Food Safety Capacity and Infrastructure Building (U2F)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is announcing a funding opportunity under the Human Foods Program titled "Food Safety Capacity and Infrastructure Building (U2F)." This cooperative agreement seeks to enhance and support the Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS) collaboration and research portal, a crucial federal-state partnership platform aimed at bolstering food safety and public health across the nation. Administered by the FDA's Human Foods Program, this initiative is a renewal opportunity and is only available to current recipients under RFA-FD-20-023. It supports the advancement of infrastructure and data-sharing mechanisms to enable a robust, coordinated response to food safety issues across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) agencies. The primary objective of this opportunity is to expedite the continued development and implementation of collaborative online tools and communication systems for advancing a nationally integrated food safety system. The FDA seeks to fund projects that facilitate secure and effective information sharing, promote regulatory research, and support the coordination of activities such as training, emergency response, laboratory testing, and outbreak investigations. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting mutual reliance between state and federal partners, optimizing inspection coverage, and improving transparency and public health response times through enhanced surveillance and data integration. This grant provides up to $1,000,000 annually for up to three years, contingent upon appropriations and satisfactory performance. Although application budgets are not formally capped, they must align with the project scope. A single award is anticipated for this cycle, and the total project period cannot exceed three years. Notably, the funding opportunity explicitly disallows spending on vehicle purchases, clothing, and new building construction. Additionally, it requires recipients to maintain distinct accounting for costs funded by other FDA inspection contracts to avoid duplication. The application window opens on July 11, 2025, and all submissions are due by August 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM local time. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov using ASSIST, Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system platform. This NOFO does not allow late submissions and does not require or accept Letters of Intent. Only electronic submissions will be accepted, and all applicants must complete required registrations in advance, including with SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov. A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable for this NOFO. Eligibility for this opportunity is strictly limited to current recipients of RFA-FD-20-023. Applicants must be U.S.-based organizations, as non-domestic entities and foreign components are not eligible. Each applicant institution may submit only one application under its unique entity identifier (UEI). Eligible principal investigators must have the expertise to lead the proposed program both administratively and scientifically, and must hold valid eRA Commons accounts. Applications will be evaluated using FDA’s objective review process, which assesses scientific merit, technical capability, relevance to public health priorities, and budget justification. Scoring criteria include significance, investigator qualifications, innovation, project approach, and environmental resources. Applicants are advised to submit early to ensure error correction prior to the deadline. Inquiries related to the program should be directed to Ronald Winter at ronald.winter@fda.hhs.gov or 720-626-0216, and financial or grants management questions should be directed to Danielle Head at danielle.head@fda.hhs.gov. This funding opportunity was posted on July 11, 2025, and expires on August 4, 2025. It is not subject to intergovernmental review under E.O. 12372 and is administered under the authority of the Public Health Service Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Reporting requirements include mid-year and final progress reports, RPPRs, and financial disclosures in compliance with HHS and FDA regulations.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early and consult with FDA contacts for page limit and review guidance.