Frequently Asked Questions — ECHO Laboratory Core, RFA-OD-22-016

FAQs 9–10 added October 20, 2022 FAQ 11 added October 27, 2022

1. Can applicants apply to the Laboratory Core FOA and another FOA?

Yes. Applicants for the Laboratory Core may also apply to another ECHO Cohort Core or Center FOA. Each application to a FOA should be self-contained and not overlap in science or budget. Applicants should justify submission of multiple applications and highlight the benefits for the ECHO Cohort consortium. Applicants to an ECHO Core or Center cannot apply to an ECHO Cohort Study Site FOA.

2. Can a multiple Principal Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) option be used for this application/award?

Yes, multi-PD/PI (MPI) applications may be used for this award. Please refer to the NIH website http://grants.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi/faq.htm for more information on applying with MPIs.

3. How often should the Laboratory Core prepare biorepository inventory, monitoring, and regulatory reports?

Applicants should propose a frequency of reports.

4. Who will pay for shipping of samples from the biorepository to the laboratory for analysis and when applicable, return of samples back to the biorepository?

The Laboratory Core should budget for these items.

5. What is Laboratory Core’s responsibility in the curation of biospecimen collection and processing data?

The Laboratory Core will 1) provide quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of biospecimens from collection and processing; 2) ensure that the biospecimen metadata in the Biorepository align with information in the ECHO Data Analysis Center tracking system; and 3) ensure biospecimen assay QA/QC.

6. What is the distinction between the duties of the Laboratory Core and Cohort Study Sites in collection and processing of biospecimens?

Cohort Study Sites will collect biospecimens and do the initial processing. Cohort Study Sites will pay for shipping biospecimens to the Laboratory Core. Upon receipt of the biospecimens, the Laboratory Core will process them; the Core will also be responsible for quality control, chain of custody, storage, inventory, tracking, and distribution of specimens to laboratories for biospecimen assays.

7. Who is responsible for paying for the biospecimen kits?

The Laboratory Core.

8. What is the distinction between the Laboratory Core and Data Analysis Center in curation of bioassay data and metadata?

The Laboratory Core will distribute selected biospecimens to the laboratories to perform biospecimen assays, and transfer all biospecimen information, biospecimen assay data, quality control data, and metadata to the ECHO Data Analysis Center after checking data quality. The Data Analysis Center will ensure that the ECHO Cohort Data Platform captures biospecimen metadata and biospecimen assay data.

New FAQs as of October 20, 2022

9. Is there a budget cap in years 2-7? The FOA mentions a total cost cap of $7.3 million only in year 1.

Yes. Assume a total annual cost of $7.3 million for all budget years.

10. Can anyone applying as a Principal Investigator for the ECHO Laboratory Core also apply to a Cohort Study Site FOA as a Principal Investigator?

No. Persons applying as a Principal Investigator for the Laboratory Core can apply to an ECHO Cohort Study Site FOA as a Co-Investigator but not as Principal Investigator. Likewise, persons applying as a Principal Investigator for an ECHO Cohort Study Site can apply to the ECHO Laboratory Core FOA as a Co-Investigator but not as Principal Investigator.

New FAQ as of October 27, 2022

11. Has the application due date changed for RFA-OD-22-016?

No. Due to an initial system error that NIH has now resolved, the NIH changed the application due date only for RFA-OD-22-017.

The application due date is still November 21, 2022, for RFA-OD-22-016, RFA-OD-22-018, RFA-OD-22-019, RFA-OD-22-020, RFA-OD-22-021, and RFA-OD-22-022.