Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH15 1551
Apply for CDC RFA GH15 1551
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening High Quality Laboratory Services Scale up for HIV Diagnosis, Care, Treatment and Monitoring in Malawi under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067 Global AIDS.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 28, 2014 and posted on Aug 28, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 17, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Eligible applicants that can apply for this FOA are listed below Government Organizations National Ministries of Health State and local governments or their Bona Fide Agents (this includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau) . American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments (federally recognized or state recognized) Political subdivisions of States (in consultation with States) Non government Organizations American Indian/Alaska native tribally designated organizations Alaska Native health corporations Tribal epidemiology centers Urban Indian health organizations Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education) Nonprofit without 501C3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education) Research institutions (that will perform activities deemed as non research) Colleges and Universities Community based organizations Faith based organizations For profit organizations (other than small business) Hospitals Small, minority, and women owned businesses All Other eligible organizations
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Opportunity Summary:
The CDC funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA GH15-1551) supports Malawi under the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through a cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening the country’s laboratory system for HIV-related diagnosis, care, treatment, and monitoring. At its core, the announcement focuses on expanding access to reliable, high-quality laboratory services by investing in the people, facilities, systems, and standards that determine whether testing is accurate, timely, and consistently available. The program is designed to reinforce national capacity so that laboratories can better support the full HIV response, including prevention services, confirming diagnoses, determining treatment eligibility, and tracking treatment effectiveness over time.
A major emphasis of the opportunity is human resources for laboratory services. The FOA calls for both pre-service and in-service training across multiple cadres of laboratory personnel, reflecting a practical approach: increasing the pipeline of trained staff while also upgrading the skills of the existing workforce. This includes building competencies needed to run and interpret essential tests, manage workflows, maintain equipment, follow biosafety practices, and apply quality standards consistently. By strengthening training systems, the program seeks to reduce skill gaps that can lead to testing errors, long turnaround times, and interruptions in service delivery.
In parallel with workforce development, the FOA targets laboratory infrastructure and equipment improvements. Recipients are expected to equip, alter, and refurbish at least 10 laboratories so they can perform key diagnostic and monitoring services. The scope of testing capabilities specifically includes essential microbiology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, hematology, and chemistry. These areas matter for HIV programs because they support not only HIV monitoring (such as assessing overall health status and treatment side effects) but also the detection of opportunistic infections and co-infections that often drive illness and mortality in people living with HIV. Strengthening mycobacteriology, for example, directly supports improved diagnosis of tuberculosis, one of the most significant HIV-associated diseases in the region.
Another central component is data systems and data use. The FOA prioritizes the development or strengthening of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and broader improvements in electronic data generation, handling, and reporting. The goal is not just digitization for its own sake, but better decision-making at all levels: laboratories using their own performance data to fix bottlenecks, facilities tracking turnaround time and test volumes, and national programs using aggregated information to forecast supply needs, identify coverage gaps, and monitor quality trends. Better data systems also help laboratories maintain traceability of specimens and results, reduce transcription errors, and improve the speed at which clinicians receive actionable results.
Quality management is treated as a core requirement rather than an optional add-on. The FOA supports laboratories to develop, implement, and adhere to quality management systems (QMS), while also strengthening quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA). In practice, this means establishing standard operating procedures, documenting processes, ensuring equipment calibration and maintenance, participating in proficiency testing or external quality assessment where appropriate, and building a culture of continuous improvement. Strong QMS and QA/QC are essential for HIV programs because clinical decisions depend on reliable results, especially for tests that guide treatment initiation and changes in therapy.
The opportunity also frames these laboratory investments as broader health systems strengthening. Beyond staffing, equipment, and quality systems, activities include improving the specimen referral system so samples can move efficiently from peripheral sites to testing hubs and results can return quickly to clinicians and patients. Strengthening referral networks and transport logistics is particularly important for services like early infant diagnosis and viral load testing, where delays can undermine timely treatment decisions. By improving transport, tracking, and communication, the program aims to reduce missed diagnoses and ensure monitoring results are available when needed.
A notable national-level deliverable is support to the Malawi Ministry of Health to update core policy and planning documents, specifically the National Laboratory Policy and the National Laboratory Strategic Plan (NLSP), along with other guidelines that standardize laboratory service delivery. This aspect signals that the program is intended to align with and reinforce national leadership, setting consistent standards across the system and helping ensure that improvements are institutionalized rather than limited to isolated facilities. Updated policies and plans can also clarify laboratory tiers, test menus, staffing norms, equipment standards, referral pathways, and quality expectations across the country.
In terms of HIV-specific outcomes, the FOA explicitly highlights scaling up services that are central to effective HIV care and treatment monitoring. This includes early infant diagnosis (EID), CD4 testing, viral load monitoring, and routine hematology and chemistry testing, alongside improved diagnosis of opportunistic infections. Together, these services support early detection of HIV in infants, appropriate staging and clinical management, confirmation that antiretroviral therapy is working, and identification of complications or co-infections that require additional treatment. By strengthening the underlying laboratory system, the program aims to improve both coverage and reliability of these services nationwide.
Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary funding announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally implies substantial involvement by the funding agency in planning, technical direction, or oversight during implementation. The FOA anticipated up to two awards, with an award ceiling listed at $10,000,000, no cost sharing or matching requirement, and it was originally posted on August 28, 2014 with an application closing date of October 17, 2014 (and archived November 16, 2014). Eligibility is broad and includes government entities, ministries of health, state and local governments and their agents, tribal organizations, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), research institutions conducting non-research program activities, colleges and universities, community- and faith-based organizations, for-profit organizations (other than small business), hospitals, and small/minority/women-owned businesses, among others, as further clarified in the full announcement. For access issues related to the full notice, the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section is listed as the contact point (pgotim@cdc.gov; 770-488-2700).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the funding opportunity number for this CDC grant?
