Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 15 009
Apply for RFA AI 15 009
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support (UC7)" 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 6, 2015 and posted on Mar 6, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 29, 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 $23,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $11,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following The following organizations/institutions are eligible to apply The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, TX Boston University, Boston, MA Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support (UC7)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-15-009) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to keep two U.S. Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) National Biocontainment Laboratories fully operational and ready to support high-consequence infectious disease research. The program focuses on continued operations support for the BSL-4 facilities at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, and at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. In practical terms, this FOA is not aimed at funding individual research projects so much as it is meant to sustain the infrastructure, staff, systems, and specialized capabilities required to safely conduct and support cutting-edge work with hazardous pathogens that require the highest level of containment.
The FOA emphasizes that these NBLs are intended to function as national resources, meaning they are expected to provide capacity that benefits broader biodefense and infectious disease priorities, not just internal institutional needs. The supported activities are aligned with NIAID's biodefense research agenda and also cover other infectious disease research needs where BSL-4 capabilities are essential. The laboratories support both clinical and laboratory research, including in vitro and in vivo testing, which signals that the facilities are expected to sustain capabilities ranging from highly controlled bench work to animal studies, along with the specialized husbandry, veterinary oversight, and containment engineering that BSL-4 animal research typically requires.
Operations support under this announcement spans several core categories. Facility maintenance and operations covers the continuous upkeep and functioning of complex containment infrastructure, such as air handling and filtration systems, effluent decontamination, redundant power and monitoring systems, and the physical plant requirements needed to maintain safe containment 24/7. Biosecurity support addresses measures that prevent unauthorized access, loss, theft, or misuse of select agents or other high-risk biological materials, including security protocols, access controls, inventory accountability, and coordination with relevant oversight requirements. Environmental health and safety support focuses on protecting personnel and the surrounding community through rigorous biosafety practices, training, incident response readiness, medical surveillance where appropriate, and adherence to safety standards tailored to high-containment work. Regulatory compliance is another major pillar, reflecting the extensive federal, state, and institutional oversight involved in BSL-4 operations, including documentation, inspections, reporting, and compliance with applicable rules for hazardous biological agents. Finally, specialized research support services refers to the technical and operational services that enable investigators to actually use the facility effectively, such as decontamination services, specialized instrumentation support, quality systems, sample handling workflows, and other high-containment research enablers that are difficult to maintain through ordinary project-based grants.
This is a discretionary funding opportunity using the cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means substantial involvement by the funding agency in coordinating or overseeing aspects of the supported program compared to a standard grant. The activity category is health, and the CFDA program numbers listed are 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research), placing the opportunity squarely within NIH/NIAID's infectious disease and biodefense portfolio. The FOA anticipated two awards total, reflecting the two named NBL sites that the program is designed to support.
Eligibility is intentionally narrow because it is a limited competition. While the general eligible applicant categories include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, the FOA specifies that only two institutions are eligible to apply: the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Boston University. Foreign institutions are not eligible, and foreign components of U.S. organizations are not allowed, consistent with the sensitive nature of BSL-4 operations and national biocontainment infrastructure. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, which indicates applicants are not required to provide a formal match to receive funds, though they would still be expected to demonstrate sound operational planning and stewardship appropriate to the scale and sensitivity of the award.
From a funding standpoint, the announcement listed an estimated total funding amount of $23,000,000, with an award ceiling of $11,500,000, matching the expectation of two awards at up to roughly that level each. The FOA was posted and created on March 6, 2015, with an original and current closing date of May 29, 2015, and an archive date of June 29, 2015, indicating the opportunity is historical and was time-limited to that application window.
For applicants and stakeholders seeking the full official details, NIH provided an additional information link to the complete FOA on the NIH grants guide site. For technical problems accessing the announcement, the contact point listed is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV), which is primarily for access or linking issues rather than programmatic questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name and number of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Limited Competition National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support (UC7)" and the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) is RFA-AI-15-009.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity, aligned with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) biodefense and infectious disease research priorities.
What type of award is this?
