The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the urgent need for research on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The mission of NIA is to support and conduct genetic, biological, clinical, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging. This NOSI supports mission critical areas of research for NIA as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to rapidly improve our understanding and available control measures for 2019-nCoV, NIA is encouraging the submission of applications for either Administrative Supplements (PA-18-591) or Competitive Revisions (PA-18-935) to active grants to address the following research areas of interest.

Research interests include but are not limited to:

Division of Aging Biology (DAB) Research Interests:

• Studies of the role of inflammation and immunesenescence in older populations with increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent progression to more severe disease, including lung pathology and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
• Development of aged animal models (including non-human primates) or in vitro models suitable for studies on pathogenesis of the virus and/or pre-clinical testing of therapeutics and vaccines against SARS-Cov-2.
• Studies of how cellular and molecular mechanisms identified as pillars of aging impact the treatment, recovery, and repair of tissue and organ systems in older individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2. Studies of the identification of predictive biomarkers derived from clinical specimens and data collected from patients are also encouraged.
• Studies of how host factors, including existing co-morbidities such as respiratory, cardiac, and other conditions, predispose older individuals to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infections and/or develop more severe COVID-19 disease, such as ARDS.

Division of Neuroscience (DN) Research Interests:

• Studies of neurological and neurocognitive symptoms in COVID-19 and sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection related to the development or aggravation of such symptoms in older adults, e.g., delirium or early alterations in sensory function; studies of the susceptibility of people with Alzheimer’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) to COVID-19.
• Studies of mechanisms of underlying SARS-CoV-2 neurological symptoms and pathology in older adults with COVID-19; research on the role of brain barriers in preventing SARS-CoV-2 from gaining access to the neural tissues and mechanisms through which SARS-CoV 2 compromises such barriers and propagates in the central nervous system (CNS); neuropathological studies of COVID-19 and the contribution of brain tissue damage by SARS-CoV-2 to the morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 in older adults.
• Studies aimed at discovery and development of novel drugs, as well as repurposing and repositioning existing drugs, for preventing and treating COVID-19, particularly drugs that are specific for COVID-19 related CNS targets and CNS mechanisms related to or driving the viral-mediated pathophysiology; studies on blood-brain-barrier penetrant drugs to treat potential SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs in the CNS.
• Development of computational and informatics methods, e.g., machine learning or artificial intelligence integrating with emerging multi-modal data for COVID-19 diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG) Research Interests:

• Relationships of individual factors, including co-existing conditions and medications, to resilient or adverse outcomes to SARS-CoV-2 exposure in older adults and comparisons with younger adults.
• Evaluation of pharmacological or health care delivery intervention strategies in older adults after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 to prevent or mitigate morbidity and/or improve post-infection health and function.
• Studies in pre-hospital, emergency, or critical care settings to improve screening, risk stratification, care delivery decisions, resource allocation, and clinical outcomes for older adults exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
• Evaluation of strategies to minimize spread of COVID-19 among older adults and their care providers, particularly within facilities housing older adults, including telemedicine and remote medicine strategies.

Division of Behavioral and Social Research (DBSR) Research Interests:

• Leveraging longitudinal studies to elucidate how COVID-19-related changes in the social, economic, institutional, and policy environments differentially impact the health and welfare of people across the life course and in vulnerable social groups; comparative studies of regional and national approaches are encouraged.
• Studies of prevention practices (hand washing, effectively covering a cough, social distancing, etc.) and factors that influence adherence, including individual and age differences and social network effects.
• Studies of how social distancing requirements impact the care and well-being of vulnerable older adult populations, including individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and AD/ADRD.
• Evaluating strategies used by health systems to reallocate resources, rapidly train practitioners, communicate preventative practices, and maintain adherence to public health and clinical guidelines, with a particular interest in those that serve high-risk groups (e.g. nursing homes) and resulting racial, ethnic, or regional disparities in access/care.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will accept and consider support for applications for supplements and revisions to NIMH projects that fall within the scope of this announcement and are relevant to the mission and strategic priorities of the NIMH. Applications to describe the epidemiology of mental disorders and symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic are not a high priority; applications to examine how a disrupted workforce may adequately respond/adapt to and maintain services or provide additional care for new or worsening mental health needs and/or suicide risk in midlife and older age adults will be seen as a high priority.

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

• PA-18-591 – Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
• PA-18-935 Urgent Competitive Revision to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Urgent Supplement – Clinical Trial Optional)

Administrative supplement work that is proposed through PA-18-591 Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) must be within the general scope of the research or training that is already supported. Eligible activity codes for applications to PA-18-591 are limited to the mechanisms listed in PA-18-591.

The CITI Program has recently updated their website to include resources to help you and your organization prepare for and manage the challenges presented by the outbreak of COVID-19. They include:

• Government Resources – Information and guidance by government agencies, including the CDC, NIH, FDA, HHS, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
• CITI Program Articles – Informative articles about disaster planning, COVID-19 impacts on research, and more.
• University Pages – Articles that may benefit your organization, by specific universities detailing how they are managing research.
• Other Resources – Information and perspectives from organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Milken Institute.
• Prospective Research Subjects – Download Are You Thinking About Being in a Research Study? for yourself or your organization. A complementary resource for those considering participation in research or clinical trials.

CITI will be providing webinars as free resources to help organizations and individuals with important topics presented by the current COVID-19 landscape. These webinars will be added as they are ready, so make sure to check back on their website often.

A Message from the National Institutes of Health:

“The public health emergency due to COVID-19 is causing difficulties in many aspects of our lives. My colleagues and I here at NIH are well aware of the challenges being felt in the research community as institutions are closing, people are being asked to practice social distancing, and resources and attention are justifiably focused on public health needs. We are listening to your concerns and are working quickly to develop answers to your many questions.”

“We recently updated our Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients website with a slew of additional FAQs, new funding opportunities, as well as the video message from me, below, where I address some of the most common questions.”

“Since yesterday’s recording of this video, in response to community concerns about their ability to submit applications in a timely manner, we have published a notice announcing that grant applications submitted late for due dates between March 9, 2020, and May 1, 2020, will be accepted through May 1, 2020. This notice applies to all relevant funding opportunity announcements, including those that indicate no late applications will be accepted. A cover letter providing a justification is not required. NIH will be extending the expiration date of most FOAs expiring between now and May 1. Be sure to read the notice carefully for details.”

Things are moving quickly. Please continue to communicate with us. We are listening.

I encourage you to monitor our website frequently. To help you identify updated content, the page now includes a link to page update history so you can easily see what’s new.

MEMORANDUM FOR APPLICANTS AND AWARDEES 

SUBJECT: Accommodating Interruptions from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) 

As the Department of Energy and Office of Science (SC) continue to monitor and examine the ongoing developments and impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. and internationally, we provide this update regarding associated disruptions that may have impacts on the research community. This guidance may be updated as circumstances change.

The Office of Science is assessing its current solicitations that have due dates that occur through mid-April to make a determination on extensions to those due dates. Please check the specific Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or DOE Laboratory Announcement for the most up-to-date information.

A list of all FOAs and DOE Laboratory Announcements may be found at https://science.osti.gov/grants/FOAs/Open, and https://science.osti.gov/grants/Lab-Announcements/Open, respectively.

The Office of Science extends the following flexibilities to its applicants and awardees:

Applicants preparing a pre-application, letter of intent, or application:

If the lead principal investigator (PI) or the applicant institution are subject to a quarantine or a closure, deadlines for submitting pre-applications, letters of intent, or applications may be extended by no more than fourteen (14) days from the applicable due date. Please contact the Program Manager identified in the FOA or DOE Laboratory Announcement under which the pre-application, letter of intent, or application is being submitted prior to the applicable due date.

Awardees preparing progress reports:

If the lead principal investigator (PI) or the applicant institution are subject to a quarantine or a closure, progress reports for grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency awards may be submitted through the PAMS website at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov as soon as practicable. Note that delays in submitting progress reports may cause unavoidable delays in continuation funding.

PIs from DOE National Laboratories should contact their program manager if there will be a delay in submitting progress reports.

Applicants and awardees preparing revised budgets or public abstracts:

If the principal investigator (PI) or the applicant institution are subject to a quarantine or a closure, revised budgets and public abstracts may be submitted through the PAMS website at https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov as soon as practicable. Note that delays in submission may cause unavoidable delays in making awards.

Awardees with changed travel plans:

The Office of Science will not consider changes to planned travel caused by the cancellation of meetings, quarantines, closures, or other public health measures to be a change in the scope of an award requiring agency prior approval. Rebudgeting funds that does not create a change in scope does not require agency prior approval.

If a meeting has been cancelled, awardees must follow their institutional travel policies to determine whether costs may be charged to an award. If institutional policy permits travelers to purchase nonrefundable items (airfare, lodging, or other) and does not require travelers to reimburse the institution for change or cancellation fees, such fees may be charged to an award. If institutional policy prohibits the purchase of nonrefundable travel or travelers are required to reimburse the institution for change or cancellation fees, such fees may not be charged to an award.

Please review the attached Q&As. You are encouraged to contact the Administrative Contact for the FOA/Laboratory Announcement or your Program Manager with any concerns or questions regarding your circumstances.

Questions and Answers (Q&As):

Q: The scientific conference my lab group was scheduled to attend has been cancelled. Can our costs be reimbursed?

A: Yes, if your institutional travel policy:

1. Permits the purchase of nonrefundable travel, and
2. Does not require reimbursing the institution for change or cancellation fees.

Priority should be on costs incurred by students and postdocs, not by their departments.

Q: My institution told all employees to work from home. May I request an extension to a deadline?

A: Working from home—while it may introduce some complications—should not make it impossible to complete work or meet deadlines. If closure or remote access orders by your institution has occurred within a week of the deadline, please contact your Program Manager. 

Q: My Sponsored Research Office has been closed. How do I request a deadline extension?

A: Please contact your Program Manager and include a copy of the closure order or other official notification.

Q: My Vice President for Research, who customarily signs all applications, has been quarantined. What should I do?

A: Please work with your Sponsored Research Office to determine how your institution is handling the situation. If your institution has established delegations of authority or if your Vice President for Research is capable of electronic signatures, there should be no impact on your ability to submit an application. However, if submitting an application is impossible, please contact your Program Manager.

Q: Our postdoc was quarantined after visiting family overseas. Our experiment has fallen behind schedule. Will this delay impact our continuation funding?

A: Please explain the situation—without disclosing protected personally identifiable information—in your progress report. SC may need to modify an award to be a prudent steward of taxpayer funds by delaying access to continuation funds, but SC’s interest is in seeing the research results—even if it takes longer than originally expected.

Q: What information should I include in a request for a deadline extension?

A: Please include official confirmation of the closure, quarantine, or other incident that makes a timely submission impossible. An institutional declaration requiring staff telework, in and of itself, will not warrant a deadline extension. There must be further complications that make the original deadline impossible. Requests to extend a deadline must be made before the deadline. SC does not expect to support every request for an extension.

Q: May I submit a letter of intent, preproposal, proposal, or progress report before its deadline?

A: SC always encourages prompt and timely submissions. Progress reports may not be submitted more than one month before they are due.

NSF encourages you to take extra precautions to protect yourselves and your families against COVID-19. If you are an NSF employee looking for guidance, please visit InsideNSF. If you are a member of the public, please visit cdc.gov.

Guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

• US Government Response to Coronavirus, COVID-19
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance
• Department of State (DOS) travel information
• NSF Guidance for Major Facilities and Contracts Regarding COVID-19

NSF Community Guidance

• Interim guidance for travel, merit review panels and NSF-sponsored meetings

RAPID Research on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Dear Colleague Letter on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Dear Colleague Letter: Provisioning Advanced Cyberinfrastructure to Further Research on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Frequently Asked Questions for Proposers and Awardees
• NSF Supporting Research to Address Coronavirus Disease blog

For more guidance click HERE

For frequently Asked Questions, click HERE