Virtual Approaches Towards New Chemistries for Un-drugged Targets through A Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration (ASPIRE) Collaborative Research Program (U18 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA TR 21 002

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the ASPIRE Collaborative Research Program (U18 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)?

ASPIRE stands for "Virtual Approaches Towards New Chemistries for Un-drugged Targets through A Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration." It is an NIH funding opportunity administered by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) focused on accelerating discovery of new chemical matter for biological targets that currently have no known drugs capable of modulating them.

What is the central goal of this funding opportunity?

The central goal is to speed up the discovery of new starting points for drug development by creating and improving tools that can find, design, and validate novel chemical entities for targets that are historically difficult to drug or have been overlooked.

Which NIH center administers this opportunity?

This opportunity is administered by NCATS (the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is RFA-TR-21-002.

What type of award mechanism is used?

The program uses a Cooperative Agreement mechanism (U18). This mechanism generally indicates substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from the funding agency compared to a standard research project grant.

What does a Cooperative Agreement (U18) imply for applicants and awardees?

Based on the description provided, the U18 structure aligns with a platform-centric, collaborative model where funded teams are expected to work in a tightly integrated way with NCATS intramural scientists and contribute capabilities that plug into an NCATS-established platform, rather than operating as stand-alone projects.

Are clinical trials allowed under this FOA?

No. Clinical trials are not allowed under this funding opportunity.

What does "Clinical Trials Not Allowed" signal about the scope of work?

It signals that the focus is on discovery and preclinical translational capabilities, such as methods, modules, and enabling technologies, rather than testing interventions in human participants.

Is ASPIRE intended to fund independent, stand-alone projects?

No. The intent is not simply to fund stand-alone projects. The opportunity emphasizes integrated team science where extramural investigators contribute new capabilities that can be incorporated into an NCATS-established platform.

Who are the collaborators in this program?

The program is structured as a collaborative effort between NCATS intramural scientists (within NIH) and external (extramural) partners such as universities, nonprofits, companies, and other eligible organizations.

What kind of platform is ASPIRE built around?

The platform is described as integrated and modular, combining physical and virtual components across areas such as automated synthetic chemistry, artificial intelligence/machine learning, engineering, informatics, and biological testing.

What is the emphasis of RFA-TR-21-002 within the ASPIRE platform?

RFA-TR-21-002 focuses on the virtual side of the ASPIRE platform. Applicants are expected to propose and develop virtual modules that enhance what the overall system can do.

What types of approaches are considered "virtual modules" in this context?

Based on the information provided, virtual modules are expected to involve computational and data-driven capabilities such as informatics, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), cheminformatics, computational chemistry, virtual screening methods, or other virtual approaches that strengthen the platform.

Is there a related opportunity for physical module development?

Yes. A companion opportunity (RFA-TR-21-001) is referenced for physical module development. This helps distinguish RFA-TR-21-002 as emphasizing computational/informatics/AI-ML and other virtual approaches rather than laboratory hardware or purely physical automation.

What scientific outcomes are anticipated from projects funded under this FOA?

The anticipated outcomes include identification, design, synthesis, and validation of new chemical entities that can serve as credible starting points for drug development against novel targets, along with expansion of chemical space available for drug screening.

What does "expansion of chemical space" mean in the context of this opportunity?

In this FOA, it reflects an interest in generating or enabling access to types of molecules that are underrepresented in current screening libraries or that traditional workflows struggle to produce efficiently.

How does the program expect AI/ML and informatics to contribute?

The program aims for an iterative, data-driven loop where computational predictions guide chemistry and biology experiments, and experimental results feed back to improve computational models, increasing the power and scalability of the end-to-end discovery process.

What is meant by "undrugged targets" in this description?

As described, these are biological targets that currently have no known drugs capable of modulating them.

What is the activity category listed for this opportunity?

The activity category is Health.

What is the CFDA/Assistance Listing number for this opportunity?

The CFDA (assistance listing) number provided is 93.350.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad. It includes many U.S. governmental entities and organizations (such as state, county, and city governments; special district governments; and independent school districts), institutions of higher education (public/state-controlled and private), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments.

Are nonprofits eligible to apply?

Yes. Nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status are included as eligible applicants.

Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) are listed as eligible, and small businesses are also listed as eligible.

Are small businesses eligible to apply?

Yes. Small businesses are explicitly included in the eligible applicant pool.

Are minority-serving institutions specifically included?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly calls out multiple categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly listed among additional eligible applicants.

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly included among eligible applicants.

Are federal agencies eligible to apply?

Yes. Eligible federal agencies are included in the list of additional eligible applicants.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly includes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) as eligible applicants.

What kinds of external partners does ASPIRE intend to attract?

The description indicates interest in pulling in specialized expertise wherever it resides, especially in areas like AI/ML, cheminformatics, computational chemistry, data infrastructure, and virtual screening methods that can materially strengthen the ASPIRE platform.

What is expected from a competitive application, based on the provided description?

A competitive application would be expected to (1) describe a virtual module or capability clearly relevant to discovering new chemistries for undrugged targets, (2) include a realistic plan for integration with NCATS intramural efforts, and (3) produce outputs that help generate and validate novel chemical entities and broaden screening-ready chemical space.

Does the provided information specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?

No. The provided text states that an award ceiling and expected award count are not specified.

When was this funding opportunity created?

The creation date provided is 2020-12-10.

What was the original closing date listed?

The original closing date provided is 2021-07-08.

What is the overall program model suggested by the description?

The design indicates a selective, collaboration-heavy model where funded teams contribute modules that can be integrated into a broader NCATS ecosystem rather than producing isolated outputs.