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.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
   
   
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.



Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Key Dates
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) encourages cooperative agreement applications for implementation of investigator-initiated, milestone driven, high-risk clinical trials including mechanistic studies within clinical trials. Mechanistic work in clinical trials may be of great value because it promotes the understanding of human diseases and the development of future therapeutic modalities.

The proposed trial must be hypothesis-driven, related to the research mission of NIAID, and address a research area considered a high priority by the Institute. For HIV-related clinical trials, NIAID encourages projects that integrate biomedical and behavioral interventions; studies that explore pathogenesis of HIV infection within the trial are also encouraged.

Background

Over the past three years, NIAID has committed over $5.5 billion to clinical research, of which $2.5 billion was devoted to clinical trials and supportive activities. Clinical trials are one research strategy NIAID uses to improve the understanding of the clinical mechanisms of infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases or to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. For additional information about the mission, strategic plan, and research interests of NIAID, applicants are encouraged to consult the NIAID website https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/role.

NIAID Supported Clinical Trials and Infrastructure

Historically, NIAID supports both infrastructure and networks through a variety of funding mechanisms. These resources focus on high-priority disease research areas. Examples include the HIV/AIDS Clinical Trial Networks supported by the Division of AIDS (DAIDS), the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases’ (DMID) Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium, and the Immune Tolerance Network supported by the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation (DAIT). NIAID's clinical research infrastructure includes coordinating centers, statistical units, data centers, central laboratories, clinical centers, and other specialized resources. For additional information on DAIDS supported clinical trials refer to the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Clinical Research Policies and Standard Procedures Documents. For additional information on DAIT Clinical Research Policies and Documents see: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/dait-clinical-research-policies-and-standards.

Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials

Although existing clinical trial programs and infrastructure are crucial to furthering the Institute's research, NIAID recognizes that additional models of clinical research may be important to advancing its research mission; therefore, NIAID has established the investigator-initiated clinical trial program for clinical trials that cannot or will not be conducted through existing NIAID-supported clinical trial networks or infrastructure. This program consists of support for the NIAID Clinical Trial Planning (R34) Grant and the NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation (U01) Cooperative Agreement. The NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation (U01) Cooperative Agreement is designed to support high-risk clinical trials, as defined by NIAID below and in the associated policy statement (see NOT-AI-21-037). For non-high-risk trials, NIAID invites applications for two NIH Clinical Trial NOFOs, NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trials Required) PA-20-183 and NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required) PA-20-194. The NIAID Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34) is available to support planning activities associated with either high- or non-high-risk clinical trials. However, the NIAID Clinical Trial Planning (R34) Grant (PAR-23-206) is not a prerequisite for either NIAID implementation award. If a clinical trial is ready for implementation, and readiness is adequately supported by appropriate documentation, the U01 application may be submitted to the appropriate NOFO.

For additional information about NIAID's investigator-initiated clinical trial program, see https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/investigator-initiated-clinical-trial-resources.

Scope

The NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement supports implementation of high-risk clinical trials that address high-priority research areas that are well-matched with the mission and goals of NIAID.

A clinical trial is defined by NIH as: "A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes." See more at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-15-015.html

A clinical trial is defined as high-risk by the NIAID when the trial has one or more of the following attributes:

• provision of a non-routine intervention, that is, an intervention or non-routine use of an intervention that would not otherwise be provided for the condition under study in the local facility where the study is being conducted;
• administration of an unlicensed product; or
• administration of a licensed product for an unapproved indication.

Any research trial that will require a regulatory oversight (such as Investigational New Drug [IND] or Investigational Device Exemption [IDE]) would be considered high risk.

A non-high-risk trial would not have any of the attributes listed above; for example, it would involve provision of a routine intervention and administration of a licensed product for an approved indication. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIAID staff listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts for questions concerning the classification of the proposed clinical trial.

Activities and communications regarding all clinical laboratory testing for study participants must comply with US federal regulations [see 42 CFR part 493.2 and 493.3(b)(2)].

