Implementation Science to End the HIV Epidemic

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has announced a forecasted funding opportunity aimed at leveraging implementation science to advance national efforts to end the HIV epidemic. This initiative reflects NIAID’s broader mission to support research that fosters the understanding, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases. The program emphasizes collaboration between researchers and communities to ensure that scientific advancements in HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are effectively translated into real-world impact in the communities most affected by HIV. The core objective of this opportunity is to support projects that develop, test, and evaluate comprehensive implementation strategies designed to curb the spread of HIV. Successful applicants will integrate interdisciplinary innovations across epidemiology, public health, data science, medicine, social services, and community engagement. The focus is on real-world deployment at local levels through coordinated efforts with municipal, state, and federal health partners. Though rooted in community-specific contexts, the program seeks to generate scalable and generalizable knowledge applicable to broader national strategies. This forecasted opportunity is classified under discretionary funding and is part of the Health category. The estimated total program funding is $7,000,000 with approximately 10 awards expected. However, specific funding ceilings and floors are not yet disclosed. Importantly, there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, broadening access to a range of eligible organizations. Eligible applicants span a wide spectrum of organizational types, including local and state governments, federally and non-federally recognized tribal governments and organizations, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), public and private institutions of higher education, small businesses, and other community and regional organizations. Foreign institutions and faith-based or community-based entities are also eligible. This inclusive eligibility ensures that a wide range of institutions working at the intersection of research and community health can participate. The estimated timeline begins with a posting date of February 13, 2026, and an application due date of April 17, 2026. Awards are expected to be issued by December 1, 2026, which will also mark the project start date. While the recurrence of this opportunity is not explicitly stated, the fiscal year is marked as 2027, suggesting this initiative may be tied to annual planning cycles. Interested applicants should monitor the opportunity number RFA-AI-27-018 on Grants.gov for updates. For inquiries, the primary point of contact is Rebecca Mandt, reachable at rebecca.mandt@nih.gov or by phone at 301-435-7695. Further details and application instructions will be released closer to the posting date.