Through the information offered here, researchers can learn about the science being conducted at NIAID and by NIAID-funded researchers. Researchers seeking funding can access opportunities to further their own research, while NIAID and NIH grantees can find out about available resources outside of specific funding opportunities. Recent publications, active networks, and ways to connect with other researchers are also available.
Support for Research
Resources for Researchers
NIAID offers resources such as technologies available for licensing or collaboration, computer applications, and other tools and services to the general scientific community to advance basic, preclinical, and clinical research. See all resources for immune system researchers.
Globally, more than 1 billion people get a fungal infection each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some fungal infections are more common in people with weakened immune systems or hospitalized individuals, while other fungal infections can infect anyone, including otherwise healthy people. There are only four classes of antifungal drugs, and fungal strains resistant to these drugs are emerging. Currently, there are no approved vaccines to prevent fungal infections. The ultimate objective of NIAID-supported research is to develop effective diagnostics, treatments, and preventives.
Through the information offered here, researchers can learn about the science being conducted at NIAID and by NIAID-funded researchers. Researchers seeking funding can access opportunities to further their own research, while NIAID and NIH grantees can find out about available resources outside of specific funding opportunities, and ways to connect with other researchers are also available.
In this tissue sample from a patient with Valley Fever, a spherule of the fungus which causes the disease is clearly visible in the center of the picture.
NIAID is committed to advancing research on Valley fever, including the development of a safe and effective Valley fever vaccine. Valley fever—caused by the Coccidioides fungus—is one of the most common endemic fungal infections in the United States
Funding Opportunities
NIAID is always accepting researcher-initiated applications. Connect with NIAID program officers about potential funding for fungal disease research. Program Officers for can be found in the Bacteriology and Mycology Branch of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID).
NIAID offers resources such as technologies available for licensing or collaboration, computer applications, and other tools and services to the general scientific community to advance basic, preclinical, and clinical research. Look to each resource for eligibility information. See all fungal disease researchers.
If you are a faculty or staff member or belong to a student organization at an academic institution in the U.S. or its territories and would like the NIAID Office of Research Training & Development to host an information session with your students or members of your organization, please complete this brief form.
Monthly, the Office of Research Training & Development (ORTD) publishes articles in Research Training News & Events that offer insight into the intramural research training experience and the possibilities this experience can open. Learn about NIAID trainee's research, their goals, achievements, inspirational moments, and more.
First row: Katie Soucy, M.S., Angela Harris, Jennifer Patterson West Second row: Kathryn Russo, Ph.D., Susannah Goodman, M.A., Gabi Sanchez-Jones
Summer research training at NIAID is available through the Summer Internship Program (SIP). Summer programs offer students the opportunity to conduct research at the forefront of immunologic, allergic, and infectious diseases in NIAID laboratories located in Maryland and Montana (Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton). Summer interns spend a minimum of eight consecutive weeks performing full-time biomedical research in basic, translational, and clinical research areas under the guidance and direction of an NIAID principal investigator. Interns participate and engage with other trainees and scientists in a wide variety of research and professional development events during their time at NIH. The summer internship program strives to offer a stimulating and highly rewarding experience for interns, with the aim of encouraging students to pursue a career in biomedical research.
Individuals who are U.S. permanent residents must be attending or have been accepted into institutions in the United States
Be 18 years of age or older on June 1 of the internship year
In addition, applicants must meet one of the following criteria at the time of application:
Be a current high school senior
Be a high school graduate and have been accepted into an accredited college or university program in the following fall semester
Be a current undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent graduate degree student
Applicants with a family member working at NIH should be aware of the strict nepotism policy, which may limit your ability to work in certain NIH institutes, centers, or research groups.
Please note any fellowship offer is contingent on your ability to successfully pass a federal background check, which is required for logical and physical access to NIH facilities and systems. As part of the clearance process, you will be asked “In the last year, have you used, possessed, supplied, or manufactured illegal drugs?” This question pertains to the use of controlled substances or drugs as defined under federal law. Please be aware that while marijuana may be legal or decriminalized within your home jurisdiction it remains illegal under U.S. federal law. The use, possession, supply, or manufacture of marijuana may preclude you from obtaining the necessary clearances to participate in NIH intramural training programs, even if you were initially offered a position. If you have questions about this policy or would like guidance on the clearance process, please reach out to oite@nih.gov (please put “Eligibility Inquiry” in the subject line).
