Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 306
The Optimizing HIV Phylodynamics to Target and Interrogate Clusters (OPTICs) (R21) funding opportunity (PA 17 306) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to support exploratory, basic research that advances how HIV transmission clusters are detected and acted on. The core aim is to develop innovative phylodynamic methods, meaning approaches that combine viral genetic sequence data with evolutionary and population dynamics modeling, to identify which HIV transmission clusters are growing the fastest and to do so in near-real time. In practice, this FOA is focused on improving analytic and computational strategies that can flag rapidly expanding clusters sooner, help prioritize them for public health attention, and enable deeper investigation into why particular clusters are accelerating within a given population.
This opportunity uses the R21 mechanism, which is typically intended for early-stage, high-impact, and potentially higher-risk research that can open new directions rather than deliver a fully mature product. Projects supported under this FOA would generally be expected to propose novel methodological development, proof-of-concept demonstrations, or exploratory analyses that meaningfully improve the speed, accuracy, interpretability, or operational usefulness of HIV phylodynamic cluster detection and prioritization. While the announcement centers on basic research, the near-real time emphasis signals that applicants should be thinking about approaches that can function under real-world constraints, such as incomplete sampling, reporting delays, changing transmission patterns, and the need to update inferences as new sequence data arrive.
The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity area is health. The program is associated with CFDA numbers 93.855 and 93.856. The listed award ceiling is $200,000. The source information does not specify the number of expected awards. The original closing date shown for the opportunity was 2020-05-07, and the record creation date is 2017-06-07.
A wide range of applicant organizations are eligible. Eligible domestic applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. In addition, the announcement explicitly calls out other eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized; U.S. territories or possessions; eligible federal government agencies; faith-based or community-based organizations; regional organizations; and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations).
Overall, OPTICs (R21) is essentially a methods-development grant opportunity aimed at strengthening the scientific and analytic toolkit used to detect and triage fast-growing HIV transmission clusters quickly, using phylodynamics. The intended payoff is better, faster identification of where transmission is accelerating so that clusters can be prioritized for further interrogation and, ultimately, better-informed public health responses.Apply for PA 17 306
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Optimizing HIV Phylodynamics to Target and Interrogate Clusters (OPTICs) (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855, 93.856.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-06-07.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-07. (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 $200,000.00 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 OPTICs (R21) funding opportunity?
OPTICs stands for Optimizing HIV Phylodynamics to Target and Interrogate Clusters. It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program (FOA: PA 17 306) that supports exploratory, basic research to improve how HIV transmission clusters are detected, prioritized, and investigated using phylodynamic methods.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The core goal is to develop innovative phylodynamic methods that combine HIV viral genetic sequence data with evolutionary and population dynamics modeling to identify which HIV transmission clusters are growing the fastest, ideally in near-real time. The intent is to flag rapidly expanding clusters sooner and support better prioritization for public health attention and deeper investigation.
What does "phylodynamics" mean in the context of this opportunity?
In this FOA, phylodynamics refers to analytic approaches that integrate viral genetic sequence data with evolutionary and population dynamics models. These approaches are used to infer patterns of transmission, identify clusters, and estimate how clusters are changing over time.
What kinds of research projects does this FOA support?
This opportunity is geared toward methodological and analytic innovation, such as developing new phylodynamic models, computational strategies, or analytic workflows that improve the speed, accuracy, interpretability, or operational usefulness of HIV cluster detection and prioritization. It emphasizes proof-of-concept demonstrations and exploratory analyses rather than fully mature, product-like deliverables.
Is this opportunity focused on basic research or applied public health work?
The announcement centers on exploratory, basic research. However, it also emphasizes near-real time performance and operational usefulness, indicating applicants should consider real-world constraints (for example, incomplete sampling, reporting delays, and changing transmission patterns) when designing methods.
What does "near-real time" imply for proposed methods?
Near-real time implies methods should be able to update inferences as new HIV sequence data arrive and remain useful under practical constraints such as incomplete data, delays in reporting, and evolving transmission dynamics. The aim is faster identification of rapidly expanding clusters.
What is the funding mechanism used for this program?
The FOA uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically intended for early-stage, potentially higher-risk, high-impact research that can open new directions or demonstrate feasibility through exploratory work.
What type of funding instrument is this?
The funding instrument is a grant.
What is the activity area for this opportunity?
The listed activity area is health.
What are the CFDA numbers associated with this program?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.855 and 93.856.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000.
How many awards are expected?
The source information provided does not specify the number of expected awards.
What was the closing date for this opportunity?
The original closing date shown is 2020-05-07.
When was the opportunity record created?
The record creation date is 2017-06-07.
Who is eligible to apply?
A wide range of organizations are eligible, including domestic government entities, higher education institutions, tribal entities, nonprofits, for-profits (including small businesses), and certain other categories explicitly listed in the announcement. The FOA also allows non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations).
Which domestic government entities are eligible?
Eligible domestic government applicants include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; and independent school districts.
Are higher education institutions eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. The announcement also explicitly calls out several serving-institution categories (for example, HBCUs and Hispanic-serving Institutions).
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The FOA also calls out Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
Are nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA allows nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status, with the note that the nonprofit categories referenced exclude higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA allows for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and it also allows small businesses.
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly listed among eligible applicants.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible to apply?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly listed among eligible applicants.
Are federal agencies eligible?
Yes. Eligible federal government agencies are explicitly listed among eligible applicants.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) as eligible applicants.
What kinds of improvements are applicants expected to target?
Projects are generally expected to propose improvements in one or more of the following: speed (earlier detection), accuracy (better identification of rapidly expanding clusters), interpretability (clearer outputs for decision-making), and operational usefulness (methods that remain effective under real-world data limitations and can be updated as new sequences arrive).
What is meant by "clusters" in this FOA?
In this context, clusters refer to HIV transmission clusters inferred using viral genetic sequence data and related modeling. The FOA focuses on identifying clusters that are growing rapidly and understanding why certain clusters accelerate within a population.
What is the intended public health payoff of this research?
The intended payoff is better and faster identification of where HIV transmission is accelerating so that fast-growing clusters can be prioritized for further interrogation and ultimately inform better-targeted public health responses.
What is the FOA identifier for this opportunity?
The funding opportunity announcement is identified as PA 17 306.
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