Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 12 109
Apply for PAR 12 109
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Targeting Persistent HIV Reservoirs (TaPHIR) (R21/R33)" 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 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.856 Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 17, 2012 and posted on Feb 17, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 25, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: City or township governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education Independent school districts Small businesses State governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Special district governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
- 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) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are 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 Targeting Persistent HIV Reservoirs (TaPHIR) (R21/R33) funding opportunity (PAR 12-109) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to push forward genuinely new ideas aimed at curing HIV infection. The central problem it targets is HIV latency: even when people take highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for years and keep the virus suppressed in the blood, HIV can persist silently inside long-lived cells. These latently infected cells make up a durable "reservoir" that can reignite infection if treatment stops, which is why lifelong therapy is still required for most people living with HIV. TaPHIR is meant to accelerate early-stage, high-impact research that creates or validates new tools and strategies to find, measure, and eliminate these hard-to-detect reservoir cells.
A key scientific challenge highlighted by the announcement is that latent HIV typically does not express viral proteins, which makes reservoir cells difficult to identify using standard immune or molecular detection methods. On top of that, latently infected cells are very rare in individuals on effective treatment, so even sensitive assays can struggle to detect them reliably, especially in clinically relevant tissues. Because of these constraints, the opportunity emphasizes innovation in both monitoring and targeting the reservoir. In practical terms, the program is looking for approaches that can more efficiently track reservoir size or activity and, crucially, enable specific targeting of reservoir cells so that candidate cure strategies can be tested in vivo (in living systems), not just in isolated cells.
The grant mechanism is an R21/R33, which indicates a phased innovation pathway. The R21 phase is generally used for exploratory, proof-of-concept work where the goal is to establish feasibility or demonstrate a novel concept. The R33 phase typically supports a second stage that builds on successful milestones from the first phase, allowing investigators to expand, optimize, and further validate the approach. This structure is often used when a program wants to encourage bold ideas while also creating a clear on-ramp toward more advanced development if early results are promising.
Administratively, this opportunity is categorized as a grant within the NIH health research mission space and is tied to CFDA numbers 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants), 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research), and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research, reflecting the cross-cutting biomedical and infectious disease focus of HIV cure research. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds as a condition of award. The announcement was posted and created on February 17, 2012, with an original and current closing date listed as April 25, 2014, and an archive date of May 26, 2014, indicating that it is no longer an active solicitation but remains available as a reference for the program goals and eligibility framework at the time.
Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive, spanning many organizational types. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education (including public and state-controlled universities and private universities), nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (including those other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. It also includes a wide range of government entities such as state, county, city or township governments, independent school districts, special district governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The eligibility language explicitly extends to specialized and underserved-serving institutions and community-centered organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations where applicable. Regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions are also included.
Notably, the opportunity allows participation from outside the United States. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed. That matters for HIV cure research because reservoir biology, clinical cohorts, and specialized model systems are distributed globally, and NIH sometimes encourages international collaboration when it strengthens scientific rigor and generalizability.
Overall, TaPHIR is aimed at overcoming the biggest barrier to an HIV cure: the persistence of latent virus in rare, long-lived reservoir cells that are invisible to standard detection because they do not actively produce viral proteins. By funding the development of novel monitoring methods and targeted elimination strategies, and by using a phased R21/R33 structure to move ideas from feasibility to more robust validation, the program is designed to speed the pipeline of reservoir-focused technologies that can support in vivo testing of cure concepts. The official announcement link is http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-109.html, and applicants who had trouble accessing it were directed to contact the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Targeting Persistent HIV Reservoirs (TaPHIR) funding opportunity?
TaPHIR is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity intended to advance genuinely new, early-stage ideas focused on curing HIV infection by addressing the problem of persistent HIV reservoirs. It is associated with the FOA number PAR 12-109 and uses an R21/R33 phased award structure.
What major scientific problem is TaPHIR trying to solve?
