Cooperative Centers for Experimental Hematology (CCEHs) (U54- Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The Cooperative Centers for Experimental Hematology, or CCEHs, funding opportunity is issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The opportunity uses the U54 Specialized Center Cooperative Agreement mechanism and is a reissue of RFA-DK-19-005. The CCEH Program was created to increase access to critical research resources, strengthen collaboration in the national multidisciplinary effort to study normal hematopoiesis and nonmalignant hematologic diseases, and foster broad basic and translational research. The program is intended to provide national access to innovative technologies, knowledge, resources, and expertise while engaging junior scientists beginning careers in hematology and established investigators entering the field from other domains. Each funded Center must include an Administrative Core, including an Enrichment Program, and between one and three Biomedical Research Cores. Biomedical Research Cores must provide shared state-of-the-art technical resources and specialized expertise that address important needs in nonmalignant hematology and serve multiple research projects rather than a single laboratory or project. Centers must make their core resources and services available nationally, including beyond the awardee institution. Cores are expected to maintain quality control, develop and share standard operating procedures and protocols, train investigators in specialized technologies, respond to evolving community needs, and develop new tools, assays, or reagents when needed. The Administrative Core is responsible for Center leadership, fiscal management, evaluation, coordination, outreach, resource management, oversight of the Biomedical Research Cores and Enrichment Program, and collaboration with the other CCEH Centers, the Hematology Coordinating Center, and NIDDK. NIDDK intends to commit 3745000 in fiscal year 2027 to fund around five awards. Application budgets are anticipated at approximately 650000 in direct costs per year, and the maximum project period is five years. The notice does not require cost sharing. Allowable expenses described in the notice include appropriate personnel, consultants, Center website support, enrichment activities, and travel directly related to CCEH activities. Enrichment funds may support interactive workshops, career development symposia, Center retreats, trainee exchanges, hands-on skill-building activities, and other appropriate interactive meetings, but seminars and trainee stipends are not supported through the Center budget. Specialized equipment costing more than 5000 may be requested with appropriate justification and only during the initial budget period. Biomedical Research Cores must develop a transparent fee-for-service recharge system. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, small businesses and other for-profit organizations, state, county, city or township, special district, and eligible federal government entities, U.S. territories or possessions, federally recognized and other tribal governments, tribal organizations, independent school districts, public or Indian housing authorities, faith-based or community-based organizations, and regional organizations. Foreign organizations are not eligible to apply, although non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible. Foreign components and foreign subawards or subcontracts are not allowed. Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to conduct the proposed research may serve as a PD or PI through an eligible applicant organization. Multi-institutional domestic applications are encouraged, particularly where investigators have a history of collaboration. Each applicant organization may submit only one application. Required organizational registrations include SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov, while PDs and PIs must have eRA Commons accounts and valid ORCID IDs linked to their profiles. Applications must follow the NIH Multi-Project application instructions and the program-specific requirements in the NOFO. Applications may be prepared and submitted using NIH ASSIST or an institutional system-to-system solution for submission through Grants.gov, with submission subsequently tracked through eRA Commons. The multi-component application requires exactly one Overall component, exactly one Administrative Core including the Enrichment Program, and one to three Biomedical Research Core components. Each of these components has a six-page limit under the stated component table. Required materials and plans include the applicable SF424 and PHS forms, Specific Aims, Research Strategy, budget information, personnel information, institutional letters of support, Resource Sharing Plan information, and applicable human subjects and other research documentation. A Data Management and Sharing Plan is required for NIH-funded or conducted research that will generate scientific data and, when required, must be submitted in the Overall component. Review will consider scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system. Overall scored criteria include Significance, Investigators, Innovation, Approach, and Environment, with additional criteria tailored to the CCEH mission. Reviewers will consider whether applicants can provide nationally accessible research resources, build and support the nonmalignant hematology community, recruit and retain investigators, create innovative resources, respond to evolving community needs, maintain effective Center leadership and quality control, and collaborate across the CCEH Program. Administrative and Biomedical Research Cores receive component-level overall impact assessments. Funding decisions will additionally consider available funds, program priorities, breadth of scientific themes and core expertise, and commitment to sharing resources with the broader hematology community. The opportunity opened August 31, 2026, and applications are due September 30, 2026, by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. No late applications will be accepted. Scientific merit review is anticipated in March 2027, Advisory Council review in May 2027, and the earliest project start is July 2027. The expiration date is October 1, 2026. The first CCEH Program face-to-face meeting is expected in Spring or Summer 2027, and required Center leadership must participate in program coordination activities. Scientific and research inquiries may be directed to NIDDK_KUH@nih.gov, and grants management inquiries may be directed to NIDDKGMBManagementTeam@niddk.nih.gov. No individual program contact or program telephone number is identified in the supplied source.

Demonstrate that the Center is unique and essential to nonmalignant hematology and that its combined components create value beyond their individual contributions. Show strong national access to innovative Core resources, a broad user base, effective recruitment and retention of junior and new investigators, meaningful collaboration, rigorous QA and QC, responsiveness to evolving community needs, transparent Core access and prioritization, development of new tools and technologies, effective integration across Center components, and commitment to sharing resources with the broader hematology community.