NIH RECOVER Initiative - Data Repositories Research Opportunity Announcement OTA-21-015D - FAQ

Sep 11, 2026

NIH RECOVER Initiative FAQs address triaged questions related to the Data Repositories Research Opportunity Announcement OTA-21-015D, populated by NIH or submitted after July 9, 2021. The review covers how to prepare and submit applications, including consortium administration, subcontracting and subaward documentation, and the role and content requirements of letters of intent. It also clarifies application components, eligibility considerations for different institutions, late submissions, external links, and how page limits apply to references, bibliography, and budget justification.

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Application Preparation and Submission

Subcontracting and sub-awards

Consortium application approach

Application components and page limits

Letters of intent requirements

ASSIST submission details

Eligibility and submission rules

NIH RECOVER Initiative Frequently Asked Questions This document contains triaged questions that have been populated by the NIH or submitted after July 9 , 2021. This FAQ review covers the following topics regarding the Data Repositories Research Opportunity Announcement OTA-21-015D: • Application Preparation and Submission • ROA Requirements: All Repositories • ROA Requirements: Imaging Data Repository • ROA Requirements: Pathology Data Repository • ROA Requirements: Digital Health Data Repository • Proposal Budget 1. Application Preparation and Submission | 1.1 Q | In responding to the RECOVER Data Repositories ROA OTA-21-015D, may an entity sub-contract to another entity for one or more parts of development? | | --- | --- | | 1.1 A | Yes, subcontracts are allowable for any and all activities under the ROA. Sub-awards must be fully justified and include normal budget documentation. | | 1.2 Q | What information is required from consortium partners? | | 1.2 A | Letters of support are acceptable. | | 1.3 Q | My institution is part of a consortium. Should we submit a linked application or one application and administer activities through subawards? | | 1.3 A | For a consortium, pre-existing or newly formed, it is advisable to submit a single application. Note that negotiations during the award process may modify the consortium. | | 1.4 Q | When submitting to this announcement with subawardees, are we to include full subaward documents (budgets, justifications, statements of work, letters of commitment) for each site, or do we just include the “proposed” total for subawards and include the commitment letters only? | | 1.4 A | It is recommended to include full subaward documents to include full budgets, justifications, biosketches and Consortium/Contractual Arrangement. | | 1.5 Q | Is a letter of intent required? What information should be provided in the letter of intent? | | 1.5 A | Letters of intent are required for all Data Repositories and will be used to determine eligibility for further consideration. In the letter, applicants should describe participating institutions, repository or repositories to which you are applying and in no more than 2 pages address the following:
1. How the proposed solution meets the needs of the PASC Consortium with respect to fulfilling the requirements expected of the RECOVER Data Repository.
2. The team’s prior experience deploying their solution in a variety of research contexts and experience working as part of a multi-institutional collaboration.
3. Technical proficiency with data management, privacy, security, accessibility, interoperability, providing a researcher platform for analytics, and adopting Consortium standards. | | --- | --- | | 1.6 Q | Should we submit letters of intent from all institutions that will be included in the proposal, or just include one letter from the Lead Institution? | | 1.6 A | A letter of intent from the lead Institution is sufficient as long as it lists all of the institutions involved. In the letter of intent please include all key personnel with a percent effort at or above 25% . | | 1.7 Q | How would you like it clarified in the title which ROA I am applying for? | | 1.7 A | When applying in ASSIST, please use the ROA number OTA-21-015 . Do not include the final letter as the system will not recognize it. In the project title, however, you should specify you are applying to the OTA-21-015D ROA. | | 1.8 Q | Can you describe the format and page restriction of all the components of the application? | | 1.8 A | The page limit, as well as the required sections (e.g. , project plan, budget, operational milestones, etc.) for each technical project plan, are specified in the corresponding ROA. There are, however, no document formatting requirements (e.g. , fonts, margins, etc.) . Clear and responsive content is the ultimate goal. | | 1.9 Q | Will late applications be considered? | | 1.9 A | No. Due dates for proposals are clea

FAQs

In responding to the RECOVER Data Repositories ROA OTA-21-015D, may an entity subcontract to another entity for one or more parts of development?

Yes. Subcontracts are allowable for any and all activities under the ROA, and sub-awards must be fully justified with normal budget documentation.

What are the requirements for a letter of intent, and what information must it include?

Letters of intent are required for all Data Repositories and are used to determine eligibility. The letter must describe participating institutions and the repository or repositories and address the proposed solution fit for the PASC Consortium, the team’s prior deployment and collaboration experience, and technical proficiency across key data and platform requirements in no more than 2 pages.

How should applicants search for the ROA in ASSIST and reference the correct ROA number?

In ASSIST, enter OTA-21-015 and drop the final letter. Then specify the ROA being applied for in the project title by including the complete ROA number, OTA-21-015D.

Sep 11, 2026

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