U.S.-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research Phase 3 (HIV/AIDS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA AI 24 023

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity titled "U.S.-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research Phase 3 (HIV/AIDS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-24-023. This program is designed to fund collaborative biomedical research projects that bring together investigators based in South Africa and the United States, with a clear emphasis on true partnership rather than parallel or loosely connected efforts. The aim is to use international collaboration to accelerate scientific discovery, share tools and technical approaches across borders, and generate findings that are directly relevant to local public health needs in South Africa while also contributing to the broader global HIV/AIDS research agenda.

The scientific scope centers on HIV/AIDS and closely related areas that are high priority for patient outcomes and public health impact. NIH is specifically interested in research that addresses HIV/AIDS itself as well as HIV-associated co-morbidities and co-infections, recognizing that many people living with HIV also face intersecting conditions that affect morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. The opportunity also explicitly supports HIV/AIDS-associated implementation science, meaning studies that focus on how evidence-based interventions are adopted, delivered, scaled, and sustained in real-world settings, including health systems and community contexts. In addition, HIV/AIDS-associated data science is included, opening the door for projects involving advanced analytics, modeling, integrated data platforms, and other computational approaches that can strengthen surveillance, optimize interventions, or improve understanding of HIV-related outcomes.

The funding mechanism is an NIH R01, and clinical trials are optional, which means applicants may propose either trials or non-trial studies as long as the overall research plan fits the program goals and NIH requirements. The listed award ceiling is $400,000, indicating the maximum amount allowed under the announcement (applicants would still need to align budgets with the project scope and any NIH budgeting rules for the specific mechanism). While the expected number of awards is not provided in the source information, the opportunity is clearly positioned as a competitive NIH research grant with an emphasis on well-justified, high-impact collaborative projects.

Eligibility is notable and somewhat specific. The announcement indicates that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations, are included among eligible applicants (subject to the eligibility criteria described in the full funding opportunity). At the same time, it states that non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, which is an important distinction for U.S. institutions with international branches or subunits. In practice, this means teams should pay close attention to how the applicant organization and any foreign components are structured and designated in the application, and ensure the partnership model aligns with NIH rules for foreign involvement and the program's intent for U.S.-South Africa collaboration.

Key administrative details include an original application closing date of March 12, 2025, and a creation date of September 17, 2024. The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.242, 93.273, 93.310, 93.393, 93.399, 93.855, 93.865), reflecting NIH program alignments and funding streams that can support the types of research described. Overall, this NOFO is best understood as a targeted NIH effort to strengthen and advance U.S.-South Africa scientific partnerships focused on HIV/AIDS, spanning biomedical discovery through implementation and data-driven approaches, with the expectation that the collaboration itself is a central feature and a major driver of the proposed project's value.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S.-South Africa Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research Phase 3 (HIV/AIDS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.273, 93.310, 93.393, 93.399, 93.855, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-12. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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