Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 14 172
Apply for PA 14 172
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Novel Tools for Investigating Brain derived GPCRs in Mental Health Research (R43/R44)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 4, 2014 and posted on Apr 4, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 7, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following 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, may be allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Novel Tools for Investigating Brain derived GPCRs in Mental Health Research (R43/R44)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-14-172) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program announcement designed to support small companies that want to build and validate new research tools focused on brain-localized G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The main idea is to move beyond standard, off-the-shelf assays and create technologies or inventive adaptations of existing technologies that make it easier for neuroscientists and mental health researchers to examine how specific GPCRs are built (structure) and how they behave in biological systems (function), particularly in ways that matter for mental health and psychiatric disease mechanisms. A secondary, but closely related, emphasis is on tool development that could enable the discovery or identification of highly selective agonists and antagonists for particular GPCR subtypes, including receptors that are already known as well as orphan receptors whose endogenous ligands and roles may be unclear.
From a scientific focus standpoint, the FOA is centered on GPCRs that are expressed in the brain and are relevant to mental health function or dysfunction. Because GPCRs are one of the most important classes of signaling proteins in neurobiology and pharmacology, the announcement is aimed at unlocking better ways to interrogate receptor subtype-specific signaling, localization, and functional consequences in neural circuits and brain-relevant systems. The scope explicitly includes mental health conditions broadly and also highlights HIV-related neurocognitive disorders, signaling that proposals are welcome when they address neuropsychiatric or cognitive complications associated with HIV, as long as the work meaningfully ties to brain GPCR biology and tool or technology development.
This is a discretionary grant program under the NIH, categorized under Health, with CFDA number 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants). The activity mechanism is SBIR, using the R43 and R44 award structures, which generally correspond to SBIR Phase I (feasibility and proof-of-concept) and Phase II (full research and development). In practical terms, this means applicants are expected to propose a development plan that starts with establishing feasibility or a working prototype and then advances toward a more complete, validated technology that could be broadly useful to the research community or applicable to therapeutic discovery workflows. The announcement frames the goal as enabling research, meaning the deliverable is typically a tool, platform, assay, or technology that improves how GPCRs can be studied in brain-relevant contexts, rather than a purely hypothesis-driven basic science project.
Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR requirements. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, may be allowed in some cases, which can matter for companies that might need access to specialized expertise or capabilities outside the U.S. The announcement states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which is typical for NIH SBIR mechanisms and lowers the barrier for small companies that may not be able to contribute substantial non-federal matching funds.
Administratively, the FOA was posted and created on April 4, 2014, with an original and current closing date listed as May 7, 2017, and an archive date of June 7, 2017. That means the opportunity, as published under that specific FOA number and timeline, is no longer active for new submissions, but it remains useful as a reference for the type of projects NIH and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) were seeking under this initiative. The sponsoring agency is NIH, and the scientific interest is explicitly tied to NIMH, especially for projects targeting known GPCR subtypes or orphan receptors that may play roles in mental health-related brain function.
In terms of what kinds of projects the FOA is trying to stimulate, the emphasis is on novel tools and enabling technologies: platforms for studying receptor structure in brain-relevant settings, approaches to measure receptor signaling with higher specificity or physiological relevance, methods to distinguish closely related receptor subtypes, and screening or assay systems capable of identifying selective agonists or antagonists with strong subtype specificity. The mention of "novel ways to use new or existing technologies" is important because it signals that an applicant does not necessarily need to invent a brand-new modality from scratch; meaningful innovation can come from adapting established technologies to solve persistent bottlenecks in brain GPCR research, such as low receptor abundance, complex receptor coupling, cell-type-specific expression, or the difficulty of reproducing native brain conditions in vitro.
For applicants or interested parties looking for official details, the FOA’s full text was hosted at the NIH grants guide link provided in the source information (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-14-172.html). The contact listed for access or technical issues with the announcement is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV, which is specifically intended for problems accessing or linking to the funding announcement rather than scientific questions about project fit.
