Strengthening the HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Care Continuum through Behavioral, Social, and Implementation Science (R21)

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number PA-17-103

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages behavioral, social, and implementation science research designed to (a) identify gaps in the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care continuum and associated determinants; (b) develop and test interventions to strengthen PrEP delivery, use, and outcomes; and (c) reduce racial/ethnic and age-related disparities in PrEP uptake and use.

This FOA uses the R21 grant mechanism while companion FOA PA-17-104 uses the R01 mechanism. High risk/high payoff projects that lack preliminary data are appropriate for the R21 mechanism, while applicants with preliminary data who propose longitudinal analyses and/or large scale projects may consider the R01 mechanism.

Eligibility

Foreign Institutions

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.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

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 his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

Key Dates

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)    April 7, 2017

For more details, click here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-17-103.html 

Vaccine development against prioritized epidemic infectious diseases

CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, is launching its call for proposals (CfP), open to all types of organisations able to advance vaccine candidates from the late pre-clinical stage through to Phase II for:

• MERS
• Lassa
• Nipah

With an initial investment of US$460m from the governments of Germany, Japan and Norway, plus the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, CEPI will seek to outsmart epidemics by developing safe and effective vaccines against known infectious disease threats that could be deployed rapidly to contain outbreaks, before they become global health emergencies.

The funding opportunity through this CfP is available worldwide to all types of private non-profit research organizations or for-profit multinational companies, including but not limited to small and medium sized biotechnology companies, international organizations and foundations, joint R&D ventures, government research and academic institutions.

The deadline for submission of preliminary proposals is 8 March 2017.

More information:  http://cepi.net/CfP

RSTMH 2016-17 grants round

We are delighted to announce that our new grants round is now open. RSTMH are pleased to be able to offer £100,000 in this new round of travel scholarships and small grants. 

Our aim is to support clinicians and scientists in all disciplines of tropical medicine and global health. This includes the relationship between human health and animal health, in the pursuit of themes of clinical or scientific research or fieldwork.

Our focus will be on the early-career investigator (maximum 15 years active relevant training or employment) with clear research plans, adequate supervision and institutional support and few alternative sources of funding.

We are particularly looking to fund projects with a strong element of creativity and/or innovation that will have benefits beyond the academic community and will make a tangible and measurable difference.

We will consider applications for travel and training scholarships (up to £1,000) and small grants (up to £5,000) such as pump-priming grants, pilot studies or discrete elements within larger projects.

Our regulations and application forms can be downloaded below. The deadline for submitting applications is 5pm BST/GMT on Friday 27 January 2017 and disbursements will be made from April onwards. 

Further information: https://rstmh.org/grants/2016-17-grants-round

Health Systems Research Initiative call 4

Providing evidence to strengthen health systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

• Closing date: 24 Jan 2017 16:00 GMT

The Department of International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Wellcome Trust (WT) jointly fund the Health Systems Research Initiative. All funders are committed to funding world-class research with high potential for impact on policy and practice.

Launched in 2013 this programme will generate world class and cutting-edge research that addresses key questions on strengthening and improving health systems in developing countries. Following an excellent response to this programme from the research community, funding has now been secured for an annual call under this initiative until 2021.

The programme’s aims are to fund methodologically rigorous, high quality research that will:

1. Generate evidence on how to strengthen and improve health systems for people living in low- and middle-income countries.

2. Use a health systems approach to inform the delivery of evidence-based interventions or structural changes. Proposals must demonstrate how interventions relate to and affect wider elements of a health system such as governance, financing, health workforce, information systems, service delivery etc.

3. Provide evidence that is of direct relevance to decision makers and practitioners in the field.

This is the fourth annual call for the Health Systems Research Initiative. Up to £6million is available for funding proposals under this call.  Innovative proposals are sought from across the public health, social and biomedical sciences and must clearly identify what health system challenge is being addressed. Proposals must situate this clearly-defined challenge within an understanding of the broader health system linkages and describe how and why findings from the project have the potential to improve the health of people living in low and middle-income countries. Funding is available for research only; we will not fund the routine delivery of health services.

Projects with Principal Investigators (P-Is) from LMICs are strongly encouraged and all proposals must include Co-Investigators from the LMIC in which the research is taking place. Principal investigators can be based in the UK or any LMIC.

Research Grants: (Applications for Research Grants will be subject to a 2 stage review process. Only those successful at the outline stage will be invited to submit a full application and final funding decisions will be made in October 2017). The duration of a Research Grant is usually up to 3 years, with a maximum duration of 5 years. Small and larger-scale projects are invited. As a guide, applicants should note there is approx. £4m available for Research Grants under this call. Funders would like to fund 5-10 projects. 

