Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) Practice-based Research to Improve Food Safety | RFA EH 25 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA EH 25 011

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement called "Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) Practice-based Research to Improve Food Safety" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA EH 25 011, CFDA 93.070). The purpose of this opportunity is to strengthen and expand practice-based, real-world research and outbreak investigation work led by environmental health programs, with a clear emphasis on improving retail food safety in settings where outbreaks commonly occur, such as restaurants, delis, and caterers. Through this program, funded recipients become part of EHS-Net and are expected to work in coordination with CDC and other network members to generate evidence that can directly improve food safety practices and policies at the retail level.

The program centers on three main expectations for recipients. First, as funded members of EHS-Net, recipients must collaborate with other EHS-Net awardees and partners to design and conduct multisite research projects. These multisite efforts are meant to produce findings that are broadly useful across jurisdictions, not just locally. Second, each recipient is expected to develop and carry out its own individual research projects focused on retail food safety, tailored to the specific needs, priorities, and challenges in that jurisdiction. Third, recipients must incorporate an environmental health component into foodborne outbreak investigations and report information from those investigations into CDC's National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS). A key operational requirement is that recipients must be able to collaborate effectively with epidemiology and laboratory partners, whether those staff are within the same health department or in other agencies that support foodborne outbreak investigations.

The funded work is organized around three core activity areas: practice-based research in retail food establishments, foodborne outbreak investigation, and ongoing collaboration with other EHS-Net recipients. Within those areas, CDC highlights several topics of interest that applicants can build projects around. These include improving food safety management systems in retail operations; studying foodborne illness risk factors and outbreak-contributing practices such as sick workers reporting to work, improper temperature control, and inadequate cleaning and sanitizing; designing and evaluating interventions that reduce those risk factors; strengthening norovirus prevention and investigation approaches; examining cottage food and food freedom regulations and their implications for food safety; and assessing restaurant inspection and outbreak investigation practices to identify what works best and where improvements are needed.

Awards are planned in 12-month budget periods. CDC intends to fund recipients for an initial 12 months and anticipates up to four additional 12-month continuation periods after that, for a potential five-year project period total. Continued funding each year is not automatic and depends on the availability of funds and whether the recipient demonstrates satisfactory progress and performance. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $200,000 and an expectation of around 10 awards.

Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other/unrestricted eligible applicants as specified. The notice also addresses "bona fide agents," meaning an entity that a state identifies as eligible to apply on the state's behalf. If applying as a bona fide agent, the applicant must include a legal, binding agreement from the state or local government documenting that status, submitted with the "Other Attachment Forms."

Administrative details provided include the sponsoring agency (CDC), the funding instrument (cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial federal involvement or collaboration), and key dates such as the original closing date of 2024-12-02 and the posting/creation date of 2024-08-29. Overall, the opportunity is designed for organizations that can combine applied research, practical field investigation, and strong cross-disciplinary collaboration to produce measurable improvements in retail food safety and to strengthen the environmental health contribution to outbreak response through consistent NEARS reporting.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) Practice-based Research to Improve Food Safety" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.070.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-12-02. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• 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, Unrestricted.

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