Immune Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AI 23 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 23 027

The Immune Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) opportunity (RFA-AI-23-027) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary research grant aimed at advancing basic and mechanistic understanding of how immunity operates where the pregnant individual and the fetus connect, especially in the placenta and surrounding maternal tissues. The central focus is the maternal-fetal interface: a unique immunological environment that has to strike a careful balance between supporting a healthy pregnancy (including normal placental development and function) and maintaining host defense. This FOA is looking for research that clarifies which immune cell types are present at this interface, what they do, how they communicate with each other and with placental cells, and how those interactions contribute to successful pregnancy outcomes.

A major theme is mechanistic insight into how immune responses in pregnancy are shaped by real-world exposures during gestation. The FOA specifically calls out infection, vaccination, and environmental perturbations as factors that can modulate immune function in the pregnant individual. The intent is not just to catalog associations, but to explain how these exposures change immune pathways, cell states, or signaling networks at the maternal-fetal interface and how those changes translate into effects on placental development and performance. In other words, the grant is oriented toward understanding cause-and-effect biology: how an exposure during pregnancy rewires maternal immune responses locally (at the placenta/decidua) and systemically, and how those immune shifts influence pregnancy and placental health.

Another key objective is understanding downstream consequences for the offspring. The FOA highlights interest in how gestational exposures and resulting maternal immune changes can alter immunity in the child, either throughout the body or in specific tissues. This includes systemic immune programming as well as tissue-specific immune development, reflecting the growing recognition that immune conditions in utero can have lasting effects on immune readiness, tolerance, and disease susceptibility later in life. Projects responsive to this FOA would typically aim to explain the pathways connecting maternal immune perturbation to measurable immune phenotypes in offspring, rather than stopping at descriptive observations.

The funding mechanism is an R01, which generally supports substantial, multi-year research programs that can address complex biological questions with depth and rigor. The label "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" means the FOA does not support applications proposing independent clinical trials as the main activity; the emphasis is on mechanistic research rather than testing clinical interventions for efficacy. Studies may still involve human samples or observational human research when appropriate, but applicants should be careful not to frame the work as a clinical trial under NIH definitions.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. organizations and government entities: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly names additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility signals an interest in drawing expertise from many sectors and encouraging participation by institutions serving diverse communities, including international partners where scientifically justified.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed under CFDA numbers 93.313 and 93.855, was created on 2023-06-09, and had an original closing date of 2023-10-11. An award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, which often means applicants should consult the full announcement text and NIH budget guidelines to understand typical award sizes, allowable costs, and any institute-specific limits. Overall, the FOA is designed to move the field beyond general descriptions of pregnancy immunology and toward detailed, actionable understanding of the cellular and molecular immune mechanisms that support healthy placentation, respond to infections or vaccines, and shape immune outcomes for both the pregnant individual and the developing child.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Immune Mechanisms at the Maternal-Fetal Interface (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): 93.313, 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-10-11. (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.

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