Environmental influences on Placental Origins of Development (ePOD) (R01) | RFA ES 17 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 17 005

The Environmental influences on Placental Origins of Development (ePOD) (R01) funding opportunity (RFA-ES-17-005) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant initiative designed to push forward multidisciplinary studies on how early-life environmental exposures shape the placenta and, through the placenta, influence health outcomes later in life. The core idea behind the announcement is that the placenta is not just a temporary organ supporting pregnancy, but a key biological interface where chemical, nutritional, psychosocial, and other exposures can alter growth, development, and function in ways that may program disease risk or resilience in the child. Projects supported under this FOA are expected to connect mechanistic biology to human relevance by combining controlled experimental systems (such as animal models and cell-based models) with human-focused approaches that rely on non-invasive placenta-related materials or measures, such as placenta tissues that can be collected without invasive procedures and/or placental biomarkers measurable in accessible human samples.

The scientific scope emphasizes research that links exposures occurring early in life to measurable changes in placental development and performance, and then ties those placental changes to downstream consequences for offspring health. In practice, this encourages applications that can explain "how" an exposure affects placental pathways (for example, vascular development, endocrine signaling, nutrient transport, immune regulation, oxidative stress responses, epigenetic regulation, or barrier function) and also show why those pathways matter for developmental trajectories and later health risks. The FOA is structured to stimulate collaborations across fields that do not always work together, such as environmental health sciences, developmental biology, obstetrics, pediatrics, toxicology, epidemiology, genomics/epigenomics, bioinformatics, and biomarker science, with the expectation that integrating these perspectives will yield more credible and actionable insights than any single approach alone.

This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, which typically supports substantial, hypothesis-driven research programs. The announcement lists an award ceiling of $400,000 (as provided in the source data) and indicates the program anticipated making awards, although the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided excerpt. The opportunity falls under the broad activity category of Environment and Health and is associated with CFDA number 93.113. The original closing date in the source information is June 30, 2017, and the creation date is February 15, 2017, which places it in a specific historical funding cycle; anyone looking to pursue similar work now would generally use this as a reference point and then check for newer or reissued NIH/NIEHS funding opportunities with comparable aims.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education as specified in the listing); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. On the other hand, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are stated as not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. At the same time, the FOA allows "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant organization may be able to include certain types of substantive project elements performed outside the U.S. if they meet NIH’s definition and requirements for foreign components.

Overall, the ePOD (R01) announcement is aimed at building a stronger, mechanistically grounded understanding of the placenta as a central mediator between environmental exposures and child health, and it encourages research designs that intentionally bridge laboratory models with human-relevant, non-invasive placenta tissue resources or biomarker-based evidence. This combination is meant to improve causal inference, clarify biological pathways, and ultimately support better prevention strategies, risk assessment, or intervention targets related to prenatal and early developmental exposures.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental influences on Placental Origins of Development (ePOD) (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-02-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-06-30. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA ES 17 005

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