Limited Competition: RCMI Research Coordination Network (RRCN) (U54) | RFA MD 18 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MD 18 001

The Limited Competition: RCMI Research Coordination Network (RRCN) (U54) opportunity (RFA-MD-18-001) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement intended to support and strengthen a long-running coordination network across RCMI-funded institutions. The RRCN, originally launched in 2007 under the name RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), exists to deepen collaboration and shared capacity among RCMI partners so that research serving minority and health disparity populations can move faster, run more efficiently, and translate more reliably into measurable health improvements.

At its core, this funding supports a central network function rather than a single stand-alone research project. The RRCN is designed to engage a broad set of stakeholders across RCMI institutions, with an emphasis on improving the quality and efficiency of basic biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research. A key operational goal is to make multi-site and collaborative work easier to execute by strengthening coordination, standardizing or harmonizing approaches where useful, and supporting the practical infrastructure that helps investigators work together across institutions.

Another major focus of the network is improving study participant recruitment and retention, which is often a limiting factor in clinical and population-based research, especially when studies aim to reach communities experiencing health disparities. By providing shared strategies, tools, and collaboration pathways across the RCMI community, the RRCN aims to make it easier to identify, enroll, and retain participants in a way that supports both scientific rigor and community trust. Closely tied to that is the goal of increasing the efficiency of implementation and dissemination, meaning the program is oriented not only toward producing research findings, but also toward helping those findings travel more quickly into real-world practice and ultimately improved outcomes in communities that have historically faced disproportionate disease burden and barriers to care.

Because this is a cooperative agreement (U54), the structure generally implies substantial NIH involvement in the funded activities compared with a standard grant mechanism. In practice, that typically means the award supports a coordinated, network-level set of functions and deliverables, with ongoing collaboration between NIH and the awardee to ensure the network continues to meet program goals and remains aligned with the needs of the RCMI grantee community. The opportunity description also highlights that maintaining longstanding networking and collaboration within the RCMI community is viewed as essential, signaling that continuity of relationships, shared practices, and cross-institution engagement is a central expectation of the program.

Eligibility is limited and primarily targets public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The announcement explicitly excludes non-U.S. entities: foreign institutions may not apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed. The opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category (CFDA 93.307) and was posted by NIH with an original closing date of January 19, 2018. The listed award ceiling is $2,500,000, indicating support at a scale consistent with operating a coordination network that spans multiple institutions and stakeholders rather than funding a narrow research study.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: RCMI Research Coordination Network (RRCN) (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.307.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-19. (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 $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for RFA MD 18 001

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