Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence: Development Phase (COBRE-D) (P30 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence program through the Institutional Development Award program. The IDeA program was established to build biomedical research capacity in states and jurisdictions that historically received relatively low levels of NIH funding. This limited competition opportunity, PAR-27-054, supports only the COBRE Development Phase. It is intended for eligible institutions that currently lack sufficient research capacity in a strategically important broad biomedical research area and that have no active COBRE grants, including grants in no-cost extension. The COBRE-D program supports a five-year institutional strategy for establishing biomedical research capacity. Applicant organizations must identify a broad and cohesive scientific area aligned with institutional priorities where existing research infrastructure and early- and mid-career investigators are lacking. The award may include an initial ramp-up period of up to 12 months in the first budget period and is expected to support recruitment of three to six early- and mid-career investigators over the award period. Every center must include an Administrative Core and Faculty Development Core, while up to two Research Cores are optional. Activities include faculty recruitment and development, mentoring and grantsmanship, establishment or enhancement of research facilities, research administration improvements, and development of infrastructure needed to position the institution for future competition for the COBRE Expansion Phase. Application budgets are limited to 400000 dollars in direct costs during year one and 1.8 million dollars in annual direct costs during years two through five, producing a maximum calculated five-year direct-cost request of 7.6 million dollars. The Administrative Core is limited to 1.3 million dollars in direct costs per year during years two through five and includes faculty start-up and administrative funds. Limited alterations and renovations or equipment purchases associated with center research space may be supported, with alteration and renovation requests limited to 300000 dollars during years two and or three. Administrative management costs are limited to 200000 dollars in each of years two through five. Research Core funds may support personnel, supplies, new equipment, instrumentation modernization, and establishment, modification, or expansion of research resources, but alteration and renovation is not allowed within a Research Core. Funds cannot be used by collaborators or for collaboration at organizations in non-IDeA states or at foreign sites. Cost sharing is not required. Eligible applicants include public and state controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with 501c3 status, and nonprofit organizations without 501c3 status. The applicant must be located in Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming and must have no active COBRE grant at submission. Foreign organizations and foreign components are not eligible, although certain unfunded foreign collaborations may be permitted with prior approval. Only one COBRE-D application per institution is allowed. The PD or PI must have a primary appointment at the applicant organization, meet the stated research funding and leadership requirements, and possess appropriate biomedical research, mentoring, and administrative experience. Applications must follow the NIH Multi-Project application instructions and the program-specific requirements in the NOFO. Submission must occur electronically through Grants.gov using NIH ASSIST or an institutional system-to-system solution, followed by application tracking through eRA Commons. Required components include one Overall component, one Administrative Core, one Faculty Development Core, and zero to two optional Research Cores. The Overall Research Strategy addresses justification for establishing the center, organization and management, an Internal Advisory Committee, and a Faculty Development Plan. A required institutional Letter of Support must document strategic alignment, resources, commitment, growth, and sustainability; partnership applications require a letter from each institution. Applications missing the required letter or letters are considered incomplete and withdrawn before review. Required registrations must be complete before submission. Applications are evaluated through NIH scientific peer review. Overall scored criteria include Significance, Investigators, Innovation, Approach, and Environment, with additional review considerations applicable to the proposed activities. Reviewers also assess the Administrative Core, optional Research Cores, and Faculty Development Core. Funding decisions consider scientific merit, availability of funds, portfolio balance, geographic and institutional distribution, scientific breadth, institutional need for research capacity growth, investigator development needs, and relevance to NIH and NIGMS programmatic priorities. NIGMS may evaluate program performance using measures such as faculty recruitment, development and retention, improved access to research infrastructure, subsequent grant submissions and external funding, geographic and institutional characteristics, publications, citations, and conference presentations. The opportunity was posted August 19, 2026, and opens for submission August 25, 2026. Application deadlines are September 25, 2026, January 25, 2027, May 25, 2027, September 25, 2027, January 25, 2028, May 25, 2028, September 25, 2028, January 25, 2029, and May 25, 2029, with applications due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. The NOFO expires May 26, 2029. Depending on the submission cycle, scientific merit review, advisory council review, and earliest start dates extend from March 2027 through April 2030. The project period is limited to five years. Scientific and research questions may be directed to NIGMS_COBRE_D@mail.nih.gov, while financial and grants management questions may be directed to NIGMSRCBGABNOFO@nih.gov.

Demonstrate that the proposed scientific area represents a genuine institutional research infrastructure gap and is broad and cohesive enough for sustainable capacity growth. Align the center closely with institutional strategic priorities and provide measurable capacity-building milestones. Present credible recruitment, mentoring, career development, retention, research administration, and sustainability strategies. Leverage existing institutional and IDeA resources without duplicating available capabilities. Clearly demonstrate how the award will position the institution for COBRE-E competition. Include the required institutional Letter or Letters of Support because omission results in withdrawal before review. Submit early enough to identify and correct electronic submission errors before the deadline.