Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
None
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
This Notice is associated with the COVID-19 Supplemental funding through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139) which directs the National Cancer Institute of the NIH “to develop, validate, improve, and implement serological testing and associated technologies.” The National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as a Request for Applications (RFAs) to solicit applications to establish Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence of collaborating investigators and an RFA for research projects. Specifically, both the Centers and the projects will identify and advance research opportunities to characterize the immune responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, especially as it relates to cancer patients.
The Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence and research projects will be components of the Serological Sciences Network which will be coordinated through the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research (FNL). Other components of the Network will include the FNL Serology Lab and Serological Capacity Building Centers. It may also include SBIR grants and other grants and contracts related to serology associated with SARS-CoV-2.
This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants time to develop responsive projects and meaningful collaborations.
The FOAs are expected to be published in June 2020 with expected application due dates in July 2020.
The FOAs will use the U54 and U01 activity codes (Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Details of the planned FOAs are provided below.
The planned FOAs solicit applications for U54 Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence that will consist of teams of investigators with relevant expertise and for U01 research projects, all of whom will work in the context of a collaborative research network, with the goal of identifying and advancing research opportunities to characterize the immune responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, understand the mechanisms driving the serological, humoral and cellular immune responses, and determine the serological correlates with disease pathogenesis and protection against future infection, especially as it relates to cancer patients.
Each proposed U54 must be focused on a comprehensive research program related to the serological response to SARS-CoV-2, other correlates of immunity, patient outcome and/or disease pathogenesis, especially as it relates to cancer patients and the development of novel serological assays for SARS-CoV-2.
Each U54 will be required to have 2-3 research projects, an administrative core, and could have a technical core. The research projects could be in one or more areas of basic, translational, clinical, prevention or population sciences research related to SARS-CoV-2 serology, with preference given to its relevance to cancer patients.
Each U01 applicant team will be required to propose a project that addresses a fundamental question(s) in serological sciences focused on SARS-CoV-2 with a preference for projects that have relevance to cancer (biology, survivorship, etc.).
Successful applicants will be expected to enter into collaborative studies with other components of the Network.
Up to $19 Million in fiscal year 2020
4-8 U54 Centers and 4-6 U01s
Each U54 application budget will be limited to $1.5 Million direct costs per year.
Each U01 application budget will be limited to $500,000 direct costs per year.
Applications are not being solicited at this time.
Please direct all inquiries to:
Juli Klemm, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
301-480-5778