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The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to provide an expedited funding mechanism for research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). NIAID is issuing this FOA in response to the declared public health emergency issued by the Secretary, HHS, for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that has recently been identified as the causative agent of COVID-19, a respiratory disease that exhibits a wide range of clinical outcomes from mild disease to severe viral pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). SARS-CoV-2 is able to spread efficiently from person-to-person and cases have been detected in most countries. On March 11, the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was classified as a pandemic by the WHO. Transmission characteristics and the associated morbidity and mortality, viral pathogenesis, host immunity, natural history, and host range are currently poorly understood. Research is an important component of the public health emergency response before, during and after the emergency. Given this, there is an urgent public health need to better understand SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, particularly to improve understanding of fundamental virology, immunology, and the development of animal models, reagents, and medical countermeasures and to share findings quickly and broadly.

Areas of high priority include, but are not limited to, studies to understand critical aspects of viral infection/replication, studies to understand critical aspects of viral transmission, development and testing of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic candidates, and studies to inform the development of vaccination strategies for at-risk populations.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to provide an expedited funding mechanism for research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). NIAID is issuing this FOA in response to the declared public health emergency issued by the Secretary, HHS, for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that has recently been identified as the causative agent of COVID-19, a respiratory disease that exhibits a wide range of clinical outcomes from mild disease to severe viral pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). SARS-CoV-2 is able to spread efficiently from person-to-person and cases have been detected in most countries. On March 11, the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was classified as a pandemic by the WHO. Transmission characteristics and the associated morbidity and mortality, viral pathogenesis, host immunity, natural history, and host range are currently poorly understood. Research is an important component of the public health emergency response before, during and after the emergency. Given this, there is an urgent public health need to better understand SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, particularly to improve understanding of fundamental virology, immunology, and the development of animal models, reagents, and medical countermeasures and to share findings quickly and broadly.

Areas of high priority include, but are not limited to, studies to understand critical aspects of viral infection/replication, studies to understand critical aspects of viral transmission, development and testing of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic candidates, and studies to inform the development of vaccination strategies for at-risk populations.

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).

This FOA solicits applications responsive only to the COVID-19 public health emergency through support of the CARES Act. All other Early Independence Award applications must be submitted in response to RFA-RM-20-014.

The NIH Director's Early Independence Award (a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program of the NIH Common Fund) supports exceptional junior investigators who wish to pursue independent research soon after completion of their terminal doctoral degree or post-graduate clinical training, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career. For the program to support the best possible researchers and research, applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the research workforce. Individuals from diverse backgrounds and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations are strongly encouraged to apply to this Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Common Fund will dedicate funds provided by the CARES Act to support a total of 5-10 Early Independence Awards (through this FOA) or Transformative Research Awards (through RFA-RM-20-020) that bring new, innovative perspectives and approaches to the prevention of, preparation for, or response to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, domestically or internationally. Any relevant area of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 research is welcome, including behavioral/social science research, research on health disparities, novel therapeutics, and other related topics. As with all High-Risk, High-Reward Research program applications, innovation may be technological or conceptual.

NIAID is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the need for research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in select scientific areas using the following funding mechanisms:

• PA-20-200 - NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-272 - PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-270 - PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

In order to rapidly improve our understanding and available control measures for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, NIAID is encouraging the submission of applications to address the following research areas of interest:

• Studies to understand critical aspects of viral infection, replication, pathogenesis, and transmission;
• Studies on the evolution and emergence of SARS-CoV-2 viruses including the identification of factors that affect viral host-range and virulence;
• Development of sensitive, specific, and rapid clinical diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2;
• Development of SARS-COV-2 therapeutic candidates, especially broad-spectrum therapeutics against multiple coronavirus strains;
• Identification and evaluation of the innate, cellular and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including, but not limited to: cross-reactive antibodies from individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses; viral epitopes critical for T cell activation or antibody binding and neutralization; immune-mediated pathology or host factors that might predispose to severe infection; and studies to examine duration of protection or the potential for reinfection; and
• Development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, including approaches for pan-coronavirus protection, that include emerging antigen design strategies, novel platforms or delivery approaches, adjuvants, or assessing cross-neutralization potential of SARS-CoV vaccine candidates.

Supports individuals or teams proposing COVID-19-related projects that are inherently risky and untested but have the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms. An anonymized review process will be used.

• Proposal must be relevant to COVID-19 prevention, preparation, or response
• Open to all career stages
• Accepts single-PI or multi-PI applications
• No preliminary data required
• Flexible budget
• See website for more information and FAQs

Application deadline: September 30, 2020

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention (Short Title: COVID-19 ERSP) grants. SAMHSA recognizes there are currently 57.8 million Americans living with mental and/or substance use disorders (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2018). Currently, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in our nation. The current national COVID-19 crisis will certainly contribute to the growth in the number of Americans needing urgent care to address mental health needs, including suicidality. Americans across the country will struggle with increases in depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, isolation, loss of employment, financial instability and other challenges, which can lead to suicide and suicide attempts. The purpose of this program is to support states and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic in advancing efforts to prevent suicide and suicide attempts among adults age 25 and older in order to reduce the overall suicide rate and number of suicides in the U.S.

