PsychENCODE: Non-coding Functional Elements in the Human Brain and their Role in the Development of Psychiatric Disorders (Collaborative U01) | PAR 17 258

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 258

The NIH funding opportunity "PsychENCODE: Non-coding Functional Elements in the Human Brain and their Role in the Development of Psychiatric Disorders (Collaborative U01)" (PAR-17-258) is a discretionary, cooperative agreement (U01) designed to push forward large, team-based research that clarifies how non-coding parts of the human genome shape brain function and contribute to psychiatric illness. The central aim is to discover and characterize the full range of human-specific, non-coding functional genomic elements across different brain regions, across distinct cell types, and across key developmental windows. In practice, the program is trying to move beyond simply listing genetic risk variants and instead build a mechanistic picture of how gene regulation in the brain works in health, how it changes over development, and how those regulatory systems go off-track in mental disorders.

A major expectation of projects under this FOA is that they use unbiased, genome-wide strategies rather than focusing narrowly on a small set of candidate genes. Applicants are expected to combine computational analyses with experimental assays to identify functional genomic elements in human brain tissue, and to do so in both healthy and diseased brains when possible. The goal is to connect these functional elements and regulatory signatures to molecular pathophysiology, meaning the underlying molecular changes that can help explain symptoms, disease trajectories, and outcomes relevant to brain function and dysfunction. Because many psychiatric disorder associations from GWAS land in non-coding DNA, this opportunity is essentially about turning those statistical signals into interpretable biology by mapping what the non-coding genome is doing in real brain contexts.

The FOA emphasizes building comprehensive maps of functional elements and regulatory features. Examples explicitly called out include classic regulatory DNA elements such as enhancers, promoters, silencers, and insulators, as well as transcription factor binding sites and broader transcription binding factor activity. It also highlights multiple classes of non-coding RNAs that can regulate gene expression, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Beyond the DNA sequence itself, the program underscores the importance of epigenetic and chromatin-level regulation and RNA biology, including DNA methylation patterns, long-range chromatin interactions that connect distal enhancers to target genes, RNA modifications, and the diversity of RNA splice isoforms (spliceoforms). Taken together, this signals that the NIH is looking for multi-layer functional genomics that can describe regulation from chromatin architecture to transcription to post-transcriptional processing.

Because this is a "Collaborative U01" run as a cooperative agreement, awardees should expect substantial NIH involvement in coordinating efforts, aligning standards, and supporting cross-project integration typical of consortium-style programs. The collaborative framing also implies that projects are expected to generate resources, reference maps, and broadly usable datasets or analytical frameworks that can be leveraged by the wider community, not just answer a single narrow biological question. The emphasis on multiple brain regions, cell types, and developmental periods further suggests an interest in atlases and integrative analyses that can distinguish what is shared versus what is specific to certain neural cell populations or developmental stages, and how those patterns intersect with psychiatric disease.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), and tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments). It also includes public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as an "Other" category. The announcement also explicitly notes additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth is meant to encourage participation from a wide range of research organizations and communities, including those historically underrepresented in large genomics consortia.

Key administrative details from the source information include the agency (National Institutes of Health), the CFDA number (93.242), and the original posting timeline (created April 18, 2017) with an original closing date of June 6, 2019. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a concerted effort to map and functionally interpret the non-coding regulatory genome of the human brain at high resolution, then use those maps to explain how regulatory variation and dysregulation can contribute to psychiatric disorders.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PsychENCODE: Non-coding Functional Elements in the Human Brain and their Role in the Development of Psychiatric Disorders (Collaborative U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-06-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for PAR 17 258

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