Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA FD 16 032
Apply for RFA FD 16 032
- The HHS-FDA in the consumer protection, food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing a Food Protection Rapid Response Team (RRT) (U18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 14, 2016 and posted on Mar 14, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 16, 2016. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Developing a Food Protection Rapid Response Team (RRT) (U18) opportunity (RFA FD 16 032) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by HHS-FDA under CFDA 93.103. It is aimed specifically at state governments and is designed to strengthen the national, integrated food safety system by improving how federal, state, and local partners work together during food and animal feed emergencies. The program emphasizes coordinated, on-the-ground response capability rather than isolated, agency-by-agency actions, with the broader intent of making food emergency response faster, more consistent, and more effective across jurisdictions.
A central focus of the award is building and formalizing multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Teams. These teams are meant to bring together key functions that often sit in separate silos during an outbreak or contamination event, especially epidemiology, laboratory testing, and environmental health/regulatory investigation. By strengthening the links among these components, the program seeks to reduce delays and miscommunication that can slow identification of the contamination source, impede effective tracebacks, or prolong public exposure. In practice, this means states are expected to develop response structures where investigators, laboratorians, and epidemiologists can share information quickly, align priorities, and operate under a shared plan when an incident occurs.
Another major objective is to improve state regulatory and surveillance food and feed protection programs by institutionalizing nationally recognized emergency management approaches. The opportunity specifically points to using Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) principles, along with a Unified Command structure, to manage integrated responses to all-hazards food and feed emergencies. The "all-hazards" framing signals that the response framework should work for a wide range of events, including foodborne illness outbreaks, chemical contamination, intentional adulteration, and other threats that require rapid coordination. The emphasis is on being able to quickly identify contaminated products, remove tainted food from commerce, and conduct root cause investigations so the system learns from each event and can prevent repeats rather than simply reacting.
The announcement also highlights several supporting capabilities that states are expected to develop or strengthen as part of building a durable response program. These include workforce training, improved data sharing and data analysis practices, and stronger communication methods internally and externally. The program also encourages continuous process improvement, meaning states should not treat response plans as static documents but instead test, evaluate, and refine them over time. In addition, the development and dissemination of best practices and other practical resources is positioned as a way to contribute to broader national capacity and capability, so that lessons learned in one state can help strengthen readiness elsewhere.
Because this is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, substantial collaboration with FDA is built into the model. Recipients are expected to coordinate extensively with FDA District Offices and other relevant FDA program offices, reflecting the program goal of unifying federal and state response operations. The award structure suggests an expectation of ongoing technical partnership, alignment with FDA priorities, and coordinated operational planning rather than a hands-off funding relationship.
Operationally, the opportunity anticipated up to three awards, with an award ceiling of $300,000. The posting and creation dates were March 14, 2016, and the application closing date was May 16, 2016. Overall, the grant is best understood as a capacity-building investment meant to help states establish or mature rapid response teams and response systems that can quickly control food and feed incidents, protect consumers, and generate actionable prevention insights through disciplined investigation and structured incident management.
FAQs: Developing a Food Protection Rapid Response Team (RRT) (U18) (RFA FD 16 032)
What is the Developing a Food Protection Rapid Response Team (RRT) (U18) opportunity?
It is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by HHS-FDA under CFDA 93.103. The opportunity is identified as RFA FD 16 032 and is focused on strengthening rapid, coordinated food and animal feed emergency response.
What is the main purpose of this cooperative agreement?
The purpose is to strengthen the national, integrated food safety system by improving how federal, state, and local partners work together during food and animal feed emergencies. The emphasis is on coordinated, on-the-ground response capability rather than separate, agency-by-agency actions.
Who is the opportunity aimed at?
The opportunity is aimed specifically at state governments.
What is CFDA 93.103 and how does it relate to this opportunity?
CFDA 93.103 is the assistance listing identifier associated with this FDA grant/cooperative agreement program. This opportunity is offered under CFDA 93.103.
How is this program intended to improve food emergency response?
It is intended to make food emergency response faster, more consistent, and more effective across jurisdictions by improving coordination and collaboration among federal, state, and local partners.
What is a Rapid Response Team (RRT) in the context of this award?
An RRT is a multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary team designed to respond to food and animal feed emergencies using an integrated approach. The program focuses on building and formalizing these teams so response functions work together under a shared plan during incidents.
Which disciplines/functions are emphasized for integration within RRTs?
The announcement highlights integration across functions that can be siloed during incidents, especially epidemiology, laboratory testing, and environmental health/regulatory investigation.
Why does the program stress linking epidemiology, labs, and environmental/regulatory investigations?
Strengthening these links is meant to reduce delays and miscommunication that can slow identification of the contamination source, impede effective tracebacks, or prolong public exposure.
What types of incidents does the program’s approach need to cover?
The opportunity uses an “all-hazards” framing, meaning the response framework should work across a wide range of food and feed emergencies, including foodborne illness outbreaks, chemical contamination, intentional adulteration, and other threats that require rapid coordination.