This NOFO will support the conduct, completion, and analysis of the clinical trial, including activities related to the conduct of the clinical trial, which include but are not limited to the following:

• training of study personnel;
• enrollment and recruitment of study subjects;
• data collection, management, and quality control;
• investigational product costs;
• laboratory work and data analyses;
• study management and oversight;
• establishment of committees to manage the complexity of the trial;
• preparation of the final study report; and other related post-trial activities;
• regulatory activities and site monitoring;
• mechanistic studies, if applicable.

Each NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation award will support a single clinical trial that may include more than one intervention. Applications that include more than one clinical trial will not be supported by this NOFO. A single platform trial that allows for simultaneous comparison of multiple intervention groups against a single control group or a trial that includes more than one sequential stage are permitted.

All clinical trial planning activities must be completed prior to the time of application submission and investigators must be ready to implement the proposed trial at the time of award.

NIAID reserves the right to specify: 1) whether an IND/IDE application should be submitted to an appropriate regulatory agency; 2) the entity (NIAID, primary awardee, etc.) who will hold the IND/IDE; 3) the requirements for the establishment of a DSMB (Data Safety Monitoring Board)/SMC (Safety Monitoring Committee) or the use of an NIAID sponsored DSMB/SMC; and 4) the use of other NIAID clinical resources such as a Statistical and Clinical Coordinating Center. Applicants are encouraged to discuss those decisions and requirements with NIAID prior to submission of the application.

Mechanistic studies will be supported as part of all clinical trials in this NOFO. Any clinical trials supported by DAIT must include mechanistic studies.

Investigators are referred to the Division-specific research policies and standard procedures for protocol templates, guidance, and requirements for clinical trials. See Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Clinical Research Policies and Standard Procedure Documents; Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) Office of Clinical Research Affairs; Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT) Clinical Research Policies and Standards. Investigators are also referred to NIAID's Clinical Research Toolkit website. Prior to initiation, protocols and consent forms may be subject to review by the NIAID Division. Investigators are strongly encouraged to contact NIAID's program contacts provided below in Section VII for more information regarding division-specific clinical research policies and procedures.

Milestones

Delineation of milestones is a key characteristic of the NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement. A milestone is defined as a scheduled event in the project timeline, signifying the completion of a major project stage or activity.

Applications Not Responsive to This NOFO

Applications proposing the following will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed:

• Applications proposing the following clinical trial planning tasks. Investigators seeking support for the planning and design of clinical trials should refer to the NIAID Clinical Trial Planning (R34) Grant NOFO (PAR-23-206).
  • Development of study design
  • Identification of collaborators and enrollment sites
  • Development of the clinical protocol and informed consent
  • Development of the statistical analysis plan
  • Development of the data management plan
  • Development of the Investigator's brochure or equivalent
• The Division of Allergy Immunology and Transplantation (DAIT) will not support applications without the inclusion of mechanistic studies.
• Applications that propose clinical trials that fall outside the mission and high-priority research areas of the NIAID.
• Applications that propose clinical trials that will utilize dedicated resources that are part of an existing NIAID-supported clinical trial network without prior program approval; or
• Applications that propose more than one clinical trial in a single application.

For more information, please see the Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trial Questions and Answers at: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/investigator-initiated-clinical-trials-faqs.

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

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

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)

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are 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:

Louis Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Telephone: 240-669-5070
Email: louis.rosenthal@nih.gov 

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.

If mechanistic studies are proposed, describe the appropriate expertise within the biosketch of the individual who will have the general responsibility for the scientific and the technical/laboratory aspects of the proposed work. This person may be the application's PD/PI or a single PD/PI in a multi-PD/PI application.

If a platform trial is proposed, describe the appropriate expertise in statistical design and analysis within the biosketch of the individual that will be responsible for the design of the platform trial. 

R&R or Modular Budget

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

Because all applications must include detailed scientific and operational plans, funding needs for the entire trial and data analysis period must also be included. In addition to funds required to support clinical trial conduct, the budget should reflect sufficient funds to support independent study monitoring, medical and data monitoring, regulatory submissions, quality management, safety oversight activities. Costs of study drug/product, labeling, distribution should also be delineated, if applicable. If parts of the costs of the trial are to be borne by sources other than NIH, these contributions must be presented in detail. These outsource costs do not constitute cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement and should not be presented either as part of the requested budget or as Estimated Project Funding. NIAID reserves the right to independently procure drug for the study if that offers cost or other advantages to the clinical trial.

