Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa): Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues (ELSI) Research Program (U01) | RFA RM 16 013

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 16 013

The Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa): Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues (ELSI) Research Program (U01) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity designed to support research on the ethical, legal, and societal questions that come up in the course of human genome research involving African populations. The announcement emphasizes ELSI work that is not just general or descriptive, but that digs into specific bioethical, legal, and social science questions, especially those that are new or rapidly emerging as genomics research and data-sharing practices expand across the continent. In practical terms, the focus is on understanding and addressing the real-world implications of genomics research for individuals, communities, institutions, and governments in African settings, including how research is conducted, how benefits and burdens are distributed, and how rights and protections are defined and applied.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01), which typically means that NIH expects to have substantial involvement in the project beyond standard grant stewardship. While the core work remains research-led by the awardee, the cooperative structure often reflects a need for coordination with NIH program staff, alignment with broader initiative goals, and active collaboration or participation in shared activities that support the larger H3Africa effort. The funding instrument is categorized as discretionary, and the activity area is health, reflecting the program's placement within NIH's research mission and the health-related consequences of genomic discovery and translation.

The FOA is identified as RFA-RM-16-013, with a CFDA number of 93.310. The posting was created on 2016-08-09 and had an original application closing date of 2016-11-15. The listed award ceiling is $100,000, signaling that proposed projects were expected to be tightly scoped and focused, rather than large multi-site undertakings. The announcement also indicates "ExpectedAwards:" without a number provided in the source data, suggesting that the total number of awards was not specified in the excerpt or may have varied based on available funds and application quality.

A central feature of the program is its interest in targeted analyses of emerging issues in African genomics. Although the announcement text is brief, the types of ELSI topics it points toward commonly include questions such as informed consent in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, community engagement and governance, privacy and confidentiality in settings with varying legal protections and infrastructure, responsible data sharing and cross-border data movement, ownership and stewardship of biospecimens and genomic data, benefit sharing and fairness, return of results and incidental findings, stigma and discrimination risks, and the development or interpretation of national and institutional policies that shape research practice. The explicit call for focused bioethical, legal, and social science analyses signals that applications were expected to move beyond broad commentary to produce clear frameworks, evidence, or practical guidance that can inform policy, oversight, and day-to-day research decisions.

Eligibility is notable because the FOA explicitly allows non-U.S. entities to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) organizations and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are eligible applicants, which aligns with the H3Africa program's Africa-centered research and capacity aims. At the same time, the FOA draws an important boundary: non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. In other words, a U.S. institution cannot simply submit through an overseas branch as the applicant entity under this rule. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning U.S.-based applicants could still potentially incorporate foreign collaborations in the way NIH permits, and foreign institutions could apply directly as primary applicants. This structure is meant to enable meaningful Africa-based leadership and participation while still fitting within NIH policy on international involvement.

Overall, this funding opportunity supports ELSI research that helps ensure genomics research in Africa is conducted responsibly, legally soundly, and in ways that reflect social realities on the ground. It is framed to generate actionable insights for researchers, ethics committees, policymakers, and communities as African genomic studies grow in scale and complexity, and as questions about data governance, participant protections, equity, and societal impact become increasingly urgent.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa): Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues (ELSI) Research Program (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-08-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-11-15. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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