Accelerating Malaria Vaccine Discovery (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PA 19 077

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 19 077

The NIH grant opportunity "Accelerating Malaria Vaccine Discovery (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-19-077; CFDA 93.855) is designed to push promising malaria vaccine ideas out of basic research and into early translational development. Its main goal is to fund projects that can generate brand-new vaccine candidates that are mature enough to justify further downstream development steps, such as more advanced preclinical work and, eventually, clinical evaluation in humans. The emphasis is on discovering and shaping candidates with a clear path forward, rather than simply producing exploratory findings without a defined product concept.

Scientifically, the FOA prioritizes vaccine discovery efforts aimed at major human malaria parasites, with particular attention to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. The research focus is broad in terms of desired public health outcomes: applicants are encouraged to pursue candidates that can prevent infection in the first place, reduce the severity of disease if infection occurs, and/or interrupt transmission so that malaria spread in communities is reduced. In other words, the announcement is open to multiple vaccine goals across the malaria life cycle and epidemiology, as long as the work is oriented toward generating tangible vaccine candidates appropriate for the next stages of development.

The funding mechanism is an NIH R01 research project grant, and the opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." Practically, that means proposed work should remain on the preclinical and translational side rather than involving prospective assignment of human participants to interventions for evaluating health-related outcomes. The FOA is therefore positioned for activities like antigen discovery and selection, immunogen design, optimization of vaccine constructs or platforms, early evaluation of immunogenicity and protective potential using appropriate laboratory and animal models, and other translational studies that help decide whether a candidate is credible enough to advance.

Eligibility is intentionally wide, reflecting NIH's interest in drawing in strong ideas from many sectors. Eligible applicants include a range of government entities (state, county, city or township, and special district governments), federally recognized Native American tribal governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, independent school districts, and both public and private institutions of higher education. Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they hold 501(c)(3) status, as are for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) and regional organizations are also included, signaling that NIH is open to strong malaria vaccine discovery programs wherever the relevant expertise and infrastructure exist.

Administratively, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category, and it is listed as discretionary grant funding. The source data indicates an original closing date of 2021-12-02 and shows no stated award ceiling or expected awards count in the provided excerpt, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full FOA for budget expectations, scope guidance, and review criteria.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted push to enlarge and strengthen the malaria vaccine pipeline by funding translational, preclinical R01 projects that yield credible, testable vaccine candidates aimed at preventing malaria infection, reducing disease burden, and/or blocking transmission, with a particular focus on the highest-impact human malaria species.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Accelerating Malaria Vaccine Discovery (R01 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 2018-11-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-02. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 PA 19 077

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