Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Advanced Molecular Detection in Support of Systems for Prevention, Treatment and Control of HIV, HCV and Related Comorbidities in Rural Communities Affected by Opioid Injection Drug Epidemics in the United States (U24) | RFA DA 17 023

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 17 023

The grant opportunity titled "Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Advanced Molecular Detection in Support of Systems for Prevention, Treatment and Control of HIV, HCV and Related Comorbidities in Rural Communities Affected by Opioid Injection Drug Epidemics in the United States (U24)" is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-17-023) aimed at strengthening the public health and research response to hepatitis C in rural U.S. communities impacted by opioid injection drug use. The core purpose is to fund a centralized Center that can perform advanced molecular detection for HCV using next-generation sequencing (NGS), with a specific emphasis on leveraging CDCs Global Hepatitis Outbreak and Surveillance Technology (GHOST). In practical terms, the award is designed to build and operate a specialized sequencing and analytic hub that can detect, characterize, and help track HCV transmission patterns, supporting broader systems for prevention, treatment, and control of HCV and related comorbidities, including HIV, in settings experiencing injection-driven outbreaks.

A defining feature of this funding announcement is that the Center is expected to be developed in collaboration with the CDCs Division of Viral Hepatitis. That collaboration matters because GHOST is a CDC-associated platform intended to support outbreak detection and molecular epidemiology by comparing viral sequences to identify related infections and potential transmission clusters. By aligning the Centers sequencing workflows and analytic outputs with CDC expertise and surveillance approaches, the program is set up to produce information that is useful not only for individual research studies, but also for public health decision-making around outbreak recognition, linkage to care, and targeted prevention strategies in rural areas. Because this is a cooperative agreement, applicants should expect substantial federal involvement compared with a typical grant, meaning NIH and partners may have an ongoing role in coordinating goals, methods, data standards, or deliverables.

The Center funded through this FOA is also explicitly meant to serve other research projects, not operate as a standalone effort. Specifically, it will support HCV next-generation sequencing activities for projects funded under a companion funding opportunity (RFA-DA-17-014). This makes the U24 a shared resource or enabling infrastructure award: rather than primarily generating its own independent research dataset, it provides standardized sequencing capacity, quality assurance, and analytic services that multiple related projects can rely on. The intended outcome is a more consistent and comparable molecular dataset across studies, making it easier to synthesize findings, monitor trends, and translate molecular evidence into interventions across multiple rural communities facing opioid-associated HCV spread.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized under Education and Health and lists CFDA numbers 93.279 and 93.941. The application closing date in the source information is January 10, 2017, and the listed award ceiling is $370,000. The listing indicates "ExpectedAwards:" without a number provided, so the total number of awards is not specified in the excerpt. The FOA was created on October 6, 2016, which places it during a period when federal agencies were rapidly expanding efforts to address surging HCV incidence linked to injection drug use, particularly in rural and underserved regions where prevention and treatment systems were often less resourced.

Eligibility is broad across many U.S.-based organization types and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education when specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a firm boundary around foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an NIH-funded, CDC-collaborative sequencing and molecular epidemiology center that supports a network of related projects focused on rural opioid-injection-associated epidemics. Its public health relevance comes from pairing high-resolution viral sequencing with tools like GHOST to better understand where and how HCV is spreading, so that prevention, testing, and treatment strategies can be deployed more precisely alongside efforts that address HIV and other comorbidities tied to injection drug use.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Advanced Molecular Detection in Support of Systems for Prevention, Treatment and Control of HIV, HCV and Related Comorbidities in Rural Communities Affected by Opioid Injection Drug Epidemics in the United States (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279, 93.941.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-10-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-01-10. (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 $370,000.00 in funding.
• 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, Others.

Apply for RFA DA 17 023

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