Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 11 115
Apply for PAR 11 115
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition Specific pathogen free macaque colonies (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351 Research Infrastructure Programs 93.389 National Center for Research Resources.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 16, 2013 and posted on Feb 14, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 16, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) .
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Opportunity Summary:
PAR-11-115, titled "Limited Competition Specific Pathogen Free Macaque Colonies (U24)," is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement opportunity designed to provide continued support for established specific pathogen free (SPF) macaque breeding and housing colonies. This is a limited competition continuation-style funding path aimed specifically at colonies that were previously supported under RFA RR-02-005. The core idea is to preserve and sustain an existing national research resource that supplies high-quality macaques for AIDS-related research, where undetected infections in animals can distort experimental outcomes and where certain viruses also pose occupational health risks to the personnel who work with these primates.
The scientific and operational purpose of the program centers on maintaining macaque colonies that are free of defined pathogens, particularly viruses that can interfere with immunology and infectious disease studies. In AIDS and related biomedical research, background infections can change immune responses, alter viral dynamics, and introduce confounding variables that make findings harder to interpret or reproduce across studies. Separately, some macaque-borne viruses can be hazardous to animal care and laboratory staff, so SPF status is also framed as a safety and risk-reduction measure for the people handling the animals. By keeping colonies consistently SPF and by documenting that status through ongoing testing, NIH is effectively investing in research reliability, biosafety, and a stable supply chain for critical animal models.
Applications under this FOA are expected to present concrete, actionable plans in several required areas. First, the applicant must explain how it will maintain the SPF colonies at least at current capacity and quality, which implies steady breeding management, biosecurity, veterinary oversight, quarantine or barrier practices, and recordkeeping that preserves SPF integrity over time. Second, applicants must lay out an animal distribution plan that supports AIDS researchers, explicitly giving first priority access to NIH-funded investigators. This means the colony functions as a shared resource, and applicants should be prepared to describe allocation policies, ordering processes, criteria for prioritization, and how they will manage demand in a way that aligns with NIH expectations.
Third, applicants must describe how they will assay animals for the presence of the specific viruses of concern. While the brief summary does not enumerate the full list of pathogens, the requirement signals that ongoing surveillance testing is central to the award, not optional. Reviewers would reasonably expect a structured testing strategy: what assays will be used, how frequently animals will be screened, how positives will be handled, how results will be documented, and how testing quality will be assured. Fourth, applicants must include plans for typing animals at specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci. MHC typing is important because macaque immune genetics can strongly influence experimental outcomes, including vaccine responses and susceptibility or control of infection in SIV/SHIV and related models. In practice, this requirement supports better study design and comparability by enabling investigators to select animals with relevant or balanced immune-genetic backgrounds.
Fifth, the FOA requires applicants to address how colony operations will be financed. Because maintaining SPF colonies is expensive and long-term, NIH is looking for a realistic operational budget and sustainability plan, likely including how funds will cover animal care, facility operations, veterinary and technical staff, diagnostic testing, data management, and distribution logistics. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (U24), which generally indicates substantial NIH involvement and coordination compared to a standard research grant. In other words, awardees should expect ongoing interaction with NIH program staff, shared expectations around resource performance, and accountability for meeting resource-oriented milestones.
From an eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is open to a range of organizations that can manage such a specialized resource. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and certain nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, depending on the specific NIH definitions referenced). The opportunity also explicitly includes historically underrepresented and mission-focused institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed, meaning applicants are not required to contribute a formal cost match as a condition of the award, although they still must present a credible financial plan for running the colonies.
Administratively, the program is listed under NIH with activity categories that relate to research infrastructure and health, and it references CFDA numbers 93.351 (Research Infrastructure Programs) and 93.389 (National Center for Research Resources). The FOA was originally posted February 14, 2011, and the record provided indicates lifecycle dates including an original closing date of May 7, 2014, with the opportunity ultimately archived September 16, 2013 (with a current closing date shown as August 16, 2013 in the provided source). For full details, NIH directs applicants to the complete announcement page at the provided NIH grants URL, and technical access issues are routed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact.
Overall, this FOA is best understood as NIH support for a specialized, high-value infrastructure resource: maintaining and validating SPF macaque colonies, characterizing animals genetically at key immune loci, and distributing these animals in a controlled and prioritized way to strengthen AIDS research nationwide. The emphasis is less on generating new scientific hypotheses and more on sustaining a dependable, well-characterized primate resource that protects scientific validity and supports safe, consistent research operations across many independent NIH-funded projects.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): PAR-11-115 Limited Competition Specific Pathogen Free Macaque Colonies (U24)
What is PAR-11-115?
PAR-11-115, titled "Limited Competition Specific Pathogen Free Macaque Colonies (U24)," is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement funding opportunity intended to provide continued support for established specific pathogen free (SPF) macaque breeding and housing colonies.
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The main goal is to preserve and sustain an existing national research resource by maintaining established SPF macaque colonies that supply high-quality macaques for AIDS-related research. The focus is on ensuring animals remain free of defined pathogens that could distort experimental outcomes and on reducing occupational health risks to personnel working with these primates.
