PPHF – Public Health Laboratory Infrastructure – financed solely by Prevention and Public Health Fund

Over the course of the cooperative agreement period, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) will engage in activities to strengthen public health infectious disease laboratory infrastructure by addressing gaps in public health laboratory practice, and assist with development, implementation and ongoing support of laboratory technologies for use in public health. The specific objectives may include but are not limited to: 1. Assess public health infectious disease laboratory capabilities and capacities by conducting and analyzing formal and informal surveys and other methodologies. 2. Convene Committees/Task Forces/Workgroups to develop or review guidelines and recommendations on PHL laboratory capacity and quality laboratory practice. 3. Provide training and other resources to address knowledge and capacity gaps. 4. Convene forums to exchange knowledge and build communities of practice and promote the role of public health laboratories in infectious disease control, especially in emerging infectious diseases. 5. Sustain and enhance strategic partnerships with governmental and non-governmental agencies and professional organizations including CDC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Drug Administration (FDA), American Society of Microbiology (ASM), Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), ASTHO, CSTE, NACCHO, National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA), Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (ACET), National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), and U.S. Department of Defense to contribute to public policy development and reinforce and expand the role of public health laboratories in infectious disease detection and control. 6. Enhance communication and professional linkages regarding infectious diseases between public health laboratories and clinical and academic laboratories. 7. Provide expert consultation regarding infectious diseases to regulatory agencies and standard setting organizations (e.g., United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], FDA, and CMS). 8. Assure and enhance technology transfer from CDC and other agencies to public health laboratories. Assuring knowledge of appropriate quality control by end users when technology is further transferred to community based organizations involved in infectious disease testing. 9. Provide programmatic and technical support to other focus areas, including policy, emergency preparedness, global health, informatics, and professional development.

Eligibility is limited to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), a private nonprofit organization and the current grantee. CDC approved single eligibility of this award. This group is the appropriate and only qualified organization to address the activities described under the program announcement.

Students/trainees and any U.S. state, political subdivision and U.S. territories (as described above), and other public entities will benefit.

Applicants should document the need for assistance, state the objectives of the project, outline the method of operation, describe the evaluation procedures, and provide a budget with justification of funds. Costs will be determined in accordance with 2 CFR 215 (OMB Circular No. A-122). OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program.

Project funds may be used for costs associated with planning, organizing, conducting, and supporting public health laboratory infrastructure programs, and for the implementation of other program elements as described in Section 050 above. CDC's rules on allowable expenses must be followed.

Financial assistance is provided for a 12-month budget period with project periods of up to five years subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory progress of the grantee.

To apply for this funding opportunity use application Form PHS 5161. Application forms and instructions are available on www.grants.gove and/or the CDC web site, at the following Internet address: www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm. If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO-TIMS) staff at 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

Applications are reviewed for completeness by the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) staff and for responsiveness jointly by the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services (OSELS) and PGO. Incomplete applications and applications that are non-responsive to the eligibility criteria will not advance through the review process. Applicants will be notified if the application did not meet submission requirements. CDC conducts a review to evaluate complete and responsive applications according to the criteria listed in Section V. Application Review Information within the individual funding announcement. Applicants will be notified if their application did not meet program requirements.

Successful applicants receive a Notice of Award (NoA) from the CDC Procurement and Grants Office. The NoA shall be the only binding, authorizing document between the recipient and CDC. The NoA will be signed by an authorized Grants Management Officer, and mailed to the recipient fiscal officer identified in the application. Unsuccessful applicants receive notification of the results of the application review by mail.

Renewals will be based upon the conditions in the funding announcement and are subject to the availability of funds under Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act or under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.