The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) to solicit applications for research that will build on the progress and momentum of the past 23 years of ACE research and that takes advantage of cutting-edge technologies and methods.

Applications are not being solicited at this time. This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.  This NOFO will utilize the P50 - Research Program Projects and Centers activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into this area of research are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in scientific disciplines will be encouraged, and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this opportunity. Grant authorities that allow the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to forecast this opportunity are as follows: Public Health Service Act, Section 301, 448 and 487, as amended, Public Laws 78-410 and 99-158, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 241; 42 U.S.C. 285g; 42 U.S.C. 288; Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992, Public Law 102-564, Public Law 118-47.