Request for Applications (RFA): Innovative Pilot Projects In Priority Areas of HIV/AIDS Prevention Research

1. Structural interventions to enhance recent advances in HIV prevention and treatment. Advances that would be considered under this priority area include: expansion of ARV treatment in resource poor countries, pre-exposure ARV prophylaxis (PREP), detection of and response to acute HIV infection, microbicides, acyclovir treatment of HSV-2 infection, circumcision, and early or rapid detection of HIV infection. Research under this priority area may consist of studies of the impact of structural interventions (e.g. policies, the organization of health service systems, community mobilization) to promote these recent advances, as well as studies aimed at identifying the structural factors that may hinder or facilitate their promotion.
2. Prevention for HIV positives, with a focus on detection and management of comorbid conditions, such as mental health disorders, substance use (including alcohol and prescription drugs), tuberculosis, hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, etc. Research under this priority area may include descriptive studies, studies to identify facilitators of and barriers to successful prevention, formative research in preparation for intervention studies, and pilot intervention studies.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

CONCEPT PAPERS:

FULL APPLICATIONS:

1. A cover page (including project title; PI name, phone number, e-mail address, mailing address, department affiliation, and position; total cost of the project; and names of all other key personnel on the project).
2. Abstract (maximum 300 words).
3. Detailed budget (not to exceed $25,000 and one year) and budget justification. Funds can be used to support research-related personnel, PI effort, routine research-related expenses, research-related travel, and essential small-scale equipment. These funds may NOT be used to support: travel to conferences, routine office equipment such as computers, or indirect costs.
4. Project description (maximum 7 pages, not including reference list), consisting of four sections: a) specific aims (1 page); b) background and significance (2 pages); c) research design and methods (3 pages); and d) a detailed work plan, including a project timeline (1 page). Numbers in parentheses represent the recommended page distribution.
5. An appendix is neither required nor encouraged, and should not be used to circumvent the 7-page project description limit. The only items permitted in an appendix are questionnaires, other data collection instruments, and clinical protocols.
6. Please use Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins on all sides. Applications using smaller fonts will not be reviewed.

• the timeliness and innovativeness of the project
• the relevance of the project to the two research priority areas
• the scientific merit of the research plan
• the likelihood of the project developing into a larger, externally-funded study
• the qualifications of the PI to conduct the research
• the extent to which the research is interdisciplinary
• an international project's feasibility in the host country setting (see Guidelines for International Pilot Project Proposals on CIRA Web site: http://cira.med.yale.edu)

ELIGIBILITY:

SUBMISSION OF FULL APPLICATIONS: