Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CK 16 006
The grant opportunity titled "Research on Technical Improvement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used in Healthcare Settings for Infection Control, including Ebola and other Emerging Pathogens" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA CK 16 006) is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discretionary funding announcement offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism. It was created on November 3, 2015, with an original application closing date of January 19, 2016. The program sits within the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.823. The CDC is signaling that it wants not only strong research and development outcomes, but also ongoing collaboration and substantial involvement typical of a cooperative agreement.
The central problem the opportunity is trying to solve is that the Ebola response exposed significant shortcomings in the PPE commonly used for infection control in healthcare settings. According to the announcement, existing PPE designs and underlying technologies have not kept pace with changing demands, evolving clinical workflows, and the expanding expectations placed on PPE during high-consequence infectious disease events. In practice, this means that PPE can be inconsistent from product to product, difficult to use correctly under pressure, and at times incompatible with efficient healthcare delivery. The CDC frames the challenge as both technical and human-factors driven: improving protective performance while also reducing the likelihood of user error and minimizing disruptions to patient care.
The announcement highlights several specific limiting factors that applicants are expected to address. One major theme is wearer discomfort, particularly problems related to heat buildup and insufficient ventilation, which can lead to fatigue, reduced dexterity, shortened usable wear time, and increased risk of mistakes. Another key issue is fluid penetration through materials, a critical failure mode in infectious disease care where exposure to bodily fluids is a primary hazard. Fit and sizing limitations are also called out, reflecting the reality that poorly fitting gowns and respirators can compromise protection, restrict movement, and make proper donning and doffing more difficult. Finally, the CDC emphasizes the importance of making donning and doffing easier and more reliably correct, since improper removal has long been recognized as a high-risk step for self-contamination, especially in outbreak conditions.
In terms of technical scope, the objective is focused on improving the materials and design of two core categories of PPE: gowns and respirators. While the announcement does not prescribe exact engineering approaches, it clearly expects innovations that enhance barrier performance, improve comfort and thermal management, expand effective fit across a wide range of body sizes and face shapes, and simplify correct use. The intent is not merely incremental tweaks, but meaningful improvements that make PPE more uniform and dependable, provide greater assurance of protection, and reduce interference with clinical tasks. A strong application under this opportunity would typically be expected to connect design changes to measurable performance outcomes and usability improvements, especially around error-proofing and real-world use conditions.
A distinctive requirement in this funding opportunity is the emphasis on demonstrating scalable production capability within U.S. industry. That means the CDC is looking beyond proof-of-concept prototypes and toward designs and materials that can realistically be manufactured at scale, helping ensure preparedness and supply reliability during emergencies. In practical terms, applicants would likely need to show that their approach can be transitioned into domestic manufacturing pipelines, with credible plans or partnerships that support scale-up, quality control, and repeatable production.
The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1), with an award ceiling of $3,000,000. This structure suggests the CDC intended to fund one lead project substantial enough to integrate research, design refinement, testing, and scale-up demonstration rather than multiple smaller exploratory efforts.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of potential applicants: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized 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 categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. This wide eligibility indicates the CDC was open to proposals from academia, industry, public sector entities, and cross-sector partnerships, which aligns with the mixed technical, human-factors, and manufacturing scale considerations at the core of the announcement.
Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at strengthening infection control readiness by driving practical, manufacturable improvements to gowns and respirators used in healthcare, informed by lessons learned during Ebola and applicable to other emerging pathogens. The CDC is seeking solutions that raise protection reliability, reduce the chances of user mistakes, and make PPE more workable for clinicians in demanding real-world conditions, while also ensuring that successful designs can be produced at scale in the United States.Apply for RFA CK 16 006
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research on Technical Improvement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used in Healthcare Settings for Infection Control, including Ebola and other Emerging Pathogens" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.823.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2015-11-03.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-01-19. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Research on Technical Improvement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used in Healthcare Settings for Infection Control, including Ebola and other Emerging Pathogens."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA CK 16 006.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What type of funding mechanism is being used?
This is a CDC discretionary funding announcement offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
Based on the description provided, the CDC expects ongoing collaboration and substantial CDC involvement typical of a cooperative agreement, not just a one-time award with minimal interaction.
When was the opportunity created?
The announcement was created on November 3, 2015.
What was the original application closing date?