FAQs: Novel Tools for Investigating Brain derived GPCRs in Mental Health Research (R43/R44) (PA-14-172)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Novel Tools for Investigating Brain derived GPCRs in Mental Health Research (R43/R44)" and the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) is PA-14-172.
Which agency sponsors this opportunity?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The scientific interest is explicitly tied to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
What type of program is this?
This is an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Announcement using the R43 and R44 activity mechanisms.
What do R43 and R44 mean in this announcement?
R43 generally corresponds to SBIR Phase I (feasibility and proof-of-concept), and R44 generally corresponds to SBIR Phase II (full research and development). The announcement anticipates a development path from feasibility or prototype work toward a more complete, validated technology.
What is the main goal of the FOA?
The main goal is to support small companies developing and validating novel research tools focused on brain-localized G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), so neuroscientists and mental health researchers can study GPCR structure and function in ways that matter for mental health and psychiatric disease mechanisms.
Is the FOA focused on basic science hypotheses or tool development?
The FOA frames the goal as enabling research through deliverables such as tools, platforms, assays, or technologies that improve how brain-relevant GPCR biology can be studied, rather than a purely hypothesis-driven basic science project.
What scientific targets are in scope?
The scientific focus is on GPCRs expressed in the brain that are relevant to mental health function or dysfunction. This includes both known GPCR subtypes and orphan receptors (receptors whose endogenous ligands and roles may be unclear).
What kinds of technologies or deliverables does NIH want under this FOA?
The FOA emphasizes novel tools and enabling technologies, including platforms for studying receptor structure in brain-relevant settings, approaches to measure receptor signaling with higher specificity or physiological relevance, methods to distinguish closely related receptor subtypes, and screening or assay systems that can identify selective agonists or antagonists with strong subtype specificity.
Does an applicant need to invent a completely new technology?
No. The FOA explicitly notes "novel ways to use new or existing technologies," meaning meaningful innovation can come from inventive adaptations of established methods to address bottlenecks in brain GPCR research.
Why is there an emphasis on moving beyond standard, off-the-shelf assays?
The announcement aims to push past limitations of typical assays by supporting tools that better capture receptor subtype-specific signaling, localization, and functional consequences in neural circuits and brain-relevant systems.
What research challenges does the FOA highlight as reasons for tool innovation?
The FOA points to persistent bottlenecks such as low receptor abundance, complex receptor coupling, cell-type-specific expression, and the difficulty of reproducing native brain conditions in vitro.
Is drug discovery or ligand discovery part of the FOA?
Yes. A secondary but closely related emphasis is tool development that could enable discovery or identification of highly selective agonists and antagonists for particular GPCR subtypes, including known and orphan receptors.
Are HIV-related neurocognitive disorders included in the scope?
Yes. The FOA highlights HIV-related neurocognitive disorders, indicating proposals are welcome when they address neuropsychiatric or cognitive complications associated with HIV, as long as the work meaningfully ties to brain GPCR biology and tool or technology development.
What is the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?
The program is categorized under Health with CFDA number 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR requirements.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) entities eligible to apply?
No. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply under this FOA.
Can a U.S. small business include non-U.S. components?
Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, may be allowed in some cases.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was this FOA posted and when did it close?
The FOA was posted/created on April 4, 2014. The original and current closing date listed is May 7, 2017, with an archive date of June 7, 2017.
Is this FOA currently active?
No. Based on the closing and archive dates provided, this specific FOA (PA-14-172) is no longer active for new submissions, but it remains a reference for the types of projects NIH and NIMH sought under this initiative.
Where can applicants find the official FOA text?
The FOA text is hosted in the NIH Grants Guide at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-14-172.html
Who is the listed contact for access or technical issues with the announcement?
The contact listed for access or technical issues is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV. This contact is intended for problems accessing or linking to the funding announcement, not for scientific questions about project fit.
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