Clinical Sites for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01) | RFA RM 17 019

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 17 019

The grant opportunity titled "Clinical Sites for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-17-019) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement aimed at supporting clinical sites that will participate in Phase II of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network. The UDN is designed to help patients with complex, rare, or unusual conditions who have not received a definitive diagnosis despite extensive prior medical evaluation. Under this announcement, NIH is seeking organizations that can serve as clinical hubs within the network, contributing specialized clinical expertise, advanced diagnostic evaluation, and coordinated patient-focused efforts that align with the broader goals of the UDN.

This opportunity uses the Cooperative Agreement mechanism (U01), which typically indicates a more hands-on partnership between NIH and the award recipients than a standard grant. In practice, that usually means NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement, coordination across multiple sites, and active participation in network-wide activities rather than isolated, independent projects. The activity category is Health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.310, which corresponds to NIH programs associated with research and related health activities.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. The announcement also allows nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. In addition to these categories, the FOA explicitly calls out several other eligible applicant types, including 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 agencies of the federal government, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized tribes, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are important restrictions regarding foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, described as foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as the main applicant. Similarly, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, the FOA states that foreign components are allowed, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. That distinction usually means a U.S.-based applicant can include certain types of foreign collaborations or elements in the project if they fit NIH policy definitions and are justified, but the primary awardee organization must be domestic and eligible under the announcement rules.

Key administrative details included in the listing are that the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the opportunity category is discretionary, and the original closing date for applications was 2017-11-02, with a creation date of 2017-08-15. The award ceiling and the expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, which suggests that applicants would have needed to consult the full FOA text or NIH guidance for budgetary limits, anticipated award counts, and other programmatic requirements. Overall, the opportunity is structured to expand or sustain a coordinated national network of clinical sites capable of tackling difficult-to-diagnose conditions through collaborative, high-level clinical evaluation and network participation under NIH’s cooperative agreement framework.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Clinical Sites for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01)" 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 2017-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-02. (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 17 019

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