Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III - Transitional Centers (P30) | PAR 17 208

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 208

The Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase III - Transitional Centers (P30) funding opportunity (PAR 17-208) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to help existing COBRE programs move from a time-limited, capacity-building center model into a stable, self-sustaining research enterprise. The central goal is not to start a brand-new center, but to transition a mature COBRE’s established research infrastructure, shared core services, and biomedical research activities so they can operate independently and remain productive after COBRE support winds down. In practical terms, this FOA is about preserving and institutionalizing the tools, expertise, and collaborative environment that COBRE funding helped create, so that the center’s impact continues beyond the earlier phases.

This is a P30 mechanism, which generally supports “center core grants.” That typically means the focus is on maintaining and operating shared resources (often called cores) that multiple investigators rely on, rather than primarily funding a large set of standalone research projects. In the COBRE Phase III context, the emphasis is on ensuring that key core facilities, administrative support, and research-enabling activities have a realistic path to long-term sustainability. The expectation is that the center will demonstrate it can keep serving investigators effectively, attract additional research funding, and remain scientifically valuable without needing ongoing COBRE-style developmental support.

The competition is described as “limited,” which signals that not everyone can apply and that eligibility is tied to the COBRE program context (for example, organizations that have an existing COBRE track record and are positioned for a Phase III transition). While the full FOA contains the detailed rules, the summary information highlights the types of organizations that can be applicants, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities, other than institutions of higher education). The FOA also explicitly calls out categories of institutions that may be eligible where applicable, such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). These categories align with the broader COBRE and NIH interest in strengthening biomedical research capacity in institutions and regions that have historically had less access to major NIH research infrastructure funding.

At the same time, the FOA is clear about what is not allowed on the applicant side: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) cannot apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply, and foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are not permitted under this announcement. In other words, the work supported under this FOA is intended to be fully domestic in terms of organizational participation and project components.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is classified under the Health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.859. The original closing date listed for this announcement was April 4, 2017, and the opportunity was created on March 8, 2017. The award ceiling shown in the source data is $750,000, which indicates the maximum annual or total amount allowed under the announcement as configured (the FOA would specify how the ceiling applies, such as per year and what cost categories are included). The source data does not provide a specific number of expected awards, leaving that field blank, so applicants would typically need to consult the full FOA or NIH funding projections to understand the likely scale of awards.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as a bridge-to-independence mechanism for established COBRE centers: it is meant to keep valuable core infrastructure and research support services functioning at a high level while the center completes its transition to a sustainable model supported by institutional commitments, user fees, external grants, partnerships, and other long-term funding streams. The intent is to prevent the loss of hard-won research capacity and to make sure the scientific and workforce development benefits created by earlier COBRE phases continue to pay off for investigators and their institutions.

• 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 2017-03-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-04-04. (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, 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, Others.

Apply for PAR 17 208

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