Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs) (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA NS 24 022

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 24 022

The NIH funding opportunity RFA-NS-24-022 supports the creation or continuation of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs) through a U54 cooperative agreement mechanism, with clinical trials allowed but not required ("Clinical Trial Optional"). The main purpose is to build a connected network of research centers that actively work together to clarify the underlying cause(s) of ME/CFS and accelerate the development of better treatments. Beyond producing individual research findings, the program is designed to strengthen the field overall by concentrating expertise, building shared resources, and creating a coordinated, multi-site platform that can support more rigorous and comparable ME/CFS research over time.

Each funded Center is expected to run a tightly integrated, interdisciplinary research program that can move quickly and generate synergy across projects, rather than functioning as separate, loosely related studies. The FOA emphasizes collaborative basic and/or clinical research, meaning Centers may focus on fundamental biology (for example, immune, neurologic, metabolic, or other mechanistic pathways) and/or patient-oriented studies, as long as the work is positioned to contribute meaningfully to the shared national effort. A key scientific expectation is that Centers will conduct longitudinal studies of people with ME/CFS, both within their own site and in coordination with other CRCs in the network. The longitudinal emphasis signals that NIH is prioritizing designs that follow individuals over time to better understand disease course, variability, triggers, and potential biological signatures linked to symptom changes, severity, or recovery trajectories.

Another core expectation is that Centers serve as local hubs and national leaders for ME/CFS research and information sharing. In practical terms, that means a Center is not only conducting studies but also acting as a resource for multiple audiences, including basic researchers, clinicians, academic and practicing physicians, other healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public. This outreach and dissemination role is framed as part of the program infrastructure: Centers should help expand access to credible ME/CFS knowledge and support broader engagement with the research community, which can improve clinical awareness and facilitate participant recruitment, collaboration, and translation of findings.

Data and biospecimen sharing are treated as required elements of participation, not optional extras. Centers must be prepared to share clinical data and biological specimens in a way that enables cross-center analyses and broader use by the community, which is critical for reproducibility and for identifying signals that are too subtle or heterogeneous to detect in single-site samples. The FOA also makes clear that data management and coordination for efficient collection and sharing, along with biospecimen sharing logistics, will be supported and organized through a separate Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC). In other words, Centers are expected to generate and contribute high-quality standardized data and specimens, while the DMCC provides the coordinating structure to make network-wide sharing and harmonization feasible.

Because this is a cooperative agreement, NIH will typically have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant, and applicants should anticipate active coordination across the network and expectations for collaboration and responsiveness to network policies and shared protocols. Institutions applying must demonstrate commitment to establishing and sustaining an ME/CFS CRC, reflecting that NIH is investing in durable capacity rather than one-off projects. When NIH makes funding decisions, the FOA indicates that priority will go to applications that are most likely to deliver high-impact contributions to ME/CFS research and that show strong potential to collaborate effectively across the CRC program, reinforcing that network performance and cooperative productivity are central evaluation considerations.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations, spanning state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations; 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 FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions and non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant can include certain well-justified foreign elements within the project under NIH rules.

Administratively, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, and the activity category is health. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.213, 93.853, and 93.855. The opportunity shows an award ceiling of $1,200,000, and the original closing date provided is 2023-06-15, indicating this is the published solicitation window for that cycle. Overall, the FOA is structured to push ME/CFS research toward coordinated, multi-site, shareable, longitudinal science, with Centers functioning as both research engines and field-building infrastructure that can collectively produce clearer mechanisms, better biomarkers or stratification approaches, and ultimately more effective therapeutic strategies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs) (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.853, 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-15. (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 $1,200,000.00 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 NS 24 022

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