Pregnancy as a Vulnerable Time Period for Women's Health (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA ES 20 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 20 003

The government grant opportunity titled "Pregnancy as a Vulnerable Time Period for Women's Health (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-ES-20-003) is a discretionary NIH research grant designed to push forward multidisciplinary, non-clinical-trial research on how environmental chemical exposures affect women's health during pregnancy and the period shortly after birth. The central idea behind the announcement is that pregnancy represents a uniquely sensitive window in a woman's life when normal physiological changes can interact with outside exposures in ways that may shape endocrine and metabolic function in the near term and potentially influence long-term health outcomes. The FOA is framed around accelerating research that can clarify these biological pathways and identify how environmental chemicals may contribute to lasting maternal health effects.

The scientific focus is on environmental chemicals and their impacts on maternal physiology, with special emphasis on endocrine and metabolic functions during and shortly after pregnancy. In practical terms, this includes research aimed at understanding how exposures may alter hormone signaling and metabolic regulation at a time when the body is already undergoing major changes to support pregnancy and postpartum recovery. The announcement also explicitly calls for work that looks beyond immediate pregnancy outcomes to consider longer-term consequences for maternal health that could stem from exposures during this vulnerable period. Because it is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," applications must be structured as basic, mechanistic, observational, or other non-trial human research, or relevant laboratory and translational studies, rather than interventional trials that assign participants to an exposure or treatment.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, which typically supports substantial, multi-year research projects with clearly defined aims and rigorous methodology. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is Environment and Health, aligning with the National Institutes of Health and, more specifically, the environmental health research mission suggested by the "ES" designation in the opportunity number. The CFDA/Assistance Listing number provided is 93.113. The listing includes an award ceiling of $300,000, indicating the maximum amount available under the terms provided in the source data. The original closing date for submissions was December 6, 2019, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of September 17, 2019.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic and international organizations. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and 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; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; 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 FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as 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), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal government agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations can apply as well. This breadth signals an intent to encourage participation from diverse institutions and communities, including those serving populations that may experience disproportionate environmental exposures or maternal health burdens.

Overall, the opportunity is meant to build stronger evidence on the maternal health impacts of environmental chemicals specifically during the pregnancy and postpartum window, with an emphasis on endocrine and metabolic pathways and the possibility of longer-term maternal consequences. The FOA encourages multidisciplinary approaches, which commonly means integrating environmental exposure assessment, epidemiology, toxicology, endocrinology, metabolism research, and potentially data science or systems biology, as long as the work remains outside the scope of an NIH-defined clinical trial.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pregnancy as a Vulnerable Time Period for Women's Health (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): 93.113.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-09-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-12-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for RFA ES 20 003

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