Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase 1 (P20 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 22 250

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 250

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase 1 (P20 - Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity administered by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to renew eligible existing COBRE Phase 1 centers. The program sits within the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) framework, which is designed to build health-related research capacity in states and jurisdictions that have historically received a smaller share of NIH funding. In practical terms, this opportunity is meant to help an institution move from having pockets of research strength to having a durable, center-based research ecosystem with shared direction, shared resources, and a pipeline of investigators who can later compete successfully for independent NIH awards and other peer-reviewed external funding.

The core purpose of a COBRE Phase 1 renewal is infrastructure plus people. On the infrastructure side, the center is expected to maintain and further develop a thematic, multidisciplinary research program organized around a defined scientific focus area. This typically involves strengthening the physical and organizational backbone that makes strong biomedical research possible: shared scientific resources, research cores, technical expertise, governance and evaluation processes, and a collaborative environment that helps multiple research teams work efficiently and at higher quality than they could independently. On the people side, the renewal is explicitly aimed at continuing to develop and support a critical mass of investigators who are building expertise aligned with the center theme, with the long-range objective that these investigators transition to independent funding such as NIH R-series grants or equivalent peer-reviewed support. The FOA emphasizes that the center should enhance competitiveness, not simply fund projects in isolation.

This is a discretionary grant mechanism using the NIH P20 activity code, and it is labeled "clinical trial optional," meaning the program can support work that may or may not include a clinical trial component, as allowed under NIH rules for the mechanism and as justified by the proposed center activities. The initiative is targeted to strengthen institutions that are building toward sustained research excellence, and the renewal focus signals that applicants should already have an established Phase 1 COBRE and are seeking continued support to deepen the infrastructure and career development outcomes that Phase 1 is meant to produce.

Eligibility is constrained in ways that reflect the IDeA program goals and NIH policy. The opportunity lists state governments as eligible applicants and also references categories of institutions that may be eligible depending on their status and program rules, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Certain nonprofit organizations (including those with or without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education) are also identified among eligible applicant types in the provided text. At the same time, the FOA is clear about what is not allowed on the foreign side: non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) cannot apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not permitted. In other words, the center and its supported activities need to be fully domestic in the NIH sense.

Key administrative details from the source information include the funding opportunity number PAR 22-250, the CFDA number 93.859, and the NIH as the issuing agency. The original closing date is listed as January 30, 2025. The award ceiling is shown as $1,500,000, which indicates the maximum anticipated funding level per award under this announcement (with actual budgets typically dependent on approved scope and NIH policy). The opportunity was created on September 14, 2022. While the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, the overall intent is to continue supporting qualifying COBRE Phase 1 centers that can demonstrate progress and present a compelling plan to further strengthen infrastructure and investigator development within the center theme.

Taken together, this FOA is best read as a continuation and capacity-building investment: it is not simply a research project grant, but a center renewal aimed at consolidating and expanding an institution's biomedical research capabilities, improving shared resources and collaboration, and accelerating the transition of developing investigators to independent, externally funded research careers within IDeA-eligible environments.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase 1 (P20 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-09-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-30. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for PAR 22 250

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