Toward ElucidAting MechanismS of HIV Pathogenesis within the Mission of the NIDDK (Pathogenesis TEAMS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DK 20 022

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 20 022

This NIH grant opportunity, titled "Toward ElucidAting MechanismS of HIV Pathogenesis within the Mission of the NIDDK (Pathogenesis TEAMS)" (RFA-DK-20-022), is an R01 funding announcement from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Its core goal is to fund multidisciplinary, team-based research that digs into the underlying biological mechanisms driving HIV-associated health problems that fall within NIDDKs mission areas, meaning conditions involving diabetes and metabolism, digestive diseases, liver and gastrointestinal systems, nutrition-related biology, and kidney/urologic health. The emphasis is not simply on documenting clinical patterns in people with HIV, but on getting to the "why" and "how" at the mechanistic level, using coordinated expertise that spans HIV science plus organ-specific pathobiology, pathophysiology, and metabolism.

A central theme of the FOA is that HIV can contribute to comorbidities, coinfections, and complications that affect NIDDK-relevant organs and systems, even in the era of effective antiretroviral therapy. The program is therefore aimed at studies that can comprehensively interrogate fundamental mechanisms of pathogenesis. In practical terms, that means proposals are expected to be broad and integrated enough to connect HIV-related factors (viral persistence, immune activation/inflammation, effects of antiretroviral drugs, altered microbiome-immune interactions, metabolic reprogramming, tissue injury and repair pathways, and other drivers) to specific downstream organ dysfunction or disease processes within NIDDKs portfolio. The word "TEAMS" in the title reflects the expectation that projects will be built around collaborative groups with complementary skills, rather than a single-lab approach, so applicants should anticipate the need for a well-structured research plan that shows how different disciplines will contribute to one coherent mechanistic story.

The funding mechanism is an R01 research project grant, with clinical trial participation listed as optional. That structure typically supports substantial, hypothesis-driven research programs and allows applicants to propose either non-clinical studies, human subject research, or clinical studies depending on what is required to answer the mechanistic questions. The announcement is categorized as discretionary grant funding in the health-related activity area (CFDA 93.847). The listed award ceiling is $500,000, indicating the program anticipated sizable budgets (commonly interpreted as a per-year direct cost cap in many NIH contexts, though applicants normally confirm the exact budgeting rules in the full FOA text). The original closing date shown for this opportunity was 2021-11-17, and the posting (creation) date was 2020-08-24, placing it in a defined application window rather than an always-open parent announcement.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations that commonly apply for NIH grants, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. It also explicitly highlights a range of other eligible applicant categories that NIH often calls out to encourage inclusive participation, including 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). In addition, the announcement includes eligibility for Indian/Native American Tribal Governments that are not federally recognized, eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and even non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). Taken together, the applicant pool is intentionally expansive, which fits the multidisciplinary, multi-setting nature of HIV comorbidity research and the need to address diverse populations and health contexts.

What distinguishes this opportunity from more general HIV research solicitations is the tight alignment requirement with NIDDKs mission. Applicants are expected to anchor their HIV pathogenesis questions in organ systems and biological processes that NIDDK prioritizes, and to demonstrate how the proposed mechanistic insights could ultimately move the field toward alleviating HIV-associated conditions in those areas. In other words, the program is looking for teams that can connect HIV-related biology to concrete disease mechanisms in metabolism, digestive/liver systems, kidney disease, and related physiological pathways, with the long-term intent of enabling better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for HIV-associated complications that intersect with NIDDKs scientific and public health mandate.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Toward ElucidAting MechanismS of HIV Pathogenesis within the Mission of the NIDDK (Pathogenesis TEAMS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-08-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-11-17. (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 $500,000.00 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 RFA DK 20 022

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