Trans-NIAID Data Science Program

A trans-NIAID program to support investigator-initiated informatics and data science technology development, driven by critical research needs in infectious or immune-mediated disease research.

Program Outcomes

  • Encourage greater emphasis on advancing the science of immune-mediated, and infectious-diseases informatics and data science research
  • Serve current & emerging needs across  immune-mediated, and infectious-disease research continuum
  • Support integration of data-driven hypothesis generation
  • Promote cross-program collaborations
  • Provide flexible & sustainable support that aligns with stage of informatics technology and data science development

Program Scope

The companion funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) will support software development focused on computational methods and tools that can considerably improve acquisition, management, analysis, visualization, and dissemination of relevant data and/or knowledge in infectious or immune-mediated diseases. They include but are not limited to the following:

  • Technologies for data/metadata management
  • Methods for effective data annotation
  • Methods and workflows for integration of heterogenous data
  • Technologies to establish optimal linkages of data
  • Tools to improve the data quality of data
  • Data mining and modeling technologies
  • Solutions for distributed analyses
  • Methods to conduct data disambiguation including use of cryptographic methods to enable collaborative data use/analytics

Companion Funding Opportunities and Announcements

Three companion funding announcements to align with the stage of the software development:

  • RFA-AI-21-035: Exploratory Data Science Methods and Algorithm Development (R21)
  • RFA-AI-21-020: Early-stage Development of Data Science Technologies (U01)
  • RFA-AI-21-021: Enhancement or Sustainment of Data Science Tools (U24)

Program Contact

Steve Tsang, PhD
Email: AI-DSFOAinquiries@nih.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

The three announcements address different stages in the technology development continuum – R21 (exploratory research), U01 (early-stage development) and U24 (enhancement or sustainment).

Choose RFA-AI-21-035 (R21) if your proposed project focuses on developing innovative and novel methods and algorithms with the potential for significant value to immune-mediated or infectious disease research.

Choose RFA-AI-21-020 (U01) if your proposed project focuses on initial tool development or significant modification of existing tools for new applications for immune-mediated or infectious disease research.

Choose RFA-AI-21-021 (U24) if you have developed an informatics technology resource with an established user community and your application focuses on the enhancement and/or sustainment of this technology resource for immune-mediated or infectious-disease research.

Responsive applications must be limited to informatics software/technology development addressing immune-mediated or infectious-disease research. However, small-scale validation tasks may be proposed.

Projects focused on the development of wet-lab experiments will be considered non-responsive.

Primary data generation or data analysis are not in scope. However, small-scale data generation or analysis for validation studies may be proposed.

No, your existing technology does not have to be supported by NIAID, or NIH in general, to apply for any of the U awards.

The applications will be reviewed by a Special Emphasis Panel (SEP), members of which will be selected based on the topic areas represented by the applications.

Yes, foreign institutions are eligible for all the announcements.

NIH intramural investigators are eligible to apply as co-investigators or collaborators without funds requested for their components.

Commercial organizations, including small businesses with strong capabilities in informatics research and development, can submit proposals in response to the program's funding opportunity announcements. Public-private collaboration in informatics technology development and dissemination is encouraged.

Please contact Steve Tsang.
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