"High" or "Medium" Priority AIDS Research on Non-AIDS-defining or AIDS-defining Cancers (R21) | PA 16 425

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 16 425

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement PA-16-425, titled "High" or "Medium" Priority AIDS Research on Non-AIDS-defining or AIDS-defining Cancers (R21), supports exploratory, early-stage research aimed at improving what is known about cancers that occur in people living with HIV or with AIDS. A central motivation behind this opportunity is the changing health landscape for HIV-infected individuals: as antiretroviral therapy has extended life expectancy, non-AIDS-defining malignancies have become a major and growing cause of illness and death in this population. The FOA is designed to push forward research that clarifies why these cancers occur, how they develop and progress, how best to detect and diagnose them, and how treatment strategies can be improved or adapted for people with underlying HIV infection.

This announcement encourages projects that address high or medium priority AIDS-related research questions specifically connected to cancer biology and outcomes in HIV-affected populations. In practical terms, NIH is seeking studies that investigate etiologic factors (the underlying causes of cancer in this context), cofactors that may increase risk or worsen outcomes (such as co-infections, behavioral exposures, treatment history, immune suppression patterns, or inflammation), and immunopathogenesis (how HIV-associated immune dysfunction and immune activation contribute to cancer initiation, tumor evolution, or treatment response). The FOA also supports work on improved diagnosis, including methods to detect cancers earlier or distinguish cancer subtypes more accurately in HIV-positive individuals, and studies examining the clinical and public health consequences of both AIDS-defining and non-AIDS-defining cancers. While non-AIDS-defining malignancies are emphasized because of their increasing impact, the opportunity explicitly includes AIDS-defining cancers as well, reflecting the continued need to understand and address malignancies classically associated with AIDS.

The grant mechanism is an R21, which is typically used by NIH for exploratory or developmental research projects where investigators are testing novel ideas, generating preliminary data, piloting new approaches, or opening up new directions that could later justify larger-scale studies. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, indicating a relatively modest budget appropriate for proof-of-concept work, feasibility studies, innovative assays or models, or targeted analyses that can quickly advance the field. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the overall program sits within NIH priorities at the intersection of cancer research and HIV/AIDS research.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can contribute to AIDS-related cancer research. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility reflects an interest in supporting diverse research settings, including those that may be closely connected to communities disproportionately affected by HIV and cancer, and enabling international participation where HIV-associated cancer burdens and cofactor patterns may differ.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.121 and 93.393, which correspond to NIH program areas related to health research (including cancer-focused portfolios). The FOA was created on 2016-09-07, and the listed original closing date is 2019-09-07, indicating the window during which applications were accepted under the referenced cycle. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. Overall, the program is best understood as an NIH effort to catalyze innovative, targeted research that explains and ultimately reduces the cancer burden among people living with HIV, with particular emphasis on the now-prominent challenge of non-AIDS-defining cancers.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled ""High" or "Medium" Priority AIDS Research on Non-AIDS-defining or AIDS-defining Cancers (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.393.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-09-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-07. (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.

Apply for PA 16 425

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