It is a cooperative agreement (UC7). A cooperative agreement generally involves substantial NIH involvement in coordinating or overseeing aspects of the supported program compared to a standard grant.
What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The purpose is to keep two U.S. Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) National Biocontainment Laboratories fully operational and ready to support high-consequence infectious disease research. It is focused on sustaining operations and infrastructure rather than funding individual research projects.
Is this FOA intended to fund individual research projects?
No. The FOA emphasizes operations support to sustain the facilities, staff, systems, and specialized capabilities needed to safely conduct and support BSL-4 work, rather than funding standalone investigator-driven research projects.
Which laboratories/sites does this FOA support?
The FOA is designed to support two named BSL-4 National Biocontainment Laboratories: the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, and Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.
How many awards were anticipated?
The FOA anticipated two total awards, corresponding to the two named NBL sites.
Why is this described as a "limited competition"?
Eligibility is intentionally narrow. Although the general eligible applicant categories include public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education, the FOA specifies that only two institutions are eligible to apply: UTMB and Boston University.
Are any other U.S. institutions eligible to apply?
No. Based on the FOA description provided, only UTMB (Galveston) and Boston University are eligible applicants under this limited competition.
Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions are not eligible.
Are foreign components of U.S. organizations allowed?
No. The FOA states that foreign components of U.S. organizations are not allowed.
What kinds of activities does the operations support cover?
The FOA describes operations support across several core categories: facility maintenance and operations, biosecurity support, environmental health and safety support, regulatory compliance, and specialized research support services that enable effective use of BSL-4 capabilities.
What is included under "facility maintenance and operations" for a BSL-4 lab?
The FOA highlights continuous upkeep and functioning of complex containment infrastructure, including air handling and filtration systems, effluent decontamination, redundant power and monitoring systems, and the physical plant requirements needed to maintain safe containment around the clock.
What is meant by "biosecurity support" in this FOA?
Biosecurity support refers to measures intended to prevent unauthorized access, loss, theft, or misuse of select agents or other high-risk biological materials. Examples mentioned include security protocols, access controls, inventory accountability, and coordination with relevant oversight requirements.
What is included under "environmental health and safety support"?
The FOA emphasizes protecting personnel and the surrounding community through rigorous biosafety practices, training, incident response readiness, medical surveillance where appropriate, and adherence to safety standards tailored to high-containment work.
What does the FOA mean by "regulatory compliance" for BSL-4 operations?
It refers to the extensive federal, state, and institutional oversight involved in BSL-4 operations, including documentation, inspections, reporting, and compliance with applicable rules for hazardous biological agents.
What are "specialized research support services" in a BSL-4 context?
These are the technical and operational services that enable investigators to use the facility effectively, such as decontamination services, specialized instrumentation support, quality systems, sample handling workflows, and other high-containment research enablers that are difficult to sustain through ordinary project-based grants.
What research areas or priorities does this FOA support?
The supported activities are aligned with NIAID's biodefense research agenda and also cover other infectious disease research needs where BSL-4 capabilities are essential.
Does the FOA indicate what types of research the facilities must be able to support?
Yes. The FOA notes support for both clinical and laboratory research, including in vitro and in vivo testing, indicating capabilities spanning controlled bench work through animal studies and related BSL-4 animal research requirements.
Does this program treat the NBLs as national resources?
Yes. The FOA states that the NBLs are intended to function as national resources, meaning they are expected to provide capacity that benefits broader biodefense and infectious disease priorities, not just internal institutional needs.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is health.
Which CFDA program numbers are associated with this FOA?
The CFDA program numbers listed are 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research).
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount listed was $23,000,000.
What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling was $11,500,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
When was the FOA posted?
The FOA was posted and created on March 6, 2015.
What were the closing and archive dates?
The original and current closing date was May 29, 2015, and the archive date was June 29, 2015. This indicates the opportunity was time-limited and is now historical.
Where can someone find the full official FOA details?
NIH provided an additional information link to the complete FOA on the NIH grants guide site.
Who should be contacted for technical problems accessing the announcement?
For technical problems accessing the announcement, the contact listed is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV. This contact is described as being for access or linking issues rather than programmatic questions.
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