Engineering Durable HIV Vaccine Responses (ENDURE) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AI 24 025

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 24 025

Engineering Durable HIV Vaccine Responses (ENDURE) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity focused on strengthening the durability of immune responses produced by candidate HIV vaccines. The main goal is to support both basic and applied research that explains why vaccine-elicited immunity sometimes fades and, more importantly, how to design vaccine strategies that maintain protective immune responses for longer periods. The emphasis on durability points to questions like how long antibody and cellular responses persist, what biological mechanisms support long-lived immunity, what drives immune memory over time, and how vaccine design, formulation, or delivery might be engineered to improve persistence without repeated boosting. As an R01 mechanism, the opportunity is aimed at hypothesis-driven research programs that can deliver clear mechanistic insights and practical approaches that can inform next-generation HIV vaccine development.

This NOFO is identified as RFA AI 24 025 and uses the NIH R01 grant mechanism, with clinical trials explicitly not allowed under this announcement. That typically means the supported work should not include prospective assignment of human participants to interventions to evaluate health-related outcomes. Instead, projects are generally expected to center on preclinical studies, laboratory-based investigations, computational or systems immunology approaches, analysis of existing samples or datasets (when consistent with NIH rules), and other non-trial human immunology research activities that help explain and enhance durable vaccine-induced immunity.

The opportunity sits within NIHs health research mission and is listed under CFDA 93.855. The program is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the standard grant funding instrument. The posted award ceiling is 750,000, which applicants usually interpret as a cap on allowable direct costs per year or total costs depending on the specific NIH budget instructions in the full announcement; applicants would need to confirm the exact budgeting interpretation in the application guide and NOFO text. The original application due date is 2024-10-09, and the opportunity was created on 2024-04-25.

A wide range of applicant organizations can apply. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The NOFO also explicitly highlights several categories of organizations as other eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, and certain tribal governments that are not federally recognized, as well as regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions.

On the other hand, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply as primary applicants. Even so, there are important nuances around international collaboration. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply, and foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In practical terms, this means a U.S.-based applicant organization can propose well-justified work to be conducted outside the United States through an approved foreign component arrangement, as long as the application meets NIH requirements for why that foreign component is necessary or uniquely advantageous for the proposed research.

Overall, ENDURE is best read as an NIH investment in the science of immune durability in the HIV vaccine space: identifying the determinants of long-lived antibody and T cell memory, understanding how vaccine platforms and immunogens shape persistence, and developing strategies to engineer longer-lasting protective responses. The expected output is stronger foundational knowledge and actionable design principles that can feed into future vaccine candidates and later-stage evaluation, while keeping the scope within non-clinical-trial research under the R01 framework.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engineering Durable HIV Vaccine Responses (ENDURE) (R01 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): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-09. (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 $750,000.00 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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