The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued a funding opportunity to support projects analyzing existing genomic and associated data related to dental, oral, or craniofacial (DOC) biology, diseases, and conditions. This initiative aims to address critical research gaps, improve health disparities, and identify intervention targets through advanced statistical and computational methods, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) applications. Validation of the findings, whether through experimental or in silico approaches, is a required component of the projects.

Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, non-profits, for-profit organizations, government entities, and foreign institutions. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that utilize publicly available genomic and complementary data sets, such as those from the NIDCR-supported FaceBase, Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource, dbGaP, and others. While the use of publicly shared data is strongly preferred, private data can be considered with adequate justification.

Award budgets are not limited and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed research. The maximum project duration is three years. Projects must include a robust data-sharing and validation strategy to ensure the reproducibility and applicability of findings. The opportunity does not support clinical trials, and human subjects' involvement must comply with strict ethical and regulatory requirements.

Applications must be submitted through electronic portals, such as the NIH ASSIST system or Grants.gov, with adherence to detailed NIH guidance, including the submission of a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Required registrations include System for Award Management (SAM), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov. Applications are subject to NIH peer review, with scoring based on significance, investigator expertise, innovation, approach, and scientific environment.

Key deadlines include standard NIH due dates, with initial applications accepted as early as May 2023. Projects may involve collaborations between multidisciplinary teams, leveraging expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, and DOC biology to generate significant scientific advances.

For further information or assistance, applicants are encouraged to contact designated NIH program officers or technical support services. Detailed application instructions and policies can be found in the NIH Grants Policy Statement and the funding announcement guidelines.