The program targets HIV latency and persistence. Even when highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) suppresses HIV in the blood for years, HIV can remain dormant inside long-lived cells. These latently infected cells form a durable reservoir that can restart infection if therapy is stopped, which is a key reason lifelong treatment is still required for most people living with HIV.
Why are HIV reservoir cells difficult to identify and study?
The announcement highlights that latent HIV typically does not express viral proteins, making reservoir cells hard to detect using standard immune or molecular methods. Reservoir cells are also very rare in people on effective treatment, so even sensitive assays may struggle to detect them reliably, especially in clinically relevant tissues.
What kinds of research approaches does TaPHIR emphasize?
Based on the description provided, TaPHIR emphasizes innovation in both (1) monitoring the HIV reservoir and (2) targeting the reservoir. In practical terms, this includes creating or validating new tools and strategies to find, measure, and eliminate rare, hard-to-detect reservoir cells.
What does the opportunity mean by improving "monitoring" of the reservoir?
The program description points to approaches that can more efficiently track reservoir size or activity. This focus reflects the difficulty of reliably detecting extremely rare latently infected cells, particularly in clinically relevant tissues.
What does TaPHIR mean by "targeting" the reservoir?
The opportunity stresses enabling specific targeting of reservoir cells so that candidate cure strategies can be tested in vivo (in living systems), not only in isolated cells. The overall goal is to support approaches that can help eliminate latently infected reservoir cells.
Is this program focused on in vivo testing?
Yes. The description explicitly emphasizes the need for strategies that allow candidate cure concepts to be tested in vivo (in living systems), which requires tools that can identify and target reservoir cells with enough specificity to evaluate interventions beyond isolated cell experiments.
What grant mechanism does TaPHIR use?
TaPHIR uses an R21/R33 mechanism, which is a phased innovation pathway. It is designed to support exploratory, proof-of-concept work followed by a second stage of expansion and validation if milestones are met.
How does the R21 phase differ from the R33 phase in this opportunity?
As described, the R21 phase is generally for exploratory, proof-of-concept research to establish feasibility or demonstrate a novel concept. The R33 phase typically supports a second stage that builds on successful R21 milestones, allowing investigators to expand, optimize, and further validate the approach.
Does the R21/R33 structure require progress to move from the first phase to the second?
Yes. The description indicates that the R33 phase builds on successful milestones from the R21 phase, implying that advancement is tied to meeting defined early-stage goals.
Which NIH mission areas or program categories are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is within the NIH health research mission space and is tied to CFDA numbers 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants), 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research), and 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research). These categories reflect the cross-cutting biomedical and infectious disease focus of HIV cure research.
Is cost sharing or matching required to apply?
No. The provided information states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds as a condition of award.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The information provided indicates the opportunity was posted/created on February 17, 2012, with an original and current closing date listed as April 25, 2014, and an archive date of May 26, 2014. That combination indicates it is no longer an active solicitation and remains available as a reference for program goals and eligibility at that time.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many organizational types. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education (including public/state-controlled universities and private universities), nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, including those other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses.
Are government entities eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility language includes government entities such as state governments, county governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, special district governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
Are minority-serving or specialized institutions included in eligibility?
Yes. The eligibility language explicitly extends to organizations such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). It also references faith-based or community-based organizations where applicable.
Are U.S. territories or regional organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility scope includes regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions.
Can non-U.S. (foreign) organizations apply?
Yes. The opportunity allows participation from outside the United States. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed.
Why does the opportunity allow foreign participation?
The description notes that this matters for HIV cure research because reservoir biology, clinical cohorts, and specialized model systems are distributed globally, and NIH sometimes encourages international collaboration when it strengthens scientific rigor and generalizability.
Where can applicants find the official announcement?
The official announcement link provided is http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-109.html.
Who should be contacted if there are technical issues accessing the announcement?
Applicants who had trouble accessing the announcement were directed to contact the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
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