NIH Cooperative Centers on Human Immunology (U19)

Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information

Number of Applications	See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)	93.855; 93.856
Funding Opportunity Purpose	The purpose of this Funding Opportunity is to support hypothesis-testing, mechanistic studies on the activation and regulation of human immune responses in the context of infectious disease. The immediate objectives are to support research on human immunological responses to infection, vaccination against infectious disease, or administration of a vaccine adjuvant(s) that targets an innate immune receptor(s); and to support the stable, flexible, centralized infrastructure needed to promote and coordinate multi-disciplinary research in human immunology as it relates to defense against infectious disease. This research program was initiated by NIAID in fiscal year 2003 and is being renewed for the second time through open competition. All qualified investigators are invited to apply; prior funding under this program or through NIAID or NIH is not required.

Key Dates

Posted Date	March 21, 2013
Letter of Intent Due Date(s)	June 28, 2013
Application Due Date(s)	July 29, 2013
Scientific Merit Review	November, 2013
Advisory Council Review	January, 2014
Earliest Start Date	May, 2014

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. While some links are provided, 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.

NIAID Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34)

Document Type:                 Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-13-150

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) invites applications that propose the complete planning, design, and preparation of the documentation necessary for implementation of investigator-initiated clinical trials. The trials must be hypothesis-driven, milestone-defined, related to the research mission of the NIAID and considered high priority by the Institute. Investigators are encouraged to visit the NIAID website for additional information about the research mission and high-priority research areas of the NIAID (http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/whoWeAre/planningPriorities/). 

Posted Date:                        Mar 22, 2013
Closing Date for Applications:  Jan 13, 2016
Category of Funding Activity: Health
Award Ceiling:                        $150,000
CFDA Number(s):
93.855  --  Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research
93.856  --  Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research

Eligible Applicants
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) 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.

Link to Additional Information:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-13-150.html 

Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11: NTDs

New Approaches for Detection, Treatment, and Control of Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11 Solutions for onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminth infections (ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm disease), and schistosomiasis Opportunity: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a large and diverse group of diseases that disproportionately affect health and livelihood of the poor in the developing world and typically lack attention and funding for research and development.  Although in recent decades there has been significant progress toward the elimination and even eradication of some neglected diseases, there is still an unmet need to discover, develop, and deliver tools and strategies to diagnose, treat and interrupt transmission of some neglected diseases. In line with the London Declaration and the WHO Roadmap on NTDs, we have focused our efforts in this Explorations round on the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF, also known as elephantiasis) by 2020, and the control of onchocerciasis (river blindness), soil-transmitted helminthic (STH) infections (ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm disease), and schistosomiasis. These diseases are typically controlled through whole-population mass drug administration campaigns. They are high on global disease burden studies and are in need of innovative and transformative approaches for detection, diagnosis, and treatment. For more information on the specific diseases, please see the WHO descriptions of onchocerciasis,LF, STH and schistosomiasis. The Challenge: Mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns form the bedrock of attempts to control or eliminate onchocerciasis, LF, STH infections and schistosomiasis. In these campaigns, whole populations are treated irrespective of disease status, based on prevalence at the community level. The current tools are deficient in a number of respects. Drugs for onchocerciasis and LF interrupt transmission by killing juvenile worms but do not kill adult worms, requiring multiple rounds of treatment before adult worms eventually die and transmission stops. Furthermore, these drugs cannot be used in areas where there is potential co-infection with another helminth, Loa loa, and no simple test for Loa loa infection exists (for more information, please see the WHO strategic direction for onchocerciasis research). We lack robust diagnostics and tools to determine when to stop MDA campaigns, and coordination among mapping, monitoring, treatment, and surveillance campaigns for multiple diseases. We are looking for people from within and outside the NTD community who have ideas for new approaches or ways to apply existing technology from other sectors to address some of the key challenges associated with developing new tools or strategies to support the control and elimination targets for onchocerciasis, LF, STH, and schistosomiasis. Some of the key challenges facing the development of drugs and diagnostics for these specific diseases are as follows: Need for strategies that address multiple diseases: Many individuals are infected with more than one pathogen causing the NTDs described above. New strategies are needed to integrate mapping, treatment, monitoring, and surveillance of some combination of these diseases (onchocerciasis, LF, Loa loa, STH, and schistosomiasis) simultaneously. Drug development is hampered by lack of robust and facile model systems: For the discovery of a macrofilaricide, greater access to the adult worms that cause onchocerciasis and LF, or a validated surrogate model, is needed. Current efficacy models are very time-consuming and require large quantities of drug candidate. Need for development of new drugs to treat these NTDs: Effective, safe, inexpensive and tolerable medicines are needed to treat populations affected by onchocerciasis and LF. Since entire communities are frequently treated using an MDA schedule, new drugs must be safe and effective for children, pregnant women, and other populations at high risk for complications. Need for diagnostics for mapping, treatment, monitoring and/or surveillance of these NTDs: For onchocerciasis and LF, diagnostics are needed to determine when adult worms have been killed and MDA can be discontinued. For areas where Loa loa is co-endemic with onchocerciasis, a diagnostic is needed to detect individuals who harbor high levels of Loa loamicrofilariae. New point-of-care diagnostics are also needed for STH and schistosomiasis. For diagnostics to have the greatest impact, one test or diagnostic platform should simultaneously diagnose multiple diseases, samples must be easy to collect and transport, and tests must be either point-of-care or have the ability to be batched for high-throughput analysis at regional laboratory centers. What We Are Looking For: We aim to generate novel approaches to treatment and control of onchocerciasis, LF, STH, and schistosomiasis. We seek technologies and innovations to improve detection of viable adult worms, to develop drug treatments that are safe, effective, and affordable, and interventions that interrupt transmission, with the ultimate goal of ridding the world of these infectious diseases. Proposals must (i) have a testable hypothesis, (ii) include an associated plan for how the idea would be tested or validated, and (iii) yield interpretable and unambiguous data in Phase I, in order to be considered for Phase II funding. A few examples of what we will consider for funding: Strategies for multiple diseases: Strategies that combine mapping, monitoring, and/or surveillance of one disease with treatment of another, or other combinations of approaches that apply to more than one of the diseases of interest; Innovative and efficient methods for scale up and increased coverage of mass drug administration to treat multiple neglected diseases (mentioned above) at once; Creative and scalable approaches that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of mapping, monitoring, treatment, and/or surveillance including xenomonitoring and more environmentally acceptable snail control methods;  Model systems: Innovative ideas on sourcing and studying macrofilaria, which differ significantly from the current method of sacrificing and dissecting animals that have naturally become infected to retrieve worm specimens; New facile rapid in vivo models that are predictive of activity in humans;  Drug development: Innovative approaches to discovery of macrofilaricidal agents, especially for onchocerciasis, suitable for delivery through mass drug administration, and for use in Loa loa infected regions of the world; Platforms for screening new drug candidates; Innovative approaches to drug development for onchocerciasis or LF that target factors in the host leading to elimination of parasites; Diagnostics: One test or diagnostic platform to simultaneously diagnose multiple diseases mentioned above - using a single clinical sample; Diagnostics of viable adult worm infection in onchocerciasis and LF; Semi-quantitative diagnostic to assess Loa loa microfilariae burden to screen and treat in areas that are co-endemic for onchocerciasis and Loa loa. We will not consider funding for: Ideas that are not directly relevant to developing countries; Ideas that address diseases other than those listed in this call (onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, Loa loa, schistosomiasis, and only the following soil-transmitted helminthes: ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm disease); Ideas that provide only incremental improvements to current diagnostics, drugs, or techniques; Approaches to drug discovery that are limited to screening compounds for activity against one isolated target unless the target is pharmacologically validated, or unless the compounds to be tested can be advanced rapidly into clinical development (i.e. without further optimization); Drug discovery that applies only to schistosomiasis or STH; Diagnostics for onchocerciasis and LF that do not identify or utilize biomarkers specific to adult worms, or biomarkers of exposure or very early infection; Discovery and development of vaccines; Strategies that focus solely on vector control methods; Approaches that only provide treatment or symptomatic relief without breaking the infective cycle of the parasite; Social or educational interventions, including approaches focused on hygiene, sanitation, or environmental decontamination that do not directly apply to MDA or surveillance; Solely infrastructure or capacity-building initiatives; Basic research without clear relevance to the goals of this topic.

Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11: "One Health"

The "One Health" Concept: Bringing Together Human and Animal Health for New Solutions

Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11 "One Health" Opportunity: Over the last century, both human and veterinary medicine have made great advancements. In spite of the many overlaps between the two disciplines, they have become distinctly separate with very little cross-sharing of the knowledge. If the artificial barrier that separates the fields of human and animal health could be broken down, many opportunities would emerge across the discovery-development-delivery spectrum for knowledge and practices in one field to accelerate progress in the other.  For example, advances in drug and vaccine discoveries for human diseases can provide tools and approaches for animal diseases that still plague developing countries. Similarly, accumulated knowledge in veterinary medicine and animal nutrition and husbandry could provide insights into human nutrition and growth. This notion has been variously termed as "One Health" or "One Medicine." There is an opportunity to bring these divergent fields together under this One Health concept to address many difficult problems of the developing world. We seek applications that apply the existing knowledge/tools/approaches from animal health to solve problems in human health, and vice versa. What We Are Looking For: Novel and innovative ideas within the concept of One Health to address the issues in the following areas, ranging from early discovery concepts to delivery of solutions to measurement of impact:  Specific human and livestock diseases, as listed below; Human nutrition; Health service delivery; Measurement of impact. To be considered all proposals must either draw ideas from animal health to address human health or vice versa. 1.  Diseases: Translating knowledge and/or approaches from veterinary research to address the following human diseases: Tuberculosis, malaria, parasitic diseases (specifically: lymphatic filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis, onchocerciasis, cryptosporidium, and soil transmitted helminth infections). Areas can range from proposals exploiting "natural animal models" to better understand human diseases, vaccine and drug research, diagnostics, testing novel treatment or prevention strategies, epidemiology, understanding vaccine responses for these specific diseases and examining altered gut/intestinal function (e.g. environmental enteropathy) and microbiome dysfunction. Applying knowledge and/or approaches from human health-related research to address the following animal diseases: East Coast Fever (Theileria parva), Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR), endoparasites, ectoparasites, Newcastle disease, Trypanosomiasis (T. congolense, T. vivax, T. Brucei brucei), Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia, Foot and Mouth Disease, Goat Pox and Sheep Pox, Bovine Tuberculosis, Lumpy Skin Disease, Rift Valley Fever, Brucellosis. Zoonotic diseases: New ideas and approaches to diagnose, control or treat the following zoonotic diseases at the human-animal interface: tuberculosis, brucellosis, Rift Valley Fever, Trypanosomiasis, rabies and porcine cysticercosis.    2.  Nutrition: Improving maternal and child nutrition through knowledge from veterinary science and animal husbandry. Ideas around novel/under-recognized nutrients or knowledge that is proven in animal nutrition area to address intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), stunting and wasting in humans will be considered. Proposals should address key research gaps in human nutrition or novel ways to change behavior to increase access of nutrients in these key populations.Applications proposing feeding programs will not be considered. 3.  Health Service Delivery: Combined service delivery (vaccinations, drugs, diagnostics, and other products) for human and animal health that can leverage existing health service delivery infrastructure in resource-poor settings. Examples of what we’re looking for include combined vaccination campaigns for human and animal diseases.   4.  Combined Metrics for Measuring Impact: In Global Health, we have routinely used DALYs (Disability adjusted life years) as a common metric. In agriculture and animal husbandry space, productivity is commonly used. However, we lack a combined metric which captures both of these impacts since they are closely linked. For example, improving agricultural productivity can lead to improved nutrition leading to increasedDALYs. This could include a financial impact on society. We are seeking ideas for combining human and animal health under one metric that captures the broader impact.  We will not consider funding for: Ideas that do not draw from the human field to benefit animal health problems and/or vice versa; Traditional laboratory animal model studies as a precursor to human studies, without application to livestock health; Basic research (such as in vitro systems) without a clear relevance to the goals of this topic; Disease areas that are not listed above; Zoonotic diseases, with the exception of tuberculosis, brucellosis, Rift Valley Fever, Trypanosomiasis, rabies, porcine cysticercosis, and cryptosporidiosis;  Ideas that are not directly relevant to developing countries; Feeding programs; Microfinance programs; Adaptation of existing epidemiological models or tools; Ideas for which a relevant indicator of success cannot be demonstrated within the scope of the GCE Phase 1 award ($100k); Ideas without a clearly articulated and testable hypothesis and metrics; Solely infrastructure or capacity-building initiatives. We highly encourage applicants to consider the following criteria in their proposals: People: Solutions for problems faced by poor people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; Collaboration: Ideas that combine both animal and human health approaches or take approaches from one and apply to the other to create a transformative solution; Knowledge: Increases knowledge/understanding on interdependencies between the foundation’s priority areas (e.g. Human Health, Animal Health, Environmental Health, Nutrition, and Sustainability). A proposal does not have to demonstrate strength in all three of the criteria categories in order to be considered.

Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11: Deadline 7 May 2013

Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11 Deadline: May 7, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Application Instructions Step 1: Read the Details To get started, download and read the Rules and Guidelines document (PDF) . It contains detailed information on all aspects of Grand Challenges Explorations. You may need to download Adobe Reader to view PDF documents. Please also read the Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policy. Any information submitted by you or on your behalf with respect to the Grand Challenges Explorations Initiative (including your proposal, reports, and any related documentation and communications) will be subject to and handled in accordance with the provisions in these three documents. Changes to the rules and guidelines will be posted on the Frequently Asked Questions page of this Web site. Please read the current FAQs before submitting any questions or concerns.

Step 2: Read The Topics Topics are presented for each Grand Challenges Explorations round. Read the detailed information about GCE Topics on the Topics Overview page and then read the Topic Descriptions for this round to determine which topic best suits your idea.

Step 3: Download the Application Form Please download the Application Form for specific instructions on the format and content of your application. Please note that some users may see a screen asking them to log in when opening the Application Form. This is an issue with some versions of Microsoft Office. Click Cancel and the Application Form will open for you. All proposals must be written in English.

Step 4: Create an Account, Register for a Topic, and Submit your Proposal You may create an account using our online Explorations Application Tool.  This tool will enable you to register for an Explorations topic as well as create, edit, or submit your proposal.  After you have created an account and registered for a topic, you can start the online application process. All applications must be submitted through this online system. You may create an account at any time

Tips for Grant Seekers Following are some tips for grant seekers wishing to submit proposals: Proposals must represent an innovative approach responsive to the topic.  There are other avenues of funding for the equally important research that is within currently accepted paradigms.  Such work will not be funded under Grand Challenges Explorations.  Proposals will be reviewed by a panel with broad expertise and a track record in identifying innovations – these reviewers may not be deep domain experts in your field.  Ideas should be described in clear language without the use of jargon unique to a particular field (see How Grants are Selected). Proof-of-concept for ideas need not be completed in Phase I. However, credible evidence supporting the validity of an idea, sufficient proof to warrant expanded support, and next steps for the project should be provided.

LAST CHANCE: AXA Post-doctoral Fellowship Nominations

CALL FOR AXA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP NOMINATIONS

Final Nomination Deadline: Wednesday 20 March 2013

Application Deadline: Thursday 18 April 2013

The message below has just been received from AXA. We have been awarded one quota. That means we can nominate 1 outstanding candidate for a fellowship. This does not guarantee that this candidate will be awarded an AXA Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Please forward your nominations to Paul Adams by end of day Wednesday 20 March 2013. Only ONE nomination will be asked to prepare a full application,

 which must be lodged no later than Thursday 18 April 2013.

For application details, please see the Guide at:

http://www.axa-research.org/sites/dev/files/A-Howtoobtain-Modus/Post-Doc2013.pdf 

For further information and advice, please contact Paul by e-mail or phone ext. 1332

__________________________________

Dear Partner,

We are glad to inform you that your institution has successfully passed the 1^st round of the selection process of our 2013 Post-Doctoral campaign.

Your Institution will thus be in a position to submit 1 Post-Doctoral candidate(s) from February 14^th until March 21^st at noon Paris time. We are confident that your institution will proceed internally to the identification of the best candidate(s) with regards to our selection criteria (please see bottom TIPS for more details, or please follow the link:http://www.axa-research.org/sites/dev/files/A-Howtoobtain-Modus/Post-Doc2013.pdf )

Please note that the candidates have until APRIL 18th at noon (Paris time) to complete their application.

Therefore, we kindly encourage you to declare the candidate(s) your institution wishes to submit to this 2^nd round as soon as you can, in order to leave them as much time as possible for the completion of their application and endorsements. Besides, the designated candidate(s) should be encouraged not to wait until the last moment to complete their application.