How To Apply
Prospective summer interns must apply online through the OITE application portal. The application period opens in mid-November and closes mid-February.
After submitting your application, contact NIAID investigators with whom you would like to work. Read the OITE guide on Finding an NIH Mentor before reaching out to prospective mentors.
Stipend levels for trainees are published annually and determined based on experience. For details, see NIH Student IRTA Stipend levels.
What It's Like to Train at NIAID
Infected Vero cells with SARS-CoV-2 show surface nucleocapsid protein (green), spike (blue) and heparan sulfate (red), after live staining with monoclonal antibodies at 24 h post-infection.
Credit
NIAID
Explore NIAID Labs
Learn about the principal investigators and how their research supports NIAID's mission.
NIAID scientists have focused research on prion structures, biochemistry, cell biology, pathogenesis, diagnostics, and therapeutics. NIAID also is exploring similarities between prion diseases and other protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Lewy body dementia, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and is supporting research on transmission and incidence of infections.
Through the information offered here, researchers can learn about the science being conducted at NIAID and by NIAID-funded researchers. Researchers seeking funding can access opportunities to further their own research, while NIAID and NIH grantees can find out about available resources outside of specific funding opportunities. Recent publications, active networks, and ways to connect with other researchers are also available.
Support for Research
Resources for Researchers
NIAID offers resources such as technologies available for licensing or collaboration, computer applications, and other tools and services to the general scientific community to advance basic, preclinical, and clinical research. See all resources for prion disease researchers.
Recognizing the threat to public health posed by dengue, NIAID funds over 200 hundred dengue research projects, including studies on dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, the most severe forms of the disease. NIAID research priorities include effective community-based prevention programs, improved laboratory-based international surveillance, rapid diagnostic tests and therapies, and development of and clinical trials for dengue vaccines.
Through the information offered here, researchers can learn about the science being conducted at NIAID and by NIAID-funded researchers. Researchers seeking funding can access opportunities to further their own research, while NIAID and NIH grantees can find out about available resources outside of specific funding opportunities. Recent publications, active networks, and ways to connect with other researchers are also available.
Highlights
The ReVAMPP network will support monoclonal antibody and vaccine research on pathogens from many different groups of viruses, including those shown here: hantavirus, yellow fever virus, Nipah virus, picornavirus, and Chikungunya. Microscopy captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Ft Detrick, MD.
The NIH has established a pandemic preparedness research network to conduct research on high-priority pathogens most likely to threaten human health with the goal of developing effective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.
Support for Research
Funding Opportunities
Contact the Virology Branch (VB) within the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases to learn about possible funding opportunities for research on dengue viruses. If you are interested in funding opportunities for vector research, please contact the Parasitology and International Programs Branch (PIPB).
NIAID offers resources such as technologies available for licensing or collaboration, computer applications, and other tools and services to the general scientific community to advance basic, preclinical, and clinical research. Look to each resource for eligibility information. See all resources for dengue fever researchers.
NIAID encourages partnerships among other agencies and foundations, private industry, federal and local government and other organizations with similar goals to help build and sustain research infrastructure and to translate and implement research findings as public health practices.
Preclinical Product Development Services for Infectious Disease Research
The Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) has built a comprehensive set of preclinical services to facilitate efforts to develop the next generation of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for a broad array of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic pathogens, as well as novel control approaches for invertebrate vectors of public health importance. Through these in-kind services, eligible investigators worldwide get access to expertise, research materials, and state-of-the-art technologies at minimal or no charge.
Read about the steps you need to take to access NIAID’s preclinical services for your product development program.
Information about available services, eligibility, product evaluation criteria, and the request process are unique to each program. DMID scientific contacts are listed for each resource and are available to answer questions and provide further guidance about access to these resources.
