Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 15 315
Apply for PAR 15 315
- The National Institutes of Health in the environment health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Exploratory/Developmental Projects in Translational Research (R21)" 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 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 93.867 Vision Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 30, 2015 and posted on Jul 30, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education County governments Independent school districts Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) State governments City or township governments Special district governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
- 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 not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH funding opportunity PAR 15-315, titled "Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Exploratory/Developmental Projects in Translational Research (R21)," is a discretionary grant program designed to help move promising early-stage ideas toward practical medical countermeasures for chemical exposures. It sits within the broader CounterACT program, whose central goal is to accelerate the discovery and development of new or improved therapeutics that can reduce illness, injury, or death caused by harmful chemical agents. These chemical threats include both intentional hazards, such as traditional chemical warfare agents that could be used in terrorist incidents, and unintentional hazards, such as toxic industrial chemicals released through accidents during manufacturing, storage, or transport. The program also explicitly includes pesticides among the relevant threats, reflecting real-world exposure risks that can affect civilian populations.
This FOA focuses specifically on exploratory and developmental translational research under the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically used to support high-impact, early, and sometimes higher-risk projects that need initial evidence before they can compete for larger, longer-term awards. The scientific scope is translational and product-oriented, meaning the work is expected to move beyond basic observations and toward tangible candidate countermeasures. Supported projects can cover a range of development steps, starting with identifying and characterizing biological targets or therapeutic candidates, then advancing through candidate optimization, and extending to demonstrating in vivo efficacy. In practice, that means applicants might propose work such as identifying a therapeutic target implicated in chemical injury, screening or refining candidate drugs or biologics, improving dosing or delivery approaches, or testing whether a candidate meaningfully improves outcomes in animal models relevant to chemical exposure.
A key expectation of awards under this announcement is the generation of actionable preliminary data. Rather than funding full-scale late-stage development, the R21 projects are intended to produce early preclinical results, screening outputs, and/or proof-of-concept efficacy findings that position the project for the next step. The FOA frames this next step as future competitiveness for more extensive NIH CounterACT support, including the Cooperative Agreement programs, or for other related NIH or federal development initiatives. In other words, the R21 is meant to bridge the gap between a concept and a stronger translational package: enough evidence to justify deeper investment, de-risk the approach, and clarify feasibility.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted on July 30, 2015, with an original and final closing date of January 30, 2018, and it was archived on March 2, 2018. It is a grant (funding instrument type: Grant) in the broad activity area of environment, health, income security, and social services, and it is associated with multiple CFDA listings: 93.113 (Environmental Health), 93.846 (Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research), 93.853 (Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders), 93.865 (Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research), and 93.867 (Vision Research). The listing of multiple CFDA numbers reflects the cross-cutting health impacts chemical exposures can have across organ systems and medical specialties.
Eligibility under PAR 15-315 is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), small businesses, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and a wide range of local, county, city/township, special district, and state governmental bodies. Tribal entities are included as well, covering both federally recognized tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations, along with tribally controlled colleges and universities. The FOA also highlights eligibility for institutions serving specific communities, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and AANAPISI organizations, and it allows faith-based and community-based organizations and certain regional organizations. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, may be permitted, which can matter when specific expertise, materials, or collaborations are located abroad but the applicant organization remains U.S.-based.
Overall, this opportunity was aimed at building a pipeline of early translational countermeasure projects that could realistically progress toward deployable therapeutics for chemical incidents. It emphasizes practical development milestones, the production of credible preclinical evidence, and a clear line of sight to follow-on funding mechanisms that can support more advanced stages of countermeasure development.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is PAR 15-315?
PAR 15-315 is an NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Exploratory/Developmental Projects in Translational Research (R21)." It supports exploratory and developmental translational research intended to advance early-stage ideas toward practical medical countermeasures for harmful chemical exposures.
What program is this FOA part of?
This FOA is part of the NIH CounterACT program, which focuses on accelerating the discovery and development of therapeutics that can reduce illness, injury, or death caused by exposure to harmful chemical agents.
What types of chemical threats are covered under this opportunity?
The FOA covers both intentional and unintentional chemical threats. This includes traditional chemical warfare agents that could be used in terrorist incidents and toxic industrial chemicals that could be released accidentally during manufacturing, storage, or transport. The FOA also explicitly includes pesticides as relevant chemical threats.
