Understanding HIV Persistence in Infants (R01) | RFA AI 16 064

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 16 064

The Understanding HIV Persistence in Infants (R01) opportunity (RFA-AI-16-064) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant aimed at advancing scientific understanding of why HIV can persist in infants infected around the time of birth. The central focus is on the pathogenesis of perinatal HIV-1 infection, with particular emphasis on how HIV-specific immune responses operate within an infant's developing immune system and how the virus establishes and maintains latent reservoirs early in life. The program is designed to support studies that clarify the biological and immunological mechanisms that allow HIV to remain in the body despite treatment, especially in the context of infancy when immune function is rapidly changing.

A key theme of the announcement is the infant immune system as a moving target: immune defenses in early life are not simply smaller versions of adult immunity, and the FOA is oriented toward research that accounts for these developmental dynamics. Projects are expected to examine HIV-1 immune responses under these evolving conditions, including how early immune responses may shape long-term outcomes, influence viral control, or unintentionally contribute to persistence. Another core component is investigating the establishment and maintenance of HIV-1 latent viral reservoirs, which are populations of infected cells where the virus can remain dormant and hidden from both immune clearance and standard antiretroviral therapy. Understanding how these reservoirs are seeded and sustained in infants is positioned as a crucial step toward future interventions.

The overall goal is not an immediate clinical cure, but foundational knowledge that can be used later to design strategies intended to induce HIV remission. In practical terms, remission-focused research aims to achieve durable control of HIV without continuous antiretroviral therapy, and this FOA frames infant reservoir biology and early immune interactions as critical inputs into that longer-term objective. By funding mechanistic studies in this area, NIH is seeking to build the evidence base needed to inform future therapeutic, immunologic, or combination approaches that might limit reservoir formation, reduce reservoir size, or enable sustained viral suppression after treatment interruption.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant using the NIH R01 mechanism, categorized under Health, Income Security and Social Services. The CFDA numbers listed for the opportunity are 93.242, 93.855, 93.856, and 93.865. The opportunity was created on August 5, 2016, and the original application closing date was December 7, 2016. An award ceiling and expected number of awards were not specified in the provided source data, which typically means applicants needed to consult NIH budget guidance and the specific FOA text for constraints and expectations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. organizations and certain non-U.S. entities. 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; and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in those categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are also eligible, as well as other applicants categorized as "Others."

The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories that NIH wants to encourage, reflecting an interest in broad participation and inclusive institutional representation. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). It also includes eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities such as foreign organizations. This broad eligibility suggests NIH anticipated that progress in understanding infant HIV persistence could benefit from diverse settings, international collaborations, and research capacity that spans academic, clinical, community, and governmental environments.

Taken together, the grant opportunity is best understood as a targeted call for rigorous, hypothesis-driven research that explains how HIV persists in infants from the earliest stages of infection and treatment, with the explicit intention of enabling future remission strategies. The emphasis on immune development and latent reservoirs signals that competitive applications would likely center on mechanisms, measurable immune and virologic outcomes, and studies that can meaningfully inform the design of next-generation interventions for children infected perinatally.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Understanding HIV Persistence in Infants (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-08-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-12-07. (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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