Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA FD 20 034
The Cooperative Agreement to Support FDA Land and Water Initiative (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed (RFA-FD-20-034) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), focused on strengthening the scientific and policy foundations for sustainable land and water management as they intersect with agriculture and food safety. The central idea is to support a grantee that can operate at the landscape scale and across borders, bringing together projects, studies, and structured information-sharing to improve understanding of how land and water systems function biologically and socioeconomically, and how those systems influence the presence and movement of foodborne pathogens in the environment, especially in water. While the work is framed in terms of sustainability and resource governance, the practical connection to FDA's mission is clear: better environmental monitoring and better genomic knowledge of pathogens can translate into smarter preventive controls and fewer contamination events in food production.
A major emphasis of the award is coordination: the grantee is expected to help organize and synthesize the latest research on best practices for environmental monitoring and to clarify how monitoring data relate to agricultural practices and food safety outcomes. This includes reviewing current science, identifying promising methods, and helping align approaches so that different sectors and stakeholders (for example, agriculture, water management, public health, and environmental protection) can use compatible frameworks rather than working in isolation. In addition to generating and compiling knowledge, the grantee is also expected to disseminate materials broadly to a worldwide audience, making the outputs useful not only domestically but also internationally for policy development, technical guidance, and shared learning.
The opportunity also positions the work within three interconnected dimensions of sustainable development. First is governance and management of food production systems, meaning attention to how decisions are made and implemented across farms, watersheds, regulators, and supply chains. Second is the provision of essential ecosystem services, specifically linking environmental conditions to food security and human health, which includes understanding how water quality and land use can create or reduce risks from foodborne pathogens. Third is biodiversity conservation, reflecting the broader landscape context where agricultural transitions and resource pressures can affect ecological balance, water resources, and ultimately the environmental reservoirs where pathogens may persist or spread. The grantee is expected to bring strong background and credibility in land and water development and management, and to apply that expertise in real-world settings where agricultural systems are changing and where equitable access to land and water resources remains a key concern.
From FDA's standpoint, the most concrete programmatic goal is to expand the sampling, sequencing, and sharing of foodborne pathogen data collected from the environment, with water explicitly highlighted as an example. By increasing the number and diversity of environmental isolates that are sampled and genomically characterized, the initiative aims to improve understanding of the geographic and genomic diversity of pathogens outside of clinical settings. That improved baseline knowledge can help shape policies and best practices around water use in food production systems, including how to manage risks before contamination reaches food. Over time, a richer shared dataset of environmental pathogen sequences is intended to become a resource for the international community, supporting research, surveillance, and risk-based decision-making that strengthens global public health.
Administratively, this is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that FDA anticipates substantial involvement during the period of performance compared with a standard grant. The funding opportunity was created on March 31, 2020, with an original closing date of June 1, 2020. The award ceiling is $250,000, with an expected four awards. The activity category is listed as Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition, and the CFDA number associated with the program is 93.103.
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types that could credibly lead international coordination and technical work in this space. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); private institutions of higher education; small businesses; and other applicants as allowed under the opportunity's additional eligibility guidance. Overall, the grant is designed for an organization that can bridge environmental science, land and water management, and food safety policy, while also building mechanisms for international knowledge-sharing and expanding the genomic evidence base for foodborne pathogens in the environment.Apply for RFA FD 20 034
- 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 "Cooperative Agreement to Support FDA Land and Water Initiative (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 31, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: Cooperative Agreement to Support FDA Land and Water Initiative (U01) - Clinical Trial Not Allowed (RFA-FD-20-034)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a discretionary cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) titled "Cooperative Agreement to Support FDA Land and Water Initiative (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed" (RFA-FD-20-034). It focuses on strengthening scientific and policy foundations for sustainable land and water management where those issues intersect with agriculture and food safety.
Which agency is offering the award?
The funding agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
What does "cooperative agreement" mean in this context?
The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates FDA expects substantial involvement during the period of performance compared with a standard grant.
Are clinical trials allowed under this opportunity?
No. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed."
What is the main purpose of the FDA Land and Water Initiative supported by this award?
The central purpose is to support a grantee that can work at landscape scale and across borders to bring together projects, studies, and structured information-sharing. The goal is to improve understanding of how land and water systems function biologically and socioeconomically and how those systems influence the presence and movement of foodborne pathogens in the environment, especially in water.
How does this connect to FDA's food safety mission?
FDA emphasizes that better environmental monitoring and stronger genomic knowledge of pathogens can translate into smarter preventive controls and fewer contamination events in food production.
What kinds of activities are emphasized?
A major emphasis is coordination. The grantee is expected to help organize and synthesize the latest research on best practices for environmental monitoring and clarify how monitoring data relate to agricultural practices and food safety outcomes. The grantee is also expected to disseminate materials broadly to a worldwide audience.
