Time-Sensitive Research Opportunities in Environmental Health Sciences (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding Agency:
- National Institutes of Health
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to support research in environmental health science in which an event has or will imminently occur that provides a limited window of opportunity to collect samples and data to support the assessment of exposures and human health impact. The goal of the program is to characterize initial exposures, collect human biological samples, or collect human health and exposure data in order to provide critical information to understand exposure-health outcome relationships, with the goal of providing data that will facilitate timely action to protect public health. The program also supports the use of innovative techniques (hazard identification, sensing and mitigation technologies) that are uniquely valuable for deployment at a time of disaster to inform our understanding of the human health impacts of the disaster. Research collected during this short window of opportunity is intended to serve as the foundation for analyses of longer-term health outcomes. (Funding of these analyses would not be appropriate for this mechanism, but through the traditional application process.)
The distinguishing features of an appropriate study are 1) the unforeseen nature of the event, 2) the clear scientific value and feasibility of the study and 3) the need for rapid review and funding, substantially shorter than the typical NIH grant review/award cycle, for the scientific question to be approached and for the research design to be implemented. It should be clear that the event offers a limited opportunity to address unique and important research questions that could only be answered if the project is initiated with minimum delay. Investigators should describe their capacity to begin the project upon award.
Applications submitted to this time-sensitive FOA will be considered only one time. Resubmission applications are not permitted.
This FOA encourages partnerships between researchers and the affected community (e.g., community-based organizations, environmental justice groups, local health and environmental agencies, worker organizations, etc.) and the leveraging of existing cohorts as appropriate.
Applications seeking funds for the following are considered non-responsive to this announcement: 1) expansion of an existing study; 2) studies of environmental hazards or chemical agents that alone do not impact human health; 3) estimating exposure to pathogens
Examples of appropriate studies include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Assessing short-term health impacts resulting from environmental exposures following a natural or human-made disaster, using biomarkers, survey instruments, medical assessments, or other appropriate methods. Examples might include acute toxic responses or exacerbation of existing diseases. Subjects in these studies could include local residents or early responders.
- Collecting biospecimens and/or data on exposures to environmental agents immediately following a natural or human-made disaster to use in assessment of the effects of these exposures on short- or longer-term health outcomes.
- Examining the environmental health impact of rapid changes in policy or legislation that affect the environment. For example, a regulation limiting carbon emissions is to be rescinded. An application would be considered responsive in proposing to collect baseline and/or post levels of environmental and/or human biospecimens to examine the effects of changes to fine particulate matter.
- Characterization, identification of sources and quantitation of human exposure to combinations of chemicals and biological hazards through use of personal sensors or biomonitoring using targeted analysis of specific, known chemicals and/or untargeted metabolomic approaches. Applications should discuss how these data might be used in health outcome or exposure research.
- Fate and transport studies to understand the mobilization and movement of chemicals through environmental matrices for the development of models to predict individual exposures.
- Characterization, source identification, and quantitation of chemical hazards in water, soil, sediment and air (both ambient and indoor air quality) using sensors, portable monitors etc., to identify contamination hotspots relevant to human exposure pathways. Use of innovative, novel detection devices practical in disaster response settings (e.g. portable, rapid, ease-of-use, low energy footprint) are highly encouraged.
- Short term studies testing effectiveness of innovative mitigation strategies in preventing exposures to hazardous substances released during disaster.
The combined budget for direct costs for the 2-year project period may not exceed $275,000. No more than $200,000 may be requested in any single year.
February 27, 2023; April 03, 2023; June 01, 2023; August 01, 2023; October 02, 2023; December 01, 2023
Toccara Chamberlain, M.A., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Telephone: 984-287-4482, Email: toccara.chamberlain@nih.gov