Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 27 014
This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-AI-27-014) supports research aimed at strengthening the nations readiness for radiological/nuclear or chemical public health emergencies by pushing forward the science needed to create and improve medical countermeasures (MCMs) and enabling technologies. The focus is broad but practical: generate the evidence and tools that help the field understand what happens in the body after radiation or chemical exposure (the natural history of injury), build and refine relevant injury models that can be used to study those effects, and identify or validate diagnostics, biomarkers, and triage technologies that can guide decision-making during an emergency. Ultimately, the goal is to support development of interventions that can prevent, reduce, or treat both immediate (acute) harms and longer-term (delayed) complications following these exposures.
The award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement, which typically means NIH will have substantial scientific or programmatic involvement during the project rather than serving only as a passive funder. Applicants should expect an interactive relationship with NIH staff around milestones, study planning, coordination, and progress monitoring. The NOFO is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," so proposed work should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH, even if the end goal is to advance an MCM toward eventual human use. The intent is to fund preclinical and translational efforts such as mechanistic studies, model development, biomarker discovery and validation work, diagnostic/triage tool development, and candidate countermeasure development and testing in appropriate non-clinical settings.
Projects responsive to this announcement generally fit into a few connected lanes. One lane is improving scientific understanding of radiation- or chemical-induced injury over time, including how damage unfolds across organs and systems and what drives recovery versus progression to chronic disease. Another lane is developing and characterizing injury models that are relevant to real-world exposure scenarios; this can include refining animal models, organ system models, or other experimental platforms that better replicate dose patterns, exposure routes, mixed injuries, and the time course of pathology. A third lane is advancing measurement and decision tools: diagnostics and biomarkers that can indicate exposure level, predict severity, or forecast outcomes, and triage technologies that help prioritize care when resources are limited. A fourth lane is the development of candidate MCMs, which can include therapeutics or other interventions intended to mitigate or treat injury, with the expectation that the work will build a strong evidence package for later-stage development.
Eligibility is broad on the U.S. side and includes many common applicant types: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities as described in the NOFO. The key limitation is on foreign involvement in the form of funded awards and subawards. Non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, may be allowed, but there is an especially important restriction: NIH will not issue awards to projects that include foreign subawards or foreign subcontracts under this NOFO. Applications that propose foreign subawards/subcontracts will be considered noncompliant and will not be reviewed for funding. That said, the policy does not rule out all international interaction; unfunded international collaborations can still occur, foreign consultants can be paid, and applicants may procure unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors, as long as the arrangement does not become a foreign subaward/subcontract.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program in the health area, funded by NIH, with the cooperative agreement structure shaping how projects will be managed. The NOFO lists multiple CFDA numbers (93.233, 93.279, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.867), reflecting that several NIH institutes or program lines may be involved. The posting shows an original closing date of 2028-10-09, suggesting a multi-year availability window with potential receipt dates detailed in the full announcement. The public summary does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO for budget limits, project period expectations, review criteria, required components, and any milestone or data-sharing expectations tied to the cooperative agreement format.
In plain terms, NIH is looking for strong, U.S.-led research teams that can deliver usable advances for emergency preparedness: better models, better ways to measure and triage exposure and injury, and better candidate treatments or mitigators for radiation and chemical incidents, all developed in a way that is rigorous, relevant to real incident conditions, and positioned to support downstream regulatory and deployment pathways, but without proposing clinical trials under this particular funding announcement.Apply for RFA AI 27 014
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development of Candidate Medical Countermeasures (MCMs) and Technologies Against Radiological/Nuclear or Chemical Threats (U01 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): 93.233, 93.279, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-09-01.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-10-09.
- 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 this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH funding opportunity announcement (RFA-AI-27-014) supporting research to strengthen U.S. readiness for radiological/nuclear and chemical public health emergencies by advancing medical countermeasures (MCMs) and enabling technologies.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The purpose is to generate practical evidence and tools that improve preparedness and response, including understanding what happens in the body after radiation or chemical exposure, improving injury models used to study those effects, and developing/validating diagnostics, biomarkers, and triage technologies. The ultimate aim is to support interventions that prevent, reduce, or treat both acute harms and delayed complications.
What kinds of exposures or threats does the opportunity focus on?
The focus is on injuries and health effects resulting from radiological/nuclear exposure and chemical exposure in public health emergency contexts.
What types of projects are considered responsive to this announcement?