We are delighted about this opportunity to develop a partnership with your institution in the framework of this 2013 Post-Doctoral campaign.

Best regards,

The AXA Research Fund Team

 _______________________

TIPS

TIP 1: Matching our Selection Criteria

• Academic excellence of the candidate: here we mean track record, in terms of impact even more than volume; excellence of the previous host institution(s);   and, of course, stature and quality of the recommendation letters.
• Innovative nature and originality of the project: reviewers highly value applications showing commanding knowledge of relevant literature; originality both in the research hypothesis and in the methodology used to test it. Naturally, demonstrating a contribution to a better understanding of important hazards and risks, or current global societal challenges is the core of what we are looking for.
• International scope of the host research laboratory: we look at rankings, bibliometrics, and also at peer-reviewed recognition. We value both labs that are global leaders and labs that are on a dynamic growth path.  The quality of the facilities and attractiveness to international students and researchers – both junior and senior – is a good way to demonstrate these traits), as is the international exposure of the project/lab director.
• Feasibility of the project: Quality of the environment (Postdoctoral program, supervision); Project framework (macro-planning, budget); Quality of the preliminary work and access to needed equipment, field studies, data and so on.

TIP 2: Demonstrating Exciting Innovation

As you know, the innovative nature of the research projects is very important to us – and we’ll try and favor “high risk/high gain” projects over more pedestrian, albeit productive, approaches. We believe that this is a quality of the applicant more than of the application so we’ll look both at the question asked and at previous research demonstrating creativity and innovative potential.

TIP 3: Helping Young Researchers’ Mobility.

We believe that it is crucial for young researchers to gather an international network and be exposed to various research environments in the early stage of their career. Hence we value applicants who already had an international exposure or, even more, whom we will help to build one. Our definition of international exposure goes as following: 

-at least a semester spent abroad during doctoral studies or planned/previous post-doctoral positions. International exposure during master degree or undergraduate studies is much less relevant as they seldom lead to the nurturing of a strong research network.

-of course, as research is international by nature, the nationality of the applicant is not our basis for assessing international mobility.

TIP4: Our Starting Grants are for Junior Researchers

The length of the time scale between PhD defense and Post-Doctoral applications projects should not exceed 5 years, except if a specific reason (illness, for instance) is involved. For more experienced candidates, our other schemes will be more relevant.

TIP 5: Helping Research to Impact/Interact with Policy-Making 

Please encourage the applicant to highlight the contribution of his/her research to the discipline and, to a greater extent, to the understanding/ modeling/ mitigation/prevention of major risks and global challenges. The AXA Research Fund wants to better help its supported researchers to have a voice in the public debate and nurture it with the most advanced scientific discoveries. Any proof of the potential of the applicant to bring his research subject to the global table is mostly welcomed!

TIP 6: Great Recommendation(s) are key   

The recommendation letter should first and forehand prove the potential of the applicant. It can also demonstrate the robustness of the research project and its alignment with the strategy of the host institution/lab. It gives also the opportunity to provide us with insights regarding the quality of the environment in which the research project will be conducted in terms of equipment, expertise of the host laboratory, and its international scope.

Gates Foundation: "One Health"-NTDs-Newborn_3 Grant Opportunities

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its funding partners in the Grand Challenges family of grant programs are inviting innovators to apply for new grant opportunities:

1) Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health and development solutions, is now accepting grant proposals for its latest application round. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for profit companies.

Proposals are being accepted online until May 7, 2013 on the following topics:

  * The “One Health” Concept:  Bringing Together Human and Animal Health for New Solutions  - NEW

  * Increasing Interoperability of Social Good Data - NEW

  * Develop the Next Generation of Condom - NEW

  * New Approaches for Detection, Treatment, and Control of Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases

  * Labor Saving Strategies and Innovations for Women Smallholder Farmers

 

Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million. Full descriptions of the new topics and application instructions are available at:

www.grandchallenges.org/explorations.

2) Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development has launched its third call for innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the world. Saving Lives at Birth partners will fund transformative approaches that cut across three main domains: (i) science & technology, (ii) service delivery, and (iii) demand-side innovation.

The application deadline is March 28, 2013. Details on how to apply for a grant can be found at www.savinglivesatbirth.net.

For advice and assistance with your application, please contact Paul, Gary, or Lorna at the Office of Research Services on ext. 1332, or drop in anytime for a chat.