National Metabolomics Data Repository (NMDR) (U2C) | RFA RM 17 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 17 011

The National Metabolomics Data Repository (NMDR) (U2C) funding opportunity (RFA-RM-17-011) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to build and sustain a national-scale, public metabolomics data repository. The main purpose is to ensure that raw and processed metabolomics datasets produced across NIH-funded large programs, individual investigator awards, and broader biomedical research efforts can be deposited, preserved, and made widely accessible. In practical terms, this FOA is NIH's push to move metabolomics toward the kind of standardized, searchable, reusable data ecosystem that already exists in other "omics" fields, so that researchers can reproduce analyses, combine datasets, and generate new discoveries without having to recreate expensive experiments from scratch.

A core feature of the initiative is that the repository must operate in a cloud computing environment. The expectation is not just passive storage, but an integrated platform where data, metadata, and essential tools are co-located so users can find datasets, understand what they contain, and reanalyze them efficiently. This includes the infrastructure needed for data ingestion (submission pipelines), validation/quality checks, indexing for search, and providing access pathways that support both human users and computational workflows. The aim is to make metabolomics data FAIR in practice: findable through robust search, accessible with clear policies, interoperable through consistent metadata and formats, and reusable through documentation, provenance, and citation practices.

The FOA builds directly on prior NIH Common Fund work. In Stage I of the Common Fund Metabolomics Program, NIH established the Metabolomics Data Repository and Coordination Center (DRCC) to begin addressing the community need for shared data infrastructure. Under this NMDR announcement, applicants are expected to continue that momentum by maintaining and upgrading the existing repository capabilities while expanding scope and durability to serve as a national resource. That generally implies continuity of operations (so current datasets and users are not disrupted) alongside technical modernization, scaling, and improved user-facing and programmatic access.

Beyond the technical platform, NIH highlights governance as a major requirement. The funded awardee is expected to create a governance structure that meaningfully engages the broader metabolomics community, rather than leaving repository direction solely to the implementing organization. The intent is for community-informed decision-making that guides ongoing technical improvements and expansion, and also shapes the policies that determine how data are deposited, accessed, and cited. In other words, the NMDR is envisioned as a community resource with shared norms: clear rules for submitters, consistent expectations for metadata and documentation, transparent access terms, and standardized citation guidance so that data generators receive appropriate credit and users know how to reference datasets in publications.

As a cooperative agreement (U2C), the award mechanism signals that NIH anticipates substantial programmatic involvement during the project period compared with a typical grant. Cooperative agreements usually mean closer coordination between the recipient and NIH staff on milestones, priorities, and operational decisions, which fits the nature of a national repository that must align with NIH-wide data sharing goals, evolving standards, and the needs of multiple NIH programs and scientific communities.

Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. Higher education institutions can apply (both public/state-controlled and private), as can nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign entities are treated in a nuanced way: non-U.S. organizations and non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply as the main applicant, but non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant can include certain international activities or partners as part of the project.

From the opportunity metadata, this is categorized as a discretionary federal funding opportunity with a health activity focus, under CFDA number 93.310, and administered by NIH. The FOA was created on 2017-08-01 with an original closing date of 2017-10-20. Award ceiling and expected award counts are not specified in the provided source data, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full FOA text or NIH funding details to understand the anticipated budget range, project period, and number of awards.

Overall, the NMDR (U2C) opportunity is aimed at establishing a durable national metabolomics data backbone: a cloud-based repository that can accept diverse metabolomics datasets, keep them well-described through strong metadata practices, provide tools and interfaces that make the data truly usable, and operate under a community-driven governance model that keeps standards, policies, and technical capabilities aligned with the field as it evolves.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Metabolomics Data Repository (NMDR) (U2C)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-08-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-10-20. (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 RM 17 011

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