NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Project: Coordinating Center Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 18 521

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 521

The NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Project: Coordinating Center Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity from the National Eye Institute that supports the coordinating hub for large, complex, and higher-risk clinical vision studies. It uses the UG1 cooperative agreement mechanism, which means the project is not run as a hands-off grant; instead, it is carried out with substantial NIH/NEI involvement and ongoing collaboration. The intent is to enable well-managed, safety-conscious execution of major clinical trials or similarly demanding clinical studies where tight organization, clear accountability, and rigorous oversight are essential.

The clinical research supported under this announcement must be focused on interventions related to vision disorders. In practical terms, the proposed study needs to evaluate one or more interventions intended to screen for, diagnose, prevent, or treat eye and vision conditions, or it must compare the effectiveness of two or more established interventions. The scope explicitly includes large-scale clinical trials and can include particularly complex areas such as human gene-transfer trials and stem cell therapy trials, as well as other studies that are resource-intensive or present elevated safety risk. Because these projects can involve multiple sites, complicated logistics, and heightened patient-safety monitoring needs, the FOA emphasizes the need for careful performance oversight and structured monitoring.

A key feature of NEI UG1-supported efforts is that they are often funded as a set of linked, companion awards that together form the full study infrastructure. Typically, this group includes a Chairs Grant (often leading the overall scientific direction and trial leadership), a Coordinating Center award (the focus of this FOA), and, when appropriate, one or more Resource Centers. The Coordinating Center component is where the operational backbone is defined: how the trial will be coordinated day to day, how data will be handled and monitored, how communication and reporting will function across sites and partners, and how quality control and participant safety oversight will be maintained. The announcement also notes that for studies that are less organizationally complex, certain functions such as data management, statistical analysis, resource center activities, and recruitment planning may be folded into the Chairs Grant rather than separated into distinct companion awards. This FOA, however, is specifically encouraging applications that lay out the Coordinating Center responsibilities and operational plan in detail.

The opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category (CFDA 93.867) and is classified as a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of U.S. government entities and organizations, such as state, county, and municipal governments; 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; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The eligibility language also explicitly includes a range of mission- or community-focused and identity-serving institutions and organizations, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), along with eligible federal agencies.

In terms of identifying details, the funding opportunity title is "NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Project: Coordinating Center Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Required)" and the opportunity number is PAR-18-521. The posting indicates an original closing date of 2020-11-18 and a creation date of 2017-12-20. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing, which is common for certain NIH announcements where budgets depend heavily on the proposed scope, scale, and the companion-award structure of the overall clinical trial program.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Project: Coordinating 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 18 521

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