Funding News Edition: March 17, 2021 See more articles in this edition
NIAID is participating in the trans-NIH Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Small Business Initiatives for Innovative Diagnostic Technology for Improving Outcomes for Maternal Health to decrease the rate of severe maternal morbidity (SMM). Small businesses are invited to develop diagnostic technologies that can identify increased risk for maternal morbidity and mortality (MMM).
This NOSI is part of the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, which supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve maternal health outcomes.
Research Objectives
NIAID encourages the small business community to develop various approaches, technologies, and tools to address the health issues of MMM by achieving any of the following outcomes:
- Identifying, phenotyping, subtyping, and stratifying patients at greater risk of MMM
- Designing multi-level interventions to address racial disparities in MMM
- Informing clinical decision-making that considers social and cultural biases
NIAID Research Topics of Interest
NIAID supports basic and translational research to better understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat infectious and immune-mediated diseases, including diseases that impact women’s health. Within the context of this NOSI, NIAID is interested in small business technological innovations that address MMM.
Below are some examples of NIAID-relevant research topics:
- Developing technologies that detect and monitor normal dynamics of the maternal immune system during pregnancy as well as identifying clinically relevant immune dysfunction metrics for predicting pregnancy complications (e.g., infections, preeclampsia, sepsis) that lead to maternal morbidity and mortality
- Developing technologies that detect characteristic immune parameters before clinical onset of pregnancy complications with the ability to notify the clinical provider for subsequent intervention
- Developing diagnostics for parasitic diseases that adversely impact maternal health and pregnancy outcomes, and demonstration of performance characteristics
- Developing an assay that has the capability to rapidly detect Treponema pallidum from clinical specimens, including sample preparation methods, and demonstrate the performance characteristics of the assay
- Developing and validating diagnostics for gestational Lyme disease, which can adversely impact maternal health and pregnancy outcome
The list above is not meant to be exhaustive. Additionally, the NOSI lists a range of research topics of interest to other NIH institutes and centers (ICs).
Application and Submission Information
This notice applies to due dates on or after April 5, 2021, and subsequent receipt dates through April 6, 2023.
Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcements through the expiration date of this NOSI.
| Activity Code | Funding Opportunity Announcement | First Available Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| R41, R42 | PA-20-265, PHS-2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent R41/R42, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | April 5, 2021 |
| R43, R44 | PA-20-260, PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent R43/R44, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | April 5, 2021 |
| Administrative Supplements to R41, R42, R43, R44 | PA-20-272, Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp, Clinical Trial Optional) | Due dates may vary by awarding IC. See the awarding IC's website. Applicants may also contact their respective awarding IC. |
Applicants must include “NOT-EB-21-001” in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF 424 R&R form to be considered for this initiative.
The NOSI also directs applicants to PA-20-261, PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent R41/R42, Clinical Trial Required) and PA-20-262, PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent R43/R44, Clinical Trial Required); however, NIAID does not participate in those FOAs.
Contact Information
Direct any scientific inquiries to Dr. Mercy Prabhudas, NIAID’s research contact for the NOSI. Direct questions related to small business grant awards to Dr. Natalia Kruchinin, small business program coordinator in NIAID’s Office of Research Training and Special Programs.