Innovations in Malaria Vaccine Development (IMV) | GH BAA 2018 ADDENDUM03

Opportunity Information: Apply for GH BAA 2018 ADDENDUM03

The Innovations in Malaria Vaccine Development (IMV) opportunity is a USAID-funded call for new ideas aimed at advancing malaria vaccines, issued as Addendum 03 under the broader USAID Global Health Broad Agency Announcement (Funding Opportunity Number: GH BAA 2018 ADDENDUM03). It sits within the health funding category (CFDA 98.001) and is designed to expand and strengthen USAID investments in malaria vaccine research through a collaborative design approach, meaning applicants should expect an interactive, iterative process focused on shaping promising concepts into fundable development pathways rather than a one-off, fully defined procurement.

The core objective ties directly to USAID's Malaria Vaccine Development Program (MVDP): to demonstrate proof of concept for a vaccine that can reduce illness and deaths caused by Plasmodium falciparum malaria. USAID sets an ambitious performance target for what a successful product should look like, emphasizing end characteristics that include at least 75% efficacy along with credible evidence that the vaccine could be affordable in real-world settings. In other words, scientific novelty alone is not enough; proposals are expected to keep manufacturability, cost, and eventual deployment feasibility in view, since the intention is to motivate downstream development toward a vaccine that can realistically be used at scale in malaria-endemic countries.

From a technical standpoint, USAID signals priority interest in vaccine approaches that directly protect vaccinated individuals from disease caused by P. falciparum, specifically those targeting key points in the parasite life cycle. This includes vaccines aimed at the pre-erythrocytic stages (sporozoite and liver stages) to prevent infection from establishing, as well as vaccines targeting the erythrocytic (blood) stage to reduce or prevent clinical disease after parasites enter the bloodstream. The opportunity encourages novel and innovative strategies across these targets, implying openness to new antigen selections, platforms, immune-focused design concepts, and other creative approaches that could overcome historical limitations in malaria vaccine performance.

The addendum is framed as a solicitation for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) rather than a traditional full application at the outset. The requested scope spans a development continuum from preclinical research through proof-of-principle clinical studies, with the explicit intent of generating data strong enough to justify and catalyze more advanced development toward a deployable vaccine. Practically, that suggests interest in proposals that can outline a coherent translational plan: how early laboratory and animal data will be used to make go/no-go decisions, how the candidate would move into initial human evaluation, and what key clinical endpoints or immunological signals would demonstrate that the concept is worth advancing.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding using an "Other" funding instrument type, with eligibility marked as unrestricted, indicating that a wide range of applicant organizations may be able to participate (for example, academic groups, nonprofits, private sector entities, or consortia), subject to USAID rules and any requirements embedded in the parent BAA. The original closing date for the addendum was June 21, 2019, and the listed award ceiling is up to $35,500,000, signaling the potential for substantial support for high-impact efforts, although the number of expected awards is not specified in the posted data. Overall, the IMV addendum is best understood as a targeted push by USAID to surface and shape cutting-edge malaria vaccine concepts that can clear the early proof-of-concept hurdles while keeping affordability and eventual field use as central design constraints.

• The Agency for International Development in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovations in Malaria Vaccine Development (IMV)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-06-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $35,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for GH BAA 2018 ADDENDUM03

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