SAMHSA recognizes the serious concerns for domestic violence victims that are posed by mass stay-at-home and quarantine orders. Under normal circumstances, domestic violence can lead to situations of increased stress, anxiety, depression and trauma. These are all contributing factors to risk for suicide if unaddressed. Current conditions exacerbate this situation for domestic violence victims. Given the unique situation for these particular individuals, SAMHSA is requiring that a minimum of 25 percent of direct services funding be used to support this population. This must be clearly identified in the budget narrative and justification.

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Planning (RCORP-Planning). RCORP is a multi-year HRSA initiative with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality resulting from substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in high risk rural communities. This funding opportunity, RCORP-Planning, will advance RCORP’s overall goal by strengthening and expanding the capacity of rural communities to provide SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

The purpose of RCORP-Planning is to strengthen and expand the capacity of rural communities to engage high-risk populations and provide SUD/OUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Recipients will conduct planning activities, engage multi-sector consortiums (as defined in Section III.1, “Eligible Applicants”), and participate in the RCORP-Planning learning collaborative (see Section IV.2, “Program Specific Instructions” for additional details). While the primary focus of RCORP-Planning is OUD, HRSA recognizes that many individuals with OUD are polysubstance users. Therefore, applicants may also choose to address an additional substance of concern in the target population.
RCORP-Planning funds will support 18 months of planning activities. For the purposes of this grant, planning activities are those that prepare a community to provide direct prevention, treatment, and recovery services. In addition to the required core planning activities (see Section IV.2, “Program Specific Instructions” for additional details), examples include (but are not limited to):
• Distributing naloxone to individuals/organizations who may need it;
• Providing community-based naloxone trainings;
• Recruiting and training providers and support staff in medication assisted treatment (NOTE: These grant funds cannot be used to pay providers/support staff to deliver medication assisted treatment);
• Creating a strategy to reach and engage individuals at high risk of SUD/OUD;
• Working with law enforcement to develop a diversion program;
• Training providers, administrative staff, and other relevant stakeholders to optimize reimbursement for treatment encounters through proper coding and billing.

Direct services may not be provided using these grant funds. Examples of direct services include (but are not limited to):
• Providing Medication Assisted Treatment
• Providing peer-based recovery services
• Transporting individuals to receive treatment
• Paying individuals to administer naloxone.

HRSA envisions that RCORP-Planning will establish the foundation for recipients to implement long-term, sustainable SUD/OUD services in the target rural area. HRSA also expects that planning activities will ensure that future OUD/SUD services are affordable and accessible.
If awarded you are encouraged to explore multiple avenues for sustainability, including alternate funding sources and optimizing reimbursement for treatment encounters.

The Rheumatology Research Foundation is issuing a notice of special interest (NOSI) to highlight the availability of funds for projects exploring the relationships between rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Foundation accepts submissions within the following scientific categories:
•Basic Science
•Translational Science
•Clinical Science
•Health Services Research
•Patient- or Practice-Centered Research

Examples of studies relevant to this NOSI include, but are not limited to:
•Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and pathogenesis of COVID-19 in patients with RMDs
•Influence of DMARDs, biologic agents, or other medications, on SARS-CoV-2 immune responses
•Studies of DMARDs or biologic agents used in RMDs on outcomes of SARS-CoV2 infection in animal models or in vitro
•Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of CoVID-19 course in patients with RMDs, including the influence of therapeutic agents or other interventions in pragmatic trials
•The effects of COVID-19 on access to rheumatology care, including telehealth, digital tools, social determinants of health, etc.
•Analyses of the economic impact of COVID-19 on the care of patients with RMDs

Applications for large-scale trials are not appropriate for these grant mechanisms and will not be considered for funding.
Given the urgency to acquire new knowledge on COVID-19 in patients with RMDs, applicants submitting projects within this focus area may request an expedited start date. The Foundation will, to every extent possible, shorten the timeline to project implementation and funding for approved applications.

Recent clinical experience has shown that people with diabetes are at higher risk of death from COVID19 and that COVID-19 drives an increased risk of hyperglycemia and other complications in those with and without diabetes. This is in addition to the risk due to advanced age and chronic disease. Both the biological mechanisms underlying this risk and how to minimize it remain poorly understood. There is an urgent need for research to understand the impact of diabetes on COVID-19 and vice versa. This is true at a basic and clinical level. 
 
The goal of this RFA is to use a rapid application and review process to identify at least 10 grants of up to $100,000 each in this area and of high scientific merit for immediate funding.