Characterization of Mycobacterial Induced Immunity in HIV-infected and Uninfected Individuals (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 923

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 923

This funding opportunity, titled "Characterization of Mycobacterial Induced Immunity in HIV-infected and Uninfected Individuals (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (PAR 18-923), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant announcement in the health research area (CFDA 93.855). It uses the R21 mechanism, which is typically aimed at early-stage, high-impact, and exploratory work, and it specifically does not allow clinical trials. The overall goal is to support innovative human immunology studies that clarify what kinds of immune responses protect people from infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and what immune signatures are triggered after vaccination with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) or investigational tuberculosis vaccines. The emphasis is on generating new insights into protective immunity and moving beyond the traditional immune readouts that have dominated TB research in the past.

Scientifically, the FOA is centered on understanding protective mechanisms at any point along the spectrum of mycobacterial exposure and disease. That includes early exposure and resistance to infection, latent infection, progression risk, and immune responses associated with TB disease or with vaccine-induced protection. A key feature is that studies may include both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals, reflecting the real-world overlap between HIV and TB and the need to understand how HIV-related immune perturbations change TB susceptibility, immune control, or vaccine responsiveness. Rather than focusing only on conventional measures, the announcement encourages projects that interrogate immunity in deeper and more integrated ways, including novel functional assays that directly test host immune activity and more comprehensive immune profiling strategies.

Methodologically, the FOA explicitly encourages immune profiling and systems biology approaches. In practice, that could include multidimensional cellular phenotyping, transcriptomic or proteomic signatures, functional characterization of innate and adaptive immune compartments, and integrative analytic frameworks that connect different layers of immune data to clinical or exposure phenotypes. The announcement also highlights the development of new functional assays as an encouraged direction, which signals interest in tools that can more realistically capture protective immune activity in humans, such as assays that measure mycobacterial growth inhibition, antigen-specific functional responses, or other readouts designed to approximate mechanisms of protection rather than simply measuring immune presence. The broader intent is to stimulate creative, non-incremental research that helps identify immune correlates and mechanisms that could inform next-generation TB vaccine development and improved strategies to prevent infection or progression to disease.

From an applicant standpoint, eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Academic eligibility includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, as are for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses. The opportunity also explicitly welcomes a wide range of additional organizational types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments that are not federally recognized, eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) as well as regional organizations. This broad eligibility reflects an intent to draw in diverse research environments and populations, including settings where TB and HIV burdens are high.

In terms of key administrative details provided in the source, the FOA was created on 2018-09-17, with an original closing date of 2020-09-10. The funding instrument is a grant, and the award ceiling listed is $200,000. While the source snippet notes "ExpectedAwards:" without a value, the ceiling communicates the general scale expected for supported exploratory projects. Overall, the opportunity is designed to catalyze innovative, human-focused immunology research that can reveal how protective immunity to Mtb arises naturally or through vaccination, including in the context of HIV, and to advance tools and analytic strategies capable of identifying the immune mechanisms that matter most for preventing TB infection and disease.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Characterization of Mycobacterial Induced Immunity in HIV-infected and Uninfected Individuals (R21 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 2018-09-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-10. (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 $200,000.00 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 18 923

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: