Which announcement should I choose for my application?
Choose the PAR-20-089 if you intend to establish or sustain a domain-specific biomedical data repository and make core data related to a particular system or systems available as a community resource. The repository must accept submission of relevant data from the community, validate, store, archive/preserve and distribute the data in compliance with the FAIR data principles.
Choose the PAR-20-097 for biomedical knowledgebases if you intend to collate, extract, organize, annotate, and link the growing body of information that is related to and relies on core datasets from one or more repositories, literature curation, as well as other forms knowledge generation and distributes the knowledge in compliance with the FAIR data principles.
Please contact the relevant scientific/research point of contact in the announcement if you are still unsure and your applications has elements of both repositories and knowledgebases.
Why should I consider these announcements for NIH funded repositories and knowledgebases?
These announcements are dedicated to supporting data resources (repositories and knowledgebases) that are expected to a) adopt good data management practices as outlined by the FAIR Data Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable digital objects); b) lower barriers for data sharing; c) allow greater usage and utility of the data for knowledge discovery; d) discourage the development of resources under research grant mechanisms (e.g. R01); e) provide for an appropriate review of data resources, and f) incentivize efficiency of operations to allow longer-term preservation of data and enable greater sustainability of resources.
Will a new repository or knowledgebase be supported through either of these announcements?
Yes, applicants may propose a new repository or knowledgebase. The application must however demonstrate the need and unique value proposition for the repository or knowledgebase.
Can I propose a repository or knowledgebase that is relevant to more than one disease, domain, or scientific focus?
Yes, multi-disciplinary resources can be proposed. Applicants may contact the Office of Data Science Strategy at datascience@nih.gov for referral or other guidance related to applications spanning multiple domains.
Will primary data generation or wet-lab work be supported through these announcements?
Applications proposing wet-lab work or primary data generation will be considered non-responsive and be returned without review.
Can I propose hypothesis-driven research aims in my application?
Research focused on discovering new biology is not allowed as part of these resource grants. However, informatics research that improves biomedical data repositories and biomedical knowledgebases in compliance with the FAIR Data principles may be considered.
Am I allowed to propose inclusion of software and tool development as part of these announcements?
Any software proposed must be essential to the resource development. Applications that have a significant focus on software or tool development are not appropriate for these announcements.
Can I include website URLs and hyperlinks in my application?
The current NIH notice NOT-OD-20-174 provides guidance on the use of hypertext (e.g., hyperlinks and URLs) in NIH applications.
Do I need to include milestones, deliverables, and timelines?
Milestones and deliverables are strongly encouraged in the application. They will form the basis of progress monitoring of the awarded Cooperative Agreements and must be kept updated through the funding period.
Are there expectations for recommended usage metrics?
Applicants are encouraged to consider innovative approaches to measure usage and utility of the data resources and openly share them.
What is expected in the sustainability plan?
There are no restrictions on proposed models for sustainability. Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative approaches that address operational resource sustainability, alternate models of funding, and plans for resource sunsetting including accessible cold storage of relevant data.
Do I need to include an assessment of the desirable characteristics of repositories/knowledgebases in the application?
An assessment is not required as part of the application. However, applicants may address in their proposal how they will conduct the assessment and improve their resource. Applicants are encouraged to use the guidelines provided in the NIH Notice NOT-OD-21-016 to determine the desirable characteristics of repositories to consider for the proposed resource.
Are there any limitations to scientific curation in the proposed knowledgebase?
Scientific data curation should include efficient and effective methods that scale to the needs of the community, with the aim of improving data quality. Approaches proposed may include automated and/or semi-automated methods, expert crowdsourcing, or leverage other innovative solutions.
How many letters of support (LoS) can I include in my application?
Applicants are requested to include no more than 20 letters. Applicants are encouraged to consider the best ways to reflect the significance and value of the resource as well as interest/excitement of the targeted user community to demonstrate support for the application.
Are resubmissions allowed?
No, resubmissions are not allowed for these announcements.
