Research on the Epidemiology, Vaccine Effectiveness and Treatment of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity being described?

This opportunity is CDC grant/cooperative agreement RFA IP 16 001, issued under HHS. It is led by the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Influenza Division.

Is this a standard grant or a cooperative agreement?

It is a cooperative agreement, which indicates CDC expects substantial involvement beyond typical grant monitoring. The description emphasizes close collaboration on study design, methods, implementation, and interpretation of findings.

What is the main purpose of this cooperative agreement?

The purpose is to strengthen the evidence base on influenza and other respiratory viruses in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, with a specific focus on older adults. The work is intended to clarify influenza epidemiology, quantify disease burden, and measure influenza vaccine effectiveness in the target setting.

Which population is the primary focus of the research?

The primary focus is older adults, with the aim of better understanding how much illness influenza causes in older populations and how well different vaccination schedules protect them.

What geographic region does the work focus on?

The work is framed around Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, with research activities described in connection with an existing surveillance platform in a part of China. The results and approaches are intended to be useful for the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Which organization is the CDC proposing to work closely with?

The CDC proposes to work closely with the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong (UHK).

Why is the University of Hong Kong (UHK) central to this opportunity?

UHK already operates an active respiratory virus surveillance platform among older adults in an area of China where influenza circulates in two distinct periods each year. This existing system provides a foundation for enhanced studies without needing to build a new surveillance network from the ground up.

What is unique about the influenza setting described in the opportunity?

The opportunity highlights a setting where influenza circulates in two separate periods each year (two distinct influenza seasons), rather than the single winter peak seen in many temperate countries.

What types of questions is the project trying to answer?

The project is designed to answer practical public health questions such as how much illness influenza causes in older adults in the region and which vaccination strategy provides the best protection under local transmission patterns.

What are the major evidence gaps this cooperative agreement aims to fill?

The CDC notes that, despite the surveillance platform identifying risk factors linked to mild through severe influenza outcomes, it has not yet produced robust estimates of influenza burden in older adults or strong measures of influenza vaccine effectiveness for that group. The cooperative agreement is intended to address those gaps.

What research outputs are emphasized?

The opportunity emphasizes generating robust estimates of influenza disease burden in older adults and credible measures of influenza vaccine effectiveness. It also emphasizes producing results that are comparable across seasons and useful for decision-makers.

What vaccination strategies are specifically being evaluated?

The work includes measuring how well influenza vaccination works when delivered on an annual schedule and, in settings with two distinct influenza seasons, on a twice-yearly schedule.

How will the surveillance platform be used in this work?

The existing UHK surveillance platform is described as a foundation for enhanced studies, including more detailed data collection and additional analytic work linked to surveillance activities.

Does the opportunity only apply to China?

The described project is centered on work in China with UHK, but it is also positioned as a way to develop approaches and lessons learned that could later support similar efforts elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, either by building on the current system or adapting the model to another country with relevant influenza patterns.

What is the expected level of CDC involvement during the project?

Because it is a cooperative agreement, CDC anticipates substantial involvement, including collaboration on study design, methods, implementation, and interpretation, with an emphasis on producing decision-relevant and season-comparable results.

What kind of funding opportunity is this administratively?

It is described as a discretionary funding opportunity with CFDA number 93.083.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on October 28, 2015, and the closing date was January 11, 2016.

How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1).

What was the maximum award amount mentioned?

The award ceiling is described as up to $3,000,000.

Who is eligible to apply, based on the information provided?

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced as being in the original announcement text. The narrative indicates an intent to initiate this cooperative agreement with UHK due to its established surveillance capability and regional positioning.

Why does the opportunity emphasize older adults in particular?

The stated rationale is to better quantify influenza burden and vaccine effectiveness in older adults, generating evidence that can guide vaccine policy and program decisions for that population in settings where influenza seasonality differs from typical single-peak patterns.

What is the broader public health value of the work?

The expected value is actionable evidence on disease burden and vaccine effectiveness that can improve influenza vaccination practices for older adults across parts of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, especially in places with two distinct influenza seasons.