Highly Innovative Tactics to Interrupt Transmission of HIV (HIT IT) (R01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the HIT IT (R01) funding opportunity?

The Highly Innovative Tactics to Interrupt Transmission of HIV (HIT IT) (R01) is an NIH research grant solicitation from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). It is designed to push HIV prevention research toward bold, unconventional ideas that could meaningfully reduce or stop HIV transmission.

2) What is the official funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is RFA-AI-09-037.

3) What is the main goal of this FOA?

The core goal is to stimulate the discovery, design, and early preclinical evaluation of intentionally high-risk but scientifically grounded approaches to interrupt HIV transmission, with a long-term vision of providing durable protection against acquiring HIV infection.

4) What kind of research approach is NIAID looking for?

NIAID is explicitly encouraging "outside the box" concepts and alternative tracks, particularly because traditional pathways (including vaccines and other biomedical prevention strategies) have faced notable setbacks. The FOA is geared toward novel hypotheses and difficult problems where success would significantly change thinking in the field.

5) Is this FOA intended for incremental advances or major leaps?

This FOA is not aimed at incremental work. Applicants are encouraged to propose bold ideas where the payoff could be substantial and field-shaping if the concept works.

6) What does "high-risk but scientifically grounded" mean in the context of this FOA?

Based on the FOA description, the program is looking for approaches that may be untested and have uncertain outcomes, but still have a clear scientific rationale. Proposed work should be designed so experiments can convincingly validate or falsify the core concept.

7) What stage of research is expected (e.g., theoretical, preclinical, clinical)?

The FOA emphasizes early preclinical evaluation. Projects should move beyond pure theory into proof-of-concept style studies that begin to demonstrate feasibility, mechanism, or potential protective effect, even if the approach is new and the outcome is uncertain.

8) What should a strong proposal include, based on the FOA summary?

A competitive proposal should clearly define the problem or hypothesis, provide a rationale for why the idea could work, and outline experiments that would decisively validate or falsify the concept during early preclinical evaluation.

9) What funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?

Funding is provided through the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) mechanism, which generally supports investigator-driven research with substantial scientific scope.

10) How much total funding did NIAID plan to commit?

NIAID planned to commit approximately $4 million in total costs in fiscal year (FY) 2010.

11) How many awards were anticipated?

The FOA anticipated roughly 5 to 10 awards, depending on funding availability and the number of strong applications received.

12) Are awards guaranteed if an application is strong?

No. As with most NIH opportunities, awards are contingent on available appropriations and peer review outcomes.

13) Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?

No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

14) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and inclusive. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations; small businesses (also listed as eligible); and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special districts), as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations.

15) Are community-based and faith-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The FOA explicitly includes faith-based or community-based organizations among eligible entities.

16) Are specific mission-focused or historically underrepresented institutions eligible?

Yes. The FOA calls out eligible entities such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.

17) Can U.S. territories or possessions apply?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are listed among eligible entities.

18) Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The FOA indicates that non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and regional organizations are eligible.

19) Are both established and new investigators encouraged?

Yes. The FOA is open to both established and new investigators.

20) Is prior HIV prevention research experience required?

No. The FOA does not require prior HIV prevention research experience as a prerequisite, which aligns with its goal of attracting fresh perspectives from outside the usual HIV prevention pipeline.

21) When was the FOA posted?

The posted/created date is July 1, 2009.

22) What is the closing date for applications?

The original and current closing date listed is November 3, 2009.

23) When was the FOA archived?

The archive date is December 4, 2009.

24) What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 93.855 (Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research) and CFDA 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research).

25) Where was the full announcement made available?

The full announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide (as referenced in the source text).

26) Who is listed as the contact for access or technical linking issues?

The NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster is listed as the contact for access or technical linking issues.