Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 11 017
Apply for RFA AI 11 017
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Systems Approach to Immunity and Inflammation (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, Immunology and Transplantation Research 93.856 Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 25, 2011 and posted on Mar 25, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 30, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $7,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Independent school districts Small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Special district governments Private institutions of higher education City or township governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions 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) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply. Foreign (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Systems Approach to Immunity and Inflammation (U19) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-11-017) was a National Institutes of Health program, run through NIAID, designed to push immune-response research toward a true systems biology model rather than isolated, single-pathway studies. The scientific goal was to build a broad, integrated understanding of how innate and adaptive immunity behave over time during infection with, and/or vaccination against, one or more pathogenic microbes. A central emphasis was placed on NIAID-designated emerging and re-emerging pathogens that pose meaningful risks to human health, meaning applicants were expected to focus on microbes of current or rising public health concern rather than purely theoretical targets.
The program’s research concept revolved around measuring immunity as a dynamic network. Instead of only asking whether a single gene or cytokine changes, projects were expected to use quantitative methods to identify, map, and measure interacting regulatory networks that drive protective responses, immunopathology, or inflammation. In practice, this meant collecting high-dimensional data across time and conditions, then using computational and statistical approaches to infer how signaling, transcriptional regulation, and cellular interactions collectively shape the immune response. The expectation was not just to generate large datasets, but to extract mechanistic, testable insight about control points in immune regulation.
A defining requirement of the initiative was that the foundation of the research program be genome-wide screening of mutant mice to discover genes that regulate immune responses. In other words, the mouse genetics component was not optional or peripheral; it was the engine for identifying previously unrecognized regulators of immunity and inflammation. Those genome-wide mutant screens were then meant to be followed up with deeper characterization, leveraging genomics and proteomics to determine what those genes do, when they act, which pathways they influence, and how they reshape immune cell behavior during infection or vaccination.
To complement the mouse discovery pipeline, the announcement highlighted the use of detailed genomics, proteomics, computational biology, and bioinformatics, with particular attention to transcriptional regulation and signaling mechanisms. That combination signals the kind of work NIAID was trying to stimulate: integrated experimental and computational projects where large-scale molecular readouts (for example, transcriptional profiles, signaling states, and protein abundance or modification patterns) feed into models that can explain and predict immune behavior. The computational components were intended to connect the dots between genotype, molecular state, and immune phenotype, turning descriptive “omics” output into interpretable regulatory circuitry.
A further translational element was built in through human correlation studies. Applicants were expected to take a subset of the immune regulatory genes newly discovered in mice and examine their relevance in humans, such as by looking for associations with immune phenotypes, infection outcomes, vaccine responses, inflammatory markers, or other clinically meaningful measures. The language “human correlation studies” indicates the program was not necessarily demanding full clinical trials, but it did require a bridge to human biology so that findings did not remain mouse-only observations. The intent was to strengthen confidence that key regulators uncovered by mouse genetics are also important in human immunity and could potentially inform diagnostics, biomarkers, or therapeutic target discovery.
From an administrative standpoint, the funding mechanism was a cooperative agreement (U19), which generally means NIH staff are expected to have substantial scientific involvement compared with a standard research grant. U19 awards also commonly support multi-project, team-based programs rather than a single, narrow project, aligning with the systems biology theme and the need to combine mouse genetics, multi-omics generation, and computational modeling under a coordinated structure. The opportunity was categorized under Health and linked to CFDA numbers 93.855 (Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research), reinforcing that it sat at the intersection of immunology and infectious disease.
In terms of funding scale and timing, the opportunity listed an estimated total funding amount of $7,000,000. It was posted on March 25, 2011, with an original and final closing date of August 30, 2011, and it was archived on September 30, 2011. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which typically lowers barriers for applicants who may not have institutional capacity to provide additional funds.
Eligibility was broad and included a wide range of domestic U.S. organizations and several non-U.S. possibilities. Eligible applicants included state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit entities (including small businesses), independent school districts, public housing authorities, and multiple categories of tribal governments and organizations. The eligibility information explicitly included a variety of mission-focused institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, as well as faith-based and community-based organizations. Importantly, foreign (non-U.S.) entities were eligible to apply, and foreign components of U.S. organizations were allowed, signaling an openness to international expertise and collaborations when relevant to the pathogen and systems immunology goals.
