Development and Maintenance of Human and Animal Food Rapid Response Teams

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under solicitation PAR-27-014 to develop and maintain Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). These teams are designed to unify federal, state, and local human and animal food (HAF) emergency response efforts to improve the national integrated food safety system. The scope of work focuses on strengthening the links between epidemiology, laboratories, and regulatory components to enhance foodborne illness detection and prevention. This is achieved through the implementation of Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) principles, conducting root cause investigations, and aligning with presidential initiatives to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) and Make Our Children Healthy Again (MOCHA). This is a cooperative agreement with a total program funding of 6.5 million dollars and an expected 28 awards. Individual awards are capped at 360,000 dollars per year for a maximum project period of five years. Recipients must meet annual deliverables, including publishing one significant investigation report, presenting at national RRT teleconferences, submitting a Capability Assessment Tool, and conducting at least one joint exercise. Evaluation is based on scientific and technical merit, with a specific funding preference for applications aligned with FDA Public Health Pillars and a high value placed on established relationships between member agencies. Applicants must maintain active registrations in SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov, and adhere to NIST Cybersecurity framework standards for data protection.