Limited Competition for the Continuation of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Clinical Centers (U01) | RFA DK 17 505

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 17 505

This funding opportunity (RFA-DK-17-505) is a limited competition cooperative agreement (U01) from the National Institutes of Health focused on extending the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study. The CRIC Study is a long-running, multi-center, prospective observational cohort that began in 2001 and follows men and women living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Over time, CRIC has enrolled about 5,500 participants who have been tracked through annual in-person clinic visits plus interim telephone contacts, creating a large, deeply characterized dataset and biospecimen resource for understanding CKD and its complications, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The main purpose of the announcement is continuity: NIH intends to keep supporting the existing CRIC Clinical Centers that originally enrolled and have continued to follow participants, along with the broader study infrastructure that includes seven Clinical Centers and a Scientific and Data Coordinating Center (SDCC). Because it is a limited competition, it is aimed at sustaining the established clinical sites and their capacity to retain participants, conduct standardized follow-up visits, and collect high-quality clinical measures over time. The cooperative agreement mechanism signals that NIH will have substantial programmatic involvement, with awardees expected to work closely with NIH and the CRIC consortium on study priorities, operations, and common protocols.

Scientifically, the FOA emphasizes moving beyond routine follow-up and into the next phase of discovery by prioritizing novel methods for clinical assessment of CKD and CVD risk factors. The expectation is that new or improved assessment approaches, paired with modern analytic strategies, will allow the consortium to identify CKD endophenotypes (more refined subtypes defined by measurable traits), connect those endophenotypes to clinically meaningful outcomes such as CKD progression and acute kidney injury, and better map the cardiovascular sequelae that commonly accompany kidney disease. In practical terms, the work supported under this continuation is meant to sharpen how researchers and clinicians understand heterogeneity in CKD, why some patients decline faster than others, and how cardiovascular risk evolves in this population.

The long-term payoff NIH is aiming for is a clearer picture of the natural history and consequences of CKD and related CVD, translating into better management strategies for patients and stronger evidence to guide future clinical trials. By maintaining consistent longitudinal follow-up in a large cohort and layering in new assessment and analytic methods, CRIC is positioned to generate insights that are difficult to obtain from shorter studies or from clinical care data alone. The FOA frames this as a pathway to reducing the burden of CKD and cardiovascular complications through improved risk prediction, earlier identification of high-risk subgroups, and more targeted intervention development.

On eligibility, the announcement lists a wide range of domestic applicant types typically allowed under NIH funding, including state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. It also explicitly highlights additional eligible categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly excludes non-domestic entities: foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

Key administrative details include an original closing date of October 26, 2017, an award ceiling listed at $650,000, and the CFDA number 93.847. The activity aligns with health-related research (and is categorized in the source data under Food and Nutrition, Health). For the operational and scientific requirements that typically accompany a U01 consortium continuation, the FOA directs applicants to consult the full funding opportunity announcement for the specific expectations around study governance, performance milestones, data coordination, participant follow-up procedures, and collaboration within the CRIC network.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition for the Continuation of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Clinical Centers (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-08-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-10-26. (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 $650,000.00 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.

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