NOTICE OF MEETING: REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR BIODEFENSE AND EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES RESEARCH (RCEs) Release Date: July 19, 2002 NOTICE: NOT-AI-02-039 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (http://www.niaid.nih.gov) INTERESTED PARTIES PLEASE NOTE: NIAID will host a public briefing on a proposed Request for Applications for Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (RFA AI-02-031) The RFA is expected to be released on or about August 8, 2002. The NIAID also intends to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the establishment of a network of Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (RBLs) which will also be discussed at this meeting. This RFP is expected to be available on or about September 2002. The briefing will be held on August 8, 2002, at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878 (telephone: 1-301-590-0044). The briefing for the RCEs will begin at 9:00 am and the RBLs will begin at 1:00 pm. Registration will be provided at the meeting. The NIAID is establishing the Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (RCE) Program. Each Center will serve a geographical area and will be comprised of investigators at one or more participating universities and/or regional institutions within the region. The overall goal of the RCE Program is to develop and maintain strong infrastructure and multifaceted research and development activities that will provide the scientific information and translational research capacity to make the next generation of therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics against the CDC Category A-C Agents, with particular emphasis on Category A. To accomplish this goal, the Centers will be provided with support 1) to develop and conduct programs of investigator-directed research; 2) to train researchers and other personnel for biodefense activities; 3) to develop and maintain comprehensive core facilities to support the research and training activities of the RCE; 4) to develop translational research capacity for testing and validating vaccine, therapeutic and diagnostic concepts for biodefense and emerging infectious diseases; 5) to maintain and make available core facilities and other support to approved investigators from academia, biotechnology companies, the pharmaceutical industry, and other appropriate entities in the region for the purpose of performing basic research and for testing and evaluating vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for CDC Category A-C Agents; 6) to be ready and available to provide facilities and scientific support to first-line responders in the event of a national biodefense emergency. A necessary component of the Centers' success will be the availability of adequate BSL3/4 biocontainment facilities. Access to appropriate Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (RBLs) will be arranged with the help of NIAID staff if an award is made and once the RBL contractors have been selected. Comments on the RFA are not being requested at this time.
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