Forecast to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) (U54 - Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications to expand the national capacity for research in the health sciences. NIH established the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program in 1985 in response to Congressional interest to provide support to less research-intensive institutions that offer doctorate degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science.

The primary goals of RCMI Specialized Center awards are to: (1) enhance institutional research capacity to conduct world-class basic biomedical, behavioral, population and/or clinical patient-centered or health services research; (2) enable all levels of investigators at the recipient institution to compete successfully for extramural support, especially from NIH, for research on diseases and conditions that disproportionately impact populations that experience health disparities; (3) facilitate research career development and enhancement for post-doctoral fellows, junior faculty members, and other early-stage investigators; (4) enhance the tools for, and conduct of, biomedical research; and (5) establish sustainable partnerships with community-based organizations to promote research efforts and the dissemination of research findings.

The RCMI program allows flexibility at the applicant institution with respect to the types of research resources required to accomplish research and investigator development goals. The most important criterion for any component in the proposed Center is the extent to which the activity or resource will enable the institution to achieve the stated goals and objectives.

The following components are required for each RCMI Center:

• Overall
• Administrative Core
• Research Capacity Core
• Investigator Development Core` 
• Community Engagement Core
• Research Project(s): Maximum three projects

Centers are expected to support up to three research projects with an explicit focus on one or more of the following scientific areas: 1) basic biomedical research, and/or 2) behavioral or social science research or population science, and/or 3) clinical or health services research. Successful projects will emphasize research that directly interacts with participants. To receive the maximum Center budget, applicants must propose one research project in each of the three scientific focus areas.

Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.

In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in multiple scientific disciplines ranging from basic, behavioral, as well as clinical research will be encouraged.