Limited Competition Emergency Awards: Shared Personal Protective Equipment Resources for COVID-19 Related Vaccine and Treatment Clinical Trials and Clinical Studies (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 256

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 256

The grant opportunity titled "Limited Competition Emergency Awards: Shared Personal Protective Equipment Resources for COVID-19 Related Vaccine and Treatment Clinical Trials and Clinical Studies (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-20-256) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) emergency funding program designed to cover a very practical, immediate need during the COVID-19 public health crisis: ensuring that clinical trial and clinical study teams have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to safely carry out COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research activities. The core intent is not to fund new scientific aims or expand the research itself, but to provide shared PPE resources that directly enable safe, uninterrupted clinical operations and protect both staff and participants during in-person interactions required for these NIAID-supported studies.

The program is tied specifically to COVID-19 clinical research and clinical studies supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) using emergency appropriations made available through two major federal laws: The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, and The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In other words, eligibility is limited by design. Applicants generally must already be recipients conducting COVID-related clinical research or clinical studies that are backed by NIAID emergency funding, and the requested support must clearly connect to PPE needs arising from those NIAID-supported COVID-19 vaccine and treatment efforts. The opportunity is labeled as a limited competition emergency award, reflecting that it is meant for a defined community of organizations already engaged in the relevant NIAID COVID-19 work rather than the broad research community at large.

The funded activity focuses on PPE that is necessary for clinical activities and direct participant contact in the context of COVID-19 vaccine and treatment trials and related clinical studies. This includes protecting staff who interact with participants, maintaining safe clinical environments, and helping sites continue required procedures such as participant visits, specimen collection, assessments, and other in-person protocol-driven tasks. The emphasis on "shared" PPE resources signals that the equipment may be organized, managed, and distributed in a way that supports multiple related studies or clinical activities at a site or across a network, as long as the direct purpose remains supporting NIAID COVID-19 vaccine and treatment clinical research operations.

In terms of administrative classification, this is a discretionary grant program in the health funding activity category, associated with CFDA number 93.855. The agency listed is NIH. The original closing date provided is 2021-07-07, and the opportunity was created on 2020-07-13. The title includes the notation "(S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," indicating that under this specific funding mechanism and program rules, the award itself is not intended to be used as a clinical trial grant mechanism; it is instead a resource-support award focused on PPE needs that enable trials and studies already underway under appropriate clinical research funding.

Eligibility spans a wide range of U.S.-based organization types, but with the important limitation that applicants must be tied to the specified NIAID emergency-supported COVID-19 clinical research. The eligible applicant categories listed include state, county, city or township governments; 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; 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 opportunity also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), regional organizations, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign participation is restricted in a way that is common across many NIH opportunities. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. At the same time, "foreign components" are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant organization may be able to include certain kinds of foreign involvement under NIH rules when justified and properly structured, even though a foreign institution cannot be the applicant organization. The funding notice emphasizes that applicants should consult the full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for complete eligibility and policy details, which is particularly important for determining whether a given organization fits the "limited competition" requirement tied to NIAID emergency appropriation-supported COVID-19 clinical research.

Overall, PAR-20-256 is best understood as an operational support grant intended to remove a major bottleneck during the pandemic response: shortages or cost burdens of PPE that could otherwise slow, pause, or complicate the safe conduct of COVID-19 vaccine and treatment clinical trials and clinical studies. The program is structured to quickly strengthen clinical site readiness and participant-facing safety practices by ensuring that the protective equipment needed for hands-on clinical research is available where it is most immediately required.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition Emergency Awards: Shared Personal Protective Equipment Resources for COVID-19 Related Vaccine and Treatment Clinical Trials and Clinical Studies (S10 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 2020-07-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-07-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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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