COPY OF Sustained Strengthening of Public Health Laboratory, Transfusion Services, and Health Care Worker Infection Control Practices for Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia | CDC RFA GH15 16300301SUPP17

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH15 16300301SUPP17

This CDC cooperative agreement opportunity (CDC RFA GH15 16300301SUPP17) focuses on helping Liberia sustain and strengthen the core health system functions that were severely strained during the Ebola virus disease (EVD) crisis, especially as hospitals and clinics reopen and return to routine service delivery. Liberia was one of the three West African countries hit hardest by Ebola, and the grant is framed around a practical reality from the outbreak: early Ebola symptoms often look like many common conditions seen every day in clinical settings, such as malaria, other viral illnesses, or complications of pregnancy. That overlap makes it easy to miss Ebola cases early and also increases the risk of exposure for health care workers if triage and infection control are not consistently applied.

A central aim of the award is to reduce infection risk among health care workers, who were among the most impacted groups during the outbreak (more than 360 cases and about 170 deaths among health care workers in Liberia, as cited in the opportunity). The project would implement comprehensive Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training and then go beyond one-time instruction by providing ongoing support and monitoring for frontline staff, particularly in Eastern Liberia. The intent is to make safe triage and patient management routine and durable, so that facilities can identify suspected EVD cases quickly while protecting staff and other patients from potential exposure.

A second major component is strengthening clinical laboratory capacity so facilities can get faster, more reliable answers for Ebola and for other illnesses that present with similar symptoms. The grant emphasizes the value of having rapid diagnostics available closer to the point of care, including the potential role of direct PCR testing or other rapid diagnostic approaches within hospital laboratories. Faster testing supports better clinical decisions: it helps ensure Ebola patients are isolated and treated appropriately, while non-Ebola patients are not unnecessarily diverted or delayed from receiving care. Alongside in-hospital testing capacity, the opportunity also highlights improving specimen referral systems, including transportation processes from hospital labs to reference laboratories, so that testing access is reliable even where advanced diagnostics are not available on site.

The laboratory strengthening approach also includes a system-design element: geographically aligning laboratories to maximize coverage across the country, reduce gaps in access, and improve how samples move through the network. This alignment is meant to increase overall testing reach and efficiency while also creating clearer pathways for education, mentorship, and skills development for Liberian laboratory technicians. In other words, the award is not just about equipment or test kits, but about building a coordinated laboratory network with trained personnel, workable logistics, and sustainable practices.

A third key pillar is improving blood transfusion services in Liberia, presented as a rare opportunity to build lasting capacity while responding to an urgent clinical need. During the outbreak, convalescent plasma and whole blood from Ebola survivors were used based on the theory that survivor antibodies could provide some level of immunity or partial protection to acutely ill patients. Although controlled trials had not definitively proven effectiveness at the time, convalescent plasma had become a commonly used treatment approach in the United States during the epidemic. In Liberia, the opportunity notes that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was funding a clinical trial at ELWA to evaluate convalescent plasma. This CDC award would support strengthening donor collection and implementing component therapy systems so that convalescent plasma can be collected, processed, and stored. The practical promise is scale and readiness: better transfusion services could support larger-volume therapeutic use and potentially prophylactic use during outbreaks, and stored plasma could improve preparedness for future Ebola flare-ups in Liberia and potentially other affected West African countries.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary funding announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Global Health, offered as a cooperative agreement (meaning CDC would likely have substantial involvement in program direction and oversight compared with a standard grant). The CFDA number listed is 93.318. The announcement anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of up to $10,000,000. The posting indicates it was created March 31, 2017, with an original closing date of April 27, 2017, and electronic applications due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with clarification referenced in an additional eligibility section. Overall, the opportunity is designed to build lasting, integrated capacity across infection control, diagnostic laboratory systems, specimen transport networks, workforce training, and transfusion services, so Liberia can better manage Ebola risk while strengthening everyday health service delivery.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "COPY OF Sustained Strengthening of Public Health Laboratory, Transfusion Services, and Health Care Worker Infection Control Practices for Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.318.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 31, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 27, 2017 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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