What incident management frameworks are expected to be used?
The opportunity specifically points to using Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) principles, along with a Unified Command structure, to manage integrated responses to all-hazards food and feed emergencies.
What does “Unified Command” mean in this opportunity’s context?
Unified Command refers to a coordinated command structure where multiple agencies/jurisdictions work together under a shared incident management approach to align priorities and operations during an emergency.
What are the core response outcomes the program is trying to strengthen?
The program emphasizes the ability to quickly identify contaminated products, remove tainted food from commerce, and conduct root cause investigations so the system learns from each event and can help prevent repeat incidents.
Beyond incident response, what program areas are states expected to improve?
States are expected to improve regulatory and surveillance food and feed protection programs by institutionalizing nationally recognized emergency management approaches and strengthening the underlying response system capabilities.
What supporting capabilities are highlighted as part of building a durable response program?
The announcement highlights workforce training, improved data sharing and data analysis practices, stronger internal and external communication methods, and continuous process improvement.
What does “continuous process improvement” mean here?
It means response plans and systems should not be treated as static. States are encouraged to test, evaluate, and refine their response approaches over time.
Does the opportunity encourage sharing lessons learned or best practices?
Yes. The development and dissemination of best practices and practical resources is positioned as a way to contribute to broader national capacity, so lessons learned in one state can help strengthen readiness elsewhere.
How is a cooperative agreement different from a standard grant in this program?
Because it is a cooperative agreement, substantial collaboration with FDA is built into the model. The relationship is described as an ongoing technical partnership with alignment to FDA priorities and coordinated operational planning, rather than a hands-off funding relationship.
What FDA entities are recipients expected to coordinate with?
Recipients are expected to coordinate extensively with FDA District Offices and other relevant FDA program offices to unify federal and state response operations.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated up to three awards.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is $300,000.
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The posting and creation dates were March 14, 2016, and the application closing date was May 16, 2016.
What is the overall intent of the funding?
The funding is described as a capacity-building investment to help states establish or mature rapid response teams and response systems that can quickly control food and feed incidents, protect consumers, and generate actionable prevention insights through disciplined investigation and structured incident management.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA FD 16 032) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| FDA Drug Residue Cooperative Agreement Program (U18) Apply for RFA FD 16 021 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 021 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $125,000 |
| Development, Implementation, and Management of a Funding System to support the Grade “A” Milk Safety Program and Molluscan Shellfish Program (U18) Apply for RFA FD 16 023 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 023 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $900,000 |
| Architectural review of the BRIDG model (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 015 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 015 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $225,000 |
| Investigation of Peptide-Polymer Interaction in Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) Microspheres (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 012 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 012 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Assessment of Intersubject Variability in Small Airway Delivery with Oral Inhalation Drug Products (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 024 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 024 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Implementing Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling Algorithm in Physiologically-based Pharmacokinetic Models to Allow Parameter Estimation at Individual Data Level (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 026 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 026 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Development, Implementation, and Management of a Funding System to Advance Conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (VNRFRPS) (U18) Apply for RFA FD 16 016 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 016 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $2,420,000 |
| Evaluation of Aberrant Observations and Their Impact on Bioequivalence Assessment (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 018 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 018 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Therapeutic Areas for Data Standards Development (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 020 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 020 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $225,000 |
| Bioequivalence of Topical Products: Comparing Dermal Pharmacokinetics by Microdialysis or Microperfusion Techniques (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 028 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 028 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Integrating Supersaturation-precipitation Mechanisms in Mechanistic Oral Absorption Models for Predicting In- vivo Performance of Associated Formulations (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 025 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 025 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Study of Fluid Amounts Taken with Oral Drug Products (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 033 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 033 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Refine, Complete, and Publish Data Standards for Animal Efficacy Studies and Natural History Studies for Animal Rule Applications (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 008 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 008 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Bioequivalence of Topical Products: Comparing Epidermal Pharmacokinetics by Spectroscopic Imaging Techniques (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 029 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 029 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Analgesic, Anesthetic and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 047 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 047 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| Pediatric Anesthesia Safety Initiative (PASI) (U01) Apply for RFA FD 16 037 Funding Number: RFA FD 16 037 Agency: HHS-FDA Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| FDA Drug Residue Prevention Program (U18) Apply for RFA FD 18 006 Funding Number: RFA FD 18 006 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $175,000 |
| Development, Implementation, and Management of a Funding System to support the Grade “A” Milk Safety Program and National Shellfish Sanitation Program (U18) Apply for RFA FD 19 004 Funding Number: RFA FD 19 004 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| National Project to Support and Promote Consistent Implementation of the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (U18) Apply for RFA FD 19 023 Funding Number: RFA FD 19 023 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Revision Applications - FSMA Human Foods Preventive Controls Implementation Expansion Supplement to RFA-FD-18-001 (U18 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 20 091 Funding Number: PAR 20 091 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration Category: Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
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