Foundation Grants: (Applications for Foundation Grants will be reviewed at the March 2017 panel meeting following which funding decisions will be announced). We anticipate the duration of foundation grants to be no longer than 24 months, with a maximum budget of £200k each. The purpose of a foundation grant is either:- (i) to conduct preliminary studies needed before a full research grant proposal can be designed, this can include work to evaluate existing interventions or pilot and feasibility work to inform plans for future research. (ii) to explore possible health system innovations, under researched areas or creative approaches that have the potential to be developed further, however such proposals should also have practical applications and should not be purely conceptual. Recipients of Foundation Grants will not automatically progress to full-scale research projects after their grant has ended. They will be expected to apply for a full-scale research project through the standard competitive process.

Link to additional information: https://www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/browse/health-systems-research-initiative-call-4/

Planning Grant for Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Research Training Programs in Low and Middle Income Countries (NIH: D71)

Funding Opportunity Number:	PAR-17-097

Funding Opportunity Title:	Planning for Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Research Training Programs in Low and Middle Income Countries (D71)

Closing Date for Applications:	Mar 14, 2019

CFDA Number(s):	93.989 -- International Research and Research Training

Award Ceiling:	$46,000

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

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for research training program planning invites submissions from low- and middle-income country (LMIC) institution(s) with existing research and research training capacity in chronic, non-communicable diseases and disorders (NCDs). These institutions must propose to assess needs and develop a plan for a research training program within the LMIC(s) that will further strengthen the capacity of LMIC individuals, institution(s) and country(ies) to identify NCD priorities and conduct NCD research across the lifespan. The application from the LMIC institution(s) may include collaboration with United States (U.S) institutions and other LMIC institutions as justified and appropriate.

Application Package: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=290881 

Link to Additional Information:	http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-17-097.html

EDCTP-TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellowships

TDR - the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases

Call for proposals

Open for applications: 30 October 2016

Deadline for applications: 2 February 2017, 17:00 (GMT)

This joint call for proposals provides fellowships to early-to-mid-career scientists and clinical staff in low- and middle-income countries to learn how to conduct clinical trials. Selected applicants are placed in pharmaceutical companies or product development partnerships for 6-15 months.

Background

Researchers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) who are involved in clinical research projects have limited opportunities to acquire experience and develop skills for conducting clinical trials outside of an academic or public sector setting. As a result, there are fewer than the required researchers and clinical staff from LMICs assuming leadership roles in clinical research for Neglected Infectious Diseases (NIDs).

EDCTP and TDR are jointly implementing this fellowship scheme to support researchers to obtain these essential skills, and ensure synergies between researchers and clinical staff, pharmaceutical companies, product development partnerships (PDPs) and research affiliated institutions. This partnership is aimed at increasing the number of individuals trained resulting in an increased impact on clinical research and development of additional capacity in LMICs.

Scope

The scheme targets early to mid-career researchers or clinical staff (clinicians, pharmacists, medical statisticians, data managers, other health researchers) who are employed by a legal entity in LMICs where they are currently working on activities in the scope of EDCTP or TDR.

The call includes a joint evaluation and selection process by EDCTP and TDR of applications submitted to this Call. However, grant awarding and budget management will remain separate under the management of each of the two organizations.

TDR will fund fellows employed by a research institution in any LMIC to be placed in pharmaceutical companies, PDPs and research affiliated institutions either in or outside Europe to train and develop new research skills on infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, Ebola and NIDs. EDCTP will fund fellows employed by a sub-Saharan African legal entity to be placed in European-based pharmaceutical companies to train and develop new research skills of relevance to Poverty Related Diseases (PRDs) .

Fellows can only be funded once under this grant scheme. Grants awarded are not transferrable from one individual to another. Placements are for a minimum period of 6 months up to a maximum period of 18 months, following which there will be a re-integration period of 6 months within their home organization. Fellows must be committed to return to their home organization after completion of the fellowship for as long as the duration of the placement. Fellows should be able to demonstrate how the experience gained during the training programme will be applied upon return to their home organization.

If you have any queries and if you are interested in applying for this research funding opportunity, please contact us at the Office of Research Services and we will be pleased to provide further information and support 

e-mail: tropmed.mahidol.univ@gmail.com

DoD USAMRMC FY17 Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Medical Research

W81XWH-17-R-BAA1 (Initial for Fiscal Year 2017)

FDA #: 12.420 [Military Medical Research and Development]

Key Dates

• Opening Date: October 1, 2016
• Revised Date: December 14, 2016
• Closing Date: September 30, 2017, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Pre-Proposals/Pre-Applications: organizations are required to submit preliminary proposals/applications (pre-proposals/pre-applications) through Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP).

