Strengthening Mozambique’s Capacity to Integrate and Sustain High-Quality Laboratory Services and Systems under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH 24 0096

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH 24 0096

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its Center for Global Health and under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is soliciting applications for a cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening Mozambique's laboratory systems so they can reliably deliver high-quality HIV-related testing and broader public health laboratory services over the long term. The opportunity is titled "Strengthening Mozambique's Capacity to Integrate and Sustain High-Quality Laboratory Services