Foa_Content_of_RFA-CK-22-005.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Vector-Borne Disease Regional Centers of Excellence

RFA-CK-22-005

01/18/2022

Table of Contents Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Section II. Award Information

Section III. Eligibility Information

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

Section V. Application Review Information

Section VI. Award Administration Information

Section VII. Agency Contacts

Section VIII. Other Information

Overview Participating Organization(s) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Components of Participating Organizations Components of Participating Organizations:

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Title Vector-Borne Disease Regional Centers of Excellence Activity Code U01 - Research Project - Cooperative Agreement

Notice of Funding Opportunity Type Reissue of Agency Notice of Funding Opportunity Number

RFA-CK-22-005

Assistance Listings Number(s) 93.084 Category of Funding Activity HL - Health NOFO Purpose The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support research to improve national capacity to address the growing problem of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) via continued support for regional Centers of Excellence (COEs) for Vector-Borne Diseases. The primary focus of each individual COE should be on the regionally most important arthropod vectors, particularly ticks and mosquitoes, and their associated human disease agents. Applications should include a strong focus on ticks and tickborne disease agents, if relevant to the applicant’s geographic region. Inclusion of work on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease agents is also strongly encouraged. The specific goals for COEs should be to: (1) conduct applied research on approaches to prevent vector bites or suppress regionally important arthropod vectors and their associated human disease agents in the environment; (2) increase public health workforce knowledge of medical entomology through training and engagement of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral staff, in research activities; and (3) strengthen linkages and collaborative relationships between the academic community, state, territorial, tribal or local public health organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, in the context of enhancing activities related to vector-bite prevention and suppression of vectors and their associated human pathogens.

Key Dates Publication Date:

To receive notification of any changes to RFA-CK-22-005, return to the synopsis page of this announcement at www.grants.gov and click on the "Send Me Change Notification Emails" link.

An email address is needed for this service.

Letter of Intent Due Date:

12/17/2021 12-17-21

Application Due Date:

01/18/2022 01-18-22

On-time submission requires that electronic applications be error-free and made available to CDC for processing from the NIH eRA system on or before the deadline date. Applications must be submitted to and validated successfully by Grants.gov no later than 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time.

Applicants will use a system or platform to submit their applications through Grants.gov and eRA Commons to CDC. ASSIST, an institutional system to system (S2S) solution, or Grants.gov Workspace are options. ASSIST is a commonly used platform because it provides a validation of all requirements prior to submission and prevents errors.

For more information on accessing or using ASSIST, you can refer to the ASSIST Online Help Site at: https://era.nih.gov/erahelp/assist. Additional support is available from the NIH eRA Service desk via http://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html.

• E-mail: commons@od.nih.gov

• Phone: 301-402-7469 or (toll-free) 1-866-504-9552.

Hours: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding Federal holidays.

Note: HHS/CDC grant submission procedures do not provide a grace period beyond the application due date time to correct any error or warning notices of noncompliance with application instructions that are identified by Grants.gov or eRA systems (i.e., error correction window).

Scientific Merit Review:

03/17/2022 Secondary Review:

https://www.grants.gov/ http://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html mailto:commons@od.nih.gov

04/19/2022 Estimated Start Date:

07/01/2022 Expiration Date:

01/19/2022 Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise in this NOFO. Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Page Limitations: Pages that exceed the page limits described in this NOFO will be removed and not forwarded for peer review, potentially affecting an application's score.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or may not be accepted for review.

Telecommunications for the Hearing Impaired: TTY 1-888-232-6348

Executive Summary

• Purpose: The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support research to improve our national capacity to address the growing problem of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) via continued support for regional Centers of Excellence (COEs) for Vector-Borne Diseases. The primary focus of each individual COE should be on the regionally most important arthropod vectors, particularly ticks and mosquitoes, and their associated human disease agents. Applications should include a strong focus on ticks and tickborne disease agents, if relevant to the applicant’s geographic region. Inclusion of work on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease agents is also strongly encouraged. The specific goals for COEs should be to: (1) conduct applied research on approaches to prevent vector bites or suppress regionally important arthropod vectors and their associated human disease agents in the environment; (2) increase public health workforce knowledge of medical entomology through training and engagement of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral staff, in research activities; and (3) strengthen linkages and collaborative relationships between the academic community, state, territorial, tribal or local public health organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, in the context of enhancing activities related to vector-bite prevention and suppression of vectors and their associated human pathogens.

• Mechanism of Support: U01 Research Project - Cooperative Agreement.

• Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards: The estimated total funding available, including direct and indirect costs, for the entire five (5)-year project period is $100,000,000. The estimated number of awards is ten (10). Awards issued under this NOFO are contingent upon availability of funds and a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is also anticipated that the size and duration of each award https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/forms-e/general-forms-e.pdf https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/forms-e/general-forms-e.pdf may also vary. The total amount awarded, and the number of awards, will depend upon the number, quality, duration, and cost of the applications received.

• Budget and Project Period: The estimated total funding (direct and indirect) for the first year (12-month budget period) is $20,000,000 with individual awards ranging from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 for the first year. The estimated total funding (direct and indirect) for the entire project period is $100,000,000. The project period is anticipated to run from 07/01/2022 to 06/30/2027.

• Application Research Strategy Length: Page limits for the Research Strategy are clearly specified in Section IV. “Application and Submission Information” of this announcement.

• Eligible Institutions/Organizations. Institutions/organizations listed in Section III. of this announcement are eligible to apply.

• Eligible Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs). Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to work with their institution/organization to develop an application for support. NOTE: CDC does not make awards to individuals directly. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply.

• Number of PDs/PIs. There will only be one PD/PI for each application.

• Number of Applications. Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

• Application Type. New.

• Application Materials. See Section IV.1 for application materials. Please note that Form F is to be used when completing the application package.

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Statutory Authority Public Health Service Act, Section 301(a) [42 U.S.C 241(a)] and Section 317(k)(2) [42 U.S.C.

247b(k)(2)], as amended.

1. Background and Purpose Vector-borne diseases pose a large and growing public health problem in the U.S. During the 12-year period from 2004 to 2016, a total of 642,602 vector-borne disease cases were reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Diseases affecting large portions of the 48 contiguous states include tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease (>400,000 cases from 2004-2016), anaplasmosis/ehrlichiosis (>39,000 cases from 2004-2016), spotted fever rickettsiosis (>37,000 cases from 2004-2016), and babesiosis (>9,000 cases during the reportable six-year period from 2011-2016) and mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus disease (>31,000 cases from 2004-2016). Moreover, the true number of annual Lyme disease cases is estimated to be 10-fold higher than the reported cases. Additional notable diseases with limited geographical reach within the 48 contiguous states, but nevertheless of great importance as they cause large outbreaks in U.S. territories (for example, Puerto Rico), include mosquito-borne dengue (>46,000 cases from 2004-2016), Zika virus disease (>41,000 cases in 2016) and chikungunya (>9,000 cases during the three-year period from 2014-2016). Additionally, changing climatic conditions are likely to alter the geographic range and seasonal activity of vectors, potentially modifying populations at risk for vector-borne diseases. Without the development and deployment of safe and effective prevention strategies, including vector suppression and bite-prevention tools, the trends of increasing incidence and expanding geographic range of vector-borne diseases is expected to continue.

Although other tick vectors can be of local importance, the overwhelming number of tick-associated disease cases, or other medical conditions related to tick bites, in the 48 contiguous states are associated with bites by Ixodes spp. ticks (Ixodes scapularis and to some extent also Ixodes pacificus) or Amblyomma spp. ticks (primarily Amblyomma americanum but also Amblyomma maculatum). Similarly, although other mosquito vectors can be of local importance, the overwhelming number of mosquito-associated disease cases arise from Culex spp.

mosquitoes (primarily Culex pipiens, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Culex tarsalis) or Aedes spp.

mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, A. triseriatus and to some extent also Aedes albopictus).