The USAMRMC’s supporting acquisition office, the US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), will be the awarding and administering office for proposals/applications selected for funding.

A. Research Areas of Interest

1. Military Infectious Diseases Research Program

The Military Infectious Diseases Research Program (MIDRP) focuses on vaccines, drugs, field-deployable clinical diagnostics and vector detection assays (human and vector), and novel therapeutics to treat multidrug-resistant organisms in combat wound infections, as well as vector control measures for insect vectors that transmit naturally occurring endemic diseases with demonstrated or potential capability to decrease military operational effectiveness. Diseases of principal interest to the MIDRP are malaria, dengue, diarrheal disease caused by bacteria, multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The MIDRP also has smaller research programs focused on scrub typhus, adenovirus, and hemorrhagic fever viruses not found on the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) biothreat list. The MIDRP does not support proposals/ applications for funding research on viral or bacterial biowarfare threats, chemical weapon threats, or cancer.

Research efforts that focus on novel technologies for the detection, prevention, and treatment of naturally occurring infectious diseases, such as norovirus and other viral diarrhea, Q fever (Coxiella burnetii), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, protozoal diarrhea, Rickettsiosis, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi, as well as technologies that leverage current DoD intramural research efforts in malaria, dengue, bacterial diarrhea, and HIV are needed. MIDRP is interested in Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling preclinical and clinical studies to facilitate the development of therapeutics for prevention or treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria, fungi, and emerging infectious disease threats (e.g., Chikungunya virus, MERS-CoV, Zika virus).

The MIDRP is also interested in proposals/applications incorporating a systems biology approach. For more information, refer to Section V.E.2, Attachment 7, Data- and Research Resource-Sharing Plan.

Research Areas of Interest to the MIDRP are found in Appendix, Section I. Applicants are urged to read and consider these before preparing their applications.

Medical Biological Defense Research Program

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD) manages research directed towards medical biological defense. The DTRA JSTO-CBD has limited funding for proposals/applications submitted through the USAMRMC BAA. DTRA also seeks proposals/applications for its requirements through the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) and the DoD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program solicitations. For information regarding DTRA business opportunities, visit the website at http://www.dtra.mil/Contracts/BusinessOpportunities.aspx.

The Medical Biological Defense Research Program (MBDRP) provides medical countermeasures for biological warfare agents. These countermeasures include specialized medical materiel or procedures designed to enhance protection. The priorities of the program are (a) prophylaxis or pretreatment to prevent any casualty; (b) identification and diagnosis of biological agents; and (c) treatment or supportive care regimens. The MBDRP is interested in proposals/applications and products incorporating a systems biology approach. For more information, refer to Section V.E.2, Attachment 7.

Examples of some of the infectious agents of interest are those causing anthrax, plague, and glanders; the Ebola, Marburg, Venezuelan, Western and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses; and poxvirus models of variola virus. Examples of toxins of interest include those from plants (Ricin) and bacteria (Staphylococcal enterotoxins, botulinum).

The Research Areas of Interest to the MBDRP are found in Appendix, Section V. Applicants are urged to read and consider these before preparing their applications.

Where to Obtain the Submission Package for Research Awards

To obtain the complete Grants.gov proposal/application package (hereinafter, submission package), including all required forms, perform a Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/) basic search using the Funding Opportunity Number W81XWH-17-R-BAA1.

Submission is a two-step process requiring both: (1) Pre-proposal/pre-application submission through eBRAP (https://eBRAP.org/); and (2) Full proposal/application submission through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/).

Pre-Proposal/Pre-Application Submission and Content for Research Awards

Submission of a pre-proposal/pre-application is required and must be submitted through eBRAP (https://eBRAP.org/). If the USAMRMC is interested in receiving a full proposal/application, the PI will be sent an invitation via eBRAP to submit.

Because the invitation to submit a proposal/application is based on the contents of the pre-proposal/pre-application, a PI should not change the title or research objectives after the pre-proposal/pre-application is submitted. A PI and organization identified in the pre-proposal/pre-application should be the same as those intended for the full proposal/application submission. If any changes are necessary after submission of the pre-proposal/pre-application, the PI must contact the CDMRP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org or 301-682-5507. A change in PI or organization after submission of the pre-proposal/pre-application will be allowed only at the discretion of the USAMRAA Contracting or Grants Officer.

The organization, Business Official, and PI must register in eBRAP before submitting a pre-proposal/pre-application. Upon completion of an organization’s registration in eBRAP and approval by the CDMRP Help Desk, the organization name will be displayed in eBRAP to assist the organization’s Business Officials and PIs as they register. The organization, Business Officials, and PIs must all be registered and affiliated in eBRAP.

