Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA OE20 20010301SUPP23
CDC-RFA-OE20-2001, "Enhancing Public Health Laboratory Capabilities and Increasing Capacity," is a CDC cooperative agreement designed to strengthen the ability of state, local, and territorial public health laboratories (PHLs) to protect communities from a wide range of health threats. The opportunity is built around the idea that PHLs are not just testing sites, but core parts of the public health system that generate the timely, credible evidence public health leaders rely on for daily decision-making. That laboratory evidence supports everything from identifying outbreaks and tracking disease trends to guiding interventions and shaping policy. Because laboratory work is tightly connected to epidemiology and broader surveillance systems, the grant emphasizes improving PHL performance both as individual laboratories and as interconnected pieces of a national public health laboratory system.
The grant recognizes that modern PHLs are expected to respond across an unusually broad and expanding mission space. This includes infectious diseases and emerging pathogens, chronic disease-related testing needs, chemical and radiological exposure events, newborn screening and other early-life testing programs, foodborne and waterborne illness investigations, and large-scale public health emergencies like COVID-19. The intent is to help laboratories remain effective as threats evolve and as testing demand rapidly changes, especially during emergencies when speed, scale, and consistency across jurisdictions become critical.
A major driver behind the funding is the reality that PHLs face persistent, structural challenges that can limit readiness and response. The notice highlights several pressure points: the rapid emergence of new disease threats, fast-moving advances in laboratory technologies and methods, and increasing complexity in data sharing and interoperability between laboratory information systems and other health information systems. It also points to ongoing needs around laboratory safety practices as new technologies are adopted, and around strengthening the laboratory workforce and infrastructure. On top of these technical and operational demands, many PHLs experience chronic fiscal strain and workforce reductions, which can jeopardize their ability to build new capabilities or even maintain essential testing services.
CDC frames this award as part of a broader, multi-pronged approach to deliver COVID-19 related support to PHLs, including resources made available through the American Rescue Plan. The emphasis is not only on meeting immediate pandemic needs, but also on improving the underlying public-private clinical laboratory infrastructure so the country can mount rapid, large-scale responses to future public health emergencies. The program also seeks to move resources quickly during the COVID-19 declared emergency while supporting broad access and opportunity to those resources.
Programmatically, the NOFO focuses on strengthening four major capability areas. First is Science, Management, and Operations, which generally involves improving the laboratory's technical services and the day-to-day operational systems that allow testing and response work to function reliably at scale. Second is Policy, Partnership, and Communication, reflecting the need for strong coordination with public health agencies, healthcare partners, and other stakeholders, plus clear communication pathways so laboratory findings translate into action. Third is Training and Capacity Building, which ties directly to sustaining and expanding the workforce and ensuring staff can keep pace with new methods and emerging threats. Fourth is Laboratory Quality, Safety, and Informatics for Public Health Testing Services, Surveillance and Response, which centers on maintaining high-quality results, safe practices, and modern data systems that support surveillance, situational awareness, and efficient data exchange.
Workforce development is explicitly built into CDC's approach. The opportunity describes plans to expand PHL fellowship programs for laboratory science graduates and to launch a new public health internship program for undergraduate students to gain experience in PHL environments. This reflects an effort to strengthen the talent pipeline while also addressing immediate capacity gaps that become especially visible during surges in testing and response needs.
From the funding and administrative perspective, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement (meaning CDC anticipates substantial involvement in the project beyond simply issuing funds). The administering agency is the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with involvement from CSELS, and it is associated with CFDA 93.322. The opportunity listing indicates an award ceiling of $3,000,000 and an expectation of one award. The original application timeline shown includes a creation date of September 15, 2022 and an original closing date of October 10, 2022, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the due date. Eligibility is described as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility text of the announcement.
Overall, the opportunity is aimed at making PHLs more resilient, better staffed, more interoperable, and more capable of delivering high-quality testing and data during routine operations and crisis response alike. The end goal is a stronger laboratory backbone for public health surveillance and decision-making, improving health outcomes in the United States while also supporting global health security through better detection, reporting, and response capacity.Apply for CDC RFA OE20 20010301SUPP23
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CSELS in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CDC-RFA-OE20-2001: Enhancing Public Health Laboratory Capabilities and Increasing Capacity" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.322.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 15, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 10, 2022 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is CDC-RFA-OE20-2001?
CDC-RFA-OE20-2001, titled "Enhancing Public Health Laboratory Capabilities and Increasing Capacity," is a CDC cooperative agreement intended to strengthen state, local, and territorial public health laboratories (PHLs) so they can better protect communities from a wide range of health threats.