Further information concerning budget preparation may be obtained from the Financial/Grants Management Contact(s) listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts.

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: State the goals of the clinical trial and the expected outcome(s). Clearly and concisely present the specific objectives of the trial, as well as a specification of the primary and major secondary endpoints to be measured. Provide a clear explanation of the importance of various endpoints.

Research Strategy: Within the Research Strategy describe the following:

• An overview of the state of the science, a discussion of the significance of the clinical and mechanistic (if applicable) problem(s) being studied, the need for the trial, and the potential impact of the results of the trial, discussion of how the trial will test the hypothesis(es) proposed;
• A discussion of studies that led to the proposed clinical trial and information or data from preliminary studies which address the need for and the feasibility of the trial;
• A discussion of potential biases or challenges in the protocol and how they will be addressed;
• A description of the plans to implement and monitor Good Clinical Practices (GCP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), as appropriate;
• Plans for appropriate oversight over the conduct of the trial, including at a minimum the appropriate clinical monitoring independent of the study team, safety monitoring, regulatory submissions and compliance and quality management (this is in addition to what is in the Data Safety Monitoring Plan);
• Plans for acquisition and handling of study agent(s), if applicable;
• Demonstrated consideration of ethical issues involving the disease/condition under study;
• In addition, discuss activities related to the conduct, completion, and analysis of the clinical trial;
• Any anticipated impediments that could require a revision in the timeline must be identified and accompanied by a discussion of alternative approaches;
• Applications proposing a platform trial must include details about the interventions to be included and contain sufficient detail to assess the totality of planned interventions.

Letters of Support: Provide letters of support to document access to or commitment of critical resources, including consortium/site participants, cores, laboratories, pharmacies, data management resources, or other collaborators, including cost-sharing by NIH resources, in the case of intramural collaborators. Investigators are referred to https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/intramural-collaboration-extramural-funded for additional guidance on Intramural Scientist Collaboration on Extramural Funded Grants. If co-funding or in-kind support is planned from any source (non-NIH sources or NIH sources), letter(s) of commitment (e.g., type, amount, and source of support), signed by a business official, on organization letterhead, must be included in the Letters of Support section.

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.

The following modifications apply:

Include the informed consent form(s) and, if applicable, assent form(s).

Complete Clinical Protocol: Applicants must include a complete Protocol as part of the Appendix. Investigators should use the NIAID Division-specific Protocol Templates when preparing the complete clinical protocol, and are urged to be succinct. Investigators are also referred to the Trans-NIAID Clinical Research Toolkit website for clinical protocol guidance and templates.

Applications that lack the Complete Clinical Protocol are incomplete and will not be reviewed.

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.

Other Human Subject instructions:

Section 2 - Study Population Characteristics

2.7 Study Timeline

Include the following:

Completion of data collection time period;

Completion of primary endpoint and secondary endpoint data analyses time period;

Completion of final study report.

Include a series of milestones for completion of the clinical trial and provide contingency plans should there be delays in attaining them.

This section must include:

• A timeline for the following general milestones, as applicable;
• Completion of regulatory approvals;
• Enrollment of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the projected recruitment time period for all study subjects, including a plan for initial site activation and expected timing of screening/enrollment of first participant;
• Detailed protocol-specific performance milestones; these milestones will be negotiated at the time of the award, if appropriate;
• Discuss the feasibility and appropriateness of achieving and completing each milestone on-time, including alternate approaches and contingencies for dealing with potential problems and impediments.

Section 3 - Protection and Monitoring Plans

3.3 Data and Safety Monitoring Plan

The DSM Plan must address the following areas:

• Where the monitoring will occur;
• How site(s)/center(s), and participating facilities (labs, pharmacies) will be monitored.
• Also address the appropriate oversight over the conduct of the trial, including at a minimum the appropriate clinical monitoring independent of the study team, safety monitoring, regulatory submissions and compliance and quality management.
• Provide a data management plan addressing the following areas: (1) database system to be employed, (2) compliance with federal regulations, (3) security and emergency back-up, and (4) quality control of data from clinical sites and laboratories, as appropriate.

