Funding for both the Network Leadership and the Clinical Trials Units is expected to total up to $300 million for the first year and may continue for up to seven years. The earliest anticipated award date for the Leadership RFA is March 2006; Clinical Trials Units RFA awards are estimated to be made in mid- to late 2006.

Each Clinical Trials Unit will be led by a principal investigator and will comprise an administrative component and one or more clinical research sites. NIAID strongly encourages the establishment of CTUs that reach populations most affected or threatened by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and abroad, especially women, adolescents and people of color.

"The success of the restructured HIV/AIDS clinical networks will require the commitment of diverse institutions, an unprecedented degree of collaboration, and the involvement and support of communities affected by HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world," notes Dr. Fauci.

The updated clinical research structure envisioned in the two RFAs emerged through extensive consultations with researchers, clinicians, nurses, community leaders, advocates and people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.

Application Information Any public or private institution or organization, governmental or non-governmental, for-profit or nonprofit, can submit an application in response to the Clinical Trials Units RFA. These organizations, which can be domestic or foreign, may include universities, colleges, hospitals, private and group medical practices, units of state and local government, eligible agencies of the U.S. federal government and non-governmental agencies.

Four pre-application meetings devoted to a comprehensive overview of application submission requirements for the Clinical Trials Units RFA will take place at venues in the United States and abroad. The first day of
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Contact: NIAID News Office
niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
15-Feb-2005