Notice of Intent to Publish a Request for Applications for the U.S-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research

Notice Number: NOT-AI-13-066

Key Dates
Release Date: September 30, 2013
Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: November 22, 2013
First Estimated Application Due Date: April 22, 2014
Earliest Estimated Award Date: November 2014 
Earliest Estimated Start Date: November 2014

Related Announcements
None

Issued by
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Purpose

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) supports international collaborative biomedical research to advance science and expand biomedical knowledge. Scientific cooperation between the U.S. and the Republic of South Africa was initiated in 1995 and has grown in recent years. Recognizing that enhanced cooperative biomedical research would be of mutual benefit to the U.S. and South Africa and contribute to scientific discovery, the NIH Director and the President of the Medical Research Council (MRC) of the Republic of South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in January 2013 to develop a new U.S.-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research. A Joint Working Group (JWG), made up of members from both NIH and MRC, has developed strategic plans for collaboration to efficiently address NIH and MRC research priorities. Both the NIH and MRC have allocated funds to support joint activities to be pursued under this program.

As a component of the new U.S.-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research, NIH intends to publish two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs). These announcements will solicit meritorious grant applications for research focused on HIV/AIDS biomedical and behavioral science, tuberculosis (TB), and HIV-related malignancies. All applications will include collaborating U.S. and South African investigators working in partnership to prepare and submit a single joint application. Applications must include at least one Program Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI) from each country with budgets separately identified for U.S. and South Africa research components. Applications will be reviewed by NIH; the MRC will not conduct a separate review.

The purpose of this Notice is to allow prospective applicants in both the United States and South Africa sufficient time to identify mutual partners, begin preliminary discussions, develop essential collaborations and plan to prepare for applications in response to the anticipated FOAs. 

The FOAs are expected to be published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts in November 2013 with an expected receipt date in April 2014.

The two planned FOAs will essentially be similar in scope/focus of science but one will utilize the NIH Research Project Grant Program (R01) funding mechanism; and a companion FOA will use the R21 funding mechanism.

Research Initiative Details

The intent of this initiative is to foster, stimulate, and/or expand basic, translational, behavioral and applied research partnerships that will advance scientific discovery and engage U.S. and South African researchers working collaboratively in the areas of HIV/AIDS, TB, and HIV-related malignancies. New and early stage investigators are highly encouraged to apply to these FOAs.

Basic, translational, behavioral, clinical, preventive, or epidemiological research may be proposed under this program. Clinical trials of drugs, biologics or diagnostics will not be supported through this program.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Kenneth E. Santora, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 301-451-2605
Email: Ksantora@niaid.nih.gov