Why does NIH emphasize "specific pathogen free" (SPF) macaques?
In AIDS and related biomedical research, undetected infections can change immune responses, alter viral dynamics, and introduce confounding variables that make results harder to interpret or reproduce. SPF status helps improve research reliability and consistency across studies.
Does the SPF requirement also relate to worker safety?
Yes. The opportunity notes that some macaque-borne viruses can pose occupational health risks to animal care and laboratory personnel. Maintaining SPF colonies and documenting SPF status through ongoing testing is framed as a safety and risk-reduction measure.
Is this a limited competition opportunity?
Yes. This is described as a limited competition, continuation-style funding path aimed specifically at colonies that were previously supported under RFA RR-02-005.
What prior award or program must applicants have been supported under to be targeted by this FOA?
The opportunity is aimed specifically at colonies that were previously supported under RFA RR-02-005.
What type of NIH award mechanism is used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement using the U24 activity code.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement (U24)?
A cooperative agreement generally indicates substantial NIH involvement and coordination compared to a standard research grant. Awardees should expect ongoing interaction with NIH program staff, shared expectations around performance of the resource, and accountability for meeting resource-oriented milestones.
What kinds of plans are applicants expected to include in their applications?
Applications are expected to present concrete, actionable plans that address required operational areas, including (1) maintaining SPF colonies at least at current capacity and quality, (2) distributing animals to support AIDS researchers with first priority to NIH-funded investigators, (3) assaying animals for specific viruses of concern, (4) typing animals at specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci, and (5) explaining how colony operations will be financed.
What does NIH mean by maintaining the colonies "at least at current capacity and quality"?
Based on the description provided, this implies maintaining steady breeding management, biosecurity, veterinary oversight, quarantine and/or barrier practices, and recordkeeping needed to preserve SPF integrity over time, without reducing current output or quality of the SPF resource.
Is animal distribution part of the requirements?
Yes. Applicants must provide an animal distribution plan that supports AIDS researchers.
Who is supposed to receive first priority for access to animals from these colonies?
The FOA explicitly states that first priority access should be given to NIH-funded investigators.
What should a distribution plan cover, based on what is described?
The distribution plan is expected to describe allocation policies, ordering processes, criteria for prioritization, and how demand will be managed in a way that aligns with NIH expectations, with first priority to NIH-funded investigators.
Are applicants required to test animals for pathogens on an ongoing basis?
Yes. Applicants must describe how they will assay animals for the presence of specific viruses of concern. Ongoing surveillance testing is presented as central to the award, not optional.
Does the summary provide the full list of pathogens that must be excluded?
No. The summary notes that specific viruses are of concern but does not enumerate the full list of pathogens.
What kinds of testing details would reviewers reasonably expect to see in an application (based on the summary)?
The description suggests reviewers would expect a structured testing strategy, such as which assays will be used, screening frequency, how positives will be handled, how results will be documented, and how testing quality will be assured.
What is MHC typing, and why is it required here?
The FOA requires plans for typing animals at specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci. This is important because macaque immune genetics can strongly influence experimental outcomes, including vaccine responses and susceptibility or control of infection in SIV/SHIV and related models. MHC typing supports study design and comparability by helping investigators select animals with relevant or balanced immune-genetic backgrounds.
Is this FOA more about supporting infrastructure than about proposing new scientific hypotheses?
Yes. The opportunity is described as supporting a specialized, high-value infrastructure resource: sustaining SPF macaque colonies, validating SPF status, performing genetic characterization at key immune loci, and distributing animals to strengthen AIDS research nationwide. The emphasis is on resource sustainability and reliability rather than generating new hypotheses.
Do applicants need to explain how they will pay for ongoing colony operations?
Yes. Applicants must address how colony operations will be financed and provide a realistic operational budget and sustainability plan.
What cost areas are implied to be part of the financial plan?
The description indicates that maintaining SPF colonies is expensive and long-term, and it points to costs such as animal care, facility operations, veterinary and technical staff, diagnostic testing, data management, and distribution logistics.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The information provided states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed.
If there is no cost sharing requirement, do applicants still need a sustainability plan?
Yes. Even without a formal cost sharing requirement, applicants are still expected to present a credible financial plan for running and sustaining the colonies.
Who is eligible to apply (organizational eligibility)?
Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and certain nonprofit organizations (including categories with and without 501(c)(3) status as referenced by NIH definitions). The opportunity also explicitly includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions.
Which NIH-related program identifiers are referenced?
The opportunity references CFDA numbers 93.351 (Research Infrastructure Programs) and 93.389 (National Center for Research Resources).
When was PAR-11-115 originally posted?
The FOA was originally posted on February 14, 2011.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
The record provided indicates that the opportunity was ultimately archived on September 16, 2013, and it includes lifecycle dates showing a current closing date as August 16, 2013 (with an original closing date of May 7, 2014 also noted in the provided source). Based on the provided information, it should be treated as no longer active.
Where does NIH direct applicants to get the full official details?
NIH directs applicants to the complete announcement page at the provided NIH grants URL referenced in the opportunity record.
Who should be contacted for technical access issues related to the announcement?
Technical access issues are routed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact, as stated in the provided information.
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