Analysis, Technology, Leadership, Administration and Science (ATLAS) Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 21 034

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 21 034

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced this funding opportunity (RFA-DK-21-034) to establish an Analysis, Technology, Leadership, Administration and Science (ATLAS) Center through a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism. The basic idea is to create a central, highly visible, open-access hub that becomes the go-to resource for researchers studying kidney and broader genitourinary (GU) biology and disease, spanning both mouse and human data. The FOA is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the supported work is intended to focus on data integration, tool development, atlas construction, and consortium coordination rather than running clinical intervention studies.

A major emphasis of the ATLAS Center is integration and visualization across many different data types and across organs and structures of the renal and genitourinary tract. In practice, that means bringing together disparate datasets such as multi-omic molecular profiles and imaging outputs, and organizing them in ways that allow scientists to compare cell types, developmental stages, anatomical regions, and disease contexts. The center is expected to make these complex datasets easier to explore, interpret, and reuse by building coherent views that connect molecular signals with spatial and anatomical information.

Another core responsibility is to develop, adopt, and improve state-of-the-art computational tools and analytical approaches for multi-modal molecular and imaging data. This includes not only creating new methods where gaps exist, but also adapting existing best-in-class tools so they work reliably at consortium scale, across laboratories, and across platforms. The goal is to enable robust analyses that can handle the reality of modern biomedical datasets: large, heterogeneous, generated by different technologies, and often requiring careful harmonization and quality control to be meaningfully compared.

The FOA also calls for the creation of interactive 2D and 3D atlases and molecular maps designed according to FAIR data principles: findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. FAIR compliance signals that the deliverables should not be locked behind bespoke formats or hard-to-navigate repositories. Instead, the atlases and maps should be discoverable, well-documented, and structured so other researchers can integrate them into new studies, combine them with their own datasets, and reproduce analyses. Interactivity is a key theme here, implying that the atlases should support exploration (for example, navigating anatomy, layers of molecular annotation, and links between spatial context and gene or protein expression patterns).

To make the resource genuinely useful to the broader community, the ATLAS Center is expected to develop, maintain, and continually enhance an open-access public data and analysis portal. This portal is envisioned as the front door for the community: a place where data can be retrieved, explored, and analyzed without needing insider knowledge of the consortia. The language about maintenance and enhancement is important because it frames the portal as an evolving platform, not a one-time website launch. It also implies ongoing responsibilities such as user support considerations, documentation, versioning, performance, and the ability to incorporate new datasets and new analytical features as the field advances.

In addition to the technical and scientific deliverables, the ATLAS Center carries substantial leadership and administrative duties tied to two related efforts: the GenitoUrinary Development Molecular Anatomy Project (GUDMAP) and the (Re)Building a Kidney (RBK) consortia. The center is expected to coordinate internal consortium activities and engage externally with the broader research ecosystem. A notable element is administration of an "opportunity pool" intended to address scientific gaps and emerging opportunities. In practical terms, this suggests the center will help identify where additional targeted work is needed (for example, missing developmental timepoints, underrepresented anatomical regions, or inadequate analytical capabilities) and then manage resources to fill those gaps in a coordinated way.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common U.S. applicant categories such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and certain housing authorities and special district governments. The FOA also explicitly highlights several institution types as "other eligible applicants," including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal agencies, as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations in specified categories. Foreign entities are generally not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply; however, "foreign components" as defined by NIH policy are allowed, meaning certain aspects of the work may involve foreign participation under NIH rules even though the applicant organization itself must be eligible under the domestic requirements.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity sits under the NIH with a health-related activity classification and CFDA number 93.847. It was posted on November 23, 2021, with an original closing date of March 24, 2022. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source fields, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for expectations around scale, allowable costs, and project period structure. Overall, the announcement is aimed at building durable, community-facing infrastructure: a combination of integrated datasets, advanced analytics, interactive atlases, and a public portal, all supported by strong coordination to keep GUDMAP and RBK aligned and to strategically fill scientific and technical gaps over time.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Analysis, Technology, Leadership, Administration and Science (ATLAS) Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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 2021-11-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-24. (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 21 034

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