Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 305
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health released this limited-competition funding opportunity to support a single Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research through the R28 resource project mechanism. The purpose is not to fund a typical hypothesis-driven research study, but to maintain and expand a specialized research resource that can serve the broader alcohol research community. Because it is a limited competition, the opportunity is intended specifically for a center that is already supported under the existing grant for the Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research, rather than being broadly open to new applicants.
The core objective is to build and strengthen a high-quality bank of human brain tissues that researchers can use to study alcohol-related brain damage and related conditions. The FOA emphasizes collecting and curating both fresh-frozen tissue and formalin-fixed tissue. This dual format is important because different scientific methods require different preservation approaches: fresh-frozen tissue is often critical for many molecular analyses, while formalin-fixed tissue is commonly used for detailed histological and pathological examinations. The tissue bank is expected to include specimens from individuals with alcohol use disorders (alcoholic cases) as well as appropriate control cases, and those cases must have confirmed clinical histories and pathological diagnoses so that downstream research is based on well-characterized and reliable samples.
A major expansion component in the announcement is the development and promotion of a prospective brain donor program in Australia known as "Using our Brains." The intent is to move beyond relying only on opportunistic or retrospective tissue acquisition and instead create an organized pipeline where donors are recruited and followed prospectively, improving the ability to gather consistent background information and increasing the size and representativeness of the collection over time. In practice, this type of program typically supports better documentation of alcohol exposure history, comorbidities, and other factors that can strongly influence brain outcomes, which increases the scientific value of the bank.
In addition to brain tissue banking, the FOA calls for establishing a linked DNA (blood) bank derived from the brain donor group. This is designed to enable genetic and genomic studies and to allow researchers to integrate molecular findings from brain tissue with DNA-based analyses. A coordinated brain-and-DNA resource can support a wider range of modern research approaches, including studies of genetic risk factors, gene-by-environment interactions, and biological pathways involved in alcohol-related neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration.
Finally, the opportunity highlights an outward-facing role for the center: it should actively invite and support research groups interested in alcohol-related brain damage to apply to conduct studies using these tissues. This implies the resource center is expected to function as a community hub, promoting awareness of available specimens, facilitating access, and enabling multiple independent research projects that leverage the bank. In other words, success is measured not only by how much tissue is collected, but also by how effectively the resource is used by the wider field to generate new scientific findings.
Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary grant under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, with activity in the health domain (CFDA 93.273). The eligible applicant category listed is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, consistent with the center-based and infrastructure-oriented nature of the award. The FOA was created on October 10, 2017, with an original closing date of December 14, 2017. It anticipated making one award, reflecting the specialized, single-center resource model. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0 in the source data, which typically indicates that a specific cap was not stated in that field rather than implying no funding; applicants would normally look to the full announcement or NIH budgeting policies for practical expectations.Apply for PAR 17 305
- The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research (R28)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 10, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 14, 2017. (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 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is this funding opportunity in plain terms?
This is a limited-competition NIH/NIAAA funding opportunity to support a single Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research using the R28 resource project mechanism. The focus is on maintaining and expanding a specialized research resource (a human brain tissue bank and related infrastructure), not on running a typical hypothesis-driven research study.
2. Which NIH institute is offering this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
3. What activity mechanism is being used?
The activity mechanism is an R28 resource project mechanism, which aligns with building, maintaining, and expanding a research resource intended to serve a broad community of investigators.
4. Is this a typical research grant for testing a new scientific hypothesis?
No. The stated purpose is not to fund a conventional hypothesis-driven research study. Instead, the goal is to sustain and expand a specialized resource that other researchers can use to conduct alcohol-related brain research.
5. Why is this described as a limited competition?
It is limited because it is intended specifically for a center that is already supported under the existing grant for the Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research, rather than being broadly open to new applicants.
6. How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?
The announcement anticipated making one award, consistent with a single-center, specialized resource model.
7. What is the main scientific resource being supported?
The main resource is a high-quality bank of human brain tissues to support studies of alcohol-related brain damage and related conditions.
8. What kinds of brain tissue does the FOA emphasize collecting?
The FOA emphasizes collecting and curating both fresh-frozen tissue and formalin-fixed tissue.
9. Why does the FOA emphasize both fresh-frozen and formalin-fixed tissue?
Different scientific methods require different preservation approaches. Fresh-frozen tissue is often critical for many molecular analyses, while formalin-fixed tissue is commonly used for detailed histological and pathological examinations.
10. What types of cases are expected to be included in the tissue bank?
The bank is expected to include specimens from individuals with alcohol use disorders (alcoholic cases) as well as appropriate control cases.
11. What level of documentation is expected for the cases in the bank?
Cases must have confirmed clinical histories and pathological diagnoses so researchers can rely on well-characterized, dependable samples for downstream studies.
12. What is the "Using our Brains" program mentioned in the announcement?
"Using our Brains" is described as a prospective brain donor program in Australia that the center is expected to develop and promote as part of the resource expansion.
13. What does it mean that the donor program is prospective?
It means moving beyond relying only on opportunistic or retrospective tissue acquisition and instead creating an organized pipeline where donors are recruited and followed prospectively. This approach generally supports more consistent background information and can increase the size and representativeness of the collection over time.
14. What is the purpose of expanding into a prospective donor program?
The intent is to improve the consistency and completeness of donor background information (such as alcohol exposure history and comorbidities) and to strengthen the long-term growth and scientific value of the tissue collection.
15. Does the opportunity include resources beyond brain tissue?
Yes. The FOA calls for establishing a linked DNA (blood) bank derived from the brain donor group.
16. Why is a linked DNA (blood) bank included?
The linked DNA bank is designed to enable genetic and genomic studies and to support integrating findings from brain tissue with DNA-based analyses.
17. What kinds of research can a coordinated brain-and-DNA resource support?
Based on the description, it can support modern approaches such as genetic risk factor studies, gene-by-environment research, and investigations of biological pathways involved in alcohol-related neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration.
18. What role is the center expected to play for the broader research community?
The center is expected to function as a community-facing hub: actively inviting and supporting research groups interested in alcohol-related brain damage to apply to conduct studies using the tissues, promoting awareness of available specimens, facilitating access, and enabling multiple independent projects.
19. How is success implied to be measured for this resource center?
Success is implied to be measured not only by how much tissue is collected, but also by how effectively the resource is used by the wider field to generate new scientific findings.
20. Who is listed as an eligible applicant category?
The eligible applicant category listed is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
21. What agency and program classification details are provided?
Administratively, it is a discretionary grant under HHS/NIH. The activity is in the health domain and is associated with CFDA 93.273.
22. When was the FOA created and what was the original closing date?
The FOA was created on October 10, 2017, and the original closing date was December 14, 2017.
23. Was a maximum award amount (ceiling) specified?
The listed award ceiling is shown as 0 in the source data. This typically indicates that a specific cap was not stated in that particular field, rather than meaning there is no funding. Practical budgeting expectations would normally come from the full FOA and NIH budgeting policies.
24. What is the overall intent behind funding only one center?
The description reflects a specialized, single-center resource model where one designated center maintains and expands a centralized bank and related services for the broader alcohol research community.
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