The funding opportunity number is CDC RFA GH15-1551.
2) What is the overall purpose of this funding opportunity?
This cooperative agreement supports Malawi under PEPFAR to strengthen the national laboratory system for HIV-related diagnosis, care, treatment, and monitoring. The main goal is to expand access to reliable, high-quality laboratory services by investing in workforce, infrastructure, data systems, quality standards, and national policies that affect testing accuracy, turnaround time, and consistent service availability.
3) Which country and program context does this opportunity focus on?
The opportunity focuses on Malawi and is funded in the context of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
4) What funding mechanism is being used?
The announcement uses a cooperative agreement mechanism. This typically indicates substantial CDC involvement in implementation through planning, technical direction, and/or oversight during the period of performance.
5) Who is the funding agency?
The funding agency is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
6) Is this a discretionary funding opportunity?
Yes. The announcement is described as a discretionary funding opportunity from CDC.
7) How many awards were anticipated under this FOA?
The FOA anticipated up to two awards.
8) What is the award ceiling?
The listed award ceiling is $10,000,000.
9) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
10) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was originally posted on August 28, 2014. The application closing date was October 17, 2014. The opportunity was archived on November 16, 2014.
11) What kinds of activities does the FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasizes strengthening Malawi's laboratory system through: human resources development (pre-service and in-service training), laboratory infrastructure and equipment upgrades, laboratory information systems and electronic data improvements, quality management systems (QMS) and QA/QC, specimen referral system improvements, and national policy and planning support for the Ministry of Health.
12) Why is laboratory workforce development a major focus?
The FOA highlights both pre-service and in-service training across multiple cadres to increase the pipeline of trained personnel and upgrade the skills of the current workforce. This is intended to reduce skill gaps that can contribute to testing errors, long turnaround times, and service interruptions.
13) What competencies are intended to be strengthened through training?
Training is described as building competencies to run and interpret essential tests, manage laboratory workflows, maintain equipment, follow biosafety practices, and apply quality standards consistently.
14) What laboratory infrastructure improvements are expected?
Recipients are expected to equip, alter, and refurbish at least 10 laboratories so they can perform key diagnostic and monitoring services.
15) Which testing areas are specifically included in the scope?
The FOA specifically includes essential microbiology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, hematology, and chemistry.
16) How do these testing areas support HIV programs?
These areas support HIV monitoring (including general health status and potential treatment side effects) and strengthen detection of opportunistic infections and co-infections. The FOA specifically notes that strengthening mycobacteriology supports improved diagnosis of tuberculosis, a major HIV-associated disease in the region.
17) What HIV-related laboratory services are explicitly highlighted for scale-up?
The FOA explicitly highlights early infant diagnosis (EID), CD4 testing, viral load monitoring, and routine hematology and chemistry testing, alongside improved diagnosis of opportunistic infections.
18) What is the role of laboratory data systems in this program?
Data systems are a central component. The FOA prioritizes development or strengthening of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and broader improvements in electronic data generation, handling, and reporting to support better decision-making at laboratory, facility, and national levels.
19) What kinds of decisions are improved by stronger data systems, according to the FOA?
The FOA describes improved decision-making such as laboratories using performance data to fix bottlenecks, facilities tracking turnaround time and test volumes, and national programs using aggregated data to forecast supply needs, identify coverage gaps, and monitor quality trends.
20) How can LIMS and electronic reporting improve routine laboratory operations?
As described in the FOA, stronger systems can improve specimen and result traceability, reduce transcription errors, and increase the speed at which clinicians receive actionable results.
21) How is quality management addressed in the opportunity?
Quality management is treated as a core requirement. The FOA supports laboratories to develop, implement, and adhere to quality management systems (QMS), and to strengthen quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA).
22) What are examples of quality-related activities mentioned in the FOA?
Examples include establishing standard operating procedures, documenting processes, ensuring equipment calibration and maintenance, participating in proficiency testing or external quality assessment where appropriate, and building a culture of continuous improvement.
23) Why are QMS and QA/QC especially important for HIV programs?
The FOA notes that clinical decisions depend on reliable results, particularly for tests that guide treatment initiation and changes in therapy.
24) Does the FOA address specimen referral and transport systems?
Yes. The opportunity includes improving the specimen referral system so samples can move efficiently from peripheral sites to testing hubs and results can return quickly to clinicians and patients.
25) Why does the FOA emphasize referral networks and transport logistics?
This is presented as particularly important for early infant diagnosis and viral load testing, where delays can undermine timely treatment decisions. Improving transport, tracking, and communication is intended to reduce missed diagnoses and ensure monitoring results are available when needed.
26) What national policy and planning deliverables are included?
A notable deliverable is support to the Malawi Ministry of Health to update core documents, including the National Laboratory Policy and the National Laboratory Strategic Plan (NLSP), along with other guidelines that standardize laboratory service delivery.
27) How do updated national policies and plans help strengthen the laboratory system?
The FOA indicates that updated policies and plans can help institutionalize improvements and set consistent standards nationwide, including clarifying laboratory tiers, test menus, staffing norms, equipment standards, referral pathways, and quality expectations.
28) What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes (as described in the FOA) government entities, ministries of health, state and local governments and their agents, tribal organizations, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), research institutions conducting non-research program activities, colleges and universities, community- and faith-based organizations, for-profit organizations (other than small business), hospitals, and small/minority/women-owned businesses, among others as clarified in the full announcement.
29) Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA includes for-profit organizations as eligible applicants, with the noted limitation of "other than small business" as stated in the provided summary.
30) Who should be contacted for access issues related to the full notice?
For access issues related to the full notice, the contact listed is the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section at pgotim@cdc.gov or 770-488-2700.
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