Centers for Oceans and Human Health 3: Impacts of Climate Change on Oceans and Great Lakes (COHH3) (P01) | RFA ES 16 009

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the COHH3 (P01) funding opportunity?

The Centers for Oceans and Human Health 3: Impacts of Climate Change on Oceans and Great Lakes (COHH3) (P01) funding opportunity (RFA ES 16 009) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program. It is designed to support large, integrated research efforts that connect environmental change in ocean and Great Lakes Basin systems to emerging public health threats.

What is the main purpose of this program?

The program supports coordinated, multidisciplinary research to explain how climate change is already changing exposures and hazards in ocean and Great Lakes environments, how those changes may influence toxicity and human health outcomes, and what the likely future trajectory may be as climate conditions continue to shift.

Is this funding for a single research project or a multi-project center?

This is positioned as a center-style effort under the P01 mechanism. Applicants are expected to propose coordinated, multi-component projects made up of multiple interlocking components rather than a single standalone study.

What kinds of topics or environmental changes are emphasized?

The funding opportunity emphasizes climate-driven changes in environmental exposures and associated toxicities, with an expectation that applicants link these changes to measurable or plausible human health impacts.

What exposure pathways or mechanisms does the opportunity highlight?

Examples described include climate-influenced contaminant dynamics, harmful algal blooms, pathogen ecology, shifts in food-web contamination, altered aerosolization, storm-driven exposure pathways, and other ways people may be exposed through recreation, drinking water sources, seafood consumption, coastal flooding, or occupational contact.

What does the program mean by an "integrated" or "multidisciplinary" approach?

The program favors integrated approaches where complementary expertise is coordinated to produce outcomes no single discipline could deliver alone. The description provides examples such as environmental monitoring, toxicology, epidemiology, exposure science, modeling, and risk or health impact assessment working together as a unified center program.

Do applicants need to connect environmental findings to human health?

Yes. A core expectation is to link climate-driven environmental changes in oceans and Great Lakes systems to human health impacts that are measurable or at least plausible based on the proposed research.

Is community engagement required?

The opportunity includes a distinctive expectation of a community engagement component. Strong applications are expected to connect with affected or at-risk communities and stakeholders in the ocean and Great Lakes regions, not just produce academic findings.

What types of activities can count as community engagement under this opportunity?

Examples included are two-way communication about local concerns, co-development of research questions, dissemination of results in usable formats, and activities that improve relevance and uptake of findings by public health practitioners, resource managers, and community organizations.

Why does the program emphasize community engagement?

The stated intent is to keep the science grounded in real-world exposure scenarios and to support preparedness and response to climate-sensitive health risks by making findings more relevant and usable for communities and decision-makers.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad across public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors within the United States and its territories, consistent with NIH domestic eligibility rules described in the opportunity.

Are state and local governments eligible applicants?

Yes. The opportunity lists state, county, city, or township governments as eligible, along with special district governments.

Are higher education institutions eligible?

Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.

Are nonprofits eligible to apply?

Yes. Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status are included in the eligibility description (with an exclusion note as specified in the opportunity text).

Are for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses, as well as small businesses.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) are eligible, and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized are also explicitly listed as eligible.

Are U.S. territories or possessions included in eligibility?

Yes. The opportunity states eligibility includes entities within the United States and its territories, and it also highlights U.S. territories or possessions among eligible applicant types.

Does the opportunity encourage participation by specific institution types?

The opportunity explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, TCCUs, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible to apply?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply.

Can a U.S. organization include a non-U.S. component in the project?

No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. In practical terms, the application and all supported components must be domestic.

How do the foreign participation restrictions affect collaborations and project structure?

Based on the restrictions described, collaborations, field sites, subawards, and project staffing would need to be structured so that supported components are domestic and do not include foreign components.

What is the activity category and CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under the Environment and Health activity category with CFDA 93.113.

What is the funding mechanism used?

The opportunity uses the P01 mechanism and is framed as a center-style, multi-component program requiring coordinated projects under an overarching theme.

What is the award ceiling shown in the opportunity summary?

The award ceiling shown is $900,000.

What is the closing date listed for this funding opportunity?

The original closing date listed is March 7, 2017.

What overarching theme should applicants align with?

Applicants are expected to align with the overarching theme of understanding and anticipating how climate change affects ocean and Great Lakes environments in ways that translate into clearer public health insights and actionable engagement with communities and stakeholders.

How should applicants think about budgeting and coordination for a P01-style center?

The description indicates that, as a multi-component P01-style program, applicants would typically be expected to justify budgets and project integration carefully, demonstrating how each component contributes to the center’s overall goals and theme.