Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 13 019
Apply for RFA AI 13 019
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Drug Target Development and Validation for Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens (R21/R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.856 Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 26, 2013 and posted on Mar 26, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 18, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments 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 Small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Independent school districts County governments Special district governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal 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 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Drug Target Development and Validation for Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens (R21/R33) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-13-019) was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program aimed at accelerating research that moves from early discovery toward translation in the specific area of antimicrobial resistance. The central goal was to support projects that identify, characterize, and validate new antimicrobial drug targets in select antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, with the longer-term intention of enabling new therapeutic interventions. In practical terms, the program was set up to encourage work that goes beyond simply finding an interesting bacterial gene or pathway and instead builds a defensible case that a target is both biologically important to the pathogen and realistically actionable for drug development.
A key feature of this announcement is the use of the R21/R33 phased innovation mechanism. The R21 portion is typically used for high-impact, exploratory, and early-stage activities, such as initial target discovery, feasibility experiments, preliminary validation, and development of assays or enabling tools. If predefined milestones are met, the project can transition into the R33 phase, which is generally intended to support more advanced, milestone-driven development work. For a topic like antimicrobial target validation, that phased structure is a way of pushing projects to start with strong proof-of-concept experiments and then, if successful, move into more rigorous validation and translational steps that could include deeper mechanistic characterization, improved assays for screening, or additional validation in relevant models. The emphasis on milestones is important because it signals that NIH expected clear, measurable progress gates rather than open-ended basic research alone.
The scientific scope was described as "basic to translational," meaning the program was interested in a continuum of work that begins with foundational biology and advances toward drug discovery readiness. That typically includes things like demonstrating that inhibiting a target impairs bacterial survival, virulence, persistence, or transmission; establishing that the target is essential or conditionally essential under clinically relevant conditions; showing that the target is conserved across strains of concern (or intentionally strain-specific if that is the strategy); and assessing whether the target can be modulated by small molecules or other therapeutic modalities. It also commonly involves building the experimental infrastructure needed for downstream discovery, such as biochemical or cell-based assays that are robust enough to support screening or structure-function studies that clarify how inhibition might work. The announcement specifically framed this work in the context of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens, highlighting the public health urgency of developing new strategies that can bypass existing resistance mechanisms.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, the opportunity was posted March 26, 2013, with an original and current closing date of July 18, 2013, and it was archived on August 18, 2013. NIH estimated total funding at approximately $3.5 million for the program. The funding instrument type was a grant, and the activity category fell under health. The CFDA program numbers associated with the announcement were 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research), reflecting its placement within NIH infectious disease and microbiology priorities. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which generally lowers barriers for applicants and is typical of many NIH research grants.
Eligibility was broad and included many organizational types across the public, private, academic, nonprofit, and governmental spectrum. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (with the noted exception language in the listing), for-profit organizations (including but not limited to small businesses), and a range of governmental entities such as state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The announcement also explicitly included eligibility for tribal governments and tribal organizations, including Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal entities, as well as Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Beyond that, it listed several institution categories often highlighted in federal funding opportunities, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations where applicable.
Notably, non-U.S. entities were eligible: foreign organizations and foreign institutions could apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were allowed. This is significant for antimicrobial resistance research because resistant pathogens, their evolution, and their clinical impact are global, and the best expertise, strain collections, or clinical contexts may exist outside the United States.
For reference and full details, NIH provided an additional information link to the full announcement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-13-019.html. The contact information included NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) web support addresses for access or linking issues, directing applicants to the NIH OER Webmaster (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Drug Target Development and Validation for Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens (R21/R33)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-AI-13-019.
Which federal agency offered this opportunity?
This opportunity was offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What kind of program was it within NIH?
It was described as an NIH discretionary grant program focused on accelerating research from early discovery toward translation in antimicrobial resistance.
What is the central goal of the program?
The central goal was to support projects that identify, characterize, and validate new antimicrobial drug targets in select antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, with the longer-term intent of enabling new therapeutic interventions.
