Continuing Enhanced National Surveillance for Prion Diseases in the United States | CDC RFA CK17 1705

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA CK17 1705

The grant opportunity titled "Continuing Enhanced National Surveillance for Prion Diseases in the United States" is a CDC-funded cooperative agreement intended to sustain and strengthen the United States' ability to detect, track, and understand human prion diseases at a national level. Prion diseases are rare but fatal neurodegenerative conditions, and the CDC is using this award to keep an active, enhanced surveillance program in place so that any changes in occurrence, geographic patterns, or unusual/emerging forms can be identified as early as possible. The emphasis on "enhanced national surveillance" signals that the work is not simply passive reporting, but an organized effort to actively monitor potential cases and trends, with the broader public health goal of quickly recognizing any potentially emerging human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in the United States.

This opportunity was released by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within NCEZID, and it is categorized as a discretionary funding opportunity under the health activity category. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally means CDC expects to have substantial involvement in the work beyond writing a check. In practice, that typically includes close coordination on surveillance methods, data elements, analytic approaches, reporting expectations, and alignment with national public health priorities. The listing is tied to CFDA number 93.283, which is the program identifier applicants would use for grants management and administrative purposes.

The application was posted with a creation date of March 22, 2017, with an original closing date of May 24, 2017. Applications had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date, which is a standard federal deadline structure and implies that late submissions would generally not be accepted. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity, although it is still "subject to any clarification" in the Additional Information on Eligibility section of the full announcement. In other words, the door is broadly open, but applicants would still need to confirm they meet any conditions or constraints described elsewhere in the complete notice.

Financially, the award ceiling is listed at $3,500,000, and CDC anticipated making one award. The combination of a single expected award and a relatively high ceiling strongly suggests CDC intended to fund one primary national partner (or a lead applicant coordinating a network) to carry out the enhanced surveillance program across the country. Because this is surveillance for rare diseases, concentrating the work in one coordinated program can help ensure consistent case definitions, standardized data collection, uniform analytic methods, and a single national picture that can be compared over time.

The purpose statement is straightforward: continue an active surveillance program that monitors the occurrence of potentially emerging human TSEs in the United States. Read plainly, the objective is continuity and readiness. The CDC is not describing a short-term pilot; it is supporting ongoing capability to detect cases, identify possible new or changing patterns, and provide the evidence base needed for public health action. That kind of surveillance work typically supports situational awareness for clinicians and public health officials, helps evaluate whether diagnostic and reporting practices are adequate, and provides the foundation for timely communication if a novel risk is suspected.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - NCEZID in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Continuing Enhanced National Surveillance for Prion Diseases in the United States" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.283.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 22, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 24, 2017 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., 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 $3,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA CK17 1705

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