Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort Data and Biospecimen Access (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 25 437

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 437

The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort Data and Biospecimen Access program (PAR-25-437) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity designed to let researchers request access to limited identifiable data and/or biospecimens from the ECHO Cohort. Rather than funding a new clinical trial, the emphasis is on enabling analyses that use existing ECHO resources to address high-priority questions in maternal and child health. The opportunity is labeled "X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning it supports access to data and specimens for research purposes but does not permit proposing a clinical trial under this mechanism.

At its core, the program is intended to broaden responsible, controlled access to ECHO Cohort materials so investigators can study how environmental factors influence child health outcomes. "Environmental" is typically interpreted broadly in ECHO-related work and can include chemical, physical, social, behavioral, and built-environment exposures, as well as other contextual influences that may affect pregnancy, infancy, childhood development, and pediatric health. The key point is that applicants are expected to use the ECHO Cohort's existing information and specimen collections to answer important questions about maternal and child health, especially those aligned with NIH and ECHO priorities.

The announcement is issued as a Program Announcement with Special Receipt, Referral, and/or Review Considerations (PAR). In practice, a PAR indicates NIH has particular instructions or considerations for how applications are submitted, routed, and reviewed compared with standard announcements. Applicants should expect that access to identifiable data or biospecimens comes with additional oversight expectations, such as compliance with data governance rules, protections for participant privacy, and adherence to any ECHO-specific policies for requesting, handling, and analyzing controlled resources.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many government entities and research-performing institutions. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those specific nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types such as eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions, which signals NIH is open to a wide range of domestic partners who can appropriately manage and use sensitive cohort data or biospecimens.

Foreign participation restrictions are clearly spelled out. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. In addition, foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. Taken together, these rules mean the applicant organization and the work supported under this access mechanism must remain within allowable U.S. organizational boundaries, without foreign organizational components conducting portions of the work under the award.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the health funding activity category, with CFDA number 93.310, and it is offered by NIH. The opportunity was created on 2025-06-18 and lists an original closing date of 2028-03-01, indicating a multi-year window during which applications may be accepted according to the schedule and instructions in the full announcement. The public notice does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, which usually means applicants need to consult the full solicitation for budgeting expectations, scope limitations, and any caps or programmatic constraints.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a structured pathway to request and use ECHO Cohort data and biospecimens, including some limited identifiable elements, to conduct high-impact maternal and child health research. The program is geared toward maximizing the scientific value of an existing large cohort resource while maintaining strict controls on privacy, governance, and permissible use, and it explicitly excludes clinical trial proposals under this mechanism.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort Data and Biospecimen Access (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-03-01.
• 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 25 437

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: