IP21-2101 Questions and Answers 29 March 2021.pdf

IP21-2101 – Questions and Answers

Date Received

Question

Question Answer

3/8/21

1 I was enquiring on when the application will be available to access and complete on grants.gov.

Thank you for your inquiry. The application package is now attached to the announcement and available for download.

3/8/21

2 I was going through the PDF announcement instructions and had a question on the costing listed. I have screen shot sections of the call below for some assistance in explanation. Are we applying for One year or the five-year plan across the board? Also, what is the maximum per consortium to apply for each component based on the breakdown structure in the screenshot?

Thank you for your inquiry.

For more information, please refer to the section beginning on page 4 of the Announcement. The Period of Performance Length is 5 years. Please also review the ‘Funding Strategy’ section of the announcement beginning on page 21 for further details on specifics of the work plan.

The anticipated average one-year amount is detailed on page 4 under the heading “Average One Year Award Amount”. Anticipated average amounts for each of the two annual components are provided in this section under the heading “Estimated Award Ranges”.

3/9/21

3 I'm carefully reading the CDC-RFA- IP21-2101 call and would really appreciate to have some clarification about one point:

In page 25 of the call it is stated that there are several positions within the project including "Principal Investigator" and "Project Director".

What is the difference between the two positions?

Thank you for your inquiry.

On page 25 under Organizational Capacity, we are asking for information on the key staff working with the program. Principal Investigator and Project Director could be the same position for a project, or they may be different. It just depends on what terminology and what structure your organization uses. These are examples of positions involved in projects and you need to provide requested information on key personnel based on your organizational structure.

3/9/21 4 I have registered on your website, but I can’t apply to the program.

Can you please let me know how my organization could apply?

Thank you for your inquiry.

Instructions for applying begin on page 30.

section c. Grants.gov. Please review the information provided for instructions on registering and applying to US Government opportunities.

3/9/21

5 I am interested in joining the informational calls scheduled on March 23 and 24 for CDC-RFA- IP21-2101. Since we will be transitioning to Daylight Savings

Thank you for your inquiry.

Information on the dates and times for the informational calls is detailed beginning on page 3 of the opportunity announcement. Daylight http://grants.gov/

Time this weekend, could you please confirm the times included in the solicitation are for Daylight Savings Time?

savings time does not affect the information provided. The information to access the calls is provided in these same pages. If the link is not active, please utilize the meeting ID and passcode to join the calls. You should be able to access Zoom and enter this information.

3/10/21

6 We have indeed another question regarding the leadership of the project:

According to NIH rules Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator (multiple PD/PI) awards are allowable to share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically. Are multiple PD/PI allowable by CDC rules if well motivated through the application?

The titles Principal Investigator, Project Director referred to in Organizational Capacity on page 25 of the NOFO were indeed simply examples of key personnel that have been identified in past projects. The intent of the section is for you, the applicant, to describe the organization of your project and the key personnel responsible for managing project activities. For example, applicants under previous NOFOs identified intellectual and logistic activities and some, but not all, applicants follow this structure with the Principal Investigator responsible for intellectual strategy and a Project Director responsible for day to day logistics for the project.

Please use this section to describe your program organization and identify the key positions responsible for managing the projects. For each key position your organization identifies, please provide information on the activities and/or duties the person filling this position will perform in support of the project.

3/10/21

7 In addition, we are unable to select the text or follow the Zoom links in the solicitation. In order to avoid potential typos and difficulty joining the meetings, could you please share the hyperlinks for these meetings?

So the calls will take place at the specified time in the NOFO but the time zone is EDT and not EST as specified in the NOFO – correct?

Yes. The calls will be at the designated times once Daylight Savings time takes effect.

3/11/21 8 And what about the possibility, like for NIH grants, that the project could have multiple PIs (two indeed). Is that allowed by CDC policies too?

CDC policy does allow more than one PI. However, your organization must designate one person as the PRIMARY PI.

Thank you for your questions.

3/12/21 9 How would I submit an application? The button on the website is blocked. I have

Thank you for your inquiry, registered on grants.gov, including login.gov.

Please reach out to the www.grants.gov help desk for assistance with the application system.

3/18/21 10 Will the recordings of the informational calls scheduled for the end of this month be made available.

Yes, the plan is to have the informational calls recorded and the transcript including questions & answers will be posted to www.grants.gov under the ‘related documents’ section of the opportunity announcement.

3/18/21 11 My question is with respect to the "Letter of Intent" deadline.

Under # 7 of the NOFO- It states that "Letter of Intent" is not required. and I quote- "7. Letter of Intent

LOI is not requested or required as part of the application for this

NOFO.

Can I proceed with the submission of the proposal to grants.gov

Thank you for your inquiry. There is no requirement for a Letter of Intent (LOI).

3/22/21 12 I wish to apply for the above funding opportunity for my organization. I would be glad if you could share the application package and other necessary resources to guide my application for the grant opportunity.

