Computational Models of Immunity (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AI 19 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 19 011

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Computational Models of Immunity (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-AI-19-011; CFDA: 93.855) supports research projects that build and use computational models to better explain how protective immunity is induced and/or maintained against infectious pathogens other than HIV, and how vaccines against those pathogens work. The emphasis is not just on creating a model as a one-off product, but on developing models that can genuinely improve biological understanding and guide experimental decisions about immunity and vaccination.

A central theme of the FOA is iterative model development tied closely to immunological experimentation. In practice, that means applicants are expected to combine computational work with experimental validation in a feedback loop: initial models generate predictions, experiments test those predictions, and results are then used to refine and strengthen the models. NIH is looking for models that become more accurate, more robust, and more useful over time because they are continuously checked against real immunology data. The goal is to move beyond purely theoretical modeling and toward computational frameworks that can reliably help explain mechanisms, forecast immune outcomes, and inform vaccine or immunology study design.

Another major priority is broad usability and sharing. The FOA explicitly aims to make the computational models and the data produced through funded projects readily available to the larger research community. This reflects an expectation that outputs will be built in a way that other scientists can access, reuse, and extend them, whether for additional model refinement or to directly support biological experimentation. The intent is to create community resources rather than isolated tools that only work within one lab.

The program also includes community-building activities. In addition to supporting research projects, the FOA notes support for workshops and symposia designed to encourage adoption and effective use of computational immunity models by the wider research community. These convenings are meant to spread methods, improve collaboration between computational and experimental groups, and help standardize or accelerate progress in this area.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a Cooperative Agreement mechanism (U01). A cooperative agreement typically implies substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from NIH staff compared with a standard research project grant, which often means closer coordination around milestones, deliverables, and collaborative expectations. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," signaling that applications should not propose clinical trials as defined by NIH policy; the supported work is intended to be non-clinical-trial research focused on modeling and experimental immunology rather than interventional studies in human participants.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across the public, private, nonprofit, and academic spectrum. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (other than federally recognized governments); public housing/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian 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, regional organizations, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities/foreign organizations, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Key timeline and funding details provided in the source include an original closing date of 2019-06-10 and a creation date of 2019-01-30. The award ceiling is listed as $750,000. The source excerpt does not specify the number of expected awards (it is left blank), so the exact anticipated award count is not provided in the supplied data.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Computational Models of Immunity (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): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-06-10. (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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