The Preconception Exposure Window and Health of the Offspring (R01) | RFA ES 16 007

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 16 007

The grant opportunity "The Preconception Exposure Window and Health of the Offspring (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-ES-16-007) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project grant aimed at understanding how environmental chemical exposures that occur before conception can affect the health of the next generation. The focus is specifically on the preconception, pre-fertilization period, when exposures may act directly on germ cells (sperm or eggs) and potentially set in motion biological changes that later show up as measurable traits or health outcomes in first-generation offspring. In practical terms, the program is looking for mechanistic, cause-and-effect research that can connect a defined chemical exposure in the parent prior to fertilization to traceable phenotypic outcomes in the offspring, using controlled animal models to make those links testable and biologically interpretable.

A key feature of this FOA is its emphasis on mechanism, not just association. Proposed studies are expected to go beyond observing that an exposure correlates with an outcome; they should investigate how the exposure alters germ cells and how those alterations translate into later-life effects in offspring. Because the work must use animal models, applicants can take advantage of precise exposure timing, dosing control, and direct access to tissues and developmental stages that are difficult or impossible to evaluate in human studies. The overarching scientific premise is that the preconception window is a critical, understudied period in which environmental chemicals may leave lasting biological signatures that shape development and disease risk in the next generation.

This opportunity falls under the broad funding activity area of environment and health and is associated with CFDA number 93.113. It is a discretionary grant mechanism under the R01 activity code, meaning it supports hypothesis-driven, investigator-initiated research projects with a defined scope of work. The FOA was created on July 1, 2016, with an original closing date of October 3, 2016. The listed award ceiling is $300,000, indicating the maximum funding level expected per award under this announcement (as provided in the source information).

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizational types. 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; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly highlights a range of institution types as "other eligible applicants," including 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the announcement clearly restricts foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. In addition, foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this FOA. These restrictions mean that the project leadership and the performance sites must remain within eligible U.S. organizational structures and locations, and the funded work cannot include foreign components as part of the proposed research plan.

Overall, this FOA is designed for researchers who can use animal systems to rigorously test whether chemical exposures occurring before conception can alter germ cells in ways that are biologically meaningful, measurable, and predictive of later-life outcomes in offspring. The goal is to build stronger causal evidence and mechanistic understanding of how the preconception environment may contribute to health trajectories in the next generation, which can ultimately inform environmental health science, risk assessment, and prevention strategies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Preconception Exposure Window and Health of the Offspring (R01)" 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 2016-07-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-10-03. (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 16 007

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