Concepts represent early planning stages for program announcements, requests for applications, notices of special interest, or solicitations for Council's input. If NIAID publishes an initiative from one of these concepts, we link to it below. To find initiatives, go to Opportunities & Announcements.
NB: Council approval does not guarantee that a concept will become an initiative.
Table of Contents
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Concepts
FY 2023 Concepts
- Systems Biology for Infectious Diseases (SysBioID)
- Accelerating Group A Streptococcus Vaccine Discovery
- Fundamental Research To Understand the Mechanisms of Neurotropic Virus-Mediated Disease
- Identification and Characterization of Persistence Mechanisms of Protozoan Pathogens
- Host Immunity and Novel Immunization Strategies for Clostridioides difficile
Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern
For the published request for applications, check the July 9, 2021 Guide announcement, Emergency Awards: Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern (U19, Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Systems Biology for Infectious Diseases (SysBioID)
For the published request for applications, check the September 27, 2021 Guide announcement, Systems Biology for Infectious Diseases (U19, Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Accelerating Group A Streptococcus Vaccine Discovery
For the published request for applications, check the October 15, 2021 Guide announcement, Advancing Group A Streptococcus Vaccine Discovery (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Fundamental Research To Understand the Mechanisms of Neurotropic Virus-Mediated Disease
Request for Applications—proposed FY 2023 initiative
Contact: Lesley Dupuy
Objective: To promote basic research to better understand the mechanisms underlying viral invasion of the central nervous system (CNS), virus- and/or host immune-mediated neuropathogenesis, and the associated clinical manifestations for emerging and re-emerging neurotropic viruses.
Description: This initiative will support fundamental research into mechanisms that lead to neuropathogenesis after acute viral infection of the CNS. To fill this important knowledge gap, this initiative will focus on less-studied emerging and re-emerging neurotropic viruses for which there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics such as non-polio enteroviruses (e.g., EV-D68, EV-A71), flaviviruses (e.g., WNV, POWV, DTV), alphaviruses (e.g., EEEV, VEEV, CHIKV), bunyaviruses (e.g., RVFV, LACV), and paramyxoviruses (e.g., NiV, HeV). This initiative would exclude well-studied neurotropic viruses, many of which have approved vaccines or therapeutics, such as herpesviruses, orthomyxoviruses, rhabdoviruses, retroviruses, poliovirus, and certain paramyxoviruses (e.g., MV, MuV). The scope of the studies to be performed under this initiative would include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
- Identifying cellular host factors and mechanisms of cellular tropism of viral infection
- Route and mechanisms of invasion of the CNS (e.g., blood-brain barrier, blood-CSF barrier)
- Role of direct viral factors and host immune response/host cell signaling in inflammation of the CNS
- Developing and refining in vitro and in vivo models for viral neuropathogenesis
Identification and Characterization of Persistence Mechanisms of Protozoan Pathogens
For the published request for applications, check the October 18, 2021 Guide announcement, Identification and Characterization of Persistence Mechanisms of Select Protozoan Pathogens (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Host Immunity and Novel Immunization Strategies for Clostridioides difficile
For the published request for applications, check the January 7, 2022 Guide announcement, Host Immunity and Novel Immunization Strategies for Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).