analytical pipelines, benchmarking results across methods, and resources that enable reproducibility and reuse.

Administratively, this is categorized as a discretionary health funding opportunity under CFDA 93.172. The original application closing date listed for this announcement was July 7, 2020, and the award ceiling shown is $1,000,000. NIH anticipated making multiple awards (the announcement lists expected awards but does not provide a number in the provided text). The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that the funded activities should not include clinical trial research as defined by NIH; the emphasis is on methods, analysis, and resource development rather than interventional testing in human participants.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments); public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (foreign) entities. Taken together, the eligibility language reinforces the program’s equity-driven focus by encouraging participation from institutions and communities that are often underrepresented in large-scale genomics.

In practical terms, the program is meant to build infrastructure and shared scientific capacity so PRS tools do not remain optimized only for a narrow slice of the population. By pushing methodological innovation, supporting harmonized multi-study analyses, and requiring close collaboration through a Consortium structure, NIH is aiming to produce PRS that are more accurate across ancestries and more trustworthy as a foundation for future translational research, risk prediction, and population health applications.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) Methods and Analysis for Populations of Diverse Ancestry Centers (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): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-03-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-07-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• 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 HG 20 001

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