Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D43 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 24 174

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 174

The Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D43 Clinical Trial Optional), funding opportunity number PAR 24 174, is an NIH grant designed to build long-term infectious disease research capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through structured, collaborative training programs. The announcement specifically encourages joint applications that bring together a U.S. institution and an LMIC institution in a formal partnership, with the central goal of strengthening the LMIC partner's ability to conduct high-quality infectious disease research that responds to local and regional public health priorities. The program sits within NIH's global health training portfolio and emphasizes sustainable institutional strengthening rather than one-off short courses or isolated trainee experiences.

From a scientific scope perspective, the FOA prioritizes research training that targets major endemic diseases and life-threatening emerging infections in LMIC settings, along with neglected tropical diseases. It also highlights infections that commonly appear as co-infections among people living with HIV, reflecting the continued importance of integrated infectious disease research where HIV intersects with tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and other opportunistic or regionally important pathogens. In addition, the FOA explicitly welcomes research training that connects infectious diseases with non-communicable disease conditions of public health importance in LMICs, recognizing that infection-related chronic outcomes and multimorbidity are increasingly important in many countries. The supported training can span prevention, treatment, and broader public health approaches, and it is open to a wide range of research disciplines, including basic science, epidemiology, clinical research, behavioral science, and social science. In practical terms, applicants can propose training tracks that fit the realities of local health systems and the research questions that matter most in the LMIC partner environment.

A core expectation is that the training program be comprehensive and career-oriented. The FOA calls for programs that combine didactic instruction (for example, coursework, workshops, and structured learning in research methods), mentored research experiences (hands-on research under supervision with progressively increasing independence), and explicit career development skills (such as grant writing, scientific communication, research ethics, leadership, team science, and responsible conduct of research). The intent is to prepare trainees for research careers that will produce meaningful, measurable impact on priority health research needs in LMICs, not only during the training period but over the long term through strengthened local mentorship and research infrastructure.

This opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," which matters for how trainees may engage with trials. The FOA allows trainees to be supported while serving as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, or while leading a separate ancillary clinical trial, as part of their research and career development. It also allows support for trainees who will gain experience working on a clinical trial led by another investigator. This flexibility can be important for programs that want to train investigators in rigorous clinical research methods, trial operations, and regulatory and ethical oversight, while still accommodating different levels of trainee readiness and institutional capacity.

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic U.S. organization types as well as certain non-U.S. entities, consistent with the international partnership design of the program. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and city 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized. At the same time, the eligibility language includes important distinctions about foreign participation: it indicates that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are eligible to apply, while also stating that non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and it includes a line stating non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible. Because those statements can appear internally inconsistent when read together, applicants typically need to rely on the full FOA text and NIH application guidance to interpret how NIH is defining "foreign organization" versus "foreign institution" for this mechanism and whether the applicant organization should be U.S.-based with an LMIC partner or can be LMIC-led. In practice, the program description is clearly structured around U.S.-LMIC joint training partnerships, so the application is expected to demonstrate genuine bilateral collaboration and meaningful capacity strengthening at the LMIC institution.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant under the NIH, with activity in the health category and CFDA numbers 93.855 and 93.989. The opportunity was created on April 17, 2024, and the listed original closing date is August 6, 2026. The source data does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the fields provided, so applicants would need to consult the full FOA and NIH budget guidelines for the D43 mechanism to understand the allowable cost structure, project period expectations, and any institute-specific budgeting constraints.

Overall, the FOA is best understood as a capacity-building research training initiative aimed at developing a pipeline of infectious disease researchers in LMICs through structured training, strong mentorship, and durable institutional partnerships. Successful applications will typically show a clear training plan tied to high-priority infectious disease burdens, a credible mentorship and career development framework, and a partnership model that demonstrably increases the LMIC institution's ability to design, conduct, and disseminate impactful infectious disease research, including (optionally) clinical trial experience appropriate to trainee development and local research needs.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D43 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855, 93.989.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-06. (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.

Apply for PAR 24 174

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