Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III - Transitional Centers (P30) | PAR 17 249

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 249

The Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III - Transitional Centers (P30) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-17-249) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant designed to help existing COBRE programs move from NIH-supported development into long-term independence. The main goal of this FOA is not to launch a brand-new center, but to transition an established COBRE from reliance on COBRE-specific support toward a sustainable model where the center's shared resources, scientific operations, and biomedical research activity can continue effectively with stable funding and strong institutional commitment. In practical terms, the program is aimed at consolidating what the COBRE has built in earlier phases, maintaining and optimizing the core facilities that investigators depend on, and positioning the center so it can compete successfully for other sources of support and operate as a durable research hub.

This is a grant mechanism using the P30 center core support structure, which generally focuses on shared infrastructure rather than directly funding large portfolios of individual research projects. The emphasis is on maintaining and strengthening core resources that enable biomedical research across an institution or region, such as shared instrumentation, technical expertise, research service cores, governance structures, and administrative functions that keep the center operating efficiently. The "Phase III - Transitional Centers" framing signals that NIH expects the COBRE to demonstrate maturity: clear evidence that the center has been productive, that its cores are essential and well-used, and that there is a credible plan to maintain these capabilities beyond COBRE support. The transition concept also implies an expectation of strategic planning, including how the center will recover costs, attract other grant support, and integrate into the institution's longer-term research enterprise.

The competition is described as "limited," meaning eligibility is restricted to a defined subset of applicants rather than being broadly open to all institutions. The eligible applicant types listed are public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, reflecting that the program is geared toward academic research environments that can host and sustain shared biomedical research infrastructure. The FOA specifically excludes non-U.S. applicants and foreign involvement in several forms: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply; non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; and foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. Taken together, these restrictions mean the applicant organization, the work, and the supported components must be fully domestic according to NIH policy, and the proposed center activities should not rely on foreign components in ways that NIH would categorize as part of the funded project.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized under the Health funding activity area and is associated with CFDA number 93.859. The FOA record lists an award ceiling of $750,000, indicating the maximum amount NIH would provide per award under this announcement (subject to NIH policies and the specific terms of the FOA). The original closing date is January 24, 2018, and the record shows a creation date of April 4, 2017, which places the announcement within that application cycle. While the number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data, the overall structure suggests competitive selection among eligible COBRE programs seeking to enter this transitional, sustainability-focused phase.

Overall, PAR-17-249 is best understood as a bridge-to-independence center grant for mature COBREs: it supports the continuation and stabilization of valuable core resources and center operations while requiring a strong, realistic path toward financial and scientific sustainability. Applicants would be expected to show that the cores are high-impact, that the center is positioned to thrive beyond COBRE support, and that the institution is prepared to carry forward the infrastructure and research environment the COBRE has developed.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III - Transitional Centers (P30)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-24. (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 $750,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for PAR 17 249

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