Notice Number: NOT-HD-17-001

Key Dates
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: May, 2017
First Estimated Application Due Date: November, 2017
Earliest Estimated Award Date: July 1, 2018
Earliest Estimated Start Date: July 1, 2018

Issued by
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Purpose

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development intends to re-issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement to solicit applications for the re-competition of the National Centers or Translational Research in Reproduction and Infertility (NCTRI). This re-competition will reflect a significant change in priorities for this long-standing program.

Since the issuance of the last FOA for re-competition of this program (RFA-HD-16-010), the Fertility and Infertility Branch has established several high program priority areas. Accordingly, for the re-issuance of the FOA, applications that address one of these areas, the epigenetic bases of reproductive health and disease, will be strongly encouraged. Particular emphasis will be on applications that go beyond correlative studies to address possible causality and contributions of epigenomic variants to inherited reproductive health and disease, as well as epigenetic dysregulation resulting in sporadic disease. Although applications that are appropriate to the scientific mission areas of the Fertility and Infertility Branch will continue to be accepted, meritorious applications addressing the epigenetic bases of reproductive health and disease will receive priority in making funding decisions. As in the past, applications will require that one of the research projects be entirely or predominantly clinical, and that all basic science projects be linked to the clinical components of the center.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and appropriate projects.

The FOA is expected to be published in Spring, 2017 with an expected application due date in Fall, 2017.

This FOA will utilize the P50 Specialized Center activity code. Both renewals and new applications will be accepted. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

This Notice encourages investigators with expertise and insights into the area of epigenetics and epigenomics as it may pertain to infertility and reproductive diseases and disorders that impact fertility to begin to consider applying for this FOA.

In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in several scientific disciplines as it pertains to the epigenetics of reproductive health and disease will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin to consider applying for this application.

Among the areas of research encouraged in this initiative are basic, translational and clinical research examining the mechanisms that underlie the epigenetic bases of male and female infertility, and reproductive conditions and diseases that impact fertility, as well as research designed to improve the translation of existing knowledge of strategies for the prevention and treatment of these reproductive diseases and conditions.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Stuart B. Moss, Ph.D.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Telephone: 301-435-6979
Email: [email protected]