If you can identify B cell epitopes and study antibody-mediated protective immunity, consider sending a proposal in response to NIAID’s renewed May 23, 2023, Innovations in Functional B Cell Epitope Discovery broad agency announcement (BAA) contract solicitation.
Scientific Overview
This program supports innovative research for high throughput discovery and validation of novel B cell epitopes associated with infectious pathogens or vaccines against them, autoimmune diseases, allergens, or human leukocyte antigen (HLA) epitopes associated with cell, organ, or tissue transplant rejection or tolerance.
Your proposal must focus on one of the following four topics:
- Infectious disease and/or vaccine responses, including pathogens with pandemic potential.
- Autoimmune disease. This research area could also include the identification of pathogen-specific epitopes that are implicated in induction of autoimmune disease.
- Allergy to aeroallergens, food allergens, or drugs.
- Transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs.
You may submit separate proposals for different topics, but you are limited to only one proposal for each topic. The BAA does not support studies related to HIV.
This contract program will not support clinical trials. However, you may propose clinical research on human samples collected after, or as part of, standard of care interventions, or obtained from independently-funded clinical trials. You may also study samples from longitudinal observational studies that contribute to validation of candidate epitopes.
Check the BAA solicitation for full details on requirements for your overall program, each research area listed above, and more.
Contract Type, Budget, and Deadline
NIAID expects to issue multiple cost-reimbursement type completion contracts with an average annual total cost (direct and indirect costs combined) of $1.5 million each. However, the total cost may vary depending on the project’s scope and technical objectives. Propose a period of performance that reflects the complexity of the research, up to a maximum of 5 years.
Your proposal is due no later than September 20, 2023, 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
If you have any questions about the BAA, contact Deborah Blyveis, NIAID contracting officer, at blyveisd@niaid.nih.gov or 240-669-5143.