Funding News Edition: March 03, 2021 See more articles in this edition
This should come as welcome news for investigators interested in developing medical countermeasures (MCMs) against chemical threat agents: NIAID is now participating in four funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) related to the Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) program, a component under the NIH-wide Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP).
As part of the NIH Biodefense Program, CCRP at NIAID is responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and supporting chemical MCM discovery and early development research across NIH. CCRP’s overarching goal is to integrate cutting-edge research with the latest technological advances in science and medicine to enhance the nation's medical response capabilities during and after high consequence public health chemical emergencies.
To learn more about CCRP and the NIAID leadership role in chemical MCM research and development, see NIH CCRP: A Collaborative Opportunity To Develop Effective and Accessible Chemical Medical Countermeasures for the American People, published in the Wiley journal Drug Development Research.
Funding Opportunities
See below for brief descriptions of CounterACT-related FOAs. Be sure to thoroughly read those that interest you. We recommend discussing your application plans with your chosen opportunity’s most relevant NIH scientific/research contact listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts as soon as possible. That person can also answer any questions you may have about the FOA.
PAR-19-039 Identification of Therapeutic Lead Compounds (U01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Seeks translational milestone-driven cooperative agreement discovery projects for initial characterization of novel therapeutics (small molecule or biologic) that reduce mortality or morbidity resulting from acute exposures to chemical agents identified by the U.S. government as threats to the population. Note: Studies should lead to the identification of at least one lead compound ready for optimization.
Application budget may not exceed $300,000 in direct costs per year. Maximum project period may not exceed three years. Renewals not allowed. Application due date is September 14, 2021, by 5 p.m. local time of applicant organization.
PAR-19-040 Optimization of Therapeutic Lead Compounds (U01, Clinical Trial Optional)
Seeks early development milestone-driven cooperative agreement research projects to optimize novel therapeutics (drug or biologic) to reduce mortality or morbidity after acute exposures to chemical agents identified by the U.S. government as threats to the population. Note: To be eligible, a previously identified lead compound is required.
Application budget may not exceed $500,000 in direct costs per year. Maximum project period may not exceed five years. Renewals not allowed. Application due date is September 14, 2021, by 5 p.m. local time of applicant organization.
PAR-20-253 Exploratory/Developmental Projects (R21, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Encourages R21 applications to explore potential mechanisms of toxicity and discovery of targets for therapeutic development (drug or biologic) to reduce mortality and morbidity resulting from acute exposures to chemical threat agents.
The budget for direct costs for the two-year project period may not exceed $275,000. No more than $200,000 may be requested in any single year. The total project period may not exceed two years. Renewals not allowed. Due dates are May 26, 2021; May 31, 2022; and May 30, 2023, by 5 p.m. local time of applicant organization.
PAR-20-316 Research Centers of Excellence (U54, Clinical Trial Optional)
Supports milestone-driven cooperative agreement awards for Research Centers of Excellence, which must consist of 1) an administrative core that oversees and manages the NIH award, 2) a research education core to foster and grow the chemical MCM research and development workforce, and 3) three or more scientifically integrated research projects and a minimum of one scientific core. Note: At the end of the project period, a lead compound must be identified or optimized.
Application budget may not exceed $1.75 million in direct costs per year. The total project period may not exceed five years. Due dates are September 14, 2021; September 13, 2022; and September 12, 2023, by 5 p.m. local time of applicant organization.
Lastly, the CounterACT program intends to publish an R21 FOA tailored to early-stage investigators later this spring, as announced in the February 23, 2021 Guide notice.
Want To Learn More About CCRP?
If so, contact Dr. Dave Yeung in NIAID’s Office of Biodefense Research and Surety.