Strengthening and the Development of Applied Epidemiology and Sustainable Public Health Capacity through Collaboration, Program development and Implementation, Communication, and Information Sharing in the Eastern Mediterranean Region | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the title of this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "Strengthening and the Development of Applied Epidemiology and Sustainable Public Health Capacity through Collaboration, Program development and Implementation, Communication, and Information Sharing in the Eastern Mediterranean Region."

2) What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The main goal is to strengthen applied epidemiology and sustainable public health capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region by expanding and formalizing collaboration among Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs). The focus is on building an ongoing, organized network that improves routine communication, structured information sharing, and coordinated program development.

3) What problem is this grant trying to solve?

The grant addresses the gap between periodic scientific meetings (like conferences) and the need for continuous, organized collaboration. While conferences support sharing outbreak investigations and response work, the grant emphasizes that the bigger public health payoff comes from regular communication, coordinated approaches, and sustained networking across countries.

4) What types of activities does the opportunity emphasize?

The opportunity emphasizes collaboration, program development and implementation, communication, and information sharing among FETPs across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with the aim of improving surveillance, outbreak investigation, and response capabilities.

5) How does the grant define "strengthening applied epidemiology" in practical terms?

It is framed as improving how countries detect health threats early, investigate outbreaks quickly, and coordinate responses effectively. The network approach is presented as a practical way to spread tools, protocols, lessons learned, and best practices more efficiently.

6) Why is networking among FETPs considered so important in this announcement?

Networking is described as a "force multiplier." When FETPs communicate routinely and share information in a structured way, countries can adopt best practices faster, standardize approaches where helpful, and mobilize trained personnel more efficiently during emergencies.

7) What region does this opportunity focus on?

This opportunity focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

8) Which organizations are highlighted as key partners in the collaboration model?

The partnership model described involves Ministries of Health (MOH) and their FETP representatives working closely with the CDC and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO).

9) What is the EMRO-centered FETP network referenced in the announcement?

The announcement references continued development of an EMRO-centered FETP network that began organizing in 2009. The funding is positioned as supporting and strengthening that regional network structure.

10) How does this opportunity relate to cross-border health threats?

The announcement emphasizes that public health threats do not respect national boundaries, and that rapid coordination across countries can determine whether an outbreak is contained early or spreads widely. The regional network is intended to improve coordination and shared capacity.

11) Does the opportunity mention any examples of global outbreaks to explain the need for this work?

Yes. The description cites recent high-profile outbreaks such as Ebola and Zika as reminders of the need for strong local and regional programs capable of deploying rapid response teams and reinforcing public health infrastructure.

12) What type of funding mechanism is this?

This is described as a discretionary cooperative agreement.

13) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement (based on the announcement description)?

The announcement notes that this is not a simple pass-through grant. It indicates the CDC expects substantial programmatic involvement during implementation, such as technical guidance, coordination support, and ongoing collaboration to help meet the network and capacity-building goals.

14) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 93.318.

15) Which CDC office or center posted this opportunity?

The opportunity was posted by HHS-CDC-CGH (the CDC Center for Global Health).

16) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is CDC RFA GH16-1704.

17) When was the opportunity originally posted?

It was originally posted on May 30, 2016.

18) What was the closing date listed in the announcement?

The closing date was July 30, 2016.

19) How many awards were projected?

The announcement projected a single award.

20) What was the award ceiling?

The award ceiling listed was $4,000,000.

21) What does the announcement say about eligibility?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning many entity types could apply. The announcement also notes that final determination could depend on any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement.

22) Is this grant mainly about funding individual country FETPs or something broader?

The opportunity frames the work as broader than supporting individual national FETPs. It emphasizes strengthening regional disease surveillance and promoting consistent, high-quality training and response practices through an organized, ongoing network.

23) What kinds of benefits are expected from improved communication and information sharing?

The announcement expects that regular communication and structured information sharing will help countries adopt best practices more quickly, share tools and protocols, improve routine surveillance and training systems, and coordinate faster during emergencies.

24) How does the announcement describe the overall purpose of the investment?

It is described as an investment in the "connective tissue" of public health capacity: building a durable regional network that keeps FETPs linked between outbreaks, improves everyday surveillance and training, and enables faster, better-coordinated responses during emergencies.