Support Ethiopia's Capacity to Meet International Health Regulations Requirements

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its Global Health Center, has issued a forecasted funding opportunity to support Ethiopia’s capacity to meet the International Health Regulations (IHR) requirements. The CDC office in Ethiopia was established in 2001 and has since collaborated closely with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), and other governmental bodies to strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure. These efforts have focused on building systems capable of preventing, detecting, and responding to priority diseases, particularly those posing risks to both national and global health security. In 2014, the CDC began working with the Government of Ethiopia to accelerate progress toward achieving IHR targets through the Global Health Security Agenda. A roadmap was developed in 2015 with the participation of multiple sectors and international partners. This framework supported the training of over 500 field epidemiologists, the activation of a national public health emergency operations center, and expansion of diagnostic and surveillance capacities. These achievements provided the foundation for improved responses to the multiple and often simultaneous outbreaks Ethiopia faces annually. By 2020, the CDC had further advanced support to Ethiopia, bolstering its ability to detect and manage concurrent outbreaks. This work included partnerships with EPHI and other implementing organizations that strengthened coordination across government and health agencies. The CDC now plans to build upon the 2020–2025 initiatives by introducing new cooperative agreements under its Global Health Security Framework. The primary areas of focus for this new funding will be laboratories, workforce development, disease surveillance, emergency response and management, antimicrobial resistance, immunization, and health information system strengthening. The funding mechanism for this opportunity will be a cooperative agreement, allowing the CDC to play a substantial role in program implementation. The estimated total program funding is $25 million, with up to three awards expected. The forecast indicates that applications will open on November 3, 2025, with a submission deadline of January 2, 2026, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Awards are anticipated to be made by August 31, 2026, with project start dates set for September 30, 2026. This funding is projected for Fiscal Year 2026. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, public housing authorities, Native American tribal governments (both federally recognized and non-federally recognized organizations), nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations, small businesses, public and private institutions of higher education, and independent school districts. There are no cost-sharing or matching requirements. Applications must be submitted electronically by the closing deadline through the designated federal grant portal. Interested applicants are encouraged to carefully review eligibility criteria and ensure timely preparation of all required documents. No pre-application deadlines or letters of intent are mentioned. For additional information or inquiries, the designated point of contact is Broderick Yoerg, who can be reached at 404-234-0666 or via email at DGHPNOFOs@cdc.gov. The opportunity will remain archived after February 1, 2026, once the application period has closed.