Opportunity Information: Apply for FOR FD 20 006
The NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens (U01) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), specifically through the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). It is designed to support and expand the retail food arm of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), a long-running national surveillance effort launched in 1996 to help the United States track and respond to the growing threat of antimicrobial (antibiotic) resistance. The FOA is focused on public health protection by making retail food surveillance more robust, more consistent over time, and better able to detect emerging resistance patterns in bacteria associated with food commodities.
This announcement uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01), which generally means the FDA expects to have substantial involvement with awardees compared with a standard grant. In practical terms, recipients are typically expected to coordinate closely with NARMS program leadership, follow agreed-upon sampling and laboratory protocols, share data in standardized formats, and participate in network-wide planning or quality assurance activities. The overarching goal is to strengthen and sustain surveillance operations, not simply to fund isolated research projects. Consistent with the listing, clinical trials are not allowed, reinforcing that the work is surveillance- and monitoring-oriented rather than interventional human research.
At the program level, the FOA aims to improve detection of antibiotic resistance among bacteria found in retail food products and to broaden the geographic and operational reach of sampling. A key emphasis is expanding to new sampling sites, which increases the scope and representativeness of retail food surveillance. By adding sites and strengthening methods at existing locations, the program seeks to generate higher-quality, more actionable information about resistance trends, potential hotspots, and changes over time. This supports early warning for resistant strains and helps inform risk management decisions across food safety and animal agriculture, as well as broader federal efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance.
The FOA highlights that measurable outcomes are expected and that they should align with established NARMS objectives. While the source text does not enumerate those objectives, the intent is that awardees produce clear deliverables tied to surveillance performance, such as sustained sampling capacity, expanded coverage, reliable laboratory testing for resistance, timely reporting, and comparable data that can be integrated into the national NARMS dataset. In other words, success is framed in terms of improved surveillance system capability and the usefulness of the resulting data for public health monitoring and decision-making.
Administratively, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number FOR-FD-20-006 and is associated with CFDA 93.876. The activity categories listed include agriculture, consumer protection, and food and nutrition, which reflects NARMS work at the intersection of food safety and antimicrobial resistance. The posting indicates an expectation of up to 50 awards, and it lists the award ceiling as 0 (often a sign that the ceiling may not be specified in the summary field and would need to be confirmed in the full FOA). Eligibility is described broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," meaning applicants would need to consult the full announcement to confirm which organizations can apply (for example, state or local agencies, laboratories, universities, or other entities commonly involved in surveillance partnerships).Apply for FOR FD 20 006
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration in the agriculture, consumer protection, food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens (U01) Clinical Trials Not Allowed" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.876.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 25, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Archiving forecasts. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens (U01). It is a discretionary funding opportunity intended to support and expand surveillance activities related to antimicrobial (antibiotic) resistance in retail food specimens.
Which federal agency is offering this program?
The program is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM).
What does NARMS stand for, and what is it?
NARMS stands for the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. It is a long-running national surveillance effort launched in 1996 to help the United States track and respond to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
What part of NARMS does this FOA focus on?
This announcement is designed to support and expand the retail food arm of NARMS, with a focus on retail food surveillance and strengthening how specimens from retail food are monitored over time.
What is the main purpose of this cooperative agreement?
The purpose is to strengthen antibiotic resistance surveillance in bacteria associated with food commodities by making retail food surveillance more robust, more consistent over time, and better able to detect emerging resistance patterns. The public health goal is improved detection, monitoring, and early warning related to resistant bacteria found in retail food products.
What is the funding mechanism, and why does it matter?
The mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U01). This generally means the FDA expects to have substantial involvement with awardees compared with a standard grant. In practice, this can include close coordination with NARMS leadership, following agreed-upon protocols, sharing data in standardized formats, and participating in network-wide planning or quality assurance activities.
Is this program intended to fund research projects or surveillance operations?
Based on the description provided, the program is oriented toward strengthening and sustaining surveillance operations rather than funding isolated research projects. Success is framed around improving the surveillance system and producing actionable monitoring data.
Are clinical trials allowed under this opportunity?
No. The listing indicates clinical trials are not allowed, reinforcing that the supported work is surveillance- and monitoring-oriented rather than interventional human research.
What types of activities or improvements does the FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasizes improving detection of antibiotic resistance among bacteria found in retail food products and broadening the geographic and operational reach of sampling. A key emphasis is expanding to new sampling sites to increase the scope and representativeness of retail food surveillance.
Why does expanding to new sampling sites matter?
Adding new sampling sites can increase coverage and representativeness, improve the ability to observe resistance trends over time, and help identify potential hotspots or emerging resistance patterns in retail food bacteria.
What outcomes or deliverables are expected from awardees?
The FOA highlights that measurable outcomes are expected and that they should align with established NARMS objectives. While the description does not list those objectives explicitly, it indicates the intent is for awardees to produce clear deliverables tied to surveillance performance, such as sustained sampling capacity, expanded coverage, reliable laboratory testing for resistance, timely reporting, and comparable data that can be integrated into the national NARMS dataset.
How will success be measured for this program?
Success is described in terms of improved surveillance system capability and the usefulness of the resulting data for public health monitoring and decision-making. Examples mentioned include stronger sampling operations, consistent methods over time, timely reporting, and standardized, integratable data.
What role does data standardization play in this cooperative agreement?
The description indicates that recipients are typically expected to share data in standardized formats so that results can be comparable and integrated into the national NARMS dataset.
Will recipients need to follow specific sampling and laboratory protocols?
Yes. The description notes that awardees are typically expected to follow agreed-upon sampling and laboratory protocols and coordinate closely with NARMS program leadership.
Is participation in network-wide activities expected?
Yes. The description suggests recipients may be expected to participate in network-wide planning and/or quality assurance activities as part of the cooperative agreement relationship.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is FOR-FD-20-006.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 93.876.
What activity categories are associated with this FOA?
The activity categories listed include agriculture, consumer protection, and food and nutrition, reflecting NARMS work at the intersection of food safety and antimicrobial resistance.
How many awards are expected?
The posting indicates an expectation of up to 50 awards.
Is there an award ceiling (maximum award amount) listed?
The summary lists the award ceiling as 0. This often indicates the ceiling may not be specified in the summary field and may need to be confirmed in the full FOA.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." This means applicants would need to consult the full announcement to confirm which organizations can apply.
What kinds of organizations might be included under "Others" eligibility?
The description suggests that applicants may include organizations commonly involved in surveillance partnerships (for example, state or local agencies, laboratories, universities, or other entities), but the full FOA should be consulted to confirm eligibility.
Where should applicants look to confirm details not fully specified in the summary?
Applicants should consult the full FOA for details such as the definitive eligibility criteria and any award ceiling or budget limits that may not be fully specified in the summary information.
What public health problem is this program trying to address?
The program is designed to help the United States track and respond to antimicrobial resistance by strengthening retail food surveillance, improving detection of resistance patterns, and producing actionable data for monitoring and decision-making.
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