Limited Competition: Knockout Mouse Production and Phenotyping Project (UM1) | RFA RM 15 017

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 15 017

The NIH Common Fund funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Knockout Mouse Production and Phenotyping Project (UM1)" (RFA-RM-15-017) supports a large, coordinated effort under the Knockout Mouse Phenotyping Program (KOMP2) to systematically generate and characterize null-mutant (gene knockout) mouse lines. The central aim is to build a comprehensive, standardized phenotype resource for essentially every protein-coding gene in the mammalian genome, using the widely adopted C57BL/6 mouse strain as the reference background. By creating knockouts and documenting what changes in biology and disease-relevant traits occur when each gene is disabled, the program is designed to accelerate functional genomics and improve the interpretation of human genetic variation by providing experimentally grounded gene-function evidence.

This announcement uses a UM1 cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement and coordination rather than a typical investigator-initiated grant with minimal federal steering. The work is framed as high-impact, cross-cutting infrastructure science consistent with the Common Fund's mission: enabling bold approaches that can rapidly move a field forward and produce broadly usable community resources. In practical terms, the funded projects are expected to operate at high throughput and to prioritize reproducibility, standard operating procedures, and systematic data sharing so the outputs can be used immediately by many different biomedical research groups.

The specific project objectives are end-to-end production and dissemination of knockout mouse resources. Applicants are expected to: (1) generate mutant mouse lines using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, targeting the creation of null alleles; (2) run broad-based phenotyping pipelines to measure physiological, anatomical, behavioral, and other traits in a standardized way; (3) conduct rigorous quality control to confirm the intended genetic edits and to ensure the integrity of the lines and resulting datasets; (4) cryopreserve germplasm (such as sperm and/or embryos) to secure the lines for long-term distribution and reproducibility; and (5) make both the mice and the associated phenotype and QC data readily accessible to the broader scientific community. The intent is not just to create individual models, but to create a scalable platform that continuously produces validated knockouts plus high-value, comparable phenotype readouts.

The FOA sets an explicit throughput expectation: approximately 600 null-mutant lines phenotyped per year, totaling about 3,000 lines over a five-year project period. This scale emphasizes industrialized workflows, careful scheduling, and consistent assay performance across time, along with informatics practices capable of handling large volumes of standardized data. The mouse model is highlighted as particularly suitable for this kind of systematic functional genomics because of decades of genetic knowledge, mature reproductive and colony-management technologies, relatively short generation times, and lower costs compared with other mammalian systems. The announcement also reflects the shift in feasibility driven by CRISPR/Cas9, which significantly reduces time and cost for producing targeted mutations and enables the kind of comprehensive genome-wide knockout effort envisioned here.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based higher education institutions, including public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education. Foreign (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, though foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and is administered by the National Institutes of Health. Key administrative details provided include an original closing date of December 9, 2015, and a creation date of October 7, 2015. The program is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, and others), reflecting the Common Fund's cross-institute, cross-disease scope and its emphasis on broadly enabling biomedical research rather than focusing on a single disease area.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Knockout Mouse Production and Phenotyping Project (UM1)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.233, 93.273, 93.279, 93.310, 93.313, 93.351, 93.396, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-10-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-12-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

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