Research and Technical Assistance for Public Health Intervention Supporting the National Blood Safety Program in the Implementation and Expansion of Blood Safety Activities in the Republic of Haiti under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity about?

This opportunity is a continuation cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS-CDC). It focuses on strengthening and expanding blood safety activities in the Republic of Haiti under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), with the goal of reducing the risk of HIV and other transfusion-transmitted infections and improving access to safe blood for patients who need transfusions.

Which country and health system program does this project support?

The project supports the Republic of Haiti, specifically Haiti's National Blood Safety Program, by providing research support and hands-on technical assistance to improve national blood safety systems and services.

What is the primary public health goal of the project?

The primary goal is to help Haiti implement and expand blood safety systems so the country can better reduce transfusion-related infection risks (including HIV), improve the reliability of blood services, and expand access to safe blood for transfusion patients.

How is PEPFAR connected to this opportunity?

The work is carried out under PEPFAR and aligns with PEPFAR strategies and reporting expectations. The focus on HIV risk reduction in the blood supply is consistent with PEPFAR-supported global HIV/AIDS efforts.

What funding mechanism is being used?

The mechanism is a cooperative agreement. This generally means CDC expects substantial programmatic involvement during the period of performance, including close coordination with CDC technical staff and collaborative planning for technical approaches, monitoring, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement.

How is a cooperative agreement different from a typical grant in this context?

Based on the information provided, a cooperative agreement implies more hands-on federal involvement than a typical grant. In practice, this may include ongoing coordination with CDC, alignment with PEPFAR priorities, and collaboration on planning, performance monitoring, evaluation activities, and quality improvement work.

Is this a new competitive opportunity or a continuation of existing work?

It is explicitly labeled as a continuation opportunity. That typically indicates it is intended to continue an existing line of work rather than open a broad competition for brand-new applicants.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as "Others," with a note to consult additional eligibility language in the full announcement. Continuation notices often limit eligibility to current recipients or specifically designated organizations, but the provided summary indicates that the definitive eligibility rules are in the full announcement.

What types of activities might be supported under "blood safety" programming?

The notice emphasizes strengthening and expanding blood safety systems. While the provided text is brief, it describes common elements of blood safety and national blood service strengthening such as improving donor recruitment and retention (often focusing on voluntary, non-remunerated donation), strengthening donor screening and counseling, improving laboratory testing quality for HIV and other transfusion-transmissible infections, enhancing quality management systems, strengthening cold chain and supply systems, and improving data systems and hemovigilance to detect and address adverse events and system gaps.

What does "research support and hands-on technical assistance" mean in this opportunity?

Based on the description, it means providing evidence-focused support and practical, on-the-ground technical assistance to the National Blood Safety Program. The research and technical assistance framing also suggests using operational assessments, evaluating testing algorithms and quality assurance approaches, and analyzing service delivery barriers that affect safe blood availability.

What infections is the project aiming to reduce the risk of?

The project targets reducing the risk of HIV and other transfusion-transmitted infections through improved blood safety systems and public health interventions.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is health.

What is the CFDA number and what does it indicate?

The opportunity is cataloged under CFDA 93.067, which aligns with CDC global HIV/AIDS-related work supported through PEPFAR.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is CDC-RFA-GH12-125105CONT16.

When was the opportunity posted and when does it close?

The posting and creation dates are January 21, 2016, and the application closing date is March 21, 2016.

The award ceiling is listed as 0 and expected awards are 0. Does that mean there is no funding?

No. The summary explains that this is a common pattern in certain continuation postings where the platform record does not display the funding amount or where the continuation action is tied to an existing award structure rather than a new competitive award count. Those fields should not be interpreted as meaning the project has no budget or that no award will be made.

Why would a continuation notice show no expected awards?

Continuation actions are often recorded differently in grants systems than open competitions. The provided information notes that the "0" entries may reflect how the continuation is recorded rather than an indication of zero awards in reality.

What does "implementation and expansion" imply for program activities?

It implies both sustaining core blood safety functions and extending them. Examples described in the summary include scaling successful practices to additional sites, standardizing procedures, improving testing coverage and quality, and strengthening governance and monitoring so improvements are durable within Haiti's health system.

Who are the key partners implied by the opportunity?

The work is carried out in partnership with Haiti's National Blood Safety Program and involves close coordination with CDC technical staff, within the broader alignment to PEPFAR objectives.

What kinds of system improvements are emphasized?

The description emphasizes system-level improvements such as better quality management across blood collection and transfusion services, more reliable laboratory testing and quality assurance, stronger data systems and hemovigilance, and improved supply and cold chain systems to support safe and consistent blood services.