Viral INfections in the Young Lung- The VINYL Clinical Consortium- Data Analytics and Coordinating Center (DACC)(U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HL 26 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 26 008

The NIH funding opportunity RFA-HL-26-008 supports the creation of the VINYL Clinical Consortium and, specifically, a Data Analytics and Coordinating Center (DACC) under a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism (clinical trial optional). The overall aim is to build an organized, multi-site clinical research network that can enroll and study very young children with severe viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). This includes babies, infants, and toddlers from birth through 2 years of age who are hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and/or pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS). The program is centered on collecting consistent, high-quality clinical and biological data at scale and then following children over time to see how early-life severe viral illness shapes later lung health.

A key scientific goal is "deep phenotyping" of about 1,500 hospitalized children, meaning the consortium will capture detailed information that goes beyond routine clinical documentation. While the notice does not list every variable, deep phenotyping in this context typically implies careful characterization of clinical course and severity, detailed virology (which virus or viruses are involved), host factors (including immune response features that may explain why some children become very sick), and other risk modifiers such as prematurity. The consortium is designed to address major gaps in how bronchiolitis and related viral LRTIs are defined, how severity can be predicted early, and why hospitalization occurs in some children but not others. It also reflects that viral LRTIs are not all the same: children may respond differently depending on the virus and on the maturity of the infant immune system, especially in the first two years of life.

Another major component is longitudinal follow-up to determine longer-term respiratory outcomes, including signs of chronic lung disease and asthma when participants reach about 4 to 5 years of age. This reflects long-standing concerns that severe bronchiolitis and other early-life viral LRTIs can be associated with later wheezing disorders and asthma, but that the pathways, subtypes, and predictors are still not well understood. The consortium model is meant to generate enough harmonized data across multiple sites to sort out heterogeneity, identify meaningful subgroups, and link early hospitalization features to later outcomes.

The opportunity highlights that bronchiolitis is unique to the young lung and remains the leading cause of hospitalization for viral LRTI in children ages 0 to 2, including children born preterm. It also points to significant practice variation in diagnosis and management across hospitals, which can make it hard to compare outcomes or understand what drives differences in severity and recovery. A coordinated consortium with standardized approaches is meant to reduce those inconsistencies and clarify how current interventions and real-world clinical decisions affect both short-term outcomes during hospitalization and longer-term lung health.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH opportunity in the health category (CFDA 93.838) using a cooperative agreement, which usually means NIH staff will have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant. The posted original closing date is 2025-11-10, and the opportunity was created on 2025-09-18. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing, so applicants would need to consult the full announcement for budget expectations, consortium structure, and detailed DACC responsibilities.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based public and private entities: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible organizations. The notice also mentions additional eligible applicant types such as eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, certain tribal governments that are not federally recognized, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign organizations (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, but non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are allowed, and foreign components as defined in NIH policy are permitted, which can matter for specialized analyses, assays, or collaborations that require unique expertise or resources outside the U.S.

In practical terms, the DACC role implied by the title is to serve as the backbone for data coordination and analytics for the clinical consortium. That typically means building or managing the data systems used across sites, ensuring consistent data collection and quality control, coordinating data harmonization and documentation, supporting statistical and computational analyses, and helping maintain the infrastructure needed for long-term follow-up. Because the consortium involves enrolling very young hospitalized children and tracking outcomes years later, the coordinating center function is central to maintaining standardized procedures, minimizing missing data, and producing analyzable datasets that can support robust conclusions about disease mechanisms, severity prediction, and long-term respiratory risk.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Viral INfections in the Young Lung- The VINYL Clinical Consortium- Data Analytics and Coordinating Center (DACC)(U24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.838.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-11-10. (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.

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