Frequently Asked Questions for RFA-HG-12-016 - Clinically Relevant Genetic Variants Resource: A Unified Approach for Identifying Genetic Variants for Clinical Use (U01)

How many awards does NIH plan to make?

NIH intends to fund one award. As a reminder, individual application budgets should not exceed $2,000,000 total costs in FY13 and $4,000,000 per year for years FY14-FY16 and must reflect actual needs of the proposed project.

Is it possible for the NCBI ClinVar public archive to receive, store, and retrieve data generated from a resource supported by this RFA or should an applicant plan to create a separate database?

Data generated from the resource supported by this RFA should be interoperable with NCBI's ClinVar public archive and with any other appropriate data resource. However, CRVR should not be wholly dependent on ClinVar or any other resource.

It is up to each applicant to decide how to develop the underlying CRVR data resource and public interface in response to the RFA. Applicants should describe and justify their approach including how they will ensure interoperability, version control, accessibility and sustainability in the face of loss of one or more resources.

Applicants should also describe how they plan to ensure priorities of CRVR are met if they conflict with priorities of these other resources. Applicants should also describe their commitment to maintaining flexibility in modifying their approaches as resources co-evolve.

How will input from clinical organizations, such as those mentioned in the RFA (e.g., ACMG, AMP, ASHG, and CAP) be incorporated into the development of the CRVR?

Close interaction among the awardee, the NIH, and other collaborators such as ACMG, AMP, ASHG, and CAP will be required to develop appropriate consensus approaches and dissemination plans for the CRVR. Representatives from relevant professional and clinical organizations will participate in the CRVR Steering Committee along with Principal Investigator(s), the NIH Project Scientist, and other experts as proposed by the grantee.

In addition, a Professional Organizations Committee will be convened to facilitate interactions with and obtain feedback from professional organizations and will meet twice a year by teleconference. At least once a year, there will be a joint teleconference or meeting with the Steering Committee to allow members of both the Professional Organizations Committee and the Steering Committee to interact directly.

Should the application address sustainability of the CRVR resource beyond the four-year program period?

The CRVR resource should be freely accessible to the public and NHGRI is committed to supporting the CRVR resource as long as there is sufficient evidence that the resource is improving the assessment of the clinical relevance of genetic variants, provides utility to the community and funds are available to continue the program. However, applicants can propose a model to sustain the resource after NIH funding ends.

Is this RFA targeted to groups with existing human mutation databases?

The RFA is open to everyone.

What is the page limit for this RFA?

There is a 12-page limit. Please reference the SF424 Application guide for more information on page limits, Table of Page Limits

For more information, please contact:

Erin M. Ramos, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Phone: (301) 451-3706
E-mail: ramoser@mail.nih.gov

Posted: October 10, 2012

Last updated: October 10, 2012