Applications that lack the DSM Plan are incomplete and will not be peer reviewed.

3.5 Overall Structure of the Study Team

This section must include:

A description of the study organization and administration, including, but not limited to: a description of committee structures needed to manage the complexity of the trial; the role of any internal or external advisory committees; the oversight, responsibilities, and coordination of any sites or cores proposed; and the role of any subcontractors or service providers for personnel or facilities. Note: Do not contact potential members of an external advisory committee and do not propose their names in the application.

Section 5 - Other Clinical Trial-related Attachments

5.1 Other Clinical Trial-related Attachments

The following additional documents should be included as attachments:

• Identification and qualifications of clinical trial site(s), pharmacies, and laboratories
• Copies of data collection forms, questionnaires, or other relevant materials
• The Investigator's Brochure or equivalent for the study products(s)
• The Table of Contents of the Manual of Operations (MOPs)
• A comprehensive Laboratory Plan
• Plans and support for acquisition and administration of study agent(s)
• Documentation of co-funding of clinical trials from partners, if applicable
• Documentation of any communications with regulatory authorities, if applicable

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.

Foreign Organizations

Foreign (non-U.S.) organizations must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign organizations described throughout the How to Apply Application Guide.

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.

Requests of $500,000 or more for direct costs in any year 

Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year (excluding consortium F&A) must contact a Scientific/ Research Contact at least 10 weeks before submitting the application and follow the Policy on the Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications that Request $500,000 or More in Direct Costs as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Prior Consultation with NIAID

Consultation with NIAID staff at least 10 weeks prior to submitting the application is strongly encouraged for submission of the NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation (U01) Cooperative Agreement application, including new, renewal, and resubmission applications. If requested, NIAID staff will consider whether the proposed clinical trial meets the goals and mission of the Institute, whether it addresses one or more high priority research areas, and whether it is appropriate to conduct as an investigator-initiated clinical trial, and whether the budget is appropriate. Prior consultation with NIAID staff is required a minimum of 10 weeks prior to submitting the application  if the budget is equal to or greater than $500,000 direct costs per year for any year of the proposed trial. Likewise, if the budget is equal to or greater than $1,000,000 in direct costs in any year of the proposed trial, prior consultation with NIAID staff is strongly encouraged at a minimum of 12 weeks prior to submitting the application. NIAID staff will not evaluate the technical and scientific merit of the proposed trial; technical and scientific merit will be determined during peer review using the review criteria indicated in this NOFO. NIAID staff members are also available to work with potential applicants to determine the risk level of the proposed trial and delineate all documentation that will be needed at the time of application submission. During the consultation phase, if the proposed trial does not meet NIAID's programmatic needs or is not appropriate as an investigator-initiated clinical trial, applicants will be strongly encouraged to consider other Funding Opportunities.

A letter that summarizes the discussion during prior consultation may be obtained from the appropriate NIAID Division Director and attached as in the Cover Letter attachment field on the SF424(R&R) Cover form.

For further information on prior consultation with NIAID program staff, refer to the NIAID Standard Operating Procedure for Investigator Initiated Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Awards.

NIAID reserves the right to provide support for clinical trials through other available mechanisms supported by NIAID. If NIAID ascertains that substantial additional planning may be necessary, or that substantial staff involvement may not be necessary, the applicant will be encouraged to consider funding under the Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34) (PAR-23-206) or Parent (R01 Clinical Trial Required) NOFO (PA-20-183), Parent (R21 Clinical Trial Required) NOFO (PA-20-194) respectively.

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.

For this particular announcement, note the following:

A proposed Clinical Trial application may include study design, methods, and intervention that are not by themselves innovative but address important questions or unmet needs. Additionally, the results of the clinical trial may indicate that further clinical development of the intervention is unwarranted or lead to new avenues of scientific investigation.