The burden of tick-borne disease has been relatively consistent each year, but there has been an increasing trend over time from <30,000 reported cases per year during 2004-2006 to >40,000 cases each year from 2011-2016. The burden of mosquito-borne, arboviral diseases is more variable across years, as outbreak years for individual arboviral diseases are interspersed with years of lower virus activity. Introduction of new human-pathogenic mosquito-borne viruses to the Americas remains a concern as they are likely to cause major outbreaks where human-biting vector mosquitoes are present. Overall, in the 48 contiguous states, the occurrence of tick-borne diseases is predictable both in space and time (across years and within pathogen transmission seasons) whereas outbreaks of mosquito-borne, arboviral diseases are more difficult to predict both in space and time (e.g., West Nile virus disease) or over time where there is a history of previous outbreaks (e.g., dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus disease). Therefore, the control of tick versus mosquito-borne disease agents presents the public health community with different sets of challenges.

Previous funding for regional COEs for vector-borne diseases was driven, in large part, by shortcomings in public health entomology capacity in the U.S. as revealed by the Zika virus disease emergency response. Shortcomings included gaps in our knowledge of the distribution in the 48 contiguous states of key mosquito vectors (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) and a general shortage of adequately trained public health entomologists at local, state, and federal levels. Additionally, there was a need for improved mosquito control program capacity across the nation as shown through the 2017 National Associated of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) assessment on mosquito control capabilities in the U.S. The previously funded COEs for vector-borne diseases responded with robust activity across the three themes: 1) training of public health entomologists, 2) building communities of practice, and 3) conducting applied research. To fill some of the most urgent knowledge gaps, the applied research component of the initial COEs for vector-borne disease focused strongly on topics relating to where and when humans are at risk for vectors and their associated disease agents, including:

better defining the geographical distributions of key endemic and invasive vector species and their associated pathogens via field collections/pathogen detection and modeling; conducting vector competence studies with emerging pathogens; elucidating drivers for vector population growth and risk of exposure to vector-borne human pathogens; improving methodology for vector collection; and developing new technology for communication of information about vectors to the public. The substantial progress made in these areas, together with strengthening of funding for vector surveillance via CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) program, motivates a shift in the focus of applied research for this cooperative agreement to vector bite prevention and vector suppression rather than vector surveillance and modeling.

To continue to improve national capacity to address the growing problem of vector-borne diseases and respond to changing vector-borne disease dynamics due to climate change and other environmental and sociological drivers, this NOFO includes the same three major themes as the earlier NOFO but with a greater emphasis on applied research as a means of answering pressing scientific questions and training of public health entomologists. In addition, the applied research should focus more narrowly on approaches to prevent vector bites and/or suppress the populations of regionally important arthropod vectors and their associated human disease agents in the environment. This aspect of the applied research addresses the main roadblocks to stemming the rising tide of vector-borne diseases: 1) a limited evidence base for optimal schemes to suppress tick and mosquito populations in the environment, including approaches to minimize the environmental impact of pesticides and better manage pesticide resistance; and 2) a weak empirical evidence base for either personal protective measures or environmentally based control methods to reduce human tick bites or human infection with tick- or mosquito-borne pathogens.

Additionally, there is an urgent need to evaluate the effectiveness of existing vector bite prevention and vector suppression approaches, as well as to continue to pursue novel and innovative control technologies.

To ensure that COE activities align with the goals of this NOFO, project progress will be assessed at least annually. Training activities should focus on undergraduate and graduate student (M.S. and Ph.D.) as well as postdoctoral training through involvement in the described applied research activities. Additionally, modest outward focused training programs, targeting vector-control professionals, may be included. Communities of Practice should be developed and maintained to ensure that all stakeholders and skill sets needed to address the applied research focus are represented. Public outreach activities should be coordinated with CDC technical/communication staff to ensure that COE and CDC messaging is not contradictory.

Healthy People 2030 and other National Strategic Priorities This NOFO aims to: a) support the expansion of the pool of trained and competent entomologists in the public health workforce and b) provide public health personnel the evidence base needed to take effective action to reduce morbidity and mortality from vector-borne diseases. Additionally, objectives in this NOFO are consistent with A National Public Health Framework for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans (https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/framework.html). Applicants should review and become familiar with the Framework before applying.

Public Health Impact Key outcomes may include: a) improved methodology to suppress tick and mosquito vectors in the environment under a range of different climatic conditions representing current and future projected climate scenarios with a focus on demonstrating efficacy in the current core distribution of VBDs of interest; b) evaluation of personal protective measures, or environmentally based control methods, to reduce vector bites in humans or reduce human infection with tick or mosquito-borne pathogens; c) a stronger evidence base to support data-driven recommendations for tick or mosquito-borne disease control and prevention, focusing on https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/framework.html environmental interventions that are effective as well as affordable and acceptable to a substantial sector of the U.S. population; d) increased number of trained and competent public health entomologists, particularly those who can play a future leadership role in VBD prevention research; and e) improved communication and collaboration among academic institutions, state/local public health agencies and other stakeholders to better harness the academic research expertise in projects of direct relevance to the mission of state/local public health agencies and mosquito/vector management programs.

Health Equity The program supports efforts to improve the health of populations disproportionately affected by infectious diseases by maximizing the health impact of public health services, reducing disease incidence, and advancing health equity.

A health disparity occurs when a health outcome is seen to a greater or lesser extent between populations. Health disparities in infectious diseases are inextricably linked to a complex blend of social determinants that influence which populations are most disproportionately affected by these infections and diseases.

Social determinants are conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of life-risks and outcomes (https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/index.htm ). These include conditions for early childhood development; education, employment, and work; food security, health services, housing, income, and social exclusion. Health equity is a desirable goal that entails special efforts to improve the health of those who have experienced social or economic challenges. It requires:

• Continuous efforts focused on elimination of health disparities, including disparities in health and in the living and working conditions that influence health, and

• Continuous efforts to maintain a desired state of equity after health disparities are eliminated.

Programs should use data, including social determinants data, to identify communities within their jurisdictions that are disproportionately affected by infectious diseases and conditions, and plan activities to help eliminate health disparities. In collaboration with partners and appropriate sectors of the community, programs should consider social determinants of health in the development, implementation, and evaluation of program specific efforts and use culturally appropriate interventions and strategies that are tailored for the communities for which they are intended.

Relevant Work

1. Beard CB, Visser SN, Petersen LR. The need for a national strategy to address vector-borne disease threats in the United States. J Med Entomol. 2019; 56:1199-203.

2. Beard, CB, Eisen RJ, Barker CM, Garofalo JM, Hahn M, Hayden M., Monaghan AJ, Ogden NH, Schramm PJ, 2016: Ch. 5: Vector borne Diseases. The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment. U.S. Global https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/index.htm

Change Research Program, Washington, DC, 129–156.

http://dx.doi.org/10.7930/J0765C7V

3. Eisen L. Stemming the rising tide of human-biting ticks and tickborne diseases, United States. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2020; 26:641-7.

4. Eisen L. Control of ixodid ticks and prevention of tick-borne diseases in the United States: The prospect of a new Lyme disease vaccine and the continuing problem with tick exposure on residential properties. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021; 12:101649.

5. Eisen L., Stafford III KC. Barriers to effective tick management and tick-bite prevention in the United States (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 2020; 57: doi:

10.1093/jme/tjaa079.

6. Eisen RJ, Eisen L. The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis: An increasing public health concern. Trends Parasitol. 2018; 34:295-309.

7. Eisen RJ, Kugeler KJ, Eisen L, Beard CB, Paddock CD. Tick-borne zoonoses in the United States: Persistent and emerging threats to human health. ILAR J. 2017; 58:319-35.

8. Hinckley AF, Connally NP, Meek JI, Johnson BJ, Kemperman MM, Feldman KA, et al.

Lyme disease testing by large commercial laboratories in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2014; 59:676–81.

9. Hinckley AF, Meek JI, Ray JAE, Niesobecki SA, Connally NP, Feldman KA, et al.

Effectiveness of residential acaricides to prevent Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in humans. J Infect Dis. 2016; 214:182-8.

10. Kugeler KJ, Schwartz AM, Delorey MJ, Mead PS, Hinckley AF. Estimating the frequency of Lyme disease diagnoses, United States, 2010-2018. Emerg. Infect. Dis.

2021;27: doi: 10.3201/eid2702.202731.

11. Molaei G, Little E, Williams SC, Stafford KC. Bracing for the worst – Range expansion of the lone star tick in the northeastern United States. N Engl J Med. 2019; 381:23.

12. NACCHO. 2017. Mosquito Control Capabilities in the U.S. Washington, DC: National Association of County and City Health Officials. https://www.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/Mosquito-control-in-the-U.S.-Report.pdf.

13. Nasci R, Mutebi J-P. Reducing West Nile virus risk through vector management. J Med Entomol. 2019; 56:1516-21.

14. Petersen LR, Beard CB, Visser SN. Combatting the increasing threat of vector-borne disease in the United States with a national vector-borne disease prevention and control system. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019; 100:242-5.

15. Rochlin I, Faraji A, Healy K, Andreadis T. West Nile virus vectors in North America. J Med Entomol. 2019; 56:1475-90.

16. Rosenberg R, Lindsey NP, Fischer M, Gregory CJ, Hinckley AF, Mead PS, et al. Vital signs: Trends in reported vectorborne disease cases — United States and Territories, 2004-2016. Morb Mort Wkly Rep. 2018; 67:496-501.

2. Approach The proposed approach is expected to involve a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and public health practitioners, led by a Principal Investigator with a strong, proven background in vector biology and control, and vector-borne disease prevention. The approach should be developed in collaboration with a diverse group of experts from academia, state/local public health agencies, and vector management programs. The project should address all three of the objectives http://dx.doi.org/10.7930/J0765C7V https://www.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/Mosquito-control-in-the-U.S.-Report.pdf.

https://www.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/Mosquito-control-in-the-U.S.-Report.pdf.

described below and include applied research focused on vector-bite prevention or vector population suppression, training, and communities of practice.

Objectives/Outcomes Project objectives should be threefold: 1) conduct applied research on approaches to prevent vector bites or suppress the populations of regionally important arthropod vectors and their associated human disease agents in the environment; 2) train a new generation of public health entomologists to serve as subject matter experts for arthropod pathogen vectors at state/local levels by involving undergraduate/graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in applied research; and 3) strengthen linkages and collaborative relationships between the academic community and state/territorial/tribal/local public health organizations, vector management programs and other potentially relevant stakeholder groups, as needed, to develop, evaluate and implement vector and vector-borne pathogen suppression strategies. In short, the primary focus should be on applied research with training and communities of practice elements designed to enhance applied research outcomes.

The proposed applied research projects should be guided by public health needs and are expected to be scientifically sound, statistically robust, and directly relevant to the mission of territory, state, local or tribal public health agencies, publicly funded mosquito/vector management programs, and private pest control companies or homeowners involved in control of vectors, particularly ticks and mosquitoes. The emphasis of the applied research activities should be on intervention studies aiming to evaluate existing or emerging approaches to the prevention of vector bites or suppression of vector populations of regional importance. Applications should include a strong focus on ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Intervention evaluations are expected to minimally include entomological outcome measures (abundance of host-seeking tick vectors;

prevalence of infection in the tick vectors; abundance of infected host-seeking tick vectors; tick infestation of key reproductive or pathogen reservoir hosts; abundance of mosquito vectors;

prevalence of infection in the mosquito vectors; abundance of infected mosquito vectors; and abundance of mosquito immatures) and, ideally, when applicable and feasible, also human-related outcome measures (e.g., human-tick encounters and bites; evidence of human tick-borne illness; evidence of human exposure to mosquito-borne pathogens; and evidence of human mosquito-borne illness).

Please note: In this cooperative agreement, CDC does not plan to fund research pertaining to the development of diagnostics for vector-borne disease pathogens in humans or vaccine research other than the specific vaccine initiative detailed below.

Testing of interventions aimed at preventing vector bites or suppressing vector populations across varying climate/ecologic settings to demonstrate robustness of findings is encouraged.

Climate-related activities should focus on empirical, rather than theoretical applications aimed at suppressing vector populations or preventing vector bites. Studies to model the impact of climate change on vectors are not encouraged unless they relate directly to specific vector control methodologies.

A. Proposed research should focus on the following:

Ticks

• Laboratory or field evaluations of emerging technologies to suppress host-seeking ticks or disrupt pathogen transmission cycles (entomological outcome measures).

• Field evaluations of commercially available technologies/products for tick/pathogen management in approaches that include either single or integrated methodologies (minimally with entomological outcome measures, ideally also with human-related outcome measures such as human-tick encounters).

• Laboratory or field evaluations of personal protective measures to prevent human-tick encounters resulting in tick bites.

• Impact of landscaping and vegetation management on residential properties or in high-use public areas on the density of host-seeking ticks.

• Field studies aimed at optimizing application of tick control products to provide recommendations for pest control firms and homeowners regarding how to optimize tick suppression depending on type of product used, application method, timing of applications and vegetation structure in the treated area.

• Laboratory or field studies to test novel methods for control of brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) populations on dogs.

• Development of vaccines that protect dogs from infection with Rickettsia rickettsii.

• Development or early-stage evaluation of novel deer-targeted tick control strategies, including modifications to existing technologies to increase their effectiveness and acceptability.

• Assessments of the potential for incorporating tick management into existing mosquito management programs.

• Investigations on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding tick control methodologies.

• Evaluation of the impact of existing public education programs on human behaviors to prevent tick bites.

Fleas

• Evaluation of the prevalence of flea-borne pathogens (Rickettsia typhi, Rickettsia felis, Bartonella henselae) in flea populations from diverse geographic areas.

Mosquitoes

• Field evaluations of emerging technologies to suppress mosquito immatures or adults (entomological outcome measures).

• Field evaluations of mosquito management approaches based on commercially available methods and products (minimally with entomological outcome measures, ideally also with human-related outcome measures).

• Evaluations of the effectiveness of operational control activities targeting mosquito immatures, adults, or multiple life stages (entomological outcome measures).

• Field studies on the impact of insecticide resistance on operational mosquito control activities.

• Evaluation of the impact of existing public education programs on human behaviors to prevent mosquito bites and reduce larval habitat.

Applicants are encouraged to include a particular focus on addressing the mosquito research objectives above on dengue and arbovirus transmission and mosquito control in U.S. insular areas including Caribbean territories (e.g., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) and territories in the Pacific (e.g., Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa).

B. The aim of the training component is to build the next generation of public health entomologists qualified to lead university-based research programs or work professionally in medical entomology in public or private institutions. The training components should be multi-level, with the goal of building the next generation of public health entomologists and increasing medical entomology training in university-based educational programs available to undergraduate and graduate students as well as public health professionals already in the workforce. Specific training activities are expected to include the following:

• Train undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows to develop a larger workforce cadre of public health professionals focused on entomology and the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. University-based education could include certificate programs and inclusion of vector-borne disease control curricula in non-entomology degree programs (e.g., medical, veterinary, nursing, or MPH programs).

• Provide specialized training to existing staff from state/local health departments and territorial, tribal, and municipal institutions in vector identification, vector/pathogen surveillance methods, vector/pathogen control approaches, pesticide resistance monitoring, or public outreach. Examples of accessible trainings for professionals could include in-person workshops, bootcamps, online training and curricula that can be made widely available. An assessment of currently available trainings to identify gaps, avoid redundancy of existing topics and consider collaborations with other institutions is encouraged. Additionally, particular focus on incorporating professional training into university-based research programs is encouraged.

• With special reference to ticks, provide training for vector-control professionals in tick biology and host-seeking behavior to ensure that broadcast applications of acaricides or biological control agents have maximum potential to reach and kill the ticks present in a treated area.

C. The community of practice objective should focus on building effective collaborative relationships that further the goals of identifying safe, effective, and acceptable vector-control strategies and should include the following:

• Establish a community of practice that includes academic institutions, territorial/state/local public health agencies, publicly funded mosquito- or vector-management programs and other relevant stakeholders in combinations that best serve the applied research goals outlined in the COE application.

• Engage with professional vector-control organizations and private pest-control firms involved in vector control to ensure that the applied research projects account for realistic intervention schemes.

• Leverage the collective knowledge of the community of practice to develop and implement the applied research and training components of the overall project.

• Collaborate with partners at the territorial/state/local public health agencies, and publicly funded mosquito- or vector-management programs on discrete projects or programs to address the growing issue of VBDs in the region.

• Applicants are encouraged to consider U.S. non-CONUS locations (e.g., Caribbean, and Pacific island U.S. territories) for inclusion in their communities of practice.

At the end of the project period, there should be evidence of the successful completion of all project objectives and milestones. Evidence for success should include accomplishments such as:

a) implementation of projects that address CDC priorities and the National Framework for Vector-borne Diseases; b) published results of research studies with academia; c) engagement of graduate students and postdocs in applied research, including contributions significant enough to justify authorship on resulting publications; and d) evidence of increased use of best practices for vector control by agencies conducting control measures.

