Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 15 018
Apply for RFA DA 15 018
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing Technologies and Tools to Monitor HIV Brain Reservoirs and How They May be Altered by Exposure to Substances of Abuse (R21/R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 3, 2015 and posted on Feb 3, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 10, 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: Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Public and State controlled institutions of higher education State governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Independent school districts Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education Special district governments Small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) County governments City or township governments.
- 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) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant opportunity, RFA-DA-15-018, was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Opportunity Announcement focused on advancing new technologies and practical research tools that can detect, measure, and track HIV "reservoirs" in the brain, with a specific emphasis on understanding how those reservoirs may change when a person is exposed to substances of abuse. The central idea behind the FOA is that HIV can persist in the body even when blood levels are well controlled with antiretroviral therapy, and the brain is considered a particularly challenging and important site because it is harder to access, has unique immune and cellular environments, and is closely tied to neurocognitive outcomes. The announcement specifically highlights the need for better ways to identify and quantify HIV persistence in brain-related compartments and to determine whether drugs of abuse influence the size, activity, detectability, or biological behavior of these reservoirs.
The funding mechanism used a phased innovation structure labeled R21/R33. In practice, this kind of structure supports early-stage, high-impact development work first (the R21 phase, often used for exploratory or proof-of-concept efforts) and then, if predefined milestones are met, allows a transition into a second phase (the R33 phase) intended to push the approach further toward a more mature, validated, and broadly usable technology or tool. In other words, the FOA was not simply asking for basic descriptive studies of HIV in the brain; it was aiming to catalyze tangible methods, platforms, assays, imaging approaches, biomarkers, analytical pipelines, or other enabling tools that researchers could use to monitor brain reservoirs and evaluate how substances of abuse may modify them.
Administratively, this was a discretionary grant opportunity under the NIH, listed within the Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs CFDA number 93.279, reflecting the substance use and addiction angle as a core component of the scientific motivation. The announcement was posted on February 3, 2015, with an application due date of April 10, 2015, and it was later archived on May 11, 2015. The estimated total funding level was about $3,000,000, which indicates an intention to support multiple projects or a small number of relatively substantial technology-development awards, depending on award size and duration.
Eligibility was broad and included many categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants included federal, state, county, and local government entities; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly included a wide range of mission- or population-focused institutions and organizations such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), tribal governments and tribal organizations, faith-based and community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities and regional organizations were also listed as eligible, which fits the global nature of HIV research and the potential value of internationally developed technologies or cohorts. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, consistent with typical NIH grant structures.
From a research impact standpoint, the FOA sits at the intersection of HIV persistence/cure research, neuroHIV, and substance use research. Its emphasis on "monitoring" and "quantifying" signals that NIH was seeking improvements in measurement science: methods that can reliably detect HIV or HIV-related signals in brain tissue or brain-associated compartments, distinguish latent from active infection where possible, and provide interpretable readouts that can be compared across subjects, time points, and exposure conditions. The substances-of-abuse component points to concerns that drugs such as stimulants, opioids, alcohol, or other abused substances could alter neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier dynamics, immune activation, cellular susceptibility, or other factors that might influence HIV persistence in the central nervous system. Tools emerging from projects supported by this FOA would ideally make it easier to test those hypotheses in humans and model systems and to evaluate interventions meant to reduce reservoirs or mitigate neurologic harm.
For applicant support and access issues, the listing provided standard NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) contact options, including an email for help accessing the announcement and troubleshooting linking problems. The full announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide at the provided URL.
FAQs: NIH Funding Opportunity RFA-DA-15-018 (Archived)
What is RFA-DA-15-018?
RFA-DA-15-018 was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that focused on developing new technologies and practical research tools to detect, measure, and track HIV "reservoirs" in the brain, particularly in the context of exposure to substances of abuse.
What problem was this FOA trying to address?
The FOA was motivated by the idea that HIV can persist in the body even when blood levels are well controlled with antiretroviral therapy. It emphasized that the brain is a particularly difficult and important site for measuring HIV persistence due to access challenges, distinct immune and cellular environments, and links to neurocognitive outcomes.
What are "HIV reservoirs in the brain" in the context of this opportunity?
