HIV Vaccine Research and Design (HIVRAD) Program (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 319

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 319

The HIV Vaccine Research and Design (HIVRAD) Program (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity designed to fund large, team-based research programs focused on the discovery and early-stage development of prophylactic (preventive) HIV/AIDS vaccines. It uses the P01 multi-project (program project) grant mechanism, which is meant for coordinated, multi-component efforts where several closely related projects and shared cores work together under a unifying scientific theme. The central aim is to support multi-disciplinary collaborations that can tackle complex, high-impact scientific questions in HIV vaccine discovery, rather than isolated, single-lab studies.

This FOA specifically emphasizes research that advances vaccine concepts at the discovery and design stages. That includes generating and testing vaccine immunogen designs, exploring protective immune responses and how to elicit them, and addressing key barriers in HIV vaccinology such as viral diversity, immune evasion, durability of protection, and the challenge of inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies or other protective immune mechanisms. A notable feature of the announcement is that it allows for extensive modeling of vaccine concepts in non-human primates, recognizing that well-designed animal studies can be essential for understanding immunogenicity, mechanisms of protection, and comparative evaluation of candidate strategies before any movement toward human testing. At the same time, the title clearly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the funded work must not include clinical trials; the scope is preclinical and discovery-oriented rather than clinical evaluation in humans.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary grant funding within the health domain, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.855. The funding opportunity number is PAR-18-319. The program was created on October 13, 2017, and the original closing date listed in the source information is March 13, 2020. The listed award ceiling is $2,500,000, indicating the program is structured to support sizable, integrated research efforts that may require substantial resources, specialized expertise, and shared infrastructure.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can contribute meaningfully to HIV vaccine research. Domestic applicants can include state, county, city, or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), as well as for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and certain tribal governments and organizations that are not federally recognized. Importantly, the eligibility list includes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and regional organizations, reflecting NIH's interest in supporting scientifically strong collaborations that may span borders, especially given the global nature of HIV.

In practical terms, a competitive HIVRAD P01 application is typically expected to propose a coherent set of interlinked research projects that collectively answer a major set of vaccine discovery questions, often supported by shared cores (for example, immunology, virology, biostatistics, assay development, or animal model resources). The overall goal is to accelerate progress toward viable HIV vaccine strategies by funding coordinated, collaborative science that is more comprehensive than what a single-project award would typically support, while staying firmly outside the realm of human clinical trials under this particular announcement.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HIV Vaccine Research and Design (HIVRAD) Program (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-10-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 18 319

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