Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support new applications for approaches to radiation biodosimetry assays and devices. The NOFO will fund early- to mid-stage research focused on development of biological signatures (i.e., biomarkers) using post-irradiation data for the purposes of triage, assessment of absorbed dose, or prediction of acute or chronic outcomes of exposure (lethality or major morbidities). The end goal is to generate data towards obtaining approval and/or clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for utility in a radiation public health emergency.

Background

The mission of the Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program (RNCP), guided by the 2005 NIH Strategic Plan and Research Agenda for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation and Nuclear Threats (updated in 2012), is to accelerate the development of approaches to diagnose, mitigate, and treat radiation injuries resulting from a mass casualty radiological or nuclear incident. The RNCP was established in 2004 under NIAID’s Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation to help the U.S. Government ensure medical preparedness to address radiation injuries quickly and effectively during a public health emergency.

The threat scenarios include the detonation of a nuclear device; explosion of a “dirty bomb” (conventional explosive combined with radioactive materials); contamination of food or water supplies with radioactive sources, or placement in crowded locations; and attacks or accidents at nuclear power plants. Depending on the event, it is anticipated that there will be hundreds or thousands of immediate casualties and even more individuals who will experience delayed fallout exposure. For all these exposures, the signs and symptoms of radiation toxicity are often equivocal, and there are considerable disparities in the appearance of early or delayed effects of radiation injuries. In addition, there is significant person-to-person variability in early and delayed radiation damage to organs and tissues in response to a given radiation dose, due to factors such as genetic predisposition, age, body size, partial shielding, underlying illnesses, and immune status. Since most FDA-approved interventions to save lives must be administered within 24 hours post-exposure to be effective, it is critical to rapidly differentiate between individuals who have been exposed and concerned citizens who have not received an exposure. Furthermore, it is important to estimate the absorbed radiation dose and to predict the outcome of such an exposure for rapid, safe, and effective medical management of exposed individuals. Therefore, there is a need for generating several approaches that can address the early, rapid assays, as well as diagnostic platforms that can estimate the radiation dose received and predict early or delayed injuries following radiation exposure.

The field of radiation research has made great progress in the development of medical countermeasures (MCMs). Since 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has licensed Neupogen®, Neulasta®, and Nplate® (Amgen), Leukine® (Partner Therapeutics), and Udenyca® (Coherus Bioscience, Inc.) to treat hematopoietic complications of the acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS). However, no biodosimetry approach has yet been cleared by the FDA for use in triage or as a diagnostic tool for irradiated populations.

A previous NOFO (RFA-AI-18-045) supported approaches to facilitate precise and timely medical interventions, reduce morbidities, and save lives. The consortium made significant advances in identifying novel approaches to assess radiation dose, development of reproducible laboratory protocols, and platforms to efficiently process a large number of samples. However, there are challenges in further development of these approaches such as bridging the signature to clinical samples, rapidly evolving bioinformatics, and rigorous regulatory processes. This NOFO will continue to address and advance the end-use of assays and devices to 1) distinguish between concerned citizens (who have not been exposed) and the radiation-exposed population, 2) determine the radiation dose in the affected group, and/or 3) predict acute and/or delayed radiation injuries to major organs/physiological systems in the event of a large-scale radiological or nuclear incident. The NOFO will support research addressing one or more of these end-uses, but investigators should provide sufficient background data to pursue the proposed end-use(s).

Research Objectives and Scope

The focus of this NOFO is the development and validation of rapid, reliable, inexpensive, and easy-to-use techniques/assays and devices for use in all segments of the civilian population including geriatric, pediatric, and immune-compromised individuals. Thus, research activities ranging from immediate, early, and delayed changes in radiation-related biomarkers, studies exploring the biokinetics of the proposed biomarker signature, and studies to predict the acute or chronic health outcome in one or more organs are requested. The selection of radiation exposure type, dose level, and dose rates proposed for studies should be relevant to a radiological or nuclear incident and verified by appropriate dosimetry assessments. The ideal radiation signature will be measurable in a non-invasive or minimally invasive way (e.g., finger stick, urine, saliva, or skin scraping as opposed to spinal fluid or complex imaging) that will allow for repeated assays over time, is sensitive to incremental differences in radiation exposure, is specific over a wide range of radiation doses and dose rates and has utility for different qualities of radiation (high and low linear energy transfer).

Studies using human tissue samples or data from radiotherapy patients may be included if the results are likely to be relevant to exposure scenarios due to terrorist or accidental radiological or nuclear attack. However, the use of samples from radiotherapy patients that have been exposed to fractionated radiation doses should be carefully justified as to their relevance to injuries that might be sustained following a radiological or nuclear incident.

