Concepts represent early planning stages for program announcements, requests for applications, or solicitations for Council’s input. If NIAID publishes an initiative from one of these concepts, we link to it below. To find initiatives, go to Opportunities & Announcements.
Note: Council approval does not guarantee that a concept will become an initiative.
Table of Contents
Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) Concepts
- Tuberculosis Research Units
- Limited Competition: National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support
- Partnerships for Development of Vaccines to Prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and/or Tuberculosis
- Influenza Transmission Research Consortium
Tuberculosis Research Units
Grant Opportunity Forecast: FOR-AI-26-002, Tuberculosis Research Units (P01, Clinical Trial Optional)
Request for Applications—proposed FY 2026 initiative
Contact:
Richard Robinson
richard.robinson@nih.gov
Objective: To provide fundamental knowledge to understand the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and its interaction(s) with the infected host through preclinical and clinical studies.
Description: This initiative will support the establishment of up to five multiproject TB Research Units (TBRUs) that will operate as a collaborative network of integrated, multidisciplinary programs that will use a combination of laboratory methods and animal and human samples to deepen our understanding of microbial physiology and host-pathogen interactions. It is expected that each TBRU center will include a combination of expertise in clinical research, animal models, microbiology, pharmacology, -omics, epidemiology, modeling, immunology, and data and statistical management. Examples of potential research areas include but are not limited to:
- Understanding the effect of bacterial and host heterogeneity (at the individual and population levels) on disease outcomes including subclinical, asymptomatic disease, progression, and dissemination to extrapulmonary sites.
- Discovering metabolic adaptations of Mtb inside the host that may be responsible for persistence or treatment failure.
- Identifying infected hosts, poor responders, and individuals likely to relapse.
- Developing/refining animal models or ex vivo models that reflect human pathogenesis.
- Studying the role of comorbidities (diabetes or others) on disease progression and treatment outcomes.
- Developing tools for TB research.
Limited Competition: National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support
Grant Opportunity Forecast: FOR-AI-26-001, Limited Competition: National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support (UC7, Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
Request for Applications—proposed FY 2026 initiative
Contact:
Fayna Diaz San Segundo
fayna.diazsansegundo@nih.gov
Objective: To provide operational support to the National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Boston University enabling them to develop and maintain resources and facilities necessary to ensure biosafety and biosecurity while meeting national, regional, and local biodefense and emerging infectious diseases research needs.
Description: NIAID will continue to provide partial support for operations (non-research) at the NBLs in five core areas, including:
- Facility Maintenance and Operation–management, monitoring, and oversight; preventive maintenance and lifecycle replacement and repair plan for critical equipment and systems; emergency repairs; and specialized training for facilities personnel.
- Biosecurity–ensures compliance with all select-agent legislation, regulations, inventory, and access, and staff screenings and background checks, biosecurity drills, and security.
- Environmental Health and Safety Regulations and Requirements–provides health, biosafety theory education and hands-on training; consistency in biosafety and biocontainment practices; registration, record keeping, and administrative activities of the Select Agent Program; expertise in containment operations, decontamination, maintenance, and certification; and orderly shutdown due to weather or other events.
- Regulatory Compliance–provides oversight and coordination of all research functions that require compliance with regulatory statutes and guidelines for the purpose of supporting product licensure, promoting accuracy and integrity of any data generated in such studies; conducts relevant GLP compliance training for Core directors and key staff; and develops policies and procedures pertaining to GLP research.
- Integrated Research Support Service–specialized services essential to support research activities such as veterinary, imaging, insectary, and aerobiology services.
Partnerships for Development of Vaccines to Prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and/or Tuberculosis
Grant Opportunity Forecast: FOR-AI-26-004, Partnerships for Development of Vaccines to Prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and/or Tuberculosis (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Request for Applications—proposed FY 2026 initiative
Contact:
Katrin Eichelberg
keichelberg@niaid.nih.gov
Objective: To support research applications for objective-driven projects focused on preclinical development of lead candidate vaccines to prevent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and/or disease to increase the clinical pipeline of viable vaccine candidates.
Description: This initiative will support preclinical development of a lead candidate vaccine against Mtb infection and/or TB for which proof-of-concept data have been obtained in a relevant animal model. Proposed activities should mainly focus on those steps needed to advance the lead candidate vaccine to clinical evaluation. Applications that would significantly advance a candidate vaccine toward clinical trials are responsive and highly encouraged; however, projects are not required to result in a "final" product, nor is it necessary to propose completion of the product development process up to the point of readiness for clinical trials.
Preclinical development activities may include optimization of lead vaccine candidate, optimization of dose and route of delivery in preclinical evaluation, preclinical and product development activities (e.g., safety, toxicity, immunogenicity, efficacy) to advance a lead candidate towards investigational new drug application, optimization of production methodology including process development, manufacturing/scale up, and production of candidate vaccines including GLP/cGMP production. Principal investigator(s) will be strongly encouraged to obtain expertise in the areas of product development planning and target product profile development in general, and regulatory affairs in particular. Industry participation is required to support any of the above listed activities.
Influenza Transmission Research Consortium
Grant Opportunity Forecast: FOR-AI-26-003, Influenza Transmission Research Consortium (P01, Clinical Trial Optional)
Request for Applications—proposed FY 2026 initiative
Contact:
Brooke Bozick
brooke.bozick@nih.gov
Objective: Support basic research to understand the fundamental mechanisms driving human-to-human transmission of seasonal influenza virus.
Description: This initiative will support coordinated, multidisciplinary research to further understanding of the dynamics and drivers of seasonal influenza transmission between humans. Applicants should propose well-integrated, cross-disciplinary research teams with expertise in areas such as pathogen biology, host genetics, immunology, computational biology, environmental health, physical science, behavioral science, and engineering. Each Center is required to include at least two, but no more than three research projects centered on studying human-to-human transmission of seasonal influenza. Resources developed through the Centers will be made available to the scientific community for studying viral transmission. Refinements and/or improvements to existing resources are acceptable, but advancements must be more than incremental. Understanding how transmission of influenza differs from other respiratory viruses remains a critical question and teams should consider how the understanding of influenza transmission can be applied to understand transmission of other respiratory viruses.