Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: November 26, 2025 (Estimated Application Due Date)
Funding Amounts: Estimated total program funding: $5,000,000; 1 award expected; duration and ceiling not yet specified.
Summary: NIH will fund a national coordinating center to support, evaluate, and enhance the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program.
Key Information: This is a forecasted opportunity; only prior RCMI awardee institutions are eligible.
Description
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at NIH intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a national coordinating center (CC) to support the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) initiative. The RCMI program, established in 1985, aims to strengthen research capacity at less research-intensive institutions awarding doctorates in health professions or health-related sciences, with a focus on addressing health disparities.
The RCMI Coordinating Center will:
- Serve as a national resource for RCMI U54 centers and the Clinical Research Network (CRN).
- Conduct prospective evaluations of the RCMI program and establish common metrics for effectiveness.
- Analyze data from RCMI centers and generate regular reports.
- Facilitate sharing of scientific expertise, best practices, and research resources.
- Support scientific dissemination and collaboration across RCMI sites.
- Provide operational, data management, and statistical support to the RCMI-CRN.
- Encourage collaborative, multidisciplinary research spanning basic, behavioral, and clinical sciences.
This is a forecasted opportunity; applications are not yet being solicited. The notice is provided to allow potential applicants time to develop collaborations and responsive projects.
Due Dates
- Estimated Application Due Date: November 26, 2025
- Estimated Post Date: September 24, 2025
- Estimated Award Date: March 25, 2026
- Estimated Project Start Date: May 1, 2026
Funding Amount
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $5,000,000
- Expected Number of Awards: 1
- Award Ceiling/Floor: Not specified
- Funding Instrument: Cooperative Agreement
Eligibility
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Eligible Applicants:
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
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Additional Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicant must be a domestic institution in the U.S. or its territories.
- Limited to recipients of RCMI awards that:
- Have received an average of less than $50 million per year (or less than $25 million per year in R01 total costs of NIH support) over the past three fiscal years.
- Award doctorate degrees in health professions or health-related sciences.
Application Process
- This is a forecasted opportunity; the official NOFO is expected to be published on or after September 24, 2025.
- Applications will be accepted only from eligible RCMI awardee institutions.
- No cost sharing or matching is required.
- Potential applicants are encouraged to begin developing collaborations and project concepts in anticipation of the NOFO release.
Additional Information
- The RCMI Coordinating Center will play a central role in supporting the RCMI network, including evaluation, data sharing, and operational support.
- Multidisciplinary and collaborative research approaches are encouraged.
- This opportunity is intended to enhance the impact and effectiveness of the RCMI program in addressing health disparities.
External Links
Contact Information
| Name | Organization | Email | Phone |
|---|
| Rada K. Dagher, Ph.D., M.P.H. | National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) | rada.dagher@nih.gov | (301) 451-2187 |