In Vitro Assessments of Antimicrobial Activity. These services evaluate promising candidate countermeasures in vitro for antimicrobial activity against microbial pathogens and vectors, including clinical isolates.
Preclinical Models of Infectious Diseases. These services support (1) the development and refinement of animal models and animal replacement technologies and (2) provide testing in animal models and human microphysiological systems (against priority viruses only) including organ-on-a-chip and organoid-based infection models for promising candidate countermeasures.
Therapeutic Development Services. These services support the testing and manufacturing of therapeutic agents for infectious diseases, such as small molecules, peptides, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and nucleic acid-based vectors (siRNA, plasmids). Services include chemistry and manufacturing, and preclinical safety and pharmacokinetic studies for IND packages (such as ADMET, off-target toxicity profiling, and MTD studies).
Vaccine Development Services. These services support the testing and manufacturing of vaccines intended for use in the investigation, control, prevention, and treatment of a wide range of infectious agents.
Diagnostics Development Services. These services offer reagents, platform testing, and planning and design support to accelerate product development of in vitro diagnostics for infectious diseases, from research feasibility through clinical validation.
Additional Resources for Early Preclinical Development
The following resources may have different access processes than the core preclinical services listed above. Please refer to the links below for more information:
Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) Biorepository
The Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) Laboratory Center manages a biorepository of bacterial clinical study isolates that are available upon request to investigators. The ARLG Biorepository Strain Catalogue can be used to search for available isolates.
BEI Resources
BEI Resources Repository supplies organisms and reagents to the broad community of microbiology and infectious diseases researchers. Investigators can access materials directly through an online catalog. There is no charge for research materials, but domestic investigators will be required to pay for shipping costs. BEI Resources also encourages and supports the deposit of materials from researchers and institutions.
Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs)
The NIAID Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) provide data-driven, production-level, sustainable computational platforms to enable sharing, accessing, and analyzing data with various analytical tools and educational materials that support interoperability for the infectious diseases research community.
Centers for Research on Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases (CRSTAL-ID)
The NIAID Centers for Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases (CRSTAL-IDs) characterize the 3D structure of proteins from bacterial, viral, and eukaryotic pathogens using state-of-the-art technologies from computational modeling, x-ray crystallography, NMR and CryoEM. The CRSTAL-IDs additionally have the capacity for supporting the discovery of therapeutics and vaccines using structural-guided design and high throughput chemical screening platforms. Investigators can contact the CRSTAL-ID centers directly to access expert services and to request determinations of protein structures.
Chemistry Center for Combating Antibacterial Resistant Bacteria
The Chemistry Center for Combating Antibacterial Resistant Bacteria (CC4CARB) is an innovative chemistry center focused on the synthesis, acquisition, and distribution of rationally designed, focused libraries for use in Gram-negative antibacterial drug discovery programs at no cost to the global scientific community. The ultimate objective of CC4CARB is to create a large collection of chemical matter specifically targeting Gram-negative antimicrobial drug discovery. Investigators may submit their scaffold proposals for chemical synthesis directly to the CC4CARB website.
Dataset of NCI’s Natural Product Library Screen for Antimicrobial Activity
In collaboration with the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Program for Natural Product Discovery (NPNPD), NIAID screened one of the largest publicly available collections of natural products against three bacterial and one fungal species. A publication on the screening process and results can be found on PubMed. The screening dataset and instructions for contacting NCI’s Natural Products Branch to acquire natural product libraries or extracts of interest can be found on the NCI wiki.
World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses (WRCEVA)
The World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses (WRCEVA) program maintains the Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses Reference Collection and provides reagents and support for investigations of virus outbreaks throughout the world.
Contact Your Program Officer To Discuss Scientific Services
Rapid data sharing is essential for advancing research on infectious and immune-mediated diseases. NIAID supports broad sharing of research data, while protecting the privacy of human research participants. Read on to learn how to navigate data sharing policies at NIAID and the National Institutes of Health.
NIH issued the Data Management and Sharing (DMS) policy to promote the sharing of scientific data. Effective as of January 25, 2023, the DMS policy sets expectations for planning and budgeting for data management and sharing, submitting a DMS Plan when applying for funding, and implementing the DMS Plan throughout your research.
