Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 13 208
Apply for PAR 13 208
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Cooperative Research Projects (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113 Environmental Health 93.846 Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.856 Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training 93.867 Vision Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 14, 2013 and posted on Apr 25, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 16, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses County governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments Independent school districts Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) For profit organizations other than small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Cooperative Research Projects (U01) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 13 208) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement designed to support research that moves potential medical countermeasures for dangerous chemicals toward practical therapeutic use. It uses the cooperative agreement mechanism (U01), which generally means NIH program staff are expected to have substantial involvement during the life of the project compared with a standard research grant. The overall purpose is translational: not just studying chemical injuries in principle, but advancing concrete therapeutic approaches that could be used to treat people exposed during a terrorist attack or an accidental release tied to industrial manufacturing, storage, or transportation.
The program focus is on “chemical threats,” defined broadly to include classic chemical warfare agents as well as toxic industrial chemicals and pesticides. In other words, the scope is not limited to battlefield agents; it also includes substances that may be encountered in industrial accidents or other real-world exposure scenarios. The mission statement is explicit that the goal is to develop new and improved therapeutics, so applications are expected to be oriented toward treatment and medical countermeasure development rather than basic descriptive toxicology alone.
A key feature of the announcement is the expectation of a progressive, milestone-driven translational plan. The supported research can span a development pipeline that starts with target identification and candidate discovery or characterization, continues through candidate optimization and demonstration of in vivo efficacy, and may extend as far as Investigational New Drug (IND) submission when appropriate. This implies applicants should propose a structured development path with clear deliverables, and the FOA specifically requires milestones that create discrete “go/no-go” decision points. Practically, that means projects should be designed so that at predefined stages the team can evaluate whether the countermeasure is meeting performance criteria (for example, potency, safety signals, pharmacokinetics, feasibility of administration, or efficacy in relevant animal models) and either advance to the next stage or stop and redirect resources.
The announcement also signals that alignment with NIH and CounterACT priorities matters. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Officials listed in the FOA to confirm whether the proposed threat agent(s) or countermeasure approach is considered a high program priority for one of the participating Institutes. This is an important strategic step because the chemical threat space is wide, and NIH may emphasize certain agents, exposure scenarios, organ systems, or therapeutic modalities based on national preparedness needs and the participating Institutes’ missions.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and falls under the health funding activity category. It lists multiple CFDA numbers associated with NIH programs (including environmental health, infectious diseases/microbiology, neurosciences, general biomedical research and training, vision research, and others), reflecting that chemical injury and countermeasure development can cut across many biological systems and disease areas. The announcement indicates no cost sharing or matching is required. The estimated total funding listed is $3,000,000.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include, among others, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), small businesses, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and a wide range of government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, independent school districts), plus tribal governments and tribal organizations, and public housing authorities. The FOA also explicitly includes various institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISI institutions, as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and regional organizations where relevant. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, although non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and “foreign components” as defined by NIH policy are allowed, which typically means limited, well-justified foreign involvement can be included within an otherwise eligible application.
In terms of timing, the FOA was posted April 25, 2013, with an original and current closing date of September 16, 2015, and an archive date of October 17, 2015. The archived status indicates it was a time-limited solicitation rather than a permanently open program announcement. For those looking for the historical full text, the provided link points to the NIH Grants Guide page for PAR 13 208. The contact information included is primarily technical support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster email for access or linking issues.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a milestone-based, translational cooperative research program aimed at pushing chemical-threat therapeutics along a development pathway that can plausibly lead to deployable medical countermeasures, with strong emphasis on programmatic priority alignment and stage-gated decision-making to manage risk and ensure progress.
Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Cooperative Research Projects (U01) - FAQs
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Cooperative Research Projects (U01) funding announcement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is PAR 13 208. It is intended to support research that advances potential medical countermeasures for dangerous chemicals toward practical therapeutic use.
What does the program aim to accomplish?
The purpose is translational: to move beyond studying chemical injury in theory and instead advance concrete therapeutic approaches that could be used to treat people exposed during a terrorist attack or an accidental chemical release related to industrial manufacturing, storage, or transportation.
