Novel Analytical Approaches for Metabolomics Data (R03) | RFA RM 17 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 17 001

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Novel Analytical Approaches for Metabolomics Data (R03)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-17-001) is a discretionary, small research grant program designed to push forward the way metabolomics data are analyzed. Its central aim is to bring together computational scientists, metabolomics specialists, and biomedical researchers to create, test, and validate new bioinformatic and analytical methods that can overcome persistent bottlenecks in metabolomics. The emphasis is on genuinely new or improved approaches that can make metabolomics results more interpretable, reliable, and broadly useful, rather than simply applying existing pipelines to answer a single biological question.

A key theme of the announcement is usability and impact beyond one lab or one dataset. NIH is looking for tools, workflows, algorithms, or analysis strategies that the broader biomedical research community can adopt, including both domain scientists who generate and interpret metabolomics experiments and bioinformaticians who build analytical infrastructure. In other words, the intent is not to fund incremental support for ongoing metabolomics projects or to pay for routine analysis of a study already underway. Instead, the project should produce something that others can reuse: a validated method, a robust prototype, a software implementation, a reproducible workflow, or a well-documented analytic strategy that addresses widely recognized challenges in metabolomics data analysis.

Projects funded under this R03 are expected to rely on existing, publicly available metabolomics datasets rather than generating large new datasets. This requirement reflects the goal of method development and benchmarking: using shared data allows approaches to be evaluated, compared, and reproduced by other groups. The FOA also explicitly positions these projects as complementary to the NIH Common Fund Metabolomics Program, meaning applicants should align their work with gaps and needs in the metabolomics ecosystem while avoiding duplication of existing Common Fund resources.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is classified as a grant under the health funding activity category, with CFDA number 93.310. The original posting dates indicate it was created on 2016-12-12 and had an original closing date of 2017-02-14. The award ceiling listed is $100,000, consistent with an R03 mechanism that is typically meant for focused, early-stage, or pilot-scale research that can demonstrate feasibility and deliver a concrete product or proof-of-concept.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and some non-U.S. entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local 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 and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories as specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other categories. The announcement also highlights additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility reflects NIH interest in drawing on diverse technical expertise and encouraging tool development that benefits a broad range of biomedical communities.

Overall, this FOA targets small, collaborative, method-centered projects that tackle real analytical hurdles in metabolomics by building and validating novel computational approaches using public data. The expected outcome is a practical, shareable analytic advancement that strengthens how metabolomics can be used across biomedical research, not a one-off analysis tied to a single ongoing study.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Novel Analytical Approaches for Metabolomics Data (R03)" 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 2016-12-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-02-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• 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 17 001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: