Transformative Technology Development for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 20 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 20 001

The NIH funding opportunity "Transformative Technology Development for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (RFA-RM-20-001; CFDA 93.310) is a discretionary health research program that uses a cooperative agreement mechanism to push forward new, high-impact technologies for building a detailed atlas of the human body at cellular and molecular resolution. The central aim is to fund tools and platforms that can map individual cells within intact human tissues while preserving information about where those cells sit and how they interact with their surrounding tissue environment. In practice, the FOA is looking for technology leaps that substantially increase throughput (how many cells or tissue regions can be processed), multiplexing (how many different biomolecules can be measured at once), and discrimination (how precisely distinct biomolecules, cell states, or molecular signatures can be distinguished) in human tissue mapping.

The opportunity is structured as a phased UG3/UH3 award spanning up to four years total, designed to move quickly from an ambitious prototype into a validated, scalable system. The first phase (UG3) lasts up to two years and is focused on accelerated technology development and proof-of-principle work. Applicants are expected to use this period to demonstrate feasibility, show that the core technical concept works, and reach clear performance milestones that justify advancing to the second phase. The second phase (UH3), also up to two years, is where the program expects teams to validate the technology directly in human tissues, optimize performance and robustness, scale the approach so it can be used more broadly, and generate usable datasets. The overall emphasis is not on incremental improvements, but on emerging technologies that can change what is practically measurable in human tissue biology.

A key feature of this FOA is its strong integration with the broader Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). Awardees are expected to work closely with HuBMAP as part of a coordinated effort to accelerate a shared framework for high-resolution mapping of the human body. Because the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, NIH typically plays a more active role than in a standard grant, which often implies coordination requirements, collaborative expectations, and alignment with program goals and standards. Successful projects should therefore be designed with integration in mind, meaning the technology should be capable of being adopted, scaled, and applied across multiple human tissues rather than being narrowly tailored to one niche sample type or a one-off demonstration.

The FOA explicitly states that clinical trials are not allowed, signaling that the funded work should be technology development and validation in human tissues for atlas construction rather than interventional studies in human participants. Validation in human tissues is still central, but it is framed as demonstrating and refining measurement capability, performance, and reproducibility, and producing high-quality molecular and spatial data appropriate for building reference maps.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations: state, county, city or township 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); 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, AANAPISI institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), non-US (foreign) organizations, regional organizations, and US territories or possessions. This breadth reflects an intent to draw from a wide innovation base, including academic, nonprofit, governmental, and commercial technology developers.

Administrative details provided in the source include an original closing date of March 3, 2020, and a creation date of December 2, 2019. While specific award ceilings and expected award counts are not listed in the provided excerpt, the structure and expectations are clear: propose a transformative, scalable technology; prove it works quickly in the UG3 phase; then validate and scale it in the UH3 phase while contributing to HuBMAP's broader mission of building a high-resolution, comprehensive molecular atlas of human tissues.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Transformative Technology Development for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (UG3/UH3 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): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-12-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-03. (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 20 001

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