Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 23 069
The Bat Immunology Network Research Resource Program (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement funding opportunity (RFA-AI-23-069; CFDA 93.855) focused on building research resources that strengthen and standardize the study of bat immunity. The central goal is to support the development and validation of high-quality reagents and tools that enable researchers to better define the cellular and molecular parts of the bat immune system and to investigate how bats achieve protective innate and adaptive immune responses. Rather than funding clinical trials, this program is designed to create broadly useful research resources that multiple investigators can rely on to accelerate progress across the field.
A key feature of the opportunity is that the funded program will operate as part of a collaborative research network. That networked structure matters because bat immunology can be constrained by limited species-specific reagents, inconsistent assay performance across labs, and challenges in comparing results across different bat species or experimental setups. By emphasizing tool and reagent development plus validation, the NOFO is aiming to improve reproducibility and interoperability so that findings about bat immune mechanisms can be more confidently compared, replicated, and built upon. In practical terms, the award is meant to produce community-facing resources that help researchers characterize bat immune cell types, immune signaling pathways, and functional immune protection, including both early innate defenses and longer-term adaptive responses.
The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U24), which typically implies substantial scientific coordination with NIH and active participation in network activities. This is not a standard independent-research grant where the awardee works in isolation; instead, the expectation is that the funded group will coordinate, share, and align with other network participants to advance a shared scientific agenda around understanding the bat immune response. The “Clinical Trial Not Allowed” designation indicates that the supported work must remain within the scope of non-clinical-trial research activities appropriate to resource and tool development, validation, and related immunology studies in bats.
Eligibility for applicants is broad and includes many common U.S.-based organizational types: state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The NOFO also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), 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 geographic eligibility rules are specific: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, “foreign components,” as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may be able to include certain well-justified international elements within the project structure under NIH’s foreign component policies, even though a foreign organization cannot serve as the primary applicant.
The opportunity was created on December 13, 2023, and the original application closing date was May 24, 2024. The listed award ceiling is $350,000. The posting shows “Expected Awards:” but does not provide a number in the provided source text, so the anticipated count of awards cannot be confirmed from the excerpt alone. Overall, this NOFO is best understood as NIH support for building the foundational bat immunology toolkit and resource infrastructure needed to speed up discovery and strengthen cross-lab consistency in the study of bat immune defenses.Apply for RFA AI 23 069
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bat Immunology Network Research Resource Program (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-13.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-24. (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 $350,000.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Bat Immunology Network Research Resource Program?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement funding opportunity designed to build shared research resources that strengthen and standardize the study of bat immunity. The program focuses on creating community-facing tools and reagents that help researchers characterize bat immune system components and functions.
What is the funding opportunity number and type?
The opportunity is listed as RFA-AI-23-069 and uses the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism. It is identified as “U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed.”
What does “U24 cooperative agreement” mean for applicants and awardees?
A U24 is a cooperative agreement, which generally implies substantial scientific coordination with NIH. The funded program is expected to participate actively in a collaborative research network and to coordinate, share, and align its activities with other network participants rather than operating as an isolated, independent project.
Are clinical trials allowed under this program?
No. The opportunity is explicitly labeled “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” meaning supported activities must stay within non-clinical-trial work appropriate for resource and tool development, validation, and related non-clinical bat immunology studies.
What is the main goal of this program?
The central goal is to support the development and validation of high-quality reagents and tools that enable researchers to better define cellular and molecular components of the bat immune system and investigate how bats achieve protective innate and adaptive immune responses.
What kinds of outputs is the program intended to produce?
The program is meant to produce broadly useful, community-facing research resources such as validated reagents, tools, and standardized approaches that multiple investigators can rely on to accelerate progress across bat immunology.
Why does the program emphasize reagent and tool development plus validation?
Bat immunology research can be limited by a lack of species-specific reagents, inconsistent assay performance across laboratories, and difficulty comparing results across bat species or experimental setups. Emphasizing development and validation aims to improve reproducibility and interoperability across the field.
How does the networked structure of the program affect the work?
The funded effort is expected to operate as part of a collaborative research network. That networked structure highlights coordination, sharing, and alignment so that resources and methods support cross-lab consistency and make it easier to compare, replicate, and build on findings.
What scientific areas of bat immunity does the program aim to support?
The program aims to support resources that help researchers characterize bat immune cell types, immune signaling pathways, and functional immune protection, including early innate defenses and longer-term adaptive immune responses.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types, such as state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, TCCUs, and faith-based or community-based organizations, among others.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes U.S. territories or possessions.
Can a non-U.S. (foreign) organization apply as the primary applicant?
No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply for this opportunity.
Can a non-domestic component of a U.S. organization apply?
No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply.
Are “foreign components” allowed in the project?
Yes. “Foreign components,” as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. This means a U.S.-based applicant may be able to include certain well-justified international elements under NIH’s foreign component policies, even though a foreign organization cannot serve as the primary applicant.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number provided is 93.855.
When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on December 13, 2023.
What was the original application closing date?
The original application closing date listed is May 24, 2024.
What is the maximum award amount mentioned?
The listed award ceiling is $350,000.
How many awards does NIH expect to make?
The posting shows “Expected Awards,” but a number is not provided in the information excerpt. Based on the provided text alone, the anticipated count of awards cannot be confirmed.
Is this program intended to fund a single lab’s standalone research project?
Not as described. The program is positioned as a collaborative, network-based effort focused on building shared resources. The cooperative agreement mechanism and network expectations indicate the awardee should coordinate and align with other participants to advance a shared agenda.
What problem is this program trying to solve for the research community?
It targets key constraints in bat immunology research: limited species-specific reagents, inconsistent assay performance across labs, and challenges comparing results across bat species and experimental setups. The program is intended to strengthen foundational toolkit and resource infrastructure so the field can move faster with stronger consistency.
What is the overall purpose of this NOFO in plain terms?
In practical terms, it is NIH support for building and validating the foundational bat immunology toolkit that multiple researchers can use, helping accelerate discovery and improve cross-lab consistency when studying bat immune defenses.
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