NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Project: Resource Center Grant (UG1- Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 18 522

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 522

The NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Project: Resource Center Grant (UG1 - Clinical Trial Required) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity from the National Eye Institute (NEI) designed to support the specialized infrastructure and services needed to run large, complex, and higher-risk clinical trials focused on vision. It uses the UG1 cooperative agreement mechanism, which means NEI expects to have substantial involvement in the project beyond typical grant stewardship. The emphasis is on studies where careful coordination, rigorous oversight, and active monitoring are essential, particularly when there are elevated safety considerations, high resource demands, or multiple moving parts across sites.

A central feature of this opportunity is that the proposed project must be a clinical trial intended to evaluate an intervention related to vision disorders. That includes interventions aimed at screening, diagnosing, preventing, or treating eye and vision conditions, as well as studies that compare the effectiveness of two or more established interventions. NEI highlights examples of the kinds of complex trials it supports under UG1, including large-scale multi-center clinical trials and advanced trials such as human gene-transfer and stem cell therapy studies, where patient safety monitoring and well-defined operational responsibilities are especially critical.

This specific FOA is focused on the Resource Center component of a broader, linked award structure that NEI commonly uses for major collaborative clinical vision studies. In many cases, NEI expects a set of companion applications/awards that function together as one overall project, typically including: (1) a Chairs Grant (often the leadership and scientific direction), (2) a Coordinating Center (often responsible for data management, statistical oversight, operations, and trial logistics), and (3) one or more Resource Centers when specialized centralized services are needed. The Resource Center grant is meant to provide essential services such as imaging support, laboratory services, or other required centralized capabilities that enable consistent implementation across multiple clinical sites. NEI notes that for less organizationally complex projects, some functions (like data management, statistical analyses, resource-center-like work, or recruitment activities) might be folded into the Chairs Grant application instead, but this FOA is explicitly encouraging applications for the standalone Resource Center role when the study demands it.

Because this is a cooperative agreement, applicants should expect the application to clearly spell out how the trial will be organized and managed, including concrete delineation of roles and responsibilities among the Chair, Coordinating Center, and Resource Center(s). The program description stresses the need for careful performance oversight and monitoring for patient safety, reflecting NEI expectations for robust governance, quality control, and operational accountability across participating sites and centralized service units.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants such as state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), and U.S. territories or possessions. This range signals an intent to support capable clinical trial infrastructure wherever it exists, including organizations serving historically underrepresented communities and, when appropriate, organizations outside the United States.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding, using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, within the health activity category and associated with CFDA 93.867. The funding opportunity number is PAR-18-522, created on 2017-12-20, with an original closing date listed as 2020-11-18. The public summary provided does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full FOA text and any related notices for budget guidance, scope expectations, and how many Resource Centers NEI anticipates supporting for a given trial program.

In practical terms, a competitive Resource Center application under this FOA would be expected to justify why centralized services are necessary for the proposed multi-center or high-risk trial, describe in detail the technical capabilities to be provided (for example, standardized imaging acquisition and reading, assay processing and biospecimen handling, specialized testing, certification and training, quality assurance, and harmonized protocols), and show how the Resource Center will integrate operationally with the study leadership and coordinating infrastructure while meeting stringent safety and performance standards. The overall goal is to ensure that complex vision clinical trials can be conducted with consistent methods across sites, strong quality control, and the level of oversight needed to protect participants and produce credible, high-impact results.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Project: Resource Center Grant (UG1- Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-11-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 PAR 18 522

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