Genomic data is a critical shared resource and valuable tool for research that benefits the scientific community. To facilitate the translation of research results into applications that improve human health, NIH expects institutions and researchers to broadly and responsibly share genomic data generated by NIH funds.
Along with the GDS and DMS policies, NIH has sharing policies addressing topics from model organisms to publications. NIH offers an online tool to help researchers determine which NIH data sharing policies apply to their research.
Guidance for NIAID Researchers
What data types should be shared?
NIAID expects sharing of data and metadata associated with funded research using common data standards, if possible. Any ethical, legal, and/or technical factors that may affect sharing can be detailed in the Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan. Data types may include, but are not limited to, genomic, transcriptomic, imaging, proteomics, metabolomics, immunological, flow cytometry, protein structures, and clinical data from human research participants generated during research projects and/or clinical trials.
The DMS policy requires sharing of all scientific data, defined as all data necessary to replicate research findings regardless of whether the data are used to support scientific papers. For example, for clinical trials, this includes data for primary, secondary, and additional endpoints. However, not all data must be shared, including data resulting from calibration or preliminary analyses. See NIH guidance for additional details.
Metadata is additional labeling of your data. This “data about data” describes data contents and structure and makes research data “discoverable” by linking it to publications and funding information. Applying metadata allows other researchers to interpret and reuse your data and prevents misuse, misinterpretation, and confusion.
The exact metadata or other associated documentation will vary by scientific area, study design, the type of data collected, and characteristics of the dataset. Metadata or other information associated with research data may include the methodology and procedures used to collect the data, data labels, definitions of variables, and any other information necessary to reproduce and understand the data.
Example Metadata Fields
Authors(s), Citation, Dataset Name, Date Modified, Date Published, Description, Experimental Host, Funder Number, Grant Number, Measurement, Pathogen, Publisher, Source Code, Technique, Variable(s) Measured
Where do I share data from NIAID-funded or conducted research?
NIAID encourages the use of established domain-specific repositories for data sharing to support effective data discovery, access, and reuse. To select a repository for sharing data, review the list of NIH-Supported Data Sharing Resources, including NIAID-preferred repositories. When domain-specific repositories are not available, NIAID encourages researchers to share data via widely used generalist repositories. Read more about selecting a data repository.
It is common practice for researchers to share data as supplementary material to journal articles. However, making data available solely through publications, supplemental material, etc. is not compliant with the NIH DMS policy.
When do I share data from NIAID-funded or conducted research?
The NIH DMS policy requires data sharing at the time of publication or at the end of the performance period, whichever comes first. NIAID strongly encourages scientific data to be shared as rapidly as possible. All scientific data generated by a study, including data beyond that used to support a publication, should be shared before the end of the performance period.
Human and non-human genomic data subject to the Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) policy must still comply with the GDS policy timeline expectations for data submission and sharing. To determine if your research is subject to the GDS policy, please review when the GDS policy applies.
In some instances, data sharing before publication or the end of the performance period may be warranted, such as during public health emergencies. See NIH guidance for details on data submission and sharing timelines.
How do I develop a DMS Plan?
Under the DMS policy, NIH expects investigators and institutions to:
Prepare a DMS Plan and budget for managing and sharing scientific data.
Submit a DMS Plan when applying for funding.
Comply with the approved DMS Plan.
Before you apply for NIAID funding, determine if your application falls under the DMS policy using resources available on Research Covered by the 2023 DMS policy. If your application is subject to the Genomic Data Sharing policy, your DMS Plan should address genomic data considerations.
Are there any NIAID-specific data sharing policies?
All NIAID researchers should comply with the NIH DMS policy and other relevant NIH policies. Check the notice of funding opportunity and review institute- and center-specific data sharing policies to determine if you should consider additional data sharing requirements.
Carrying Out a Data Management and Sharing Plan? Take Note of These Updates
The following resources can help NIAID researchers with data sharing and access in controlled-access, NIH-supported repositories.
