Functional RNA Modifications Environment and Disease (FRAMED) (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA ES 19 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 19 002

The Functional RNA Modifications Environment and Disease (FRAMED) funding opportunity (RFA-ES-19-002) is an NIH grant solicitation from the Department of Health and Human Services focused on a fast-growing area of biology known as epitranscriptomics, meaning chemical modifications on RNA. The basic premise behind the opportunity is that chemical modifications to biomolecules (proteins, DNA, and RNA nucleosides) are not just decorative marks; they actively help control gene expression and other fundamental cellular behaviors. In particular, the FOA highlights that RNA modifications are increasingly being recognized as important regulators of normal biology, and that they may change in response to external conditions in ways that matter for health and disease.

A central scientific motivation for FRAMED is the emerging evidence, drawn from model systems such as yeast, Drosophila, and rodents, that environmental stressors can induce measurable changes in RNA modifications. The announcement emphasizes that these changes are not necessarily random; some studies suggest there can be selective "reprogramming" of the epitranscriptome, including in certain regulatory RNAs. In practical terms, this points to a potentially important mechanism by which environmental exposures (for example, toxicants, pollutants, diet-related exposures, oxidative stress, or other stress-inducing conditions) could influence cell state, gene regulation, and downstream disease processes through an RNA-based regulatory layer that sits between DNA and protein.

FRAMED is designed to support R21 projects, which are typically used by NIH to back early-stage, exploratory, and potentially transformative ideas. The FOA explicitly seeks innovative, high-risk, high-reward research rather than incremental work, with the goal of expanding understanding of how environmental exposures affect RNA modifications and the functional consequences of those changes. The "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" designation means the supported studies are not intended to test interventions in human participants as clinical trials; instead, the program is oriented toward basic, mechanistic, and experimental research that clarifies biological pathways, establishes proof of concept, develops new approaches, or generates compelling preliminary evidence for later-stage funding.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the environment and health space (CFDA 93.113). The listed award ceiling is $150,000, and the opportunity expected to make about four awards. The original closing date was May 16, 2019, with an NIH creation date of February 8, 2019, indicating it was a time-bound solicitation from that period. Even though the dates are historical, the content signals the type of science NIEHS and NIH were prioritizing: connecting environmental exposure biology with epitranscriptomic regulation.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations that commonly apply for NIH funding. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not higher education institutions under those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses, plus other entities as clarified in the full eligibility text. This breadth is consistent with NIH's intent to draw in diverse scientific teams and institutional settings capable of tackling technically demanding questions about RNA chemistry, exposure biology, and functional effects.

Overall, FRAMED can be summarized as an NIH effort to catalyze exploratory projects that link environmental exposures to changes in RNA chemical modifications and to determine how those changes alter cellular regulation in ways that could ultimately help explain disease mechanisms. The program sits at the intersection of environmental health sciences, gene regulation, and RNA biology, and it encourages applicants to pursue bold, hypothesis-generating ideas and enabling methods that could open up new directions for understanding how the environment gets "written into" biological regulation at the RNA level.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Functional RNA Modifications Environment and Disease (FRAMED) (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 08, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 16, 2019. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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