Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 09 012
Apply for RFA ES 09 012
- The National Institutes of Health in the education environment health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113 Environmental Health 93.143 NIEHS Superfund Hazardous SubstancesBasic Research and Education.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 16, 2009 and posted on Oct 16, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 15, 2010. (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: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments County governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Section 311(a)(3) of SARA limits recipients of awards to accredited institutions of higher education, which are defined in the Higher Education Act, 20 USC (annotated) 3381. However, grantees are permitted under the law, and encouraged by NIEHS, to subcontract as appropriate with organizations, domestic or foreign, public or private (such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, faith based organizations, units of State and local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal government) as necessary to conduct portions of the research. Examples of other organizations may include generators of hazardous wastes persons involved in the detection, assessment, evaluation, and treatment of hazardous substances owners and operators of facilities at which hazardous substances are located State and local governments and community organizations.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42), run by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) within the National Institutes of Health, funds large, coordinated research centers under the Superfund Research Program (SRP). The point of the program is to support interdisciplinary, multi-project teams that can tackle real-world problems caused by hazardous substances, in line with requirements set out in the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. In practical terms, the program is meant to move beyond one-off studies and instead build integrated research efforts that connect human health questions with the environmental and engineering realities of how contaminants are found, measured, and dealt with in communities and ecosystems.
The research goals reflect four broad SARA mandates. First, SRP centers are expected to advance techniques that improve how hazardous substances are detected, assessed, and evaluated for their effects on human health, which can include new biomarkers, exposure assessment approaches, toxicological methods, or improved ways to link exposure to disease outcomes. Second, projects should strengthen methods for assessing human health risk from hazardous substances, meaning better models, improved risk characterization tools, and clearer understanding of dose-response relationships or vulnerable populations. Third, centers should develop or improve methods and technologies to detect hazardous substances in the environment, such as better sampling strategies, sensors, analytical chemistry methods, or field-deployable detection tools. Fourth, the program encourages foundational biological, chemical, and physical approaches that reduce the amount and toxicity of hazardous substances, which can involve remediation science, transformation pathways, containment strategies, or technologies that make contaminants less harmful or less available to humans and wildlife.
A defining feature of this opportunity is that it requires a genuinely integrated, cross-disciplinary structure. The SRP objective is described as building a holistic research agenda to protect human health, and it explicitly expects applicants to link biomedical research with non-biomedical fields such as engineering, geology, ecology, and related disciplines. Rather than funding unrelated projects under one umbrella, the SRP model is designed around a unifying scientific theme chosen by the applicant, where projects inform each other and collectively address complex hazardous substance problems from source and fate in the environment through exposure and biological effect.
The funding mechanism is the NIH P42 multi-project grant, which is specifically intended for center-style programs with multiple interacting components. Applicants must propose at least four research projects total, including a minimum of two biomedical projects and two non-biomedical projects. This requirement signals that the program is not meant to be purely health-focused or purely environmental/engineering-focused; it is meant to connect both sides so that discoveries about contaminant behavior and cleanup can be tied directly to health protection, and health findings can guide environmental measurement and remediation priorities.
For this specific funding opportunity (RFA-ES-09-012), NIEHS indicated an intention to commit about $11.0 million in fiscal year 2011, with an anticipated four to five awards. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary grant funding, with activity areas spanning education, environment, and health. The CFDA numbers associated with the program are 93.113 (Environmental Health) and 93.143 (NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances Basic Research and Education). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated.
Eligibility is broad but shaped by the statute behind the program. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and various levels of government (state, county, and city or township governments), plus other entities as clarified in the announcement. Importantly, SARA Section 311(a)(3) limits award recipients to accredited institutions of higher education as defined in federal law, but NIEHS notes that awardees are allowed and encouraged to subcontract as needed with a wide range of domestic or foreign partners. Those partners can include universities, hospitals, laboratories, faith-based organizations, units of state and local government, and eligible federal agencies, as well as organizations connected to hazardous waste generation, detection, assessment, treatment, and site operations, and community organizations. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations are listed among eligible applicants in the opportunity text, while also emphasizing the statutory limits and the practical pathway of subcontracts to bring in specialized capabilities.
Key dates for the announcement include a posted and creation date of October 16, 2009, with an original and current closing date of April 15, 2010, and an archive date of May 16, 2010. The sponsoring agency is NIH through NIEHS, and the full announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide at the link provided in the notice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42)?
The Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42) is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) funding program within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that supports large, coordinated, interdisciplinary research centers under the Superfund Research Program (SRP). It uses the NIH P42 multi-project grant mechanism to fund center-style programs with multiple interacting research components.
