Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Centers of Excellence (U54) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Centers of Excellence (U54) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 15-146) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to build multidisciplinary research centers focused on developing medical countermeasures for toxic chemical exposures. The program sits under the broader CounterACT mission to accelerate research and development of new or improved therapeutics for chemical threats, including agents that could be used deliberately (such as classic chemical warfare agents) and chemicals that may be encountered through accidents involving industrial production, storage, or transport (toxic industrial chemicals), as well as certain pesticides. In practical terms, NIH is looking to fund coordinated center-based efforts that can move promising ideas beyond basic discovery and into the kinds of translational studies that support real-world readiness and eventual advanced development.

The scientific scope is explicitly translational and spans a wide arc of product-focused R and D. Proposed work can start at target or candidate identification and characterization, move through optimization of candidate therapeutics, and extend through demonstration of in vivo efficacy. The FOA also allows progression into IND-enabling studies, meaning the types of preclinical packages typically required to support an Investigational New Drug application and prepare a therapy for later-stage development. This signals that NIH expects applicants to think in terms of deliverables, development pathways, and evidence thresholds, not just mechanistic insights. The emphasis is on therapies and countermeasures that can mitigate injury or improve outcomes following exposure to harmful chemicals, aligning the work with public health preparedness and emergency response needs.

Structurally, applicants must propose a full Center of Excellence rather than a single project. Each center is required to include at least three research projects, and those projects must be supported by both administrative and scientific cores. The administrative core generally provides leadership, governance, coordination, communications, and oversight across projects, while scientific cores provide shared resources, technologies, models, or specialized services that enable multiple projects to progress efficiently and consistently. In addition to these cores, the center must include a research education core, reflecting an expectation that the program will also help develop talent and expand the pipeline of researchers trained to work on chemical threat countermeasure development. The U54 mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means NIH program staff will have substantial involvement in the funded effort through coordination, guidance, and stewardship consistent with the cooperative model, especially important for milestone-driven translational programs.

A defining feature of this FOA is the requirement that each research project include clear, milestone-based planning with discrete go or no-go decision points. This is meant to impose development discipline, ensuring projects have measurable endpoints, timelines, and objective criteria for continuation, redirection, or termination as evidence emerges. In other words, the agency is not just funding exploration; it is funding a staged translational plan where progress is continuously evaluated against pre-specified performance benchmarks. This approach is common in programs intended to push interventions toward practical deployment, because it helps manage risk and concentrates resources on candidates that meet defined thresholds.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was posted March 19, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 12, 2017, and an archive date of October 13, 2017. While that timing indicates the specific FOA is no longer accepting applications, the summary still matters as a model for how NIH structures CounterACT center funding and what it typically expects in terms of translational readiness, center infrastructure, and milestone rigor.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based entities and spans many institution types. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (with the usual distinctions in NIH policy); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. Various Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations are included, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities are also listed. The FOA further clarifies that additional eligible applicants include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic Serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; regional organizations; eligible federal agencies; and U.S. territories or possessions. 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 the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which typically means certain clearly justified international elements can be included when they add unique value and comply with NIH rules.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement instrument, with activity categories spanning environment, health, income security, and social services. It references multiple CFDA numbers associated with NIH research portfolios, including Environmental Health (93.113), arthritis/musculoskeletal/skin diseases research (93.846), extramural neuroscience and neurological disorders research (93.853), child health and human development extramural research (93.865), and vision research (93.867). No cost sharing or matching is required, which is typical for NIH research awards. For applicants and administrators, the official announcement was hosted through the NIH Grants Guide (linked in the source), and NIH provided contact points through the NIH Office of Extramural Research web support for access or linking issues.

Overall, this FOA supports integrated, milestone-driven centers that can take chemical threat countermeasure concepts from early identification through optimization and robust in vivo evidence, potentially reaching IND-enabling readiness. It combines coordinated multi-project science, shared infrastructure, and workforce development, with NIH actively involved through the cooperative agreement framework to keep the program aligned with translational objectives and preparedness-oriented outcomes.

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