Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Clinical Centers (U01) | RFA RM 15 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 15 015

The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Clinical Centers (U01) funding opportunity (RFA-RM-15-015) is an NIH Common Fund cooperative agreement designed to stand up multiple clinical sites that will work together in a single, coordinated, multi-center human study under the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC). The central scientific goal is to map, as comprehensively as possible, the molecular changes triggered by physical activity in people and to identify the "molecular transducers" that link exercise to its health effects. Rather than focusing on a single pathway or biomarker, the program is built around broad, systems-level discovery so that the field can better understand how physical activity influences biology across tissues, time, and individuals.

Under this FOA, funded Clinical Centers are expected to recruit and study human participants and to collect high-quality biospecimens in a standardized way that supports cross-site comparability. The samples are intended for deep molecular profiling across multiple "omics" layers, specifically genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, and proteomics. In practical terms, this means the clinical sites are not just running exercise interventions or physiological assessments; they are also responsible for generating the well-annotated, rigorously collected specimen sets and associated clinical/phenotypic data that can be analyzed to discover molecular signatures and mechanistic mediators of physical activity.

The award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement, which signals that NIH will have substantial involvement in the project beyond standard grant stewardship. In a cooperative agreement, investigators maintain primary responsibility for the conduct of the study, but they operate within a consortium structure with coordinated protocols, shared governance expectations, and active NIH program participation. This structure is meant to ensure that all sites follow harmonized procedures, produce interoperable data and specimens, and contribute to a unified resource that can be integrated across the consortium.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental units. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit entities (including small businesses and for-profit organizations other than small businesses). The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); 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 Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized ones. At the same time, the opportunity draws a clear boundary around foreign participation: non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components may be allowed if they meet the NIH Grants Policy Statement definition, which typically means a discrete, justified element of the project can occur abroad under the umbrella of an otherwise eligible U.S. applicant organization.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, uses the cooperative agreement instrument, and falls under the health activity category with CFDA number 93.310. NIH anticipated making about seven awards through this FOA. The original closing date listed for applications was March 18, 2016, and the FOA was created on October 8, 2015. The award ceiling is not specified in the provided source data, which usually indicates applicants needed to consult the full FOA text for budget guidance, caps, and consortium cost expectations.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as NIH building a coordinated clinical research network to generate a richly characterized, multi-omic dataset and biospecimen repository tied to controlled physical activity exposures in humans. The intended impact is to create a foundational reference for how exercise "gets under the skin" at the molecular level, enabling future mechanistic studies, biomarker development, and more precise approaches to leveraging physical activity for prevention and treatment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Clinical Centers (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-10-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-03-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• 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 RM 15 015

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: