This Notice is associated with the COVID-19 Supplemental funding through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139) which directs the National Cancer Institute of the NIH “to develop, validate, improve, and implement serological testing and associated technologies.” The National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as a Request for Applications (RFAs) to solicit applications to establish Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence of collaborating investigators and an RFA for research projects. Specifically, both the Centers and the projects will identify and advance research opportunities to characterize the immune responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, especially as it relates to cancer patients.
The Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence and research projects will be components of the Serological Sciences Network which will be coordinated through the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research (FNL). Other components of the Network will include the FNL Serology Lab and Serological Capacity Building Centers. It may also include SBIR grants and other grants and contracts related to serology associated with SARS-CoV-2.
This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants time to develop responsive projects and meaningful collaborations.
The FOAs are expected to be published in June 2020 with expected application due dates in July 2020.
The FOAs will use the U54 and U01 activity codes (Clinical Trial Not Allowed).