Thank you for the inquiry.

All US Government announcements and information can be found and reviewed at www.grants.gov. Please visit this site to locate opportunities and information on the application package and instructions on how to apply.

3/23/21 13 […We are] a nonprofit organization located in Niger west Africa. I came across this funding opportunity on grants.gov and I would like to know if we can apply as a foreign organization.

Thank you for the inquiry.

Please refer to the eligibility section of the Funding opportunity for further clarification on organizations eligible to apply as well as key additional eligibility information. The section can be found beginning on page 29 of the revised announcement.

3/23/21 14 Is there a minimum TRL (technology readiness level) required for funding?

There is currently no defined minimum technology readiness level identified within the funding opportunity announcement.

3/23/21 15 For potential prime with partners, what is the yearly amount allowed to apply per component section as maximum?

Please refer to the Award Information section of the funding opportunity. Sections 8 – Approximate Annual Average and Section 9 - Award Ceiling. There is no defined ceiling amount per component.

3/23/21 16 To what extent does the CDC expect to focus on human and animal surveillance of influenza respectively under this NOFO?

Please refer to the Executive Summary section for an overview of the purpose and intent of the funding announcement. Additionally, the Background section provides more information on the goals of this funding opportunity.

3/23.21 17 Budget preparation guidelines A template for budget preparation can be found at:

http://grants.gov/ http://login.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.cdc.gov/grants/documents/budget-preparation-guidance.pdf

3/23/21 18 The NOFO talks about proposals mostly in context of "National" level. Can proposals be submitted at regional or state levels to begin with?

Applicants should thoroughly read the funding opportunity announcement including the Background sections and Purpose sections. A primary purpose of this funding is to support foreign governments through ministries of health or their bona-fide agents in low- and middle-income countries.

3/23/21 19 Is this NOFO open to [o]rganisations such as WHO?

Please refer to the eligibility section in the funding opportunity announcement for further details regarding eligible applicants. The Executive Summary and Background sections provide detail as well.

3/23/21 20 What happens, if the PI based in USA, and the Host country submitted 2 proposals to grants.gov. Because of the spike, lockdown in the Host country, I am collaborating. [The] office will…resume later in 2nd of April. I have no communication because all Offices of the Health department are closed. As [the] PI based here in USA, I want to submit [a] proposal because time is running. What happens if the host country also submitted another proposal? How will CDC resolve because [the] NOFO says only 1 country will be awarded?

Please refer to the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity for information on applicants eligible to apply and for additional eligibility information. For information on the application review process, please refer to the Phase iii Review section for information.

3/23/21 21 You mentioned that the maximum is $250,000; but the NOFO said component 1 maximum is $200,000 and component 2 maximum is $200,000. So, if you [are] approved for both components 1 and 2, would you receive $400,000 or $250,000 as was said.

The amounts listed in the Award Information within the Funding Opportunity are the correct amounts.

Each component should have a separate budget and work plan and the overall award amount would be a total amount approved for all components deemed acceptable. Finally, please review Phase iii Review section for additional information.

3/23/21 22 Are we correct in understanding that we apply now for 5 years’ funding, each year for $400,000 (for the first two components), meaning for a total of $2Mio? In addition, for component 3, is it max $1M for 5 years of $1M per year, i.e. $5M?

Please refer to the funding opportunity for details on the project period and budget period.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Funding Strategy section as well as the section titled Work Plan for further details on plan preparation and guidance.

https://www.cdc.gov/grants/documents/budget-preparation-guidance.pdf

3/23/21 23 What is the correct start date? End of August or end of September 2021?

The estimated award date is August 31, 2021 with a projected budget period start date of September 30, 2021.

3/23/21 24 Are there some templates for follow for the “Funding Preference Deliverables’ and the “Report on Programmatic, Budgetary and Commitment Overlap”?

OGS – Response pending

3/23/21 25 Is the WHO country office applying for the grant of the Ministry of Health?

Please refer to the eligibility section in the funding opportunity announcement for further details regarding eligible applicants. The Executive Summary and Background sections provide detail as well.

3/23/21 26 Funds are not supposed to be used for research but page 39 describes the copyright and submission procedures for manuscripts. Does this mean that research can still be part of the project? Under which funds? Also, could you please say again what you mentioned about the research protocol?

Please refer to the funding opportunity announcement: Announcement Type. This opportunity is only for non-research activities.

The reference is to the surveillance protocol.

Non-research surveillance project protocols (in English) will be requested from all successful applicants. Protocols should clearly demonstrate the plans and authority to conduct public health surveillance in the identified country.

3/23/21 27 Re the logframe: We Understand that this is meant to guide the project proposal drafting but what do the parts in bold refer to?

Please refer to the funding announcement under the CDC Project Description section.

A high-level overview of strategies and activities is provided in table format (logic model) in the funding opportunity announcement with detailed information provided in the Outcomes and Strategies/Activities sections immediately below the logic model. Bolded items in the logic model are of particular interest to CDC.