The original application closing date was January 19, 2016.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The associated CFDA number is 93.823.
What funding activity category does this program fall under?
The program is within the health funding activity category.
What problem is the CDC trying to solve with this grant?
The opportunity responds to shortcomings in PPE highlighted during the Ebola response. The CDC notes that existing PPE designs and underlying technologies have not kept pace with changing demands, evolving clinical workflows, and the increased expectations placed on PPE during high-consequence infectious disease events.
What kinds of PPE are the focus of the technical improvements?
The technical scope is focused on improving the materials and design of two categories of PPE: gowns and respirators.
Is the goal incremental improvement or larger redesign?
The intent is not merely incremental tweaks. The description emphasizes meaningful improvements that make PPE more uniform and dependable, provide greater assurance of protection, reduce interference with clinical tasks, and reduce opportunities for user error.
What human-factors issues does the CDC expect applicants to address?
The CDC frames the challenge as both technical and human-factors driven. Applicants are expected to address issues that contribute to incorrect use under pressure, disruptions to patient care, and higher risk during high-consequence events, especially around donning and doffing reliability.
Why is wearer discomfort a key issue in this opportunity?
Wearer discomfort is highlighted because heat buildup and insufficient ventilation can lead to fatigue, reduced dexterity, shorter usable wear time, and an increased risk of mistakes during care.
What does the announcement say about heat buildup and ventilation?
Heat buildup and insufficient ventilation are explicitly called out as limiting factors that need to be addressed, because they can degrade performance and increase error risk in real-world clinical conditions.
What material performance failure mode is specifically mentioned?
Fluid penetration through materials is specifically mentioned as a critical failure mode, particularly because exposure to bodily fluids is a primary hazard in infectious disease care.
How does fit and sizing factor into the CDC's expectations?
Fit and sizing limitations are called out because poorly fitting gowns and respirators can compromise protection, restrict movement, and make proper donning and doffing more difficult. The opportunity stresses expanding effective fit across a wide range of body sizes and face shapes.
Why is donning and doffing emphasized?
Donning and doffing are emphasized because improper removal is a high-risk step for self-contamination, especially in outbreak conditions. The CDC highlights the need to make these steps easier and more reliably correct.
What kinds of outcomes would a strong application be expected to connect to the design work?
A strong application would typically connect design changes to measurable performance outcomes and usability improvements, particularly around error-proofing and real-world use conditions.
Does the CDC specify exact engineering or design approaches to use?
No. The announcement does not prescribe exact engineering approaches, but it clearly expects innovations that improve barrier performance, comfort and thermal management, fit across varied users, and ease and correctness of use.
What is distinctive about the manufacturing requirement in this opportunity?
A distinctive requirement is the emphasis on demonstrating scalable production capability within U.S. industry. The CDC is looking beyond prototypes to designs and materials that can realistically be manufactured at scale to support preparedness and supply reliability during emergencies.
What does "scalable production capability within U.S. industry" imply for applicants?
It implies applicants should be prepared to show that the proposed designs and materials can be transitioned into domestic manufacturing pipelines, with credible plans or partnerships supporting scale-up, quality control, and repeatable production.
How many awards does the CDC expect to make?
The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1).
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is $3,000,000.
What does the single-award structure suggest about the intended project?
It suggests the CDC intended to fund one substantial lead project capable of integrating research, design refinement, testing, and scale-up demonstration rather than funding multiple smaller exploratory projects.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized 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); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.
Are both nonprofit and for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, with noted exclusions for higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses.
Are academic institutions eligible?
Yes. Public and private institutions of higher education are included in the eligibility list.
Are government entities eligible?
Yes. State, county, and local governments are included, along with special districts and independent school districts.
Are tribal entities eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are included in the eligibility list.
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities are included in the eligibility list.
What kinds of pathogens or scenarios are driving the need for improved PPE?
The opportunity is informed by lessons learned during the Ebola response and is framed as applicable to Ebola and other emerging pathogens in healthcare infection control settings.
What is the overarching goal of the opportunity?
The goal is to strengthen infection control readiness by driving practical, manufacturable improvements to gowns and respirators used in healthcare. The CDC is seeking solutions that increase protection reliability, reduce user mistakes, and make PPE more workable for clinicians in demanding real-world conditions, while ensuring successful designs can be produced at scale in the United States.
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