A Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) was issued on Feb. 6 to highlight the urgent need for research on the SARS-CoV-2 virus jointly by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
NIAID is particularly interested in projects focusing on viral natural history, pathogenicity, transmission, as well as projects developing medical countermeasures and suitable animal models for pre-clinical testing of vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 .
NIGMS is specifically interested in incorporation of data from the SARS-CoV-2 into ongoing research efforts to develop predictive models for the spread of Coronaviruses and related pathogens.
NIAID and NIGMS are therefore offering Competitive Revisions to active grants addressing research objectives described below.
Research Objectives
In order to rapidly improve our understanding and available control measures for SARS-CoV-2, NIAID is encouraging the submission of applications for Competitive Revisions to active grants to address the following research areas of interest:
- Studies to identify optimal SARS-CoV-2 in vitro culture requirements and conditions;
- Development of reagents and assays for virus characterization;
- Studies to understand critical aspects of viral infection, replication, pathogenesis, and transmission;
- Studies to identify viral epitopes critical for binding neutralization;
- Studies to examine virus stability and persistence;
- Production of molecular clones of SARS-CoV-2, reporter viruses and recombinant viral proteins;
- Development of animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection suitable for screening vaccine and therapeutic candidates and/or pathogenesis studies;
- Studies on the evolution and emergence of SARS-CoV-2 viruses including the identification of factors that affect viral host-range and virulence;
- Virologic and serologic surveillance studies of the distribution and natural history of SARS-CoV-2 viruses in animal populations and in humans at the human/animal interface with particular emphasis on host reservoirs and understanding cross-species transmission events;
- Development of sensitive, specific, and rapid clinical diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2;
- Development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic candidates; broad-spectrum therapeutics against multiple coronavirus strains; examination of SARS-CoV-2 antiviral activity of existing or candidate therapeutics initially developed for other indications;
- Identification and evaluation of the innate, cellular and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or candidate vaccines, including, but not limited to: cross-reactive antibodies from individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses; viral epitopes critical for antibody binding and neutralization; immune-mediated pathology or host factors that might predispose to severe infection; and
- Development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates that include emerging antigen design strategies, novel platforms or delivery approaches, adjuvants, or assessing cross-neutralization potential of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates.
NIGMS Interests
- Incorporation of data related to the SARS-CoV-2 into ongoing research efforts to develop predictive models for the spread of coronaviruses and related infectious agents.
Application and Submission Information
Applications in response to this NOSI must be submitted using the following targeted funding opportunity:
- PA-18-935 Urgent Competitive Revision to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Urgent Supplement – Clinical Trial Optional), which is intended to provide funds for NIH grantees applying to expand the scope of their active grant. Further details can be found here: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/urgent-award-mechanism..
- The funding instrument, or activity code, will be the same as the parent award.
- Please note: NOT-AI-20-030 is specific for PA-18-935. NIH grantees seeking additional funds for research responsive to the COVID-19 outbreak that falls within the scope of an ongoing grant should instead apply for an administrative supplement under NIH PA-18-591, Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements FOA (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-18-591.html).
When developing applications in response to this NOSI, all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-18-935 must be followed, with the following additions:
- The Research Strategy section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
- The award project period of the Competitive Revision must not exceed two years.
- Application budgets are limited to no more than the amount of the current parent award, and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
- The parent award must be active when the application is submitted. The project and budget periods must be within the currently approved project period for the existing parent award.
- Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from February 6, 2020 through February 6, 2021 by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
Although NIGMS is not listed as a Participating Organization in all the FOAs listed above, applications for this initiative will be accepted. Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.