Slots: 1
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Friday, February 17, 2023, 5pm PT
LOI: 30 days prior.
External Deadline: May 19, 2023
Award Information
Award Type: Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: 2 – 4
Anticipated Award Amount: NIAID plans to commit $7.2 million to the ACE Program (Clinical and Basic) in fiscal year 2024, which includes approximately $3 million direct costs annually to support an ACE Clinical Project Fund and an ACE Collaborative Project Fund.
Who May Serve as PI: An individual may serve as PD/PI on an application to either this Clinical ACE program FOA or the companion Basic ACE program FOA (RFA-AI-22-070), but not both. An individual may serve as Project Leader or in another role (non-PD/PI) on applications to both FOAs. Note that the multiple PDs/PIs option may only be used for the overall Program Leader.
Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-22-071.html
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/.
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Single Page Proposal Summary (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 1-page limit will be excluded from review.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs and Co-PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
This FOA solicits applications for the Clinical research program of the Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACE). The companion FOA (RFA-AI-22-070) solicits applications to the Basic research program of the ACE. The goal of the ACE is to conduct insightful analyses of human immunology as it applies to autoimmune disease(s), within and among collaborative Centers and especially in the context of Clinical Projects, i.e., clinical trials with integrated mechanistic studies. The members of the Clinical and Basic ACE will work together after award to design, develop, and conduct studies of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases in humans.This approach is expected to advance our fundamental understanding of human autoimmunity, identify common and distinct mechanisms in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, and clarify mechanisms of action of immune-modulating interventions used in therapy or tested in clinical trials.
Research Objectives and Scope
The objectives of the ACE are to accelerate the discovery and translation from lab to clinic of therapies for autoimmune diseases. The ACE program approaches these objectives by conducting cooperative basic, clinical, and mechanistic studies; fostering intellectual and material collaborations among basic and clinical scientists; and facilitating the study of clinical samples by basic research scientists. Projects designed to test explicit hypotheses are preferred though ‘data-driven’ projects are permitted. The program is expected to advance our fundamental understanding of human autoimmunity, identify common and distinct mechanisms in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, and clarify mechanisms of action of immune-modulating agents used in therapy or tested in clinical trials.
Research Scope: All projects must investigate autoimmune disease in humans.
Approach: The ACE program coordinates individual Centers, each awarded through either this clinical program or through the companion basic research program. The 6 elements of each Clinical Center are described below in this section (Administration Coordination, ACE Funds Management Coordination (AFMC), ACE Biorepository Coordination (ABC), Primary and Alternate Clinical Projects, and the Collaborative Project). The elements of the ACE program, and how the Centers work together, are described in the following section (ACE Program).
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.