What is the main goal of this cooperative agreement?
The main goal is to improve the resilience, readiness, and performance of public health laboratories, both as individual laboratories and as connected parts of a national public health laboratory system. The emphasis is on producing timely, credible laboratory evidence that public health leaders rely on for decision-making during routine operations and emergencies.
Why does CDC emphasize public health laboratories as "core parts" of the public health system?
The opportunity describes PHLs as more than testing sites. Their results support outbreak identification, disease trend tracking, interventions, and policy decisions. Because laboratory work is closely linked with epidemiology and surveillance systems, strengthening PHL capabilities strengthens the overall public health response.
What types of health threats and testing areas does the grant consider?
The grant recognizes that modern PHLs operate across an expanding mission space, including infectious diseases and emerging pathogens, chronic disease-related testing needs, chemical and radiological exposure events, newborn screening and other early-life testing programs, foodborne and waterborne illness investigations, and large-scale public health emergencies such as COVID-19.
How does this opportunity relate to COVID-19 support?
CDC frames this award as part of a broader, multi-pronged approach to deliver COVID-19-related support to PHLs, including resources made available through the American Rescue Plan. The intent includes meeting urgent pandemic needs while also improving systems and capacity for future large-scale public health emergencies.
What are the major challenges this funding is meant to address?
The notice highlights persistent structural challenges that can limit laboratory readiness, including rapid emergence of new threats, fast advances in laboratory technologies and methods, growing complexity of data sharing and interoperability, evolving safety needs as new technologies are adopted, and ongoing workforce and infrastructure needs. It also notes chronic fiscal strain and workforce reductions experienced by many PHLs.
What does "cooperative agreement" mean for this opportunity?
This is described as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning CDC anticipates substantial involvement in the project beyond simply issuing funds.
Who is the administering agency for this award?
The administering agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with involvement from CSELS. The opportunity is associated with CFDA 93.322.
What are the four major capability areas emphasized by the NOFO?
The NOFO focuses on strengthening four capability areas:
- Science, Management, and Operations (technical services and operational systems needed to deliver reliable testing and response at scale)
- Policy, Partnership, and Communication (coordination with public health agencies, healthcare partners, and stakeholders, and ensuring findings translate into action)
- Training and Capacity Building (sustaining and expanding workforce capability to keep pace with new methods and emerging threats)
- Laboratory Quality, Safety, and Informatics for Public Health Testing Services, Surveillance and Response (high-quality results, safe practices, and modern data systems that support surveillance and efficient data exchange)
What kinds of improvements fall under Science, Management, and Operations?
Based on the description provided, this area generally involves strengthening technical services and the day-to-day operational systems that allow testing and response work to function reliably at scale, including during emergencies when speed and consistency across jurisdictions become critical.
What is meant by Policy, Partnership, and Communication in this program?
This capability area reflects the need for strong coordination between PHLs and public health agencies, healthcare partners, and other stakeholders, as well as clear communication pathways so laboratory findings can support interventions and decision-making.
How does the grant address workforce needs?
Workforce development is explicitly included. The opportunity describes plans to expand PHL fellowship programs for laboratory science graduates and to launch a new public health internship program for undergraduate students to gain experience in PHL environments, strengthening the talent pipeline and addressing capacity gaps.
What role do data systems and interoperability play in this grant?
The notice points to increasing complexity in data sharing and interoperability between laboratory information systems and other health information systems. One of the four capability areas explicitly includes informatics to support public health testing services, surveillance, situational awareness, and more efficient data exchange.
How does the opportunity address laboratory quality and safety?
The NOFO includes a capability area focused on Laboratory Quality, Safety, and Informatics. The description also highlights ongoing needs for strong safety practices as new technologies are adopted and the importance of maintaining high-quality results during routine operations and emergency surges.
What is the award ceiling and how many awards are expected?
The opportunity listing indicates an award ceiling of $3,000,000 and an expectation of one award.
When was the original application period, and what was the submission deadline time zone?
The listing shows a creation date of September 15, 2022 and an original closing date of October 10, 2022. Electronic submissions were due by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the due date.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility text of the announcement.
What is the broader intended impact of this program?
The opportunity aims to make public health laboratories better staffed, more interoperable, and more capable of delivering high-quality testing and data during both routine operations and crisis response. The stated end goal is a stronger laboratory backbone for public health surveillance and decision-making, improving health outcomes in the United States and supporting global health security through better detection, reporting, and response capacity.
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