Funding News Edition: July 07, 2021 See more articles in this edition
Through the new funding opportunity announcement (FOA) Promoting a Basic Understanding of Chemical Threats to Skin (R34, Clinical Trial Not Allowed), the Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP) encourages research to enhance understanding of skin injuries caused by chemical threats.
The FOA seeks fundamental research to identify potential shared signaling pathways and targets that may inform the development of broad-spectrum medical countermeasures. To learn more about CCRP and NIAID's leadership role in supporting basic research in chemical toxicology, read “Supporting Fundamental Chemical Toxicology Research To Inform Medical Countermeasure Developments: The National Institutes of Health Chemical Countermeasures Research Program,” published in Chemical Research Toxicology by ACS Publications.
Purpose and Eligibility
This initiative emphasizes improving understanding of basic mechanisms of skin injuries caused by chemicals identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as high consequence public health threats (e.g., sulfur mustard, lewisite, nitrogen mustard, phosgene oxime, and arsenicals). Projects supported under this initiative will benefit both public health preparedness and skin injury/wound healing research.
Members of the broader dermal injury and wound healing communities, e.g., those in NIAID's radiation injury or infectious diseases fields, potentially interested in chemically induced skin injury research are especially encouraged to consider applying to this initiative.
Applicants need not have prior expertise in chemical skin injury but should have a background in wound healing research and general knowledge relating to dermal injury and recovery. Also, their research labs are required to acquire new skills, gather new resources, and generate preliminary data.
Additionally, NIAID also encourages collaborating with researchers in tissues other than skin that are affected by vesicants (e.g., eyes and lung) to find commonalities of injury mechanisms shared with skin.
Current awardees of the CCRP’s Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) program are not eligible for this initiative.
Nonresponsive Applications to the FOA
Applicants must propose two or more vesicants in their proposal seeking to understand the common mechanisms by which these chemicals cause skin injury. NIAID considers applications proposing a study with only one chemical to be nonresponsive and will not review these.
How To Apply
There are three annual due dates: October 16, February 16, June 16. Applications are due by 5 p.m. local time of applicant organization. The FOA expires on September 8, 2024.
Budgets are limited to $225,000 annual direct costs and no more than $450,000 in direct costs over the maximum three-year project period.
Contact Information
Direct questions to Dr. Dave Yeung, NIAID’s scientific/research contact.