Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AI 19 028

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 19 028

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), titled "Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-19-028), to build a coordinated, multi-site network of Emerging Infectious Disease Research Centers (EIDRCs). The central idea is to place well-prepared, research-capable teams in parts of the world where outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are most likely to occur, so that critical scientific work can begin early, be sustained over time, and be coordinated across regions rather than happening in isolated, one-off projects. The FOA uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01), which generally means NIH expects to have an active partnership role with awardees in shaping priorities, coordinating activities across centers, and ensuring the network functions as an integrated program. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, so the funded work must stay within non-trial research activities.

Scientifically, the program focuses on building multidisciplinary teams that can address major gaps in preparedness and response for high-consequence pathogens. The centers are expected to conduct pathogen and host surveillance, which can include tracking pathogens in human populations, animal reservoirs, and vectors, as well as monitoring host responses that may influence susceptibility or disease severity. Beyond detection, the FOA emphasizes research on how pathogens spread (transmission), how they cause disease (pathogenesis), and how the immune system responds (immunologic responses in the host). This combination is meant to support a more complete understanding of outbreak dynamics, from early identification of threats through to mechanistic insights that can guide public health and biomedical countermeasure development.

A key practical deliverable area in this FOA is the development of enabling tools that make outbreak science faster and more reliable. The announcement explicitly highlights developing reagents and diagnostic assays to improve detection of important emerging pathogens and their vectors. In practice, this can mean generating standardized reagents, improving laboratory assays, validating diagnostic approaches in relevant settings, and strengthening the overall capability to detect and characterize pathogens quickly, especially in regions where laboratory infrastructure and supply chains can be limiting during an outbreak. By tying tool development to surveillance and mechanistic studies, the program is designed to create a feedback loop where field observations drive lab-based refinement, and improved diagnostics strengthen field detection and tracking.

From an eligibility standpoint, the FOA is broad and inclusive, reflecting the global and cross-sector nature of emerging infectious disease work. Eligible applicants include many types of U.S. governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), independent school districts, and tribal governments (federally recognized), as well as public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities. Academic eligibility covers public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside institutions of higher education) and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), as well as small businesses. In addition, it explicitly calls out other eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), tribal governments that are not federally recognized, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This breadth signals that NIH anticipated centers would often be built through partnerships that include universities, public health agencies, laboratories, community-linked organizations, and international collaborators in outbreak-prone regions.

Administratively, this is a discretionary health funding opportunity under CFDA 93.855. The award instrument is a cooperative agreement (U01), aligning with the goal of creating a coordinated network rather than disconnected individual projects. The listed award ceiling is $850,000, and the original closing date for applications was 2019-06-28, with the FOA created on 2019-03-05. While the summary provided does not specify the exact number of expected awards, the emphasis throughout is on establishing a network of centers, implying multiple coordinated awards that together provide geographic reach and complementary scientific capabilities.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at strengthening global readiness for infectious disease threats by funding centers that can simultaneously watch for emerging pathogens, study how they spread and cause disease, characterize host immune responses, and produce practical diagnostic and research tools. The networked structure and cooperative agreement mechanism underscore that NIH wanted a connected system of centers capable of harmonized surveillance, shared methods, and coordinated scientific response in places where outbreaks are most likely to begin or re-emerge.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Centers (U01 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 2019-03-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-06-28. (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 $850,000.00 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.

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