NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Project: Coordinating Center Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 21 042

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 042

The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is offering a cooperative agreement funding opportunity to support a Coordinating Center for a large, complex clinical vision research project under the UG1 mechanism. The opportunity is titled "NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Project: Coordinating Center Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Required)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-21-042; CFDA 93.867). The core idea is to fund the centralized operational hub that helps run investigator-initiated clinical trials that are large in scale or unusually complex, including trials that may involve higher risk or higher resource needs, such as human gene-transfer studies, stem cell therapy trials, or other studies where participant safety and rigorous oversight are especially important.

A key requirement is that the proposed research must be a clinical trial and must focus on vision-related health: it needs to evaluate an intervention intended to screen for, diagnose, prevent, or treat vision disorders, or it must compare the effectiveness of two or more established interventions. NEI is emphasizing projects with clear public health importance and multifaceted operations, meaning the trial is expected to have moving parts that require careful coordination across sites and functions. Because these are complex studies, NEI expects applicants to clearly lay out how the study will be organized, who is responsible for what, how decisions will be made, and how performance and safety monitoring will be handled over the life of the trial.

This FOA specifically encourages applications for the Coordinating Center component, which is typically one piece of a linked set of companion awards used to run the overall project. In NEI's usual model for these large collaborative trials, the program may be structured as separate but connected awards that can include a Chair's Grant (often the scientific leadership and overall trial direction), the Coordinating Center (the operational, data, and trial-management backbone), and Resource Centers when needed (for example, specialized reading centers, imaging centers, recruitment or retention support, or other shared trial resources). NEI notes that if a project is less organizationally complex, some coordinating functions (like data management, statistical analysis, resource center plans, or recruitment activities) might be folded into the Chair's Grant application instead of being separated out, but this announcement is aimed at situations where a dedicated Coordinating Center is warranted and should be described in full.

Because the mechanism is a cooperative agreement, the award implies substantial scientific and/or programmatic involvement by NEI compared with a traditional research project grant. In practical terms, that generally means the Coordinating Center will be expected to operate with strong, ongoing collaboration and reporting relationships, and to implement structured oversight approaches suitable for high-stakes clinical trials, including monitoring plans designed to protect participants and maintain data integrity.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants such as state, county, city/township, and 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 (including those other than federally recognized governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This broad eligibility reflects NEI's intent to support capable coordinating infrastructures wherever they exist, including in diverse institutional settings.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the Cooperative Agreement funding instrument type. The original closing date listed in the source information is 2023-05-07, and the FOA was created on 2020-11-18. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided data, which often means applicants need to rely on the full FOA text and NEI guidance for budget expectations, scope fit, and how the linked companion applications should be assembled and submitted. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as funding for the operational and coordinating engine behind a major vision-related clinical trial, with a strong emphasis on clear governance, rigorous trial operations, and careful safety and performance monitoring appropriate for complex or higher-risk clinical research.

• 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 2020-11-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-07. (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.

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