Is the work expected to be international or domestic?
The work is framed to operate across borders and to disseminate outputs to a worldwide audience, making the results useful both domestically and internationally for policy development, technical guidance, and shared learning.
What does FDA mean by operating at the "landscape scale"?
Based on the description, "landscape scale" refers to working across broader land and water systems (for example, farms and watersheds) rather than focusing only on isolated sites, and considering the biological and socioeconomic functioning of those systems in relation to foodborne pathogen risks.
What is the role of environmental monitoring in this initiative?
The initiative aims to improve understanding of best practices for environmental monitoring and to better connect monitoring data to agricultural practices and food safety outcomes. Monitoring is also tied to expanding sampling and sequencing of pathogens found in the environment, with water highlighted as a key example.
What is the most concrete programmatic goal stated by FDA?
The most concrete stated goal is to expand the sampling, sequencing, and sharing of foodborne pathogen data collected from the environment (with water explicitly highlighted). The intent is to increase the number and diversity of environmental isolates that are genomically characterized and shared.
Why is water specifically highlighted?
Water is highlighted as an example of an environmental medium where foodborne pathogens can be present and move through the environment, and where improved monitoring and genomic characterization can inform better risk management in food production systems.
What are "environmental isolates" in the context of this opportunity?
In this opportunity, environmental isolates refer to samples of foodborne pathogens collected from environmental sources (such as water) rather than from clinical settings, with the intent to sequence and share genomic data to understand diversity and distribution.
What outcomes is FDA hoping to achieve by increasing sequencing and sharing of environmental pathogen data?
FDA aims to improve understanding of the geographic and genomic diversity of pathogens outside of clinical settings. Over time, a richer shared dataset of environmental pathogen sequences is intended to support research, surveillance, and risk-based decision-making that strengthens global public health and supports policies and best practices around water use in food production.
What kinds of coordination and synthesis are expected from the grantee?
The grantee is expected to review current science, identify promising methods, and help align approaches so stakeholders across sectors can use compatible frameworks rather than operating in isolation. This includes organizing and synthesizing research on environmental monitoring best practices and connecting monitoring data to agricultural and food safety outcomes.
Which sectors and stakeholders are referenced as needing alignment?
The opportunity references agriculture, water management, public health, and environmental protection as examples of sectors that can benefit from compatible frameworks and structured information-sharing.
What are the three sustainable development dimensions mentioned in the opportunity?
The work is positioned within three interconnected dimensions: (1) governance and management of food production systems, (2) the provision of essential ecosystem services linking environmental conditions to food security and human health (including water quality and land use effects on pathogen risks), and (3) biodiversity conservation within the broader landscape context.
What does "governance and management of food production systems" refer to here?
It refers to attention to how decisions are made and implemented across farms, watersheds, regulators, and supply chains, within the broader goal of sustainable land and water management linked to food safety.
What are the "ecosystem services" considerations in this opportunity?
The opportunity specifically links ecosystem services to food security and human health, including understanding how water quality and land use can create or reduce risks from foodborne pathogens.
How does biodiversity conservation relate to food safety in this description?
The opportunity frames biodiversity conservation as part of the broader landscape context where agricultural transitions and resource pressures can affect ecological balance and water resources, which can influence environmental reservoirs where pathogens may persist or spread.
What capabilities is the lead organization expected to have?
The grantee is expected to have a strong background and credibility in land and water development and management, be able to apply expertise in real-world settings where agricultural systems are changing, address concerns such as equitable access to land and water resources, and build mechanisms for international knowledge-sharing while expanding the genomic evidence base for foodborne pathogens in the environment.
How many awards are expected, and what is the maximum funding amount?
The award ceiling is $250,000, and the opportunity expects four awards.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed as Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number associated with the program is 93.103.
When was the opportunity created and when did it originally close?
The funding opportunity was created on March 31, 2020, with an original closing date of June 1, 2020.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); private institutions of higher education; small businesses; and other applicants as allowed under the opportunity's additional eligibility guidance.
Is this opportunity limited to universities or nonprofits?
No. The eligibility list includes multiple organization types, including governments, tribal entities, public housing authorities, nonprofits, higher education institutions (public and private), and small businesses.
What is the expected audience for the outputs produced by the grantee?
The opportunity calls for broad dissemination to a worldwide audience, with outputs intended to be useful for international policy development, technical guidance, and shared learning, in addition to domestic use.
What is the overarching theme tying sustainability to food safety in this opportunity?
The opportunity ties sustainable land and water management (including governance, ecosystem services, and biodiversity considerations) to practical food safety goals by focusing on environmental monitoring and genomic characterization of foodborne pathogens, especially in environmental waters, to support preventive controls and reduce contamination events in food production.
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