What problem area is this program trying to address?
The program is framed around antimicrobial resistance, emphasizing the public health urgency of developing new strategies to address antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens and bypass existing resistance mechanisms.
What does "drug target development and validation" mean in the context of this announcement?
In practical terms, the program aimed to fund work that goes beyond identifying an interesting bacterial gene or pathway and instead builds a defensible case that a proposed target is biologically important to the pathogen and realistically actionable for drug development.
What grant mechanism did NIH use for this opportunity?
The opportunity used the R21/R33 phased innovation mechanism.
How does the R21/R33 phased innovation structure work here?
The R21 phase is typically for exploratory, early-stage activities (such as initial target discovery, feasibility experiments, preliminary validation, and development of assays or enabling tools). If predefined milestones are met, the project may transition to the R33 phase, which generally supports more advanced, milestone-driven development work.
What types of work fit within the R21 phase for this program?
The R21 portion was described as appropriate for high-impact, exploratory, and early-stage activities, including initial target discovery, feasibility experiments, preliminary validation, and development of assays or enabling tools.
What types of work fit within the R33 phase for this program?
The R33 portion was described as supporting more advanced, milestone-driven development work. For antimicrobial target validation, that could include more rigorous validation and translational steps such as deeper mechanistic characterization, improved assays for screening, or additional validation in relevant models.
What is meant by "milestones" in this announcement?
The emphasis on milestones indicates NIH expected clear, measurable progress gates. Meeting predefined milestones was tied to the ability to transition from the R21 phase to the R33 phase, rather than supporting open-ended basic research alone.
How is the scientific scope described?
The scope was described as "basic to translational," meaning the program was interested in work spanning from foundational biology through steps that improve readiness for drug discovery.
What are examples of activities that align with the "basic to translational" scope?
Examples described include demonstrating that inhibiting a target impairs bacterial survival, virulence, persistence, or transmission; establishing target essentiality or conditional essentiality under clinically relevant conditions; showing conservation across strains of concern (or intentionally strain-specific targeting); assessing whether the target can be modulated by small molecules or other modalities; and building enabling infrastructure such as robust biochemical or cell-based assays and structure-function studies.
Does the program require that a target be conserved across strains?
The scope mentions demonstrating that a target is conserved across strains of concern, or intentionally strain-specific if that is the strategy, indicating either approach could be consistent with the program goals depending on rationale.
Does the program focus only on bacterial pathogens?
Yes. The announcement is explicitly framed around antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.
What type of funding instrument was used?
The funding instrument type was a grant.
What activity category was associated with the opportunity?
The activity category fell under health.
What were the relevant CFDA program numbers?
The CFDA program numbers associated with the announcement were 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research).
How much total funding did NIH estimate for the program?
NIH estimated total funding at approximately $3.5 million for the program.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on March 26, 2013.
What was the closing date for applications?
The original and current closing date listed was July 18, 2013.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The announcement was archived on August 18, 2013, and the listed closing date was July 18, 2013.
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (with exception language noted in the listing), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and many governmental entities.
Which U.S. governmental entities were listed as eligible?
Eligible governmental entities included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
Were tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The announcement explicitly included Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal entities, as well as tribal organizations and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
Were minority-serving institutions mentioned as eligible or encouraged?
Several categories were explicitly listed, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).
Were faith-based or community-based organizations included?
They were listed among the eligible organization categories where applicable.
Could for-profit companies apply?
Yes. For-profit organizations were included as eligible applicants, including (but not limited to) small businesses.
Were non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions could apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were allowed.
Why might foreign eligibility matter for this program?
The announcement notes antimicrobial resistance is global, and key expertise, strain collections, or clinical contexts may exist outside the United States.
Where can applicants find the full announcement details?
NIH provided an additional information link to the full announcement at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-13-019.html
Who should be contacted for website access or linking issues related to the announcement?
The contact listed for access or linking issues was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster via FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
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