Target Population The target population is all residents of the U.S. and U.S. territories affected by vector-borne diseases. This includes individuals of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, geographic locations, socioeconomic status, disability status, primary language, health literacy, and other relevant dimensions who live in areas that are at risk for contracting an illness that is caused by an agent transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, or other arthropod disease vectors.

This cooperative agreement includes program activities that could serve populations at disproportionate risk of vector-borne infectious disease and/or adverse outcomes. Where applicable, applications should be inclusive of populations that may be directly impacted or have increased risk for various vector-borne infectious diseases including, but not limited to: a) rural, minority and native populations; b) people living with disabilities; c) justice-involved populations; d) non-English speaking populations; e) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations; f) people with limited health literacy; g) immunocompromised persons;

and/or h) other populations with increased risk.

Collaboration/Partnerships The multi-disciplinary research team should be led by a Principal Investigator with significant experience in vector biology and control, and vector-borne disease prevention. The application should be developed in collaboration with a diverse group of experts from academic institutions and public health agencies to ensure that the project is scientifically sound, statistically robust, and directly relevant to the mission of: a) state/local, territorial, and tribal public health agencies;

b) publicly funded mosquito/vector management programs; and c) private pest-control firms involved in vector control. Letters of support should be included from key partners to demonstrate willingness and commitment to work together as a team to accomplish the project objectives. It is expected that a project of this magnitude will involve multiple academic institutions working together with multiple public health agencies. Applications should clearly describe how investigators will collaborate with other programs and organizations.

Evaluation/Performance Measurement The application should include measurable goals and aims based on a five (5)-year research project period. The application should describe establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-phased (SMART) project objectives for each activity in the project plan and describe the development and implementation of project performance measures that are based on specific programmatic objectives. Additionally, the applications should propose specific milestones and deliverables related to the objectives of the work plan. These milestones and deliverables will be used in part to assess COE progress and performance.

Translation Plan Dissemination of project outcomes is expected to occur via: 1) publication of research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; 2) presentation of research results at scientific conferences and meetings of professional vector-control organizations; 3) presentation of project information and outcomes via a publicly accessible project website; and 4) inclusion of key findings on the webpages of CDC and territory/state/local public health agencies or revised CDC guidance documents or handbooks.

3. Funding Strategy N/A

Section II. Award Information Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.

Application Types Allowed:

New - An application that is submitted for funding for the first time. Includes multiple submission attempts within the same round.

Estimated Total Funding:

$100,000,000 Year 1: $2,000,000 per award Year 2: $2,000,000 per award Year 3: $2,000,000 per award Year 4: $2,000,000 per award Year 5: $2,000,000 per award

Anticipated Number of Awards:

Estimated total funding available for the first year (first 12 months), including direct and indirect costs, for all awards: $20,000,000 Estimated total funding available for entire project period, including direct and indirect costs, for all awards: $100,000,000

Awards issued under this NOFO are contingent on the availability of funds and submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Award Ceiling:

$2,000,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$1,500,000 Per Budget Period

Total Period of Performance Length:

5 year(s)

Throughout the Period of Performance, CDC's commitment to continuation of awards will depend on the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports), and CDC’s determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government.

HHS/CDC grants policies as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf) will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this NOFO.

If you are successful and receive a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, you agree that the award and any activities thereunder are subject to all provisions of 45 CFR Part 75, currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants Eligibility Category:

00 (State governments)

01 (County governments)

02 (City or township governments)

04 (Special district governments)

05 (Independent school districts)

06 (Public and State controlled institutions of higher education)

07 (Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized))

08 (Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities)

11 (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments))

12 (Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education)

13 (Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education)

25 (Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification))

2. Foreign Organizations Foreign Organizations are not eligible to apply.

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf

Foreign components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

For this announcement, applicants may not include collaborators or consultants from foreign institutions. All applicable federal laws and policies apply.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

• The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for CDC support as Non-Profit Public or Non-profit Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

