Kidney Precision Medicine Project Tissue Interrogation Sites (UG3/UH3) | RFA DK 16 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 16 027

The Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) Tissue Interrogation Sites (TIS) grant opportunity (RFA-DK-16-027) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to build and refine cutting-edge ways to study human kidney biopsy tissue. The overall goal is to generate highly detailed, technology-driven insights into what is happening inside the kidney during acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). By supporting specialized Tissue Interrogation Sites that can deeply analyze biopsy samples, the program aims to help create a comprehensive kidney tissue atlas, sort patients into more precise disease subgroups, and pinpoint the specific cell types, molecular pathways, and biological targets most likely to lead to new therapies.

A central feature of the opportunity is that Tissue Interrogation Sites are not meant to operate in isolation. Awardees are expected to work as part of a larger KPMP network that includes Recruitment Sites (which obtain biopsies from consented participants) and a Central Hub (which coordinates aspects of the project and helps integrate outputs). In practice, the TIS teams receive and evaluate kidney tissue from people with AKI or CKD, apply advanced analytic methods to characterize that tissue at multiple levels (structural, functional, and molecular), and contribute standardized, high-quality data back to the broader consortium. The emphasis is on producing interoperable, atlas-ready information that can be compared across samples, participants, and interrogation technologies, ultimately enabling a clearer understanding of kidney disease heterogeneity.

The FOA uses a two-phase UG3/UH3 structure. The UG3 phase is an exploratory, milestone-driven period intended to show that a proposed site can successfully interrogate existing kidney tissue samples as well as a limited number of newly collected biopsies. This stage functions as both a feasibility demonstration and a proving ground for performance, reproducibility, and the ability to generate useful data from real human kidney specimens. At the same time, UG3 is framed to encourage teams to push beyond established methods by improving or inventing next-generation tissue interrogation approaches that can better capture the kidney's complexity, including fine-scale cellular organization and molecular states that might be missed by more conventional assays.

Projects that meet predefined UG3 milestones may be administratively considered by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) for transition to the UH3 phase. The UH3 phase is where the work scales up: it supports further validation of the technology, increased throughput and broader application to more biopsies, and continued development to make the approach more robust and informative for the goals of KPMP. Applicants are required to propose a plan covering both phases, with clear UG3 milestones that justify progression into UH3. Because this is a cooperative agreement, awardees should also expect substantial NIH involvement typical of consortium-style efforts, including coordination, shared standards, and collaborative planning across sites.

In terms of what applicants need to bring to the table, the FOA calls for teams with documented experience using a current state-of-the-art method that can either be directly applied to human kidney tissue or feasibly adapted for that purpose. The program is explicitly focused on analyzing human kidney tissue, and proposals that rely on animal studies or model systems are considered non-responsive. That requirement signals that the funded work must directly address real human disease biology in biopsy material rather than using animal proxies, organoids, or purely computational modeling as the primary experimental platform.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organizational types typically allowed under NIH funding, such as universities, nonprofits, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and foreign organizations and regional organizations. The sponsoring agency is NIH, the activity is categorized under health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.847. The original closing date shown in the source information is December 6, 2016, and the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding.

Taken together, this opportunity is aimed at accelerating precision medicine in nephrology by funding high-performing, collaborative tissue analysis centers that can extract deep biological meaning from kidney biopsies. The expected outputs are not just individual datasets, but a coordinated and scalable framework for mapping kidney disease at cellular and molecular resolution, enabling better disease classification and, ultimately, more targeted and effective treatment strategies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Kidney Precision Medicine Project Tissue Interrogation Sites (UG3/UH3)" 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 2016-08-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-12-06. (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 RFA DK 16 027

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