Overview of the Opportunity
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued RFP No. BAA-75N93026R00008 for the Immune Mechanisms of Protection Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Center (IMPAc‑TB), a five‑year contract program that renews the effort to accelerate TB vaccine development. The goal is to define tissue‑specific and systemic immune responses that prevent or contain M. tuberculosis infection and to advance tools and models that make TB vaccine R&D more predictive and translatable.
IMPAc‑TB builds on earlier NIAID contracts that revealed new facets of protective TB immunity, including unexpected roles for cytotoxic T cells, non‑IFN CD4 T‑cell responses, myeloid–antibody crosstalk, refined small‑animal models, and cross‑species immune signatures. Yet NIAID emphasizes that validated correlates of protection remain elusive, which continue to be one of the main barriers to rational vaccine design.
What NIAID Is Looking For
Offerors are expected to propose integrated, multidisciplinary programs that combine:
- Human based research on infection, disease, and vaccination data, including human samples and/or clinical studies
- At least one well justified animal model
- Computational data integration and modeling across human and animal studies
Proposed work should move beyond single pathways and instead map immune networks that govern infection, latency, progression, and protection, including in the context of HIV/SIV. Areas of interest include immune signatures of protection or risk, tissue resident immunity, improved models and ex vivo systems, and translational tools that can guide future TB vaccine strategies.
Award Information and Key Dates
NIAID anticipates two to three awards with a five year period of performance beginning on or about September 29, 2027. Individual award sizes will be determined during negotiations and are not specified in the solicitation.
Proposals are due September 1, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
Amendment One Clarifications
The first amendment to the RFP clarifies several operational and compliance details that should shape proposal strategy:
- Offerors must still include Section K representations and certifications with the business proposal, even if information has already been provided via SAM.
- CVs and biosketches may use institutional formats, provided they follow the specified margins, font sizes, and page limits.
- Foreign subcontractors are permitted and do not need to submit separate representations and certifications beyond the prime.
- Scientific meeting travel is capped at up to three contract staff per year; internal in‑person integration meetings should not be budgeted as travel.
- Offerors should assume two total site visits over the life of the contract, with no cap on the number of travelers for those visits.
- A single detailed cost justification is sufficient for recurring cost elements across option years.
What Innovators Should Takeaway
IMPAc‑TB is a coordinated, systems‑level contract that values:
- Rigorous human and animal immunology tied to real‑world vaccine questions
- Strong integration of computational modeling and cross‑species analysis
- Concrete plans for data and resource sharing across centers
- Clear leadership, project management, and cross‑contract collaboration capabilities
Teams that will be most competitive will pair deep immunology and vaccine experience with human‑centric study designs, robust data infrastructure, and credible operational plans that can support five years of coordinated work across multiple sites.
If your company is considering applying for federal funding, your journey starts here. EverGlade is a national advisory firm helping innovators navigate the federal funding ecosystem. We support companies across the funding lifecycle, from early-stage strategy through proposal development, negotiations, and post-award execution, connecting breakthrough innovation with non-dilutive funding.
For additional information, schedule a free consultation with our team.
