Emergency Awards to Support Pandemic Preparedness (US)

Deadline: 19-Mar-22

The National Institutes of Health is seeking applications for its Emergency Awards: Biocontainment Facility Improvements and Building System Upgrades to Support Pandemic Preparedness.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support pandemic preparedness by providing an opportunity for facility improvements and building systems upgrades at existing BSL3 and BSL4 biocontainment laboratories engaged in research on RNA viruses of pandemic potential to facilitate the conduct of biomedical research on vaccines and therapeutics.

Objectives and Scope

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) seeks to support facility improvements and building systems upgrades at existing BSL3 or BSL4 biocontainment laboratories engaged in research on RNA viruses of pandemic potential to facilitate the conduct of biomedical research on vaccines and therapeutics.
Applicant institutions must serve multiple individual investigators each with demonstrated experience (e.g., United States Government (USG) funding, publications) over the past 5 years covering at least one RNA virus family relevant under the APP/pandemic preparedness effort.
The cumulative experience of the investigators must cover at least two APP/pandemic preparedness-relevant viral families. Examples of activities that are covered under this FOA include but are not limited to:
- Repair, renovation, and modernization of building systems to enhance functions and operations of existing research facilities, i.e., renovating space and finishes or updating the facility’s HVAC, plumbing, or electrical systems.
- New fixed Equipment connected to building systems that modernize, streamlines, or improve efficiencies of the operations of the facility and novel nonfixed scientific equipment and advanced tools which directly support the BSL3 or BSL4 laboratory. Examples of allowable equipment include autoclaves, cage washing equipment, ventilated animal caging, Biosafety Cabinets (BSCs), cell sorters/FACs, and PCR equipment. Examples of equipment not considered allowable are typical laboratory nonfixed equipment such as refrigerators, incubators, and centrifuges.
- Building automation systems related to the functioning of the facility.

Award Information

NIAID intends to commit $37,000,000 in FY 2022 to fund up to 8 awards.
Award budgets are expected within the range of $3,000,000 to $7,500,000 direct costs. Application budgets are limited to $7,500,000 direct costs per year.
The award covers only direct costs associated with the proposed project. No F&A is allowed.
The project period is 18 months.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Organizations
- Higher Education Institutions
  - Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  - Private Institutions of Higher Education
- The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
  - Hispanic-serving Institutions
  - Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  - Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
  - Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
  - Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)