Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 657
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity PAR-18-657 supports the creation or continuation of Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Centers of Excellence using the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism, with clinical trials allowed but not required (clinical trial optional). The overall purpose of the CounterACT program is to accelerate research and development of medical countermeasures, specifically therapeutics that could treat or mitigate harm from dangerous chemical exposures. The program is framed around real-world chemical threats that may arise from deliberate attacks (for example, terrorism) or from accidental releases tied to industrial manufacturing, storage, or transportation.
The FOA defines chemical threats broadly, covering classic chemical warfare agents as well as toxic industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical-based agents, and pesticides. Funded work is meant to push promising ideas along a translational pipeline, starting with identifying and characterizing biological targets and candidate therapeutics, then optimizing those candidates, and ultimately demonstrating in vivo efficacy in a way that matches the product's intended use in humans. For renewal applications in particular, the NIH signals an expectation that the research will mature to the point of producing an optimized lead compound that is ready for advanced development, meaning the center should be positioned to hand off a refined candidate for later-stage preclinical development and eventual regulatory-facing steps.
Structurally, each Center of Excellence is required to be more than a single-project award. The center must include at least three distinct research projects, all coordinated through an administrative core. In addition, applicants may propose up to three optional scientific cores that provide shared capabilities (such as specialized assays, animal models, chemistry support, or other centralized resources) to improve efficiency and consistency across projects. A research education core is also required, reflecting a program goal of developing talent, expertise, and a sustained workforce able to conduct countermeasure research over time.
A key feature of the FOA is its emphasis on milestone-driven translational planning. Each research project must include clear, discrete milestones that function as go/no-go decision points. In practice, this means the proposed work should be organized so that progress can be objectively evaluated at critical stages (for example, demonstrating target engagement, meeting potency or selectivity thresholds, confirming pharmacokinetic properties, or achieving predefined efficacy endpoints in relevant in vivo models). This milestone structure is intended to keep projects focused on outcomes that meaningfully reduce development risk, and to ensure that resources are concentrated on candidates that continue to meet performance criteria as the work advances.
From an administrative perspective, the award is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial NIH program involvement compared with a standard research project grant. The activity category spans education, environment, health, and related human services domains, and the listing includes multiple CFDA numbers: 93.113, 93.279, 93.846, 93.853, 93.865, and 93.867. The opportunity was created on February 13, 2018, and the original closing date listed is October 8, 2020. The award ceiling shown is $2,000,000, and the agency is NIH.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. Academic eligibility includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Organizational eligibility extends to nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly mentions additional categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
At the same time, the FOA draws clear boundaries around foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or subcomponents if they meet NIH policy requirements and are justified within the scientific plan.
Overall, the opportunity is designed for teams capable of running a coordinated, multi-project center that can move potential therapies from early discovery through optimization and proof-of-concept in vivo testing, using rigorous milestones to guide continuation decisions. The program focus is not simply on basic science about toxic chemicals, but on producing tangible therapeutic candidates and development-ready outcomes that improve national readiness for chemical emergencies.Apply for PAR 18 657
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Centers of Excellence (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.279, 93.846, 93.853, 93.865, 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-13.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-10-08. (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 $2,000,000.00 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.
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