BD2K Support for Meetings of Data Science Related Organizations (U13) | RFA CA 16 020

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 16 020

The BD2K Support for Meetings of Data Science Related Organizations (U13) opportunity (RFA-CA-16-020) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to fund high-quality conferences and scientific meetings that advance biomedical data science. It sits within the NIH-wide Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) initiative, which focuses on improving the ways biomedical research data are generated, managed, analyzed, shared, and translated into knowledge. The central idea behind the announcement is that professional and scientific organizations in data science often rely on meetings as a core mechanism to coordinate work across the field, develop community standards, disseminate best practices, and build consensus around emerging challenges. NIH is using this funding to ensure those convenings are not only well-run, but also strongly aligned with the practical data science needs of NIH Institutes and Centers.

The FOA supports conferences in a broad sense, meaning it can cover symposia, seminars, workshops, scientific meetings, or other structured gatherings where people come together to exchange information, clarify problems, and move a specific area of knowledge forward. Applicants can request support for a single meeting or for a coordinated series of meetings spanning multiple years, as long as the topics and planned outcomes align with BD2K goals and are relevant to biomedical data science. In practice, this points to meetings that do more than present research talks; NIH is signaling interest in events that are likely to be impactful for the community, such as those that catalyze collaborations, produce actionable recommendations, identify gaps in tools or training, encourage data sharing and interoperability, or accelerate adoption of rigorous, reproducible data science methods in biomedicine.

Because this is a U13 cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, NIH typically has a more engaged role than it would under many other mechanisms. The “cooperative agreement” structure generally implies that NIH program staff may have substantial involvement in shaping or coordinating aspects of the supported meeting(s), with the goal of ensuring the conference outcomes serve broader community and NIH priorities. This mechanism is commonly used when the funder wants to support convening power and community infrastructure while maintaining an active partnership around goals, deliverables, and public benefit.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities: state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws clear boundaries around foreign involvement: non-U.S. organizations and non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, “foreign components” as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant can include certain internationally based elements when they meet NIH’s definition and requirements, even though the primary applicant must be eligible and U.S.-based.

In terms of administrative details, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument. The participating program space spans many NIH CFDA numbers (including, among others, 93.113 and numerous additional NIH assistance listings), reflecting the cross-cutting nature of biomedical data science across NIH institutes and mission areas. The announcement listed an award ceiling of $470,000 and had an original closing date of December 15, 2016, with a creation date of October 7, 2016. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH support for convenings that meaningfully strengthen the biomedical data science ecosystem, particularly meetings organized by mission-driven data science organizations that can demonstrate strong relevance, community value, and alignment with BD2K objectives.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BD2K Support for Meetings of Data Science Related Organizations (U13)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.310, 93.313, 93.350, 93.351, 93.361, 93.398, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, 93.879.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-10-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-12-15. (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 $470,000.00 in funding.
• 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 CA 16 020

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