What is the overall purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to support integrated, multi-project research centers that address real-world problems caused by hazardous substances. The program is designed to move beyond one-off studies and build coordinated research efforts that connect human health questions with the environmental and engineering realities of where contaminants are found, how they are measured, and how they are addressed in communities and ecosystems.
Which agency runs this program?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
What is the funding opportunity number?
The specific funding opportunity referenced is RFA-ES-09-012.
What kind of grant mechanism is used?
The program uses the NIH P42 multi-project grant mechanism, which is intended for center-style programs made up of multiple interacting components and projects.
How many research projects are required in an application?
Applicants must propose at least four research projects total.
Are there minimum requirements for biomedical and non-biomedical projects?
Yes. The application must include a minimum of two biomedical projects and two non-biomedical projects. This is meant to ensure the center integrates human health research with environmental, engineering, and related disciplines.
Does the program require interdisciplinary integration across projects?
Yes. A defining feature is a genuinely integrated, cross-disciplinary structure. The SRP model is built around a unifying scientific theme selected by the applicant, where projects inform each other and collectively address hazardous substance problems from environmental source and fate through exposure and biological effects.
What disciplines are expected to be connected in an SRP center?
The program explicitly expects biomedical research to be linked with non-biomedical fields such as engineering, geology, ecology, and related disciplines, so that environmental measurement and remediation connect directly to human health protection.
What are the major research goals or mandates the centers should address?
The research goals reflect four broad mandates described in the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. These include: (1) advancing techniques for detecting, assessing, and evaluating hazardous substances and their effects on human health; (2) strengthening methods for assessing human health risk from hazardous substances; (3) developing or improving methods and technologies to detect hazardous substances in the environment; and (4) supporting biological, chemical, and physical approaches that reduce the amount and toxicity of hazardous substances.
What kinds of activities fit under improving detection and evaluation of health effects?
Examples mentioned include developing new biomarkers, improving exposure assessment approaches, advancing toxicological methods, and improving ways to link exposure to disease outcomes.
What kinds of activities fit under strengthening human health risk assessment?
Examples mentioned include developing better models, improving risk characterization tools, and building clearer understanding of dose-response relationships and vulnerable populations.
What kinds of activities fit under environmental detection technologies?
Examples mentioned include better sampling strategies, sensors, analytical chemistry methods, and field-deployable detection tools to detect hazardous substances in the environment.
What kinds of activities fit under reducing the amount and toxicity of hazardous substances?
Examples mentioned include remediation science, understanding transformation pathways, developing containment strategies, and creating technologies that make contaminants less harmful or less available to humans and wildlife.
Is this opportunity intended to fund unrelated projects grouped under one center?
No. The SRP model emphasizes a unified scientific theme and expects the projects to be connected and mutually informative, rather than unrelated studies assembled under a single umbrella.
What is the statutory basis for the program?
The opportunity is aligned with requirements set out in the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986.
How much funding did NIEHS plan to commit for this announcement?
For this specific opportunity (RFA-ES-09-012), NIEHS indicated an intention to commit about $11.0 million in fiscal year 2011.
How many awards were anticipated?
The announcement anticipated four to five awards.
What type of funding is this categorized as?
It is categorized as discretionary grant funding.
What activity areas does this program span?
The activity areas listed include education, environment, and health.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this program?
The CFDA numbers associated with the program are 93.113 (Environmental Health) and 93.143 (NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances Basic Research and Education).
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated in the provided information.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and various levels of government (state, county, and city or township governments), plus other entities as clarified in the announcement text.
Are there statutory limits on who can receive an award?
Yes. SARA Section 311(a)(3) limits award recipients to accredited institutions of higher education as defined in federal law.
If only accredited institutions of higher education can receive awards, can other organizations still participate?
Yes. NIEHS notes that awardees are allowed and encouraged to subcontract as needed with a wide range of domestic or foreign partners to bring in specialized capabilities.
What types of organizations can be included as subcontractors or partners?
Examples listed include universities, hospitals, laboratories, faith-based organizations, units of state and local government, eligible federal agencies, organizations involved in hazardous waste generation/detection/assessment/treatment/site operations, and community organizations.
Can foreign (non-U.S.) organizations be involved?
Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations are listed among eligible applicants in the opportunity text, while the announcement also emphasizes the statutory limit that award recipients are accredited institutions of higher education and highlights subcontracts as a practical way to involve specialized domestic or foreign partners.
What are the key dates for this funding opportunity?
The posted and creation date is October 16, 2009. The original and current closing date is April 15, 2010. The archive date is May 16, 2010.
Where was the full announcement made available?
The full announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide at the link provided in the notice.
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