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 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.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. 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.
• Sufficiency of proposed budget to support the proposed research.

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.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain “applicable clinical trials” on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all 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.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

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 (HHS) 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 NIH as defined below.

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

• Conducting the study, including all aspects of the study design, quality control, data management, data analysis and interpretation, preparation of publications, dissemination of data, tools, and technologies, and collaboration with other investigators. The recipient agrees to accept close coordination, cooperation, and participation of NIAID Project Scientist in scientific and technical management of the study as stated in these terms and conditions.
• Ensuring that each clinical site, whether a single institution or a consortium of institutions, will follow the procedures required by the protocol regarding study conduct and monitoring, volunteer management, data collection, data management, and quality control.
• Obtaining prior approval for the support or involvement of any third party in the study.
• Accomplishing negotiated milestones.
• Submitting a close-out plan to NIAID staff within fewer than two (2) months of the decision either by NIAID staff or the recipient that an awarded study is no longer feasible. The plan must be approved and signed by the Institutional Official and the PD(s)/PI(s) listed on the award prior to submission.
• Recipients will retain 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:

• Maintaining access to data generated under this Cooperative Agreement and periodically reviewing the data and progress.
• Monitoring the progress of the clinical trial, including each participating facility.
• Serving as a resource to provide scientific/programmatic support during the accomplishment of the research by contributing to the design of the activities, advising the selection of sources or resources (e.g., determining where a particular reagent can be found), provide research resources and reagents available from NIAID recipients and contractors, advise in management and technical performance, or participate in the preparation of publications.
• Advising on the progress of study milestones. Progress will be monitored by an internal panel with outside consultants as needed and determined by NIAID Project Scientist. The schedule for these interim reviews will be based upon the duration of the clinical trial period.
• Assisting in the development, assembly, and submission of all required regulatory documents, e.g., those regarding the use of investigational drugs, to the Food and Drug Administration, if applicable.
• Providing medical monitoring for the clinical trials. Should a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company sponsoring a clinical trial choose to name its own Medical Monitor, then the NIAID Medical Officer will work with the company-assigned Medical Monitor.
• Overseeing the adequacy of adverse event management and reporting and have regular communications with the PD(s)/PI(s) and study team, which may include attendance at the safety monitoring (or DSMB) and related committee meetings.
• Participating in the development of study protocols and monitor compliance, enrollment targets, adherence to uniform data collection procedures, ongoing compliance to requirements of 21 CFR Part 11 and the timeliness and quality of data reporting.
• Comparing actual enrollment to the benchmarks and criteria identified in the application.  

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.

NIAID reserves the right to terminate or curtail the study (or an individual award) in the event of (a) failure to implement the study protocol, (b) a substantial shortfall in participant recruitment, follow-up, data reporting and dissemination, quality control, or other major breach of the protocol, (c) substantive changes in the agreed-upon protocol with which NIAID does not concur, (d) reaching a major study objective substantially before schedule with persuasive statistical evidence, or (e) human subject ethical issues that may dictate a premature termination.

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

Participating in a Steering Committee (SC), as applicable. 

• Facilitating the conduct of the studies.
• The PD/PI, or contact PD/PI in the case of multi-PD/PI awards, will serve as a voting member of the Steering Committee and will attend all meetings of the Steering Committee. 
• The NIAID Program Scientist may serve as a voting member on the Steering Committee.
• Additional details and responsibilities of the Steering Committee will be negotiated at the time of award or post-award.

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: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (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: support@grants.gov

Martin Gutierrez
Division of AIDS (DAIDS)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 240-292-4844
Email: mgutierrez@niaid.nih.gov 

Ellen Goldmuntz, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation (DAIT)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 240-627-3502
Email: egoldmuntz@niaid.nih.gov 

DMID IICT Central Contact Mailbox
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
NIAID_DMID_IICT@niaid.nih.gov 

Louis Rosenthal, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 240-669-5070
Email: louis.rosenthal@nih.gov 
 

Deogratius Gunza  
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 240-292-6092
Email: deo.gunza@nih.gov 

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.