What is the goal of projects funded under this FOA?
The goal is to move beyond basic observations and generate translational, product-oriented progress toward tangible candidate countermeasures. Projects are expected to create actionable preliminary data that can support future, more extensive countermeasure development efforts.
What funding mechanism does PAR 15-315 use?
It uses the NIH R21 mechanism (Exploratory/Developmental Grant), which is commonly used for early, high-impact, and sometimes higher-risk projects that need initial evidence before pursuing larger and longer-term awards.
What does "translational and product-oriented" mean in this FOA?
In this FOA, translational and product-oriented work means research should be directed toward developing or advancing a countermeasure candidate, rather than staying at the level of basic biological observation. The intent is to produce results that help move a candidate toward practical use in addressing chemical injury.
What kinds of research activities are within scope?
Supported activities can include identifying and characterizing biological targets or therapeutic candidates, optimizing candidates, and demonstrating in vivo efficacy. Examples described in the FOA include identifying a therapeutic target implicated in chemical injury, screening or refining candidate drugs or biologics, improving dosing or delivery approaches, and testing whether a candidate improves outcomes in relevant animal models of chemical exposure.
How far along should a project be for an R21 under this FOA?
The FOA is oriented toward early-stage translational projects that can generate preliminary preclinical evidence, screening outputs, and/or proof-of-concept efficacy data. It is not described as support for full-scale, late-stage development; instead it is positioned as a bridge from a concept to a stronger translational package that can justify deeper follow-on investment.
What is a "key expectation" for awards made under PAR 15-315?
A key expectation is the generation of actionable preliminary data. The FOA emphasizes producing early preclinical results and proof-of-concept findings that de-risk the approach and clarify feasibility, positioning the work for later-stage support.
What is the intended "next step" after completing an R21 under this FOA?
The FOA describes the R21 as positioning projects for future competitiveness for more extensive NIH CounterACT support, including Cooperative Agreement programs, or other related NIH or federal development initiatives.
Is this opportunity currently open?
No. The FOA was posted July 30, 2015. The original and final closing date was January 30, 2018. It was archived on March 2, 2018.
What type of funding instrument is PAR 15-315?
The funding instrument type is a Grant, and the mechanism is R21 (Exploratory/Developmental).
What broad activity area is associated with this grant?
The FOA is listed under the broad activity area of environment, health, income security, and social services.
What CFDA numbers are associated with PAR 15-315?
The FOA is associated with multiple CFDA listings: 93.113 (Environmental Health), 93.846 (Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research), 93.853 (Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders), 93.865 (Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research), and 93.867 (Vision Research).
Why are multiple CFDA numbers listed for this opportunity?
The multiple CFDA numbers reflect the cross-cutting health impacts of chemical exposures across organ systems and medical specialties, aligning the opportunity with several NIH-related health research areas.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad for U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), small businesses, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and many types of governmental bodies (local, county, city/township, special district, and state).
Are Tribal entities eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include federally recognized tribal governments, other Native American tribal organizations, and tribally controlled colleges and universities.
Are minority-serving institutions highlighted as eligible?
Yes. The FOA highlights eligibility for institutions serving specific communities, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and AANAPISI organizations.
Are faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA allows faith-based and community-based organizations, and it also mentions certain regional organizations as eligible.
Can foreign (non-U.S.) institutions apply as the applicant organization?
No. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply under this FOA.
Can a non-U.S. component of a U.S. organization apply?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible under this FOA.
Are foreign components allowed in any form?
The FOA states that foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, may be permitted. This can be relevant when specific expertise, materials, or collaborations are located outside the U.S., while the applicant organization remains U.S.-based.
What kinds of outcomes does this FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasizes practical development milestones and credible preclinical evidence, including early preclinical results, screening outputs, and proof-of-concept in vivo efficacy data that support a clear path to follow-on development funding.
Does the FOA focus on therapeutics specifically?
Yes. The broader CounterACT goal described in the FOA is to accelerate discovery and development of new or improved therapeutics to reduce illness, injury, or death from harmful chemical exposures, and this R21 FOA is aimed at advancing candidate countermeasures toward that goal.
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