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FAQs: Emerging Infections Programs (EIP) Funding Opportunity (CDC RFA CK17-1701)

What is the Emerging Infections Programs (EIP) funding opportunity?

The EIP funding opportunity (CDC RFA CK17-1701) is a CDC cooperative agreement intended to sustain and strengthen the existing Emerging Infections Programs network. The EIP network is a long-running partnership model that supports state and local public health agencies in tracking infectious diseases and reducing their impact through population-based surveillance and applied public health work.

Which agency and CDC program area does this opportunity fall under?

This opportunity is within HHS/CDC/NCEZID (National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases) and is administered by CDC as a cooperative agreement.

What is the overall purpose of the EIP cooperative agreement?

The purpose is to support an integrated set of activities that help participating jurisdictions detect infectious disease threats early, measure disease burden accurately, and generate evidence that informs public health guidance, clinical practice recommendations, and policy decisions.

Is this opportunity focused on a single project or multiple integrated activities?

It is designed to support multiple integrated activities rather than one narrow project. The emphasis is on maintaining a platform of surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity, and applied prevention work that can be used across a broad infectious disease portfolio.

What are the four main types of work emphasized in the FOA?

The FOA emphasizes: (1) active surveillance; (2) applied epidemiologic and laboratory activities; (3) implementation and evaluation of pilot prevention or intervention projects; and (4) flexible response to emergencies and newly emerging public health issues using established EIP infrastructure.

What does "active surveillance" mean in this FOA?

Active surveillance means funded sites actively identify cases through systematic case-finding approaches (often across hospitals, laboratories, and other reporting sources) rather than relying only on passive reporting systems.

What types of activities are included under applied epidemiology and laboratory work?

Applied epidemiologic and laboratory activities typically include enhanced case investigations, special studies to understand risk factors and outcomes, laboratory characterization of pathogens, and methods development to improve data quality and comparability across sites.

What are pilot prevention or intervention projects in the context of this opportunity?

These are projects where sites test prevention or intervention strategies to reduce disease in real-world settings (for example, infection control approaches or vaccination-related initiatives) and evaluate whether those strategies work.

How does the EIP network support response to emergencies and emerging issues?

The FOA highlights the ability to pivot quickly by leveraging established EIP infrastructure when new pathogens, outbreaks, or urgent public health questions arise, enabling rapid surveillance enhancements and applied investigations.

What disease areas or surveillance programs are specifically named as priority activities?

Named priority activities include Active Bacterial Core Surveillance (ABCs), FoodNet (Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network), influenza-related work, and Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance activities.

What is Active Bacterial Core Surveillance (ABCs) and why is it included?

ABCs focuses on invasive bacterial diseases and produces population-based data used to guide vaccine policy and antimicrobial recommendations, aligning with the FOA goal of generating evidence that supports prevention and treatment guidance.

What is FoodNet and what is its role in the EIP portfolio?

FoodNet is the Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network. It tracks foodborne infections, monitors trends over time, and supports evaluations of food safety interventions.

What influenza-related work is included under this opportunity?

Influenza work is part of the portfolio, supporting enhanced surveillance and studies that can inform seasonal influenza response as well as pandemic preparedness.

How does the FOA address healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR)?

The FOA includes HAIs and AR as priority areas that require strong epidemiology-laboratory linkages to measure resistant organisms, track transmission patterns in healthcare settings, and evaluate prevention practices.

What additional topic areas are named in the FOA beyond the main priority activities?

Additional named areas include HPV IMPACT, Lyme and other tickborne diseases under TickNET, Rotavirus, Prion Disease, Arbovirus surveillance (mosquito- and tick-borne viral infections), and Congenital Cytomegalovirus.

What is HPV IMPACT in this context?

HPV IMPACT is generally oriented toward monitoring the impact of HPV vaccination and related outcomes, consistent with the FOA emphasis on measuring disease burden and prevention impact.

What is TickNET as referenced in the FOA?

TickNET refers to work related to Lyme and other tickborne diseases, reflecting growing vector-borne disease burdens and the need for timely surveillance and applied epidemiology.

Why are Rotavirus, Prion Disease, Arboviruses, and Congenital Cytomegalovirus included?

These topic areas are included as part of the broad infectious disease portfolio supported by EIP. The FOA notes their public health significance, including vaccine impact and residual burden (Rotavirus), specialized surveillance needs (Prion Disease), mosquito- and tick-borne viral infections (Arboviruses), and infant health impacts such as hearing loss and developmental issues (Congenital Cytomegalovirus).

Does the FOA allow applicants to propose activities not explicitly listed?

Yes. Beyond the specified components, the FOA allows for other applicant-specific activities aligned with local epidemiology and CDC priorities, as long as they fit within the EIP mission and capabilities.

What type of award mechanism is used for this opportunity?

This is a discretionary cooperative agreement. That structure typically indicates CDC expects substantial involvement in the work beyond standard grant oversight.

What does "substantial involvement" by CDC generally mean for a cooperative agreement like this?

Based on the FOA description, substantial involvement commonly includes collaborative planning, shared protocols, standardized case definitions, multi-site study coordination, and joint analysis to ensure data are comparable across participating jurisdictions.

Who was eligible to apply for this funding opportunity?

Eligibility was limited to state governments, according to the opportunity description.

How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated 10 awards.

What was the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The notice lists an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates that the ceiling was not specified in the summarized listing rather than implying that no funding was available.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 93.317.

When was the opportunity posted, and what were the open and close dates?

The posting and creation date was April 5, 2016, and the closing date was June 6, 2016.

What is the main value of the EIP network that this FOA aims to support?

The EIP network is positioned as a mature, multi-state surveillance and applied epidemiology platform that produces timely, high-quality, population-based data and practical evidence on prevention strategies, while also serving as ready-to-activate infrastructure for outbreaks and emerging threats.

How are EIP outputs expected to be used?

The FOA describes outputs as evidence that can shape public health recommendations, clinical treatment guidance, and policy decisions, with an explicit focus on activities that lead directly to disease prevention.