3/23/21 28 hello from OK and good morning to everyone. Will you allow If there will be participant from Philippines. there is a Lockdown policy and a spike of covid19.

nobody is answering in the DOH

Information calls were held on March 22 and 23.

The calls were recorded, and a transcript will be posted on the Grants.gov website for reference.

All answers to questions posed in the call will post to the Grants.gov website under the ‘Related Documents’ section of the opportunity announcement.

3/23/21 29 Will all these guidance be available in the website

The information shared during the Informational Calls held March 22-23 are based on the Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement posted on www.grants.gov. Please refer to the funding announcement package for further details.

3/23/21 30 Is the primary goal of this funding opportunity to support data collection efforts only or is in envisioned that new technology development will be funded as well?

The purpose of this funding opportunity is detailed in the section titled “CDC Project Description”. Please reference this section for information regarding the purpose of this funding opportunity.

3/23/21 31 Would grant also be provided for establishing or strengthening exclusive surveillance for animals and its integration into national surveillance programme

Please refer to the “CDC Project Description” for information regarding the strategies, activities, and anticipated outcomes of the funding opportunity.

3/23/21 32 Do we have templates for the project abstract; project narrative;

and the workplace; budget?

Please refer to the funding opportunity announcement section titled “Application and Submission Information”, which begins on page 32, for details on requirements. An example work plan is shown on page 26 of 62 in the funding opportunity announcement. Applicants are not required to use this format; however, they must include the required information. For guidance on completing a detailed budget, see Budget Preparation Guidelines at:

https://www.cdc.gov/grants/documents/budget-preparation-guidance.pdf

3/23/21 33 Financial Statement requirement...is the speaker referring to Narrative- or does it refer to Balance Sheet, Cash Flow-in Short, i want to know if It includes- Financial Statements

Please refer to the Organizational Capacity of Recipients to Implement the Approach for further information. The financial statement should include details of the required procurement process as well as how grant funds will be processed within the country. It should demonstrate experience in managing USG or CDC funds. Detailed Financial statements are not required.

3/23/21 34 Are applications to be limited to a single country if an international non-profit has been approached by several country ministries to act as their bona-fide agent?

Therefore, if an international organization is supporting two different countries as a prime in this application, do they need to submit two separate applications?

Please refer to the Eligibility and Additional Information on Eligibility for further information.

Applicants may apply to support multiple countries within a single application. If designated as a bona fide agent working on behalf of the ministries of health, a letter from the ministry of health is required as documentation of the agreement.

3/23/21 35 [Do] participating countries have freedom of designing surveillance model or system of surveillance as per their own requirements and feasibility

Please refer to the “CDC Project Description” section that states: The Logic Model shows the high-level strategies and activities, as well as short-term and long-term outcomes. Please see the Outcomes (ii) and Strategies and Activities

(iii) sections for more detailed information.

3/23/21 36 What is the use of the Due Date for Letter of Intent (LOI)?

A letter of intent (LOI) is not required for this funding opportunity.

3/23/21 37 Under component-1 strategy- [It]…appears more or less…like background work for establishing surveillance programme and then designing plan for surveillance including budget and

A detailed budget with justification is due as part of the application package. The submitted budget should support the activities identified within the applicant’s workplan. For further details please refer to the “Funding Strategy” section of the funding opportunity management. Does it mean that final budget requirements will be submitted after completion of strategy-I of component 1 announcement that states: Applicants must submit a single application with a clearly marked budget, and work plan for each proposed component and strategy. Clearly mark all work plans and budgets indicating Component name.

Each component will be reviewed and scored separately.

3/26/21 38 We are interested in applying for the Funding Opportunity: CDC-

RFA-IP21-2101.

Based on the NoFO, there has been an Informational Conference Call on March 23, 2021 and March 24, 2021. We missed to attend the call on either date. I would like to know if there will be another schedule on the Informational Conference Call which we can attend. If not, will you make the transcript of the call available to us?

Your response is much appreciated.

Thank you for your inquiry.

We will not be hosting another informational call. The transcript of the call as well as Questions and Answers will be posted as an addendum to the funding announcement on www.grants.gov. Please go to the ‘Related Documents’ tab of the announcement.

The documents will be posted for review within the next week. Please visit www.grants.gov to monitor for any future updates.

3/26/21 39 We want to find out if this is a continuation of the same project we are part of.

Also, who is eligible for this competition and if so, what is the duration of the project.

This funding announcement supports the work initiated in 2004 and continued under recent funding opportunities CDC-RFA-19-1902 and CDC-RFA-16-1603. Please refer to section “e.

Relevant Work” for more information.

Eligibility information can be found in the “Eligibility” and “Additional Information on Eligibility” sections which provides specific information on types of entities as well as details on countries. The project period of performance as stated in the funding announcement is 5 years.

Also please review the ‘Related Documents’ section of the www.grants.gov site for updates on other Questions and Answers. We will have post all updated information here.