NIAID is interested in supporting studies that propose, but are not limited to, the following:

• Evaluation and characterization of radiation injury biomarkers that are predictive of early and delayed injury based on radiation-induced gene expression; protein expression; DNA or protein modifications; or metabolomic, lipidomic, immunomodulatory, cytogenetic, inflammatory, biochemical, and/or physico-chemical changes.
• Point-of-care biodosimetry signature/device (e.g., for field triage use) that must be able to distinguish between exposed and unexposed populations, with a sample-to-answer time of 30 minutes or less.
• Research focusing on the diagnosis of the absorbed dose that must 1) measure the extent and intensity of radiation injuries to determine the type of medical intervention that is needed within a time window of 7 days post-exposure and 2) demonstrate the ability to measure absorbed radiation exposure levels accurately and precisely to the body and/or tissues within ±0.5 Gy. Assay time for definitive care devices (e.g., medical-center based) should be 4 hours or less from sample-to-answer.
• Research to predict outcomes of radiation exposure (e.g., predictive biodosimetry) that must evaluate and characterize biomarkers of radiation injury to major organs and tissues to allow for timely and appropriate administration of treatments before the onset of overt radiation sub-syndromes. Biomarkers should be linked to relevant clinical outcomes, such as organ failure, other major morbidities, and/or mortality (e.g., febrile neutropenia, pneumonitis, renal fibrosis, cardiac events, etc.). Assay time can range from 0.5 to several hours or days, depending on the intended use of the assay.
• Analysis of signature biokinetics (i.e., biomarker persists over a range of time, permitting use in a radiation public health emergency – 30 minutes to days, weeks, or months).
• Influence of confounders on the kinetics of the technique/biomarker (e.g., sex, age [pediatric and geriatric populations], smoking, health status, comorbidities, and current medications), type of radiation, partial-body irradiation, other combined injuries (burn, trauma, wound), or use of approved growth factors.
• Development of imaging techniques to identify and characterize radiation injury to organs/tissues of physiological systems.

NOTE: All areas do not have to be addressed in an application to be considered responsive.

It is acknowledged that the basic determination of a signature for triage, definitive dose, or predictive biodosimetry may not be considered inherently innovative; however, application and optimization in target areas are highly valued.

Milestones

Milestones are required and applicants are encouraged to design detailed, quantitative research milestones and timelines for their proposed research. These milestones will be used by NIAID program staff to assess annual progress and make recommendations for continued funding.

Applications including the following types of studies will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed:

• Epidemiological studies
• Characterization and development of biomarkers of carcinogenesis
• Non-biologically based dosimetric methods and/or environmental testing/sampling devices e.g., thermo-luminescent detectors (TLDs), fortuitous dosimeters, and radiation portals
• Projects not specifically addressing radiation injury biomarkers
• Projects that are focused on medical countermeasures to mitigate or treat radiation-induced injuries
• Applications not including milestones
• Applications proposing HIV/AIDS studies

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Local Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. 

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information

• System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.  PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing

This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Letter of Intent

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

• Descriptive title of proposed activity
• Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
• Names of other key personnel
• Participating institution(s)
• Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Michael Opata, Ph.D.
Telephone: 240-627-3319
Email: [email protected] 

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the How to Apply – Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply – Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the Ho to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

R&R or Modular Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

Within the budget section, include funds to support travel for the PD(s)/PI(s), and if necessary, the minimum number of additional relevant staff, to participate in a once yearly, 1-day program progress meeting with NIAID and other US Government Program staff, to be held in the Rockville, MD area.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Specific Aims: List in priority order the broad, long-range objectives and goals of the proposed project. Concisely describe the work to be completed.

Research Strategy: Use this section to explain the rationale for selecting the methods to accomplish the specific aims. Applicants should provide data for the intended end-use (triage, dose determination, and/or predictive biodosimetry), and if applicable, provide a description of how the proposed study will lead to a future approval under the FDA Biodosimetry Guidance.

Applicants are required to address one or more of the three research gaps mentioned in the Background, Section: 1) Distinguish between the worried well and the exposed population, 2) determine the radiation dose in the affected group, or 3) predict the consequences of acute and delayed radiation injuries to major organs/physiological systems by discovering biomarkers that can be used for triage and treatment decisions in the event of a large-scale radiological incident.

Biodosimetry biomarkers and/or devices to be studied under this NOFO should distinguish between the exposed and unexposed populations and should be inexpensive, field-deployable, and rapid with a sample-to-answer time of 30 min or less. Research focusing on diagnosis of the absorbed dose should measure the extent and intensity of radiation injuries to determine the type of medical intervention needed within a time window of 7 days post-exposure. Research in late effects should identify, evaluate, and characterize markers of radiation injury to major organs and tissues to allow for timely and appropriate administration of treatments before the onset of overt radiation subsyndromes. Biomarkers should be linked to relevant clinical outcomes such as organ dysfunction or failure, and other major morbidities and/or mortality.

Applications should include studies in animal models or appropriate human samples to identify and characterize the biomarkers of radiation injury to specific organs and tissues or physiological systems.

