Pest Management and Vector Control Research

The Department of the Army funds research through CFDA 12.355, Pest Management and Vector Control Research, to develop new interventions protecting deployed military personnel from arthropod-borne disease pathogens and to improve filth fly control, with the most recent award on July 14, 2026.

The program has maintained consistent activity over the past five years, awarding 54 grants totaling $35.7 million in federal obligations since 2015. Award cadence has varied—10 awards in 2022, 2 in 2023, 3 in 2024, 7 in 2025, and 3 in 2026 through mid-July. Recent grants fund concrete advances in vector protection: development of semi-field and field optimization of pogostone, a novel repellent active ingredient ($221,907); research on 2D materials for mosquito-borne disease protection ($485,455); commercialization of mechanical mode insecticides for tick and arthropod control ($629,690); and optimization of prototype traps for chigger mite surveillance and control at the University of California, Davis ($212,763). Earlier work addressed essential oil-based larvicides for sub-Saharan Africa, decision support software for vector control practitioners, bite-proof garments using minerals, and automated arthropod identification tools for deployed environments.

Funding concentrates heavily within the Department of the Army ecosystem. The Army Medical Command leads with 27 awards and $18.4 million obligated, followed by the Defense Health Agency with 18 awards and $9.8 million. The Office of the Secretary of Defense accounts for 7 awards and $5.4 million. The Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command round out a five-agency portfolio. Project Grants dominate the assistance mix at 93 percent of awards, with Block Grants and Cooperative Agreements each comprising 4 percent. Individual award magnitudes typically range from $37 thousand to $900 thousand, with most clustering between $200 thousand and $700 thousand.

One open opportunity is AFPMB-BAA-27-01, Deployed Warfighter Protection FY27, posted September 24, 2026, with applications due March 17, 2027. The solicitation is unrestricted and seeks original research in bite prevention, vector control, decision support tools, vector surveillance and identification, and vector pathogen diagnostics—all aligned toward product development and EPA registration pathways where applicable.