NIH: Systems Approach to Immunity and Inflammation

Deadline: 2 November 2016

The National Institutes of Health is currently seeking proposals from eligible organisations for its program- Systems Approach to Immunity and Inflammation. the aim of the program is to develop a comprehensive understanding of innate and adaptive immune responses triggered by pathogens, adjuvants, or vaccines.

The long-range goal of this program is to advance our understanding of immune response dynamics following infection with a pathogen or administration of an adjuvant or vaccine; and to provide foundational information that can be applied to the development of novel translational approaches for production of vaccines or immune-based therapeutics.

Areas of Interest

Examples of research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

Determination of the functions of novel immune genes and/or proteins that are triggered in the primary or secondary response to infectious pathogens, adjuvants, or vaccines.
Identification of new functions for known genes/proteins in regulating or contributing to the generation and maintenance of protective or pathogenic immunity in response to infectious pathogens, adjuvants, or vaccines.
Dissection of the molecules and pathways involved in the regulation of the innate and/or adaptive immune system.
Determination of the mechanisms that regulate antibody production to pathogens, such as heavy chain class switching, affinity maturation/somatic hypermutation, plasma cell generation and maintenance, and cellular mechanisms required for generation of protective antibody responses.
Regulation of mucosal immunity triggered in response to infectious pathogens, adjuvants or vaccines.
Determination of the mechanisms of transcriptional or translational regulation of the innate or adaptive immune system, including, but not limited to the role of MicroRNA or Long non-coding RNA in regulating immune responses to pathogens, vaccines or adjuvants.
Understanding genomic regulation of immune response genes (e.g., epigenetic, enhancer accessibility/occupancy, structural and spatial organization of chromosomes) and the impact on immunity to pathogens, vaccines, or adjuvants.
Understanding the interacting cell types and spatial/temporal relationships during immune responses to pathogens, vaccines, or adjuvants.
Identifying the signal transduction mechanisms and/or networks activated in cells of the innate or adaptive immune system in response to pathogens, vaccines, or adjuvants.

Duration

The maximum project period is five years.

Funding Availability

The budget for each application cannot exceed $1,500,000.
The direct costs per award, per year, lies between $100,000 (minimum) to $200,000 (maximum) for years 2-5 for the Pilot Project Program.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants:

Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
City or township governments
County governments
State governments
Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification)
Small businesses
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Independent school districts
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Special district governments
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Private institutions of higher education

Other Eligible Applicants include the following:

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions;
Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs);
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);
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations;
Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ;
S. Territory or Possession;
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.