“As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, the National Institutes of Health are working to develop vaccines and early detection technologies to stem the outbreak. Funding opportunities for this research and prototype development are being channeled through two funding mechanisms.”
“Those efforts are being managed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, which, for the first time, has activated the NIH Urgent Award procurement vehicle. The funding vehicle, established in 2018, created an open grant offering that could be refined as needed to support research during emergencies, such as pandemics.”
“In February, NIAID issued a notice of special interest focused on the development of vaccines and the associated research, testing and production needed to support that effort.”
“While most of that call for proposals centered on medical research, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, or NIGMS, included a request for data analytics support, as well. The funding opportunity included proposals for platforms for ‘incorporation of data related to the 2019-nCoV into ongoing research efforts to develop predictive models for the spread of coronaviruses and related infectious agents…’”
“For the broader technology community, NIAID also expanded its 2020 omnibus broad agency announcement—a catch-all for research areas the agency plans to focus on for the year—to accept COVID-19-specific research proposals…” Read the full article here.
Source: NIH Uses Urgent Award Vehicle for the First Time to Address Coronavirus Outbreak – By Aaron Boyd, March 9, 2020. Nextgov.
