Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 13 043
Apply for RFA AI 13 043
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Centers (STI CRC) (U19)" 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 24, 2013 and posted on Jun 28, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 14, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $11,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education City or township governments State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities County governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Special district governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Independent school districts 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 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) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not 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 Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Centers (STI CRC) (U19) funding opportunity (RFA-AI-13-043) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement mechanism designed to build and support multi-disciplinary research centers focused on the biology, epidemiology, and clinical impact of sexually transmitted infections when they occur together. Rather than treating STIs as isolated, single-pathogen problems, this program emphasizes co-infections involving two or more specific STIs and the ways different STI pathogens interact to cause, worsen, or sustain polymicrobial infections in the urogenital tract. The overall goal is to use coordinated, center-based collaboration to generate new scientific understanding that can translate into improved prevention, diagnostics, and treatments, particularly for reproductive health outcomes influenced by complex or mixed infections.
A central theme of the opportunity is the study of pathogen-pathogen and pathogen-host interactions that help explain why certain infections cluster, persist, or lead to more severe disease. The announcement explicitly points to clinical syndromes and conditions often linked to mixed microbial communities or multiple concurrent infections, including bacterial vaginosis (BV), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), intraamniotic infection (IAI), and non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). By supporting cooperative research centers, NIH is signaling that these problems require integrated expertise across fields such as microbiology, immunology, clinical infectious diseases, epidemiology, diagnostics development, and potentially behavioral or public health sciences, with the expectation that the whole is greater than the sum of separate projects.
Because this is a U19 cooperative agreement, awardees should expect a more active partnership with NIH compared to a standard research project grant. In practical terms, the program structure is intended to facilitate coordinated planning, shared resources, harmonized study designs, and cross-project synergy within and potentially across centers. The emphasis on "cooperative" research reflects an intent to accelerate discovery by aligning multiple scientific aims under a common center framework, encouraging collaboration that can quickly test hypotheses about how co-infections shape disease progression, transmission dynamics, treatment outcomes, and longer-term reproductive health consequences.
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with the activity area in health research, and it is associated with CFDA numbers 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research). The announcement indicates an estimated total funding level of $11,000,000 and states that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which reduces the financial burden on applicants and allows proposed budgets to focus on research and center operations rather than institutional matching contributions.
Eligibility is intentionally broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations that can support research at the scale of a center grant. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governmental entities (including city, county, special district governments, and independent school districts), Native American tribal governments and organizations (including federally recognized tribes and other tribal organizations), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, regional organizations, nonprofit organizations (both those with and without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education), and for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits that are not small businesses). The eligibility list also explicitly references a range of institution types commonly included in NIH outreach and capacity-building efforts, 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), as well as faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies.
At the same time, the FOA sets clear limits regarding foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, the announcement allows non-domestic components of U.S. organizations to be involved, and it also allows foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. This structure typically means the primary award and administrative responsibility remain with a U.S. applicant organization, while specific pieces of the work may involve international collaborations when scientifically justified and compliant with NIH policy.
From a timeline perspective, the announcement was posted on June 28, 2013, with an original closing date of October 23, 2013, later extended to a current closing date of November 14, 2013. The record lists an archive date of December 14, 2013, indicating it is a past opportunity, but it still provides a useful reference point for understanding NIH priorities and the kinds of center-based STI research themes NIH has sought to support.
For applicants or readers seeking the complete official details, the FOA points to the NIH grants guide link (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-13-043.html). The contact information included is for technical access or linking issues through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV, which is typical for announcements hosted through NIH systems.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the STI Cooperative Research Centers (STI CRC) (U19) opportunity?
The Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Centers (STI CRC) (U19) opportunity (RFA-AI-13-043) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement intended to build and support multi-disciplinary research centers. These centers focus on the biology, epidemiology, and clinical impact of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially when infections occur together (co-infections) rather than as isolated, single-pathogen problems.
What does "U19 cooperative agreement" mean in this context?
U19 is a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically involves a more active partnership with NIH than a standard research project grant. The program is designed to support coordinated planning, shared resources, harmonized study designs, and synergy across multiple projects organized under a center structure.
What is the main scientific focus of this funding opportunity?
The central emphasis is on co-infections involving two or more specific STIs and the ways STI pathogens interact with each other (pathogen-pathogen interactions) and with the host (pathogen-host interactions). The intent is to understand how these interactions contribute to polymicrobial infections in the urogenital tract and influence disease severity, persistence, and clustering of infections.
Why does the program emphasize studying STIs as co-infections rather than single pathogens?
The program explicitly frames many STI-related health problems as complex and often involving multiple organisms or concurrent infections. By studying STIs together, the opportunity aims to clarify how different pathogens interact to cause, worsen, or sustain polymicrobial infections and related clinical outcomes, and how these interactions affect transmission, progression, and treatment responses.
What clinical syndromes or conditions are specifically highlighted as relevant?
The announcement points to clinical syndromes and conditions commonly linked to mixed microbial communities or multiple concurrent infections, including:
- Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Intraamniotic infection (IAI)
- Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU)
What outcomes or impacts is the program trying to improve?
The overall goal is to generate scientific understanding that can translate into improved prevention, diagnostics, and treatments, particularly for reproductive health outcomes influenced by complex or mixed infections.
What kinds of research disciplines are implied or encouraged for these centers?
The opportunity indicates that solving these problems requires integrated expertise across multiple fields, including microbiology, immunology, clinical infectious diseases, epidemiology, diagnostics development, and potentially behavioral or public health sciences.
How is the center-based structure expected to help compared to separate projects?
The FOA emphasizes coordinated, center-based collaboration where multiple scientific aims are aligned under a common framework. This structure is intended to encourage cross-project synergy, shared resources, and harmonized designs, with an expectation that the combined effort will be stronger than a set of separate, unconnected projects.
What is the estimated total funding level for this opportunity?
The announcement indicates an estimated total funding level of $11,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
How is this opportunity categorized in terms of funding type and activity area?
It is categorized as discretionary funding, with the activity area in health research.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
This opportunity is associated with CFDA:
- 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research)
- 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research)
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad for U.S.-based organizations capable of supporting center-scale research. Eligible applicants include:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- State and local governmental entities (including city, county, special district governments, and independent school districts)
- Native American tribal governments and organizations (including federally recognized tribes and other tribal organizations)
- Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
- Regional organizations
- Nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education)
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits that are not small businesses)
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- Eligible federal agencies
Does the eligibility language include specific institution categories such as minority-serving institutions?
Yes. The eligibility list explicitly references multiple institution types commonly included in NIH outreach and capacity-building efforts, including 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).
Are foreign (non-U.S.) institutions eligible to apply as the main applicant?
No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization.
Can international components still be involved in the work?
Yes. The FOA allows non-domestic components of U.S. organizations to be involved and also allows foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In this structure, the primary award and administrative responsibility remain with a U.S. applicant organization, while specific parts of the work may involve international collaboration when appropriate and compliant with NIH policy.
When was the opportunity posted and what were the key dates?
The announcement was posted on June 28, 2013. The original closing date was October 23, 2013, and it was extended to a current closing date of November 14, 2013. The archive date is listed as December 14, 2013.
Is this opportunity still active?
The record lists an archive date of December 14, 2013, indicating it is a past opportunity rather than an active, currently open competition.
Where can someone find the full official funding announcement details?
The FOA directs readers to the NIH grants guide page at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-13-043.html
Who is the listed contact for technical access or linking issues?
The contact information provided is for technical access or linking issues through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster: FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV
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