Genome Technology Program

Developing completely novel approaches and innovations to achieve orders-of-magnitude improvements and refining current technologies to increase efficiency and decrease cost while maintaining or improving data quality.

Overview

The Genome Technology (GTP) program at NHGRI supports research to innovate and develop new methods, technologies and systems that enable rapid, low-cost determination of nucleic acid sequence and genotyping along with epigenetic, functional, and synthetic genomics experiments. The development of completely novel approaches and achieving orders-of-magnitude improvements in genomic technologies are foundational efforts of the program. The refinement of current technologies to increase efficiency and decrease cost while maintaining or improving data quality and the integration of process steps is key to achieving these goals.

The program also supports and coordinates technology transfer from developers to users, and promotes collaborative, multidisciplinary programs that closely integrate research projects in academic and industrial laboratories.

Resources

Genome Technology Development Coordination

The Genome Technology Program supports the Technology Development Coordinating Center (TDCC), which was established to enhance interactions among grantees and accelerate technology innovation. The TDCC facilitates opportunities for grantee collaborations, leads efforts to promote standards in genomic technologies, develops resources to share with the community, and disseminates information about program advances. More information about the coordination efforts and currently funded Genome Technology Program grants can be found on the TDCC website.

Guidance on GTP Grantee Resource Sharing

To accelerate progress in the field of advanced genomic technology development, grantees will be required to:

Participate actively and openly in at least one grantee meeting per year.
Substantially share information as appropriate; failure to openly share information may be grounds for discontinuation of funding.
Provide access to the technology developed under this grant support and information about that technology.
Develop and implement plan to disseminate any quantity of sequence data if collected under this grant support.

Genome Technology Program Concept Clearances

The following concepts were presented at recent meetings of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research and now support active grants within the Genome Technology Program.

Technology Development RFAs – September 16, 2019 Council

Novel Nucleic Acid Sequencing Technology Development – February 12, 2018 Council

Genomic Technology Development – May 18, 2015 Council

Active Funding Opportunities

Novel Synthetic Nucleic Acid Technology Development

These Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) solicit R01, R21, and R43/44 grant applications to develop novel technologies that will enable substantive improvement in the quality, capabilities, and efficiency of nucleic acid synthesis and synthetic constructs at reasonable and decreased costs. Applicants may propose to develop novel complete synthesis and/or synthetic constructs systems, investigate challenges underlying key novel system components, or propose substantive improvements to existing systems.

Transformative Nucleic Acid Sequencing Technology Innovation and Early Development

These Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) solicit R01, R21, and R43/44 grant applications to innovate and develop the early stages of novel technologies that will enable greater than a one order of magnitude improvement in 1) DNA sequencing, and 2) methods for direct sequencing of the diversity of entire RNA molecules.

Technology Development for Single-Molecule Protein Sequencing and Single Cell Proteome Analysis

These Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) solicit grant applications to catalyze major advances in single-molecule protein sequencing and single cell proteome analysis through technology development. The goal of this initiative is to achieve technological advances over the next five years that enable generation of protein sequencing data at sufficient scale, speed, cost and accuracy to use routinely in studies of genome biology and function, and in biomedical and clinical research in general.

Advancing Genomic Technology Development for Research and Clinical Application (Notice of Special Interest)

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to encourage applications focused on developing novel laboratory-focused tools and technologies that enable new lines of scientific inquiry and clinical applications in human genomics.

R01, R21, R41, R42, R43, R44: NOT-HG-21-018

Inactive Funding Opportunities

NHGRI Technology Development Coordinating Center

U24: RFA-HG-20-019

Novel Nucleic Acid Sequencing Technology Development

Novel Genomic Technology Development

R01: PAR-18-777
R21: PAR-18-778
R43/R44: PAR-18-779

Advanced Genomic Technology Development Meetings

Each spring the Genome Technology Program holds the Advanced Genomic Technology Development (AGTD) Meeting to provide grantees with a platform to openly discuss key technical and scientific challenges as well as their ongoing work. Linked below are the agendas from past AGTD meetings.

The $1000 Genome Program

NHGRI launched an ambitious program in 2004 to reduce the cost of full mammalian genome sequencing initially by 100-fold and subsequently by an additional 100-fold, aiming ultimately at about $1,000.

Learn more about this groundbreaking program.