Applications should include plans for the coordination of staff to accomplish the goals described in the research strategy; the investigator and/or Key personnel should include a radiation biologist, a dosimetrist/health physicist, a veterinarian (if animal work is proposed), and a statistician.

Milestones: For all years of the award, describe detailed, quantitative research milestones and timelines that will be achieved in each year of the Research Project. For example, it is not appropriate to state only that "biomarkers ABC will be tested for its use as a triage assay," or that “specific aim A studies will be initiated.” An appropriate milestone might include, but not be limited to the following: "These studies will demonstrate a statistical difference in the levels of biomarkers ABC (p<0.05) upon irradiation in an appropriate animal model/biological sample at 24 hours or more post-exposure.”

Milestones should address the following:

• A clear description of all interim objectives (research and/or developmental milestones) to be achieved during the project. Applicants also should identify any impediments that could require a revision in the work plan or milestones, with a discussion of alternative approaches.
• Detailed, explicit, quantitative, and reasonably attainable criteria, by which yearly milestones achievement will be assessed.
• A detailed schedule or timeline for the anticipated attainment of each milestone and the overall goal(s).

Radiation Dosimetry

Describe specifics on the dosimetry methodology used at the institution where radiation will be utilized. Dosimetry methodology must include descriptions of the radiation source and geometry of exposure, dose level, dose rate, shielding (if applicable), and dosimetry calibration method (indicate if it follows standards set forth by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)); and plans for initial dosimetry calibration (e.g., devices used and tissue phantoms) and in-run evaluation of radiation dose delivered. Also, if applicable, include a description of irradiation chambers/jigs, geometry of jigs, orientation to the plane of exposure, and anesthesia methods during irradiation (if applicable).

Letters of Support: Provide any letters of support from collaborators that are specific to the Research Project.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the  How to Apply Application Guide.

Other Plan(s): Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply Application Guide.

• No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered “Yes” to the question “Are Human Subjects Involved?” on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the How to Apply Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 2. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time.  If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply – Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NIAID, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.  Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in accordance with NIH peer review policies and practices, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this NOFO.

Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this NOFO. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient's business official.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this NOFO will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.  This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: Generaland Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:

• Federalwide Standard Terms and Conditions for Research Grants
• Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding

If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

If a recipient receives an award, the recipient must follow all applicable nondiscrimination laws. The recipient agrees to this when registering in SAM.gov. The recipient must also submit an Assurance of Compliance (HHS-690). To learn more, see the HHS Office for Civil Rights website.

HHS recognizes that NIH research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this NOFO.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR Part 200.206 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.” This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations at 2 CFR Part 200, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies. 

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the recipients is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the recipients for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the recipients and the NIH as defined below. 

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

• Submission of manuscripts to the Project Scientist right after acceptance for publication so that an up-to-date summary of program accomplishments can be maintained, and press conferences and press releases prepared.
• Research design and protocol development, data collection, final data analysis and interpretation, preparation of publications, as well as collaboration with other recipients.
• Attendance at annual and monthly U01 program meetings.
• Defining the details and goals of the project, including the development of milestones.
• Overseeing/performing the scientific activities.
• Participation in a NIAID-sponsored, program-wide dosimetry harmonization effort to ensure accurate radiation exposures.
• Retaining custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current HHS, PHS, and NIH policies.

NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

• If milestones are not met during the course of the project period, the NIAID Project Scientist will provide guidance to remediate the milestones to ensure successful completion of the project.
• The Project Scientist will advise in the selection of sources or resources (e.g., determining where a particular reagent may be found); provide advice and guidance on technical issues; coordinate or participate in the collection and/or analysis of data; and advise on the management and technical performance.
• The Project Scientist will aid in organizing and will provide scientific guidance in annual in-person and virtual monthly U01 meetings.
• The Project Scientist will provide scientific input toward the preparation of publications and direction of collaborations with, and access to, other NIAID-supported research resources and services, as needed.
• Additionally, an agency program official or IC program director will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice.

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

• Define procedures for the application and/or oral presentation of results or data collected.
• Participate in virtual monthly and in-person annual meetings of the awarded U01 consortium to facilitate the achievement of program goals.

Dispute Resolution:

Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between recipients and NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of three members will be convened: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual recipient. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the recipient's right to appeal an adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulation 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and HHS regulation 45 CFR Part 16.

3. Data Management and Sharing

Consistent with the 2023 NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

4. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. NIH NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 2 CFR Part 200.301.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 as amended (FFATA), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later.  All recipients of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over the threshold.  See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period.  The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS).  This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313).  As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available.  Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 2 CFR Part 200 – Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-480-7075

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: [email protected]

Merriline M. Vedamony, Ph.D. 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) 
Telephone: 240-669-5432
Email: [email protected] 

Michael Opata, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 240-627-3319
Email: [email protected] 

Racine Allen
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 301-761-7004
Email: [email protected]   

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 2 CFR Part 200.