Advancing Health Research through Ethical, Multimodal AI

The Office of Data Science Strategy is pleased to announce the Advancing Health Research through Ethical, Multimodal AI Initiative Research Opportunity Announcement (ROA) is now live! We invite applications from eligible organizations to apply.

View the Research Opportunity Announcement (Revised April 26, 2024)

The Advancing Health Research through Ethical, Multimodal AI Initiative aims to develop ethically focused and data-driven multimodal AI approaches to more closely model, interpret, and predict complex biological, behavioural, and health systems and enhance our understanding of health and the ability to detect and treat human diseases. Administered from the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS), the program will establish a portfolio of innovative projects that address systems level biomedical challenges using collaborative and participatory approaches for multimodal AI that will elucidate unique opportunities, risks, and challenges.

Key dates:

Informational Webinar Date: April 19, 2024, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern Time

Watch the webinar

Letter of Intent (LOI) Due Date (Optional): April 29, 2024 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Proposal Due Date: May 16, 2024 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Late applications to this ROA will not be accepted.

Questions? Reach out to: [email protected]

FAQs

Technical Scope

Application

Question: Where in the ASSIST application do I put specific required components of my proposal?

Answer: We recognize that the Other Transaction (OT) application fields in ASSIST may not perfectly match the required application components detailed in the ROA. We suggest you place the required components into ASSIST in the fields/sections most closely aligned with the content/sections of your proposal. Applications will not be disqualified if we find that these technical issues result in incorrect formatting or submission order of the components in ASSIST. What is critical is that a completed application is successfully submitted by the deadline via ASSIST. You are also required to submit a complete application package via e-mail to [email protected], which should be correctly formatted according to the ROA. Both submissions are due no later than 5 PM local time of the applicant on May 16, 2024.

For step-by-step guidance on submitting via ASSIST (pp. 335-347 for OT applications): Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) User Guide (nih.gov)
Question: I am having technical and/or account access issues with ASSIST. Where can I get help?

Answer: Please access the ASSIST contact page and, if necessary, call or submit a ticket to the eRA ServiceDesk at Need Help? | eRA (nih.gov) or https://www.era.nih.gov/erahelp/assist/Content/About_Help_System_ASSIST.htm
Question: Is there a template or specific guidance for the Research Narrative?

Answer: There is no template for the research narrative but proposals should address each area outlined in Section 1.3 Research Objectives of the ROA. Applicants are also encouraged to consult Section 3. Objective Review when writing the Research Narrative. All application materials should follow the format and page limits listed in Section 2.3 Applications.
Question: Does the list of references count toward the 15 page limit for the Research Narrative?

Answer: No, the list of references does not count toward the 15 page limit for the Research Narrative. There is no page limit for the list of references.
Question: How should proposals be submitted to NIH? Through eRA ASSIST or by email?

Answer: All applications should be submitted in two ways: through eRA ASSIST (OTA-24-015) *and* by email to [email protected]
Question: Are national labs or other FFRDCs eligible to participate in awards made from this program?

Answer: Yes. NIH intends to modify the Research Opportunity Announcement eligibility section to include the following language: “Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) may not propose to this Research Opportunity Announcement as a prime performer/lead institution; however, subject to any restrictions (i.e., direct competition limitations as determined by the entity or potential limiting organizational conflicts of interest, agency sponsor related requirements and policies, etc.), FFRDCs and UARCs may be included as part the prime performer's proposal, as a sub-awardee. As with all prime/sub-awardee teaming arrangements, the Government will only have privity of contract with the prime performer, and all payments will be made through the prime awardee.”

Proposal Review