CCRP Initiative: NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Basic Research on Chemical Threats that Affect the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 027

The CCRP Initiative FOA titled "NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Basic Research on Chemical Threats that Affect the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 23-027) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity that supports basic, non-clinical-trial research on harmful chemicals that impact the nervous system. It sits within the CounterACT program, which is aimed at improving the nation’s preparedness for chemical emergencies by building the scientific foundation needed to understand toxic effects and enable future medical countermeasure development. The focus is on chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, and pesticides, especially where exposures produce primary or secondary neurological effects. The core idea is to fund mechanistic and discovery-oriented work that can clarify how these chemicals injure the nervous system and help identify promising directions for therapies, without running clinical trials under this mechanism.

Projects funded through this FOA are expected to generate strong, foundational data that clarifies mechanisms of toxicity, reveals new or underappreciated manifestations of exposure, and points to new biological targets that could later be used to develop treatments. In practice, that means the opportunity is geared toward studies that dig into how toxicants interact with neural cells, circuits, and supporting systems; how injury evolves over time; and what measurable biological changes accompany exposure. Another major emphasis is on recognizing effects that may not be obvious immediately, such as delayed neurological consequences, mixed systemic-neurological injury patterns, or pathways that explain why certain exposures lead to long-lasting deficits. The work is intended to strengthen the scientific base that later countermeasure research can build on, including the identification of molecular pathways, biomarkers, or mechanistic endpoints that could inform therapeutic strategies.

The funding instrument is an NIH R01 research project grant, and the FOA explicitly indicates that clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement. This means applicants should propose basic research rather than interventional studies in humans that would meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial. The opportunity is categorized under the NIH health research activity area and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.853 and 93.855. The source information lists an original closing date of 2023-10-17, which is important for historical reference; anyone considering submission would need to confirm current due dates or reissued versions of the announcement on NIH or Grants.gov, since NIH opportunities sometimes have multiple receipt dates or may be updated over time.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common applicant types for NIH research funding. Eligible applicants 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible groups and institution types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and 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; regional organizations; and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws clear boundaries for foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning collaborations or parts of the project conducted outside the U.S. may be permissible if structured as a foreign component within an otherwise eligible application and consistent with NIH policy.

Overall, this FOA is designed for researchers who can contribute rigorous basic science that improves understanding of neurological harm from high-consequence chemical threats. It is not positioned as a late-stage product development or human testing mechanism; instead, it aims to sharpen the field’s grasp of toxic mechanisms and exposure outcomes so that therapeutic concepts and countermeasure strategies can be developed and validated more effectively in subsequent stages of research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CCRP Initiative: NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Basic Research on Chemical Threats that Affect the Nervous System (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): 93.853, 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-10-17. (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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