Responsive projects generally fall into several connected lanes: (1) studies of the natural history of radiation- or chemical-induced injury over time, (2) development and characterization of relevant injury models, (3) advancement of diagnostics/biomarkers and triage technologies to guide emergency decision-making, and (4) development and non-clinical testing of candidate medical countermeasures intended to mitigate or treat injury.
What does “natural history of injury” mean in this context?
It refers to understanding how injury unfolds in the body after radiation or chemical exposure, including timing, organ and system involvement, factors that influence recovery, and drivers of progression to chronic or delayed disease.
What kinds of injury models are in scope?
The announcement highlights developing and refining models relevant to real-world exposure scenarios. Examples described include animal models, organ system models, or other experimental platforms that better reflect realistic dose patterns, exposure routes, mixed injuries, and the time course of pathology.
Are diagnostics, biomarkers, and triage tools included?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly includes identifying or validating diagnostics, biomarkers, and triage technologies that can indicate exposure level, predict severity, forecast outcomes, and help prioritize care when resources are limited.
Does this program support development of medical countermeasures (MCMs)?
Yes. It supports development of candidate MCMs (such as therapeutics or other interventions) intended to prevent, mitigate, or treat injury, with an expectation that the work will build a strong evidence package for later-stage development.
Are clinical trials allowed under this funding opportunity?
No. The NOFO is explicitly labeled “Clinical Trial Not Allowed.” Proposed work should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH.
If clinical trials are not allowed, what kinds of studies does NIH expect?
The intent is to fund preclinical and translational efforts such as mechanistic studies, model development, biomarker discovery and validation, diagnostic/triage tool development, and candidate countermeasure development and testing in appropriate non-clinical settings.
What is the award mechanism?
The award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement.
What does a U01 cooperative agreement mean for how the project will be run?
A U01 typically involves substantial scientific or programmatic involvement by NIH. Applicants should expect an interactive relationship with NIH staff around milestones, study planning, coordination, and progress monitoring, rather than NIH acting only as a passive funder.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad for U.S. applicants and includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities as described in the NOFO.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply under this NOFO.
Can a U.S. organization include a non-U.S. component?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply under this NOFO.
Are foreign components allowed at all?
Foreign components (as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) may be allowed, but there is a major restriction related to foreign subawards and subcontracts (see next question).
Are foreign subawards or foreign subcontracts permitted?
No. NIH will not issue awards to projects that include foreign subawards or foreign subcontracts under this NOFO. Applications proposing foreign subawards/subcontracts will be considered noncompliant and will not be reviewed for funding.
Does the restriction on foreign subawards mean there can be no international interaction?
No. The information provided indicates that unfunded international collaborations can still occur, foreign consultants can be paid, and applicants may procure unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors, as long as the arrangement does not become a foreign subaward/subcontract.
What is the funding agency and program type?
The funding agency is NIH. The program is described as a discretionary grant program in the health area, using the cooperative agreement structure.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The NOFO lists multiple CFDA numbers: 93.233, 93.279, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, and 93.867.
What is the closing date?
The posting shows an original closing date of 2028-10-09. The full announcement may include additional receipt dates and details.
Is there an award ceiling or expected number of awards listed in the summary?
No. The public summary provided does not include an award ceiling or an expected number of awards.
Where can applicants find budget limits, project period expectations, and required components?
Applicants would need to consult the full NOFO for budget limits, expected project period, review criteria, required application components, and any milestone or data-sharing expectations tied to the cooperative agreement format.
What kinds of outcomes is NIH looking for from funded teams?
NIH is looking for U.S.-led research teams that can deliver usable advances for emergency preparedness: better models, better ways to measure and triage exposure and injury, and stronger candidate treatments or mitigators for radiation and chemical incidents, developed rigorously and in ways relevant to real incident conditions.
Does this opportunity emphasize real-world relevance?
Yes. The description emphasizes models and tools that reflect real incident conditions such as realistic dose patterns, exposure routes, mixed injuries, and the time course of pathology, as well as decision tools that can be used when resources are limited.
Is the intent limited to short-term (acute) effects only?
No. The intent includes supporting interventions for both immediate (acute) harms and longer-term (delayed) complications following radiation or chemical exposures.
Does the opportunity mention regulatory or deployment considerations?
Yes, at a high level. It notes that funded work should be positioned to support downstream regulatory and deployment pathways, while still not proposing clinical trials under this specific announcement.
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