In this FOA, "reservoirs" referred to HIV persistence in brain-related compartments or environments where the virus may remain present even when standard blood-based measures show good control. The announcement highlighted a need for better ways to identify and quantify this persistence in brain-associated sites.
Why did this FOA emphasize substances of abuse?
The FOA specifically sought tools that could help determine whether exposure to substances of abuse influences the size, activity, detectability, or biological behavior of HIV reservoirs in the brain. It reflected concerns that substances of abuse could affect neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier dynamics, immune activation, and other factors relevant to HIV persistence in the central nervous system.
What kinds of projects was NIH seeking under this announcement?
NIH was aiming to catalyze tangible, enabling methods rather than purely descriptive studies. The FOA emphasized development of technologies or tools that could monitor and quantify brain reservoirs and evaluate how substances of abuse may modify them.
What types of tools or technologies were envisioned?
The FOA described potential outputs such as methods, platforms, assays, imaging approaches, biomarkers, analytical pipelines, or other enabling tools that researchers could use to detect, measure, or track HIV persistence in brain-related compartments and study the effects of substances of abuse on those reservoirs.
Was this FOA intended for basic research or technology development?
Its stated emphasis was on technology and tool development to improve monitoring and quantification. It was not framed as a call for basic descriptive studies alone; the intent was to move toward practical approaches that could be used broadly by the research community.
What funding mechanism was used?
The FOA used a phased innovation structure: R21/R33.
How did the R21/R33 phased structure work in this FOA?
The R21 phase supported early-stage, high-impact development work (often exploratory or proof-of-concept). If predefined milestones were met, projects could transition to the R33 phase, which was intended to advance the approach toward a more mature, validated, and broadly usable technology or tool.
Did the FOA require meeting milestones to move from R21 to R33?
Yes. Transition from the R21 phase to the R33 phase was contingent on meeting predefined milestones, as described in the phased R21/R33 approach.
What scientific areas did this FOA sit at the intersection of?
The FOA sat at the intersection of HIV persistence/cure research, neuroHIV, and substance use research, with a strong focus on measurement science (monitoring and quantification of brain reservoirs).
What did the FOA mean by improving "monitoring" and "quantifying"?
The announcement highlighted the need for methods that can reliably detect HIV or HIV-related signals in brain tissue or brain-associated compartments, produce interpretable readouts, and support comparisons across subjects, time points, and exposure conditions.
Did this FOA mention distinguishing latent versus active infection?
Yes. The description emphasized that improved methods should, where possible, help distinguish latent from active infection and provide meaningful measurements of persistence.
How much funding was expected under this FOA?
The estimated total funding level was approximately $3,000,000, suggesting support for multiple projects or a smaller number of larger technology-development awards depending on award size and duration.
What CFDA program area was associated with this opportunity?
This FOA was listed under Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs with CFDA number 93.279, reflecting the substance use and addiction component as central to the scientific motivation.
When was the FOA posted, and when were applications due?
The announcement was posted on February 3, 2015, and the application due date was April 10, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The FOA was later archived on May 11, 2015.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, spanning government entities, academic institutions, nonprofits, for-profits, small businesses, and foreign organizations.
Were U.S. government entities eligible applicants?
Yes. Eligible applicants included federal, state, county, and local government entities.
Were colleges and universities eligible?
Yes. Public and private institutions of higher education were eligible.
Were nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. Nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status were listed as eligible.
Were for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. For-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses) were eligible, and small businesses were also eligible.
Were minority-serving institutions and specialized institutions explicitly included?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included institutions and organizations such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).
Were tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Tribal governments and tribal organizations were listed as eligible applicants.
Were faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. Faith-based and community-based organizations were explicitly included.
Were U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions were included in the eligibility list.
Were foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?
Yes. Foreign entities and regional organizations were listed as eligible, consistent with the global nature of HIV research.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which is consistent with typical NIH grant structures.
Where could applicants get help with access or technical issues related to the announcement?
The listing provided standard NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) contact options, including an email for help accessing the announcement and troubleshooting linking problems.
Where was the full announcement hosted?
The full FOA was hosted through the NIH grants guide at the provided URL referenced in the listing.
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