Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA FD 11 013
Apply for RFA FD 11 013
- The Food Drug Administration in the agriculture consumer protection disaster prevention and relief education environment food and nutrition health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Food Protection Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Improvement Implementation Project (U18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103 Food and Drug AdministrationResearch.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2011 and posted on May 11, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments.
- State Governments This opportunity is only available to State food safety agencies and their manufactured food regulatory programs with current FDA food safety inspection contracts and who are currently receiving funding under the Food Protection Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Improvement Prototype Projects cooperative agreement program (PAR 09 183). Competition is limited to these organizations because they have demonstrated significant achievements in accordance with the goal of developing and piloting rapid response concepts. The foundational work conducted under the current FDA food safety inspection contracts is both necessary and promising for the completion of significant improvements in food emergency response among federal, state, and local partners through the (up to) 2 year program described in this funding opportunity. Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Food Protection Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Improvement Implementation Project (U18), Funding Opportunity Number RFA-FD-11-013, is an FDA cooperative agreement designed to help a small number of state food safety programs strengthen how they prepare for and respond to food and feed emergencies. The program is run through the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Division of Federal-State Relations (DFSR), working closely with FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The core purpose is to move states beyond pilots and planning and into durable, repeatable operations by building and sustaining an "all-hazards" Rapid Response Team (RRT) model that can handle foodborne illness outbreaks, contamination events, and other incidents requiring fast, coordinated public health and regulatory action. In practice, the opportunity focuses on improving state regulatory and surveillance programs for manufactured foods, while also explicitly expecting the RRT concept to encompass both food and feed protection activities.
This is a limited competition and operates as a competing continuation, meaning eligibility is tightly restricted. Only state governments with current FDA food safety inspection contracts, who are currently receiving funding under those contracts, and who are already participating in the earlier FDA cooperative agreement effort (Food Protection Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Improvement Prototype Projects, PAR-09-183) can apply. The limitation is intentional: the FDA is funding states that have already demonstrated progress and capacity through prototype work, so the new awards can concentrate on implementation, refinement, and making the approach replicable for broader use across the national integrated food safety system. Foreign entities are not eligible.
Funding is structured around strong federal-state partnership expectations typical of cooperative agreements. The FDA makes up to six awards, with an estimated total funding amount of about $3,000,000. Individual awards are expected to fall between $300,000 (floor) and $500,000 (ceiling). The FDA guarantees only one year of funding, with the possibility of up to one additional year of non-competitive support, but only if the recipient performs well and federal funds remain available. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed.
The project places major emphasis on building the infrastructure that makes rapid response possible and reliable over time, not just during one event. That infrastructure is anchored in the FDA Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), which provide a framework for assessing and improving a state's manufactured food regulatory program so that it becomes more consistent, capable, and equivalent in effect to other programs nationally. Awardees are expected to show measurable progress toward "significant compliance" with the MFRPS in the first year. If a second year is funded, they are expected to achieve significant compliance by the end of year two. This effectively ties rapid response capacity to broader program maturity, such as inspection quality, training, quality management, enforcement, and related systems that support credible and timely action.
Operationally, the funded work is meant to complete the development and integration of an RRT concept through a full cycle of planning and execution activities over the project period. The announcement highlights development, assessment, implementation, incorporation into routine operations, collaboration, and documentation, with an expectation that states will share what they build so the models can be replicated elsewhere. Because the goal is a stronger national integrated food safety system, the program also stresses extensive coordination with FDA District Offices and other FDA program offices, and it encourages deliberate alignment with related efforts from federal partners such as the CDC and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, along with national associations and state and local partners. The underlying idea is that response readiness improves when roles are clear, data and decision-making are shared quickly, and agencies can surge resources together during incidents.
Key administrative details reflect that this was a time-limited solicitation posted May 11, 2011, with an application closing date of June 15, 2011, and an archive date of July 15, 2011. The activity categories span agriculture, consumer protection, disaster prevention and relief, education, environment, food and nutrition, and health, which matches the all-hazards, cross-sector nature of food emergency response. Overall, this opportunity is best understood as an implementation-phase investment: taking a small set of states that have already piloted RRT concepts and pushing them toward mature, standards-based, collaborative rapid response programs that can be sustained and emulated nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Food Protection Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Improvement Implementation Project (U18)?
It is an FDA cooperative agreement designed to help a small number of state food safety programs strengthen how they prepare for and respond to food and feed emergencies by building and sustaining an all-hazards Rapid Response Team (RRT) model and improving supporting program infrastructure.
What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-FD-11-013.
Which FDA offices run and support this program?
The program is run through the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Division of Federal-State Relations (DFSR), working closely with FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM).
What is the overall purpose of this cooperative agreement?
