In light of the emergence of the novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the urgent need to mitigate the pathogen’s spread, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) are establishing a Serological Sciences Network of Excellence to mobilize collaborative efforts to develop serological assays of high specificity and high sensitivity for deployment to test for SARS-CoV-2 induced immune responses and to rapidly expand national serological testing capacity.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications to implement and evaluate community interventions testing 1) the impacts of mitigation strategies to prevent COVID-19 transmission in NIH-designated health disparity populations and other vulnerable groups; and 2) already implemented, new, or adapted interventions to address the adverse psychosocial, behavioral, and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic on the health of these groups.

NIH is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the urgent need for research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals with Down syndrome in conjunction with the INCLUDE (Investigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndrome) Project.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) aims to support research to strengthen the healthcare response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and future public health emergencies, including pandemics.