What kinds of chemical threats are included?
The scope is broad and includes classic chemical warfare agents as well as toxic industrial chemicals and pesticides. The program is not limited to battlefield agents; it also covers substances encountered in real-world exposure scenarios such as industrial accidents.
Is this opportunity focused on basic research or applied development?
The mission is explicit about developing new and improved therapeutics. Applications are expected to be oriented toward treatment and medical countermeasure development rather than basic descriptive toxicology alone.
What is the grant mechanism used in this program?
The announcement uses the cooperative agreement mechanism (U01). Under a cooperative agreement, NIH program staff are generally expected to have substantial involvement during the life of the project compared with a standard research grant.
What does "substantial involvement" by NIH mean in practice?
Because this is a U01 cooperative agreement, the project is expected to involve active NIH program staff participation during the project period compared with typical investigator-initiated research grants. The FOA frames the work as milestone-driven and programmatically aligned, which supports that more engaged management approach.
What stages of development can a proposed project cover?
The supported research can span a development pipeline that may include target identification; candidate discovery or characterization; candidate optimization; demonstration of in vivo efficacy; and, when appropriate, work extending as far as Investigational New Drug (IND) submission.
Are milestones required?
Yes. A key feature is a progressive, milestone-driven translational plan. The FOA specifically requires milestones that create discrete go/no-go decision points.
What are "go/no-go" decision points?
These are predefined stages where the team evaluates whether the countermeasure is meeting performance criteria and decides whether to advance to the next stage or stop and redirect resources. The FOA gives examples of decision criteria such as potency, safety signals, pharmacokinetics, feasibility of administration, or efficacy in relevant animal models.
How important is alignment with CounterACT and NIH priorities?
Alignment is emphasized. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Officials listed in the FOA to confirm whether the proposed threat agent(s) or countermeasure approach is considered a high program priority for a participating Institute.
Why does the FOA recommend contacting Program Officials before applying?
The chemical threat space is broad, and NIH may emphasize particular agents, exposure scenarios, organ systems, or therapeutic modalities based on national preparedness needs and the missions of participating Institutes. Contacting Program Officials helps applicants confirm fit and priority alignment.
What is the funding type/category?
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and falls under the health funding activity category.
What is the estimated total funding amount listed?
The estimated total funding listed is $3,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement indicates that no cost sharing or matching is required.
Which organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits); small businesses; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and many government entities such as state, county, city/township, special districts, independent school districts, tribal governments, tribal organizations, and public housing authorities.
Are minority-serving and special institutional types included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISI institutions. It also notes faith-based or community-based organizations and regional organizations where relevant.
Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations.
Can a U.S. applicant include foreign work or collaborators?
Yes. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed. This typically means limited, well-justified foreign involvement can be included within an otherwise eligible application.
Which NIH program areas does this opportunity touch?
The announcement lists multiple CFDA numbers associated with NIH programs (including environmental health, infectious diseases/microbiology, neurosciences, general biomedical research and training, vision research, and others), reflecting that chemical injury and countermeasure development can involve many biological systems and disease areas.
When was this FOA posted, and when did it close?
The FOA was posted on April 25, 2013. The original and current closing date was September 16, 2015. The archive date was October 17, 2015.
What does it mean that the FOA is archived?
Archived status indicates it was a time-limited solicitation rather than a permanently open program announcement. It also means the listed dates are historical and the FOA is not presented as an active, open opportunity in the provided information.
Where can the historical full text be found?
The provided link points to the NIH Grants Guide page for PAR 13 208, where the historical full text can be accessed.
What contact information is provided for help?
The contact information included is primarily technical support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster email for access or linking issues.
What kind of projects are the best fit for this opportunity?
Based on the description, the best fit is a milestone-based, translational cooperative research project aimed at pushing chemical-threat therapeutics along a development pathway that can plausibly lead to deployable medical countermeasures, with clear stage-gated decision-making and strong alignment with CounterACT and participating NIH Institute priorities.
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