The core purpose is to move participating states beyond pilot projects and planning into durable, repeatable operations by implementing and sustaining an all-hazards RRT approach that supports fast, coordinated public health and regulatory action during incidents.
What types of incidents is the Rapid Response Team (RRT) model expected to handle?
The RRT model is intended to address foodborne illness outbreaks, contamination events, and other incidents that require rapid, coordinated response.
Is this opportunity focused only on food, or does it include animal feed as well?
While the opportunity focuses on improving state regulatory and surveillance programs for manufactured foods, it explicitly expects the RRT concept to encompass both food and feed protection activities.
Is this an open competition?
No. This is a limited competition and it operates as a competing continuation, meaning eligibility is tightly restricted to a specific group of states already engaged in earlier related FDA work.
Who is eligible to apply?
Only state governments that (1) have current FDA food safety inspection contracts, (2) are currently receiving funding under those contracts, and (3) are already participating in the earlier FDA cooperative agreement effort called the Food Protection Rapid Response Team and Program Infrastructure Improvement Prototype Projects (PAR-09-183) are eligible to apply.
Are foreign entities eligible to apply?
No. Foreign entities are not eligible.
Why is eligibility restricted to only certain states?
The limitation is intentional. FDA is targeting funding to states that have already demonstrated progress and capacity through prototype work so that the new awards can focus on implementation, refinement, and creating approaches that can be replicated across the national integrated food safety system.
How many awards does FDA expect to make?
FDA plans to make up to six awards.
What is the estimated total amount of funding available?
The estimated total funding amount is about $3,000,000.
How much funding is expected per award?
Individual awards are expected to range from $300,000 (floor) to $500,000 (ceiling).
How long is the project period and how many years of funding are guaranteed?
FDA guarantees only one year of funding. There is a possibility of up to one additional year of non-competitive support if the recipient performs well and if federal funds remain available.
Is there a required cost share or matching requirement?
No. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
The opportunity is structured around strong federal-state partnership expectations typical of cooperative agreements, including close coordination with FDA District Offices and other FDA program offices throughout the work.
What are the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) and why do they matter here?
The MFRPS provide a framework for assessing and improving a state's manufactured food regulatory program so it becomes more consistent, capable, and equivalent in effect to other programs nationally. This project ties rapid response capability to broader program maturity as measured through progress toward MFRPS compliance.
What level of progress toward MFRPS is expected during the project?
Awardees are expected to show measurable progress toward "significant compliance" with the MFRPS in the first year. If a second year is funded, awardees are expected to achieve significant compliance by the end of year two.
Does the project focus on one-time emergency response activities or long-term capability?
It emphasizes building infrastructure that makes rapid response possible and reliable over time, not just during a single event.
What kinds of activities are emphasized under this project?
The announcement highlights completing development and integration of the RRT concept through a full cycle of planning and execution activities, including development, assessment, implementation, incorporation into routine operations, collaboration, and documentation.
Are awardees expected to share what they develop?
Yes. There is an expectation that states will share what they build so the models can be replicated elsewhere.
How does this project support the national integrated food safety system?
It aims to strengthen readiness through clear roles, rapid sharing of data and decision-making, and coordinated surge capacity among partners during incidents, contributing to a stronger national integrated food safety system.
What coordination and partnerships are encouraged as part of the work?
Extensive coordination with FDA District Offices and other FDA program offices is stressed. The opportunity also encourages alignment with related efforts from federal partners such as CDC and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, along with national associations and state and local partners.
What is the key difference between the earlier prototype projects and this implementation project?
This opportunity is framed as an implementation-phase investment intended to move states beyond prototype and planning work into mature, repeatable, standards-based operations that are sustainable and can be emulated nationally.
What are the key dates for this funding opportunity?
The solicitation was posted May 11, 2011. The application closing date was June 15, 2011. The archive date was July 15, 2011.
What activity categories does this opportunity fall under?
The activity categories include agriculture, consumer protection, disaster prevention and relief, education, environment, food and nutrition, and health.
What does "all-hazards" mean in the context of this RRT model?
In this context, "all-hazards" refers to building a rapid response capability that can be applied across different types of food and feed-related emergencies (for example, outbreaks and contamination events) rather than being limited to a single scenario.
Does this opportunity specifically mention manufactured foods?
Yes. In practice, it focuses on improving state regulatory and surveillance programs for manufactured foods, and it anchors infrastructure work in the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS).
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA FD 11 013) also looked into and applied for these:
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| Assisting the Integrated Food Safety Systems National Food/Feed Training Program (U54) Apply for RFA FD 11 028 Funding Number: RFA FD 11 028 Agency: Food Drug Administration Category: Agriculture Consumer Protection Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Environment Food and Nutrition Health Funding Amount: $1,300,000 |
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