Request for Proposals: New Opportunities - EXPIRED

The MARCE will once again have the opportunity to apply for additional money for projects within the Center. These “New Opportunities” funds are not part of the Center’s original operational budget, but are intended for use by NIAID to fund new components and activities in the Regional Centers of Excellence. These funds will be applied to objectives such as: enhancing the capabilities of the Centers and the Biodefense Network, encouraging inter-Center activities, and providing additional research, product development, and training opportunities. It is important to remember that one of the goals for the RCEs is to develop vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics that are targeted to the Category A-C agents, and projects directly related to achieving this goal will be given high priority. Projects exhibiting real novelty and genuine innovation will also be given extra consideration.

Applications for New Opportunities funds may include any of the following specific areas (others may be acceptable—discuss with the MARCE Research Coordinator).

Highest priority areas:

• Product development related activities (Trans-Center or individual) such as advanced proof of concept, preclinical studies, phase I testing, technology transfer assistance (but not patent related activities), etc.

• Innovative new Trans-Center projects.

• New Collaborative projects involving investigators at two or more Centers.

• Trans-Center collaborations on existing projects, e.g., establishing collaborations between related projects so work is more synergistic.

• Supplements to existing projects or cores, e.g., making existing Center cores available as Trans-Center cores.

• Training, e.g., biosafety/biosecurity, GMP, GLP, GCP, animal care and use, etc.

Lower priority areas:

• Alteration and renovation (A&R) funds for facilities necessary to conduct the Center-funded research, if A&R funds were not included in the original RCE award or given subsequently in the second year-New Opportunity money. No RCE can receive more than $500,000 A&R funds total over the lifetime of the grant.

• Shared, large equipment for use within a Center or a region.

• Workshops or conferences for the entire Biodefense Network.

• Immunization costs for laboratory workers.

• Trans-Center resources such as new scientific Cores, e.g., a GMP core, PK/PD/Tox testing, assay development.

Not allowed:

• Additional Developmental Project or Career Development funds.

• Supplements to existing projects unless for specific product development activities (see above).

• Funds for extension of Developmental Projects beyond their current time limits.

• Funds to bring current Developmental Projects up to Research Project level.

• Supplements to projects/activities that had significant carryover funds.

Applications are for one-year projects (start date of 3/1/07 and end date of 2/29/08). Funds must be requested for the continuation of any project started in previous years funded by New Opportunities money, even if money for subsequent years was requested in the past. Evidence must be presented that the projects are accomplishing their goals.

Up to $1,250,000 in total costs may be available to the MARCE as a whole through this New Opportunities funding mechanism. This cap will not apply to Trans-Center projects involving multiple RCEs such as network core facilities, network-wide conferences/workshops, and other activities that benefit the entire NIAID Biodefense Network, but will include collaborative research projects between two or more Centers.

Please contact the MARCE Research Coordinator, Jennifer Snyder, Ph.D., prior to preparing an application for input regarding whether the concept you will be proposing fits within the scope of allowable activities.

Full submission instructions available here