Genomic Program Administrators (GPAs)
The NIAID Genomic Program Administrators (GPAs) assist investigators with study registration and data submission to controlled-access repositories, such as dbGaP, and serve as experts on the Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) policy for NIAID. Divisional GPAs provide support to investigators funded by or within the NIAID divisions, with assistance from the overall NIAID GPA in the Office of Data Science and Emerging Technologies.
Principal Investigators should direct questions related to data management, sharing, and policies to their Program Officers (POs). Questions from POs on these topics should be directed to their divisional GPA or the overall NIAID GPA (niaid_datasharing@niaid.nih.gov).
We encourage controlled access data repositories that host NIAID data to use the NIAID DAC for review of their Data Access Requests. Please contact niaid_datasharing@niaid.nih.gov with any questions about the NIAID DAC.
Apply for a Grant: Learn more about applying for funding with this step-by-step guide.
External Resources
NIAID cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal site. Linking to a non-federal site does not constitute an endorsement by NIH or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the site.
DMPTool: This tool can help researchers create data management plans (DMPs), including NIH-GEN DMSP.
NIAID Allergy & Immunology Fellowship Program
NIAID offers a three-year training program in allergy and immunology. This program, open to physicians who have completed internal medicine and/or pediatric residency training, is designed to provide trainees with high-quality clinical and research skills in a supportive and engaging environment that will enable them to successfully pursue careers in academic medicine. We value and actively seek individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds to join our program. We believe all types of diversity enable innovative approaches to the social, healthcare, scientific, and research needs of our patients and communities.
The NIAID Allergy & Immunology (A&I) Clinical Fellowship Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Fellows are eligible to sit for the Board of Allergy and Immunology certification examination after successful completion of the first two years of the program.
What's It Like to Train at NIAID
Play the video to hear from fellows and faculty and learn how NIAID will take you from the foundation of medicine to helping determine the next generation of the science of medicine.
In addition to rotations at the NIH Clinical Center, you will work for 3 months each at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Children’s National Hospital System.
Program Highlights
Four clinical fellows recruited each year:
Three positions for physicians trained in internal medicine and/or pediatrics
One position for physicians trained in pediatrics, as a collaborative NIAID/Children’s National Health System pediatric training track
Career Development
Three-year, ACGME-accredited training program in allergy and immunology, with an option for a fourth and fifth year of research training for highly motivated fellows committed to an academic career
Focus on individualized career development, including for academic medicine or translational research careers
Development of outstanding clinical skills and advanced clinical and basic research skills
Training Experience
First year devoted to clinical training (inpatient and outpatient) in the diagnosis and management of patients (children and adults) with common and complex allergic and immunologic diseases at the NIH Clinical Center and regional academic centers (Children’s National Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital), and private practice (Schreiber Clinic)
Intensive training in clinical laboratory assessment, clinical genomics, and inpatient management of patients with complex allergic and immunologic diseases at the NIH Clinical Center, including patients on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy protocols
Broad exposure to rare immunologic diseases in a clinical research setting, including disorders of the adaptive and innate immune systems, such as chronic granulomatous disease, Job’s syndrome, GATA-2 deficiency, hyper-IgM syndromes, CTLA4 haploinsufficiency, interferonopathies; hypereosinophilic syndromes; mastocytosis; and hereditary alpha tryptasemia
Second year adds research training and development of original research projects in an area of choice, including allergic diseases, immune deficiency and immune dysregulatory diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, HIV, vaccine immunology and clinical trials, and basic immunology
Learning Variety
Intensive didactic sessions and/or journal clubs held weekly to cover basic immunology, allergic and immunologic diseases, clinical laboratory immunology, clinical genomics, pharmacology, vaccines, clinical trial development, patient safety and quality improvement
Regular case conferences covering primary immune deficiency, immune dysregulatory, and allergic diseases, attended by senior investigators
Opportunities for formal research training, including a certificate in clinical research through the NIH Clinical Center, a masters in health science in clinical research through the NIH-Duke University collaborative program, and a Ph.D. through the NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Ph.D. program
Contact Information
You may also contact the NIAID AI Fellowship Program office with questions.
