Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 14 062
Apply for RFA AI 14 062
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovative Technologies for Differential Diagnosis of Acute Febrile Illnesses (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 Oct 15, 2014 and posted on Oct 15, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 2, 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 $5,400,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments City or township governments Small businesses State governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities 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 For profit organizations other than small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Special district 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 grant opportunity titled "Innovative Technologies for Differential Diagnosis of Acute Febrile Illnesses (R21/R33)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-14-062) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program in the health area that was posted on October 15, 2014, with an application closing date of February 2, 2015, and an archive date of March 5, 2015. It is associated with CFDA numbers 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research). The FOA set out to invest in early-stage translational research that could push forward new diagnostic approaches for acute febrile illnesses caused by infectious pathogens, specifically excluding HIV from the scope. In practical terms, the government was looking for technology development projects that could help clinicians and public health teams distinguish among multiple possible infectious causes of fever, rather than confirming just a single suspected pathogen.
A central theme of this opportunity is the development of innovative and "unbiased" next-generation differential diagnostic technologies. That wording signals interest in platforms or methods that do not depend solely on a narrow set of pre-selected targets, and that can sort through a broad range of potential infectious agents or host-response signals to support differential diagnosis. Because acute febrile illness is a common clinical presentation shared by many pathogens, the goal is to enable faster and more accurate decision-making about what is actually causing the fever, which can affect treatment selection, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control measures, and outbreak response. The focus on early-stage translational research indicates that projects were expected to go beyond basic discovery and move toward proof-of-concept, prototype development, and other steps that bring a diagnostic technology closer to real-world use.
The mechanism is an R21/R33, which is commonly used by NIH to support a phased innovation pathway. While the FOA text provided here does not spell out milestones, the general intent of this paired mechanism is to fund an initial exploratory/developmental phase (R21) and then, for projects that meet predefined progress criteria, transition to a subsequent phase (R33) that supports further development and translational advancement. This structure is well-suited to diagnostic technology work because it allows investigators to demonstrate feasibility first and then scale into more rigorous development activities.
In terms of funding scale, the FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $5,400,000. It also explicitly stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not expected to contribute non-federal matching funds as a condition of receiving an award. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the opportunity category is discretionary, consistent with NIH’s investigator-initiated and institute-prioritized research funding model.
Eligibility was notably broad and inclusive. Eligible applicants included many types of U.S.-based entities such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district governments), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The eligibility section also highlighted participation by a wide range of mission- and community-focused institutions and organizations, including historically underrepresented and service-oriented institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Faith-based and community-based organizations were included as eligible applicants as well.
Another important feature is that non-U.S. entities were eligible: foreign organizations and foreign institutions could apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were allowed. That matters for febrile illness diagnostics because many of the highest-burden settings and the most diverse pathogen landscapes are outside the United States, and technology development and evaluation often benefit from access to specimens, clinical workflows, and epidemiologic contexts across regions.
The administering agency is the NIH. The full announcement was available through an NIH grants guide link (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-14-062.html). For technical issues accessing the announcement or linking to it, the listed contact was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Innovative Technologies for Differential Diagnosis of Acute Febrile Illnesses (R21/R33)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-AI-14-062.
Which federal agency administers this program?
The administering agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What type of funding instrument is offered?
The funding instrument type is a grant.
Is this a discretionary or mandatory funding opportunity?
This is a discretionary grant opportunity.
What is the program area or topic focus?
The program is in the health area and focuses on early-stage translational research to develop innovative diagnostic approaches for acute febrile illnesses caused by infectious pathogens.
What does the FOA mean by "acute febrile illnesses" in this context?
In this FOA, acute febrile illness refers to a clinical presentation of fever that can be caused by many different infectious pathogens. The goal is to support technologies that help distinguish among multiple possible infectious causes of fever.
What is the main goal of the funded research?
The main goal is to advance new differential diagnostic technologies that can help clinicians and public health teams determine which infectious pathogen (or pathogen category) is actually causing a fever, rather than confirming only a single suspected pathogen.
Does the opportunity focus on confirming one pathogen, or differentiating among many?
The emphasis is on differential diagnosis across multiple potential infectious causes of fever, not just single-target confirmation testing.
What does "unbiased" next-generation differential diagnostic technologies mean here?
Based on the description provided, "unbiased" signals interest in approaches that do not rely only on a narrow, pre-selected set of targets and that can evaluate a broad range of potential infectious agents and/or host-response signals to support differential diagnosis.
Is HIV included in the scope of this opportunity?
No. HIV is specifically excluded from the scope of this FOA.
What stage of research is NIH trying to support with this FOA?
The FOA is aimed at early-stage translational research. Projects were expected to move beyond basic discovery toward proof-of-concept, prototype development, and related steps that bring a diagnostic technology closer to real-world use.
What is the funding mechanism (R21/R33) and what does it imply?
The mechanism is an R21/R33 phased innovation pathway. In general, this structure supports an initial exploratory/developmental phase (R21) and then, for projects that meet predefined progress criteria, a transition to a subsequent phase (R33) that supports further development and translational advancement.
Does the provided summary list specific milestones or transition criteria for moving from R21 to R33?
No. The information provided does not spell out specific milestones, but it notes the general intent of the R21/R33 paired mechanism: feasibility first (R21), then further development (R33) for projects meeting progress criteria.
How much total funding was estimated for this FOA?
The FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $5,400,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA explicitly stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was this opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on October 15, 2014.
What was the application closing date?
The application closing date was February 2, 2015.
When was the FOA archived?
The archive date was March 5, 2015.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
This FOA is associated with CFDA 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research).
What kinds of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included U.S.-based entities such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special district governments), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
Were community-based and faith-based organizations eligible?
Yes. Faith-based and community-based organizations were included as eligible applicants.
Were minority-serving and underrepresented-serving institutions eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section highlighted a wide range of institutions, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISIs.
Could foreign organizations apply?
Yes. Non-U.S. entities were eligible, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations allowed?
Yes. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were eligible.
Are foreign components (per NIH definitions) allowed under this FOA?
Yes. Foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were allowed.
Why might foreign eligibility matter for this diagnostic topic?
The description notes that many high-burden settings and diverse pathogen landscapes are outside the United States, and that diagnostic technology development and evaluation can benefit from access to specimens, clinical workflows, and epidemiologic contexts across regions.
What practical outcomes did NIH emphasize for these diagnostic technologies?
The description ties faster and more accurate differential diagnosis to improved decision-making for treatment selection, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control measures, and outbreak response.
Where can applicants find the full FOA announcement?
The full announcement was available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-14-062.html.
Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing or linking to the announcement?
The listed contact for technical issues was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
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