Pre-proposals/pre-applications may be submitted at any time prior to the BAA closing date. Pre-proposals/pre-applications should describe specific ideas or projects that pertain to any of the areas described under “Program Description” in this BAA. A pre-proposal/pre-application must include a brief description of the scientific methods and design to address the problem as described below. Brochures or other descriptions of general organizational or individual capabilities will not be accepted as a pre-proposal/pre-application. DO NOT include any proprietary information in the pre-proposal/pre-application.

The pre-proposal/pre-application consists of the following components, which are organized in eBRAP by separate tabs. Refer to the General Submission Instructions, Section II.C., for additional information on pre-proposal/pre-application submission.

• Tab 1 – Application Information:

○ Enter the information as described in eBRAP before continuing the pre-proposal/ pre-application.

• Tab 2 – Application Contact:

○ Enter contact information for the PI. Enter the organization’s Business Official responsible for sponsored program administration (the “person to be contacted on matters involving this application” in Block 5 of the Grants.gov SF424 Form). The Business Official must either be selected from the eBRAP list or invited for the pre-proposal/pre-application to be submitted.

○ Select the performing organization (site at which the PI will perform the proposed work) and contracting organization (organization submitting on behalf of the PI, which corresponds to Block 5 on SF424), and click on “Add Organizations to this Pre-application.” The organization(s) must either be selected from the eBRAP drop-down list or invited for the pre-proposal/pre-application to be submitted.

○ It is recommended that PIs identify an Alternate Submitter in the event that assistance with pre-proposal/pre-application submission is needed.

NOTE: The eBRAP system does not require approval of the pre-proposal/pre-application by the PI’s organization.

• Tab 3 – Collaborators and Key Personnel:

○ To enable the USAMRMC to avoid COI during the screening and review processes, list the name, organization, and role of all scientific participants in the proposed research project, including co-investigators, mentors, collaborators, consultants, and subrecipients/subawardees.

• Tab 4 – Conflicts of Interest

○ List all individuals other than collaborators and key personnel who may have a COI in the review of the proposal/application (including those with whom the PI has a personal or professional relationship).

Federal agency personnel involved in the review process and/or with making funding recommendations are prohibited from being involved in the research proposed or assisting in any pre-proposal/pre-application, including, but not limited to, concept design, application development, budget preparation, and the development of any supporting documentation. If formal collaboration with Military Facility personnel is planned (i.e., included in the proposal/application in performance of the research), this prohibition is not applicable. However, these Military Facility personnel cannot be involved in the review process and/or with making funding recommendations.

Refer to the General Submission Instructions, Appendix 1, for additional information. For questions related to COI, contact the CDMRP Help Desk at help@eBRAP.org or 301-682-5507.

• Tab 5 – Required Files

NOTE: No figures, charts, graphs, or other additional material will be accepted during the pre-proposal/pre-application process.

Provide responses in the appropriate data fields for the following in eBRAP. DO NOT LEAVE ANY FIELDS BLANK. eBRAP will truncate characters exceeding the limit specified for each data field. Enter “none” if there is no information to be included.

○ Problem To Be Studied (4,000 character limit, including spaces).

○ Theoretical Rationale, Scientific Methods, and Design (4,000 character limit, including spaces).

○ Significance and/or Uniqueness of the Proposed Effort (4,000 character limit, including spaces).

○ Military Relevance and Impact (4,000 character limit, including spaces).

○ Brief Description of Research Involving Animals, Human Anatomical Substances and/or Human Subjects (4,000 character limit, including spaces).

Plans and Strategy for Translation, Implementation, and/or Commercialization (4,000 character limit, including spaces).

Upload document(s) as individual PDF files. eBRAP will not allow a document to be uploaded in the Required Files tab if the number of pages exceeds the limits specified below.

○ Budget Summary: Upload as “BudgetSummary.pdf.” Complete the two-page Budget Summary Form (available for download in eBRAP) as instructed.

○ PI and Key Personnel Biographical Sketches (five-page limit per individual): Use boldfaced type or highlight titles of publications relevant to the proposed project. All biosketches should be uploaded as a single combined file.

Refer to the General Submission Instructions, Section II.C., for detailed information.

• Tab 6 – Submit Pre-Application

This tab must be completed for the pre-proposal/ pre-application to be accepted and processed.

If you have any queries and if you are interested in applying for this research funding opportunity, please contact us at the Office of Research Services and we will be pleased to provide further information and support 

e-mail: tropmed.mahidol.univ@gmail.com