Overall, this grant opportunity was aimed at building coordinated, data-rich, mechanistically grounded research programs that discover immune regulators through genome-wide mouse mutant screening, explain those regulators within transcriptional and signaling networks using modern omics and computational tools, and then test the human relevance of the most compelling findings through correlation studies. The end result NIAID was pushing for was a more complete and predictive understanding of immunity and inflammation in the context of high-priority infectious threats and vaccination.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Systems Approach to Immunity and Inflammation (U19)" funding opportunity?
It is an NIH program run through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that aimed to move immune-response research toward a systems biology approach. The opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number (FON) RFA-AI-11-017 and used the U19 cooperative agreement mechanism.
What is the main scientific goal of this opportunity?
The goal was to build a broad, integrated understanding of how innate and adaptive immunity behave over time during infection with, and/or vaccination against, one or more pathogenic microbes. The program emphasized understanding immunity as a dynamic network rather than as isolated single pathways.
What types of pathogens were applicants expected to focus on?
A central emphasis was placed on NIAID-designated emerging and re-emerging pathogens that pose meaningful risks to human health. This implies the program expected a focus on microbes of current or rising public health concern rather than purely theoretical targets.
How is a "systems biology" approach described in this announcement?
The program described systems biology as measuring immunity as a dynamic network and using quantitative methods to identify, map, and measure interacting regulatory networks that drive protective responses, immunopathology, or inflammation. The approach emphasized integrating high-dimensional data collected over time and conditions with computational and statistical modeling to infer regulatory interactions.
Was generating large datasets enough to meet the program expectations?
No. The expectation was not only to generate large datasets, but to extract mechanistic, testable insight about control points in immune regulation, using computational and statistical approaches to turn data into interpretable regulatory circuitry.
What was a defining required component of the research program?
A defining requirement was genome-wide screening of mutant mice to discover genes that regulate immune responses. The mouse genetics component was described as foundational and not optional or peripheral.
What was expected after genes were discovered through genome-wide mutant mouse screening?
The program expected follow-up characterization using genomics and proteomics to determine what the genes do, when they act, which pathways they influence, and how they reshape immune cell behavior during infection or vaccination.
What scientific disciplines and methods were highlighted as important?
The opportunity highlighted detailed genomics, proteomics, computational biology, and bioinformatics, with particular attention to transcriptional regulation and signaling mechanisms. The program emphasized integrating experimental and computational work so that molecular readouts feed into models that can explain and predict immune behavior.
What role were computational and statistical approaches expected to play?
They were intended to connect genotype, molecular state, and immune phenotype by inferring regulatory networks and translating descriptive “omics” outputs into interpretable models of immune regulatory circuitry.
Did the opportunity include a human research component?
Yes. A translational element was included through human correlation studies. Applicants were expected to take a subset of immune regulatory genes discovered in mice and examine their relevance in humans, such as by assessing associations with immune phenotypes, infection outcomes, vaccine responses, inflammatory markers, or other clinically meaningful measures.
Did the program require clinical trials?
The language provided indicates the program was not necessarily demanding full clinical trials, but it did require a bridge to human biology through correlation studies so that findings did not remain mouse-only observations.
What is the funding mechanism and what does it imply?
The funding mechanism was a U19 cooperative agreement. This generally implies substantial NIH staff scientific involvement compared with a standard research grant and commonly supports multi-project, team-based programs rather than a single narrow project.
What research program structure was this opportunity trying to support?
It aimed to support coordinated, multi-project, team-based programs that combine genome-wide mouse genetics discovery, multi-omics data generation, and computational modeling under an integrated structure, with a further bridge to human relevance via correlation studies.
What is the estimated total funding amount listed for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount listed was $7,000,000.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on March 25, 2011. The original and final closing date was August 30, 2011. It was archived on September 30, 2011.
Is this opportunity still active?
No. Based on the information provided, it was archived on September 30, 2011, and the final closing date was August 30, 2011.
Was there a cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The opportunity specified there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What program area or category was this opportunity associated with?
It was categorized under Health and linked to CFDA numbers 93.855 (Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research) and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research).
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit entities (including small businesses), independent school districts, public housing authorities, and multiple categories of tribal governments and organizations. The eligibility description also explicitly included HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, as well as faith-based and community-based organizations.
Were foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?
Yes. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities were eligible to apply, and foreign components of U.S. organizations were allowed.
What kinds of outcomes was NIAID pushing for through this program?
The program sought a more complete and predictive understanding of immunity and inflammation in the context of high-priority infectious threats and vaccination, driven by discovery of immune regulators in mice, systems-level mechanistic modeling, and evidence of human relevance through correlation studies.
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