• Nonprofits (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

• Private non-profit institutions of higher education

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government

• U.S. Territory or Possession

• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations

• Regional Organizations

• Bona Fide Agents: a Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a legal, binding agreement from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Attach with "Other Attachment Forms" when submitting via https://www.grants.gov

• Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): FFRDCs are operated, managed, and/or administered by a university or consortium of universities, other not-for-profit or nonprofit organization, or an industrial firm, as an autonomous organization or as an identifiable separate operating unit of a parent organization. A FFRDC meets some special long-term research or development need which cannot be met as effectively by an agency's existing in-house or contractor resources. FFRDC's enable agencies to use private sector resources to accomplish tasks that are integral to the mission and operation of the sponsoring agency. For more information on FFRDCs, go to https://ecfr.io or https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

4. Justification for Less than Maximum Competition N/A https://www.grants.gov/ https://ecfr.io/ https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

5. Responsiveness N/A

6. Required Registrations Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

PLEASE NOTE: For applications due on or after January 25, 2022, applicants must have a unique entity identifier (UEI) at the time of application submission. Grant application forms and instructions will be updated to reflect and require UEI instead of DUNS.

• (Foreign entities only): Special Instructions for acquiring a Commercial and Governmental Entity (NCAGE) Code:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US Instructions for NSPA NCAGE.pdf

• System for Award Management (SAM) – must maintain current registration in SAM (the replacement system for the Central Contractor Registration) to be renewed annually, SAM.gov.

• Grants.gov

• eRA Commons

All applicant organizations must register with Grants.gov. Please visit www.Grants.gov at least 30 days prior to submitting your application to familiarize yourself with the registration and submission processes. The one-time registration process will take three to five days to complete.

However, it is best to start the registration process at least two weeks prior to application submission.

All Senior/Key Personnel (including Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing Principal Investigator (PD/PI) eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA commons account of the applicant organization. All registrations must be successfully completed and active before the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the eRA Commons registration process at least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date. ASSIST requires that applicant users have an active eRA Commons account in order to prepare an application. It also requires that the applicant organization's Signing Official have an active eRA Commons Signing Official account in order to initiate the submission process.

During the submission process, ASSIST will prompt the Signing Official to enter their Grants.gov Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) credentials in order to complete the submission, therefore the applicant organization must ensure that their Grants.gov AOR credentials are active.

7. Universal Identifier Requirements and System for Award Management (SAM) All applicant organizations must obtain a DUN and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the Universal Identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number is a nine-digit number assigned by Dun and https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf https://sam.gov/content.gov https://grants.gov/ https://public.era.nih.gov/commons https://www.grants.gov/

Bradstreet Information Services. An AOR should be consulted to determine the appropriate number. If the organization does not have a DUNS number, an AOR should complete the US D&B D-U-N-S Number Request Web Form or contact Dun and Bradstreet by telephone directly at 1-866-705-5711 (toll-free) to obtain one. A DUNS number will be provided immediately by telephone at no charge. Note this is an organizational number. Individual Program Directors/Principal Investigators do not need to register for a DUNS number.

PLEASE NOTE: For applications due on or after January 25, 2022, applicants must have a unique entity identifier (UEI) at the time of application submission. Grant application forms and instructions will be updated to reflect and require UEI instead of DUNS.

Additionally, all applicant organizations must register in the System for Award Management (SAM). Organizations must maintain the registration with current information at all times during which it has an application under consideration for funding by CDC and, if an award is made, until a final financial report is submitted or the final payment is received, whichever is later.

SAM is the primary registrant database for the Federal government and is the repository into which an entity must provide information required for the conduct of business as a recipient.

Additional information about registration procedures may be found at the SAM internet site at SAM.gov and the SAM.gov Knowledge Base.

If an award is granted, the recipient organization must notify potential sub-recipients that no organization may receive a subaward under the grant unless the organization has provided its DUNS number to the recipient organization.

8. Eligible Individuals (Project Director/Principal Investigator) in Organizations/Institutions Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for HHS/CDC support.

9. Cost Sharing This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement (http://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf).

10. Number of Applications As defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement,(https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf), applications received in response to the same Notice of Funding Opportunity generally are scored individually and then ranked with other applications under peer review in their order of relative programmatic, technical, or scientific merit. HHS/CDC will not accept any application in response to this NOFO that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://sam.gov/content/home…