Strengthen Brazil’s National Response to HIV and other Diseases through Innovative and Evidence-Based Approaches in Laboratory, Strategic Information, Prevention and Care Activities and Foster Partnerships Between Brazil, Angola and Mozambique unde | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity about?

This opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports continued work to strengthen Brazil's national response to HIV and other diseases under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The focus is on innovative, evidence-based approaches across laboratory systems, strategic information, prevention, and care and treatment activities.

Which agency is offering the award?

The award is offered by HHS through the CDC (HHS-CDC).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is CDC RFA GH13-134304CONT16.

What type of funding mechanism is this?

This is a continuation cooperative agreement. That generally indicates the award is intended to extend or build on an existing program rather than start a brand-new, open competition.

What does "continuation cooperative agreement" imply for applicants?

Based on the description provided, the continuation structure typically means the opportunity is oriented toward sustaining ongoing work and expanding or strengthening established activities, rather than launching an entirely new initiative.

What are the main program areas supported by this opportunity?

The opportunity emphasizes four core public health functions central to an effective HIV response: laboratory systems, strategic information, prevention, and care and treatment.

What is the laboratory systems focus?

A major theme is improving laboratory capacity and performance in ways that directly support HIV prevention and treatment outcomes. This commonly involves strengthening diagnostic and monitoring systems, improving quality assurance and quality management, and ensuring laboratory networks can deliver accurate and timely results that inform clinical decisions.

How do stronger laboratories support HIV outcomes?

More robust laboratory services help ensure that testing and monitoring results are accurate and delivered quickly enough to guide clinical decision-making. This supports effective HIV management and can also strengthen responses to related infectious diseases that intersect with HIV care.

What does "strategic information" mean in this opportunity?

Strategic information refers to the data systems and analytic capacity needed to understand the epidemic, target interventions, and measure results. Activities often include strengthening surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, data quality, reporting systems, and the ability to use data for program decisions.

What kinds of outcomes can strategic information improvements support?

Improved strategic information is intended to enable more precise planning and stronger accountability, including identifying gaps in testing, linkage to care, retention, and viral suppression, as well as monitoring broader disease trends relevant to public health programming.

What prevention activities are emphasized?

The prevention pillar emphasizes evidence-based approaches, meaning interventions guided by what has been shown to reduce transmission and increase uptake of services. The description also suggests approaches could be tailored to populations most affected by HIV.

What care and treatment activities are emphasized?

The care and treatment focus supports strengthening clinical and public health systems that provide HIV services, with attention to improving the continuum of care from diagnosis through treatment and long-term management. This can include strengthening service delivery models, improving follow-up and retention approaches, and reinforcing clinical practices tied to better outcomes and reduced onward transmission.

Does this opportunity include work beyond HIV?

Yes. While the central focus is HIV, the description also references "other diseases" and notes that laboratory strengthening can support related infectious diseases that intersect with HIV care.

What is the partnership component involving Angola and Mozambique?

A distinguishing feature is an explicit intent to foster partnerships between Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique. This indicates collaboration and knowledge exchange, leveraging Brazil's experience and institutional capacity with Portuguese-speaking partner countries in Africa.

What kinds of cross-country partnership activities are implied?

Common partnership activities (as described) include joint training, peer-to-peer technical assistance, sharing tools and protocols, and collaborative problem-solving related to laboratory systems, data systems, prevention programming, and clinical care practices.

Why are Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique specifically highlighted?

The opportunity frames these partnerships as a way to adapt proven approaches across similar linguistic and institutional contexts (Portuguese-speaking settings) and to strengthen regional and cross-country public health ties.

Is CDC expected to be involved during the project?

Yes. The opportunity is categorized as a cooperative agreement, which indicates CDC is likely to have substantial involvement through technical guidance, collaboration on implementation, and ongoing programmatic oversight.

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 93.067.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described broadly as "Others." The excerpt notes that additional clarification would normally appear in an eligibility section, but that section is not included in the provided information.

What is the application deadline?

The original and current closing date are both April 4, 2016.

When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was created and posted on February 4, 2016.

What is the maximum award amount (ceiling)?

The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the provided information. This often indicates that funding levels may be determined by continuation status, availability of funds, or other programmatic considerations rather than a fixed competitive ceiling.

How many awards will be made?

The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided text.

Is this opportunity intended for new applicants or existing programs?

The continuation cooperative agreement structure typically signals that it is designed to extend or build on an existing program rather than serve as a fully open, new competition.

What is the overall goal in plain terms?

In plain terms, this opportunity is about sustaining and strengthening a CDC-supported, PEPFAR-aligned program that helps Brazil improve HIV-related laboratory and data capabilities, sharpen prevention and care efforts using proven methods, and formalize cross-country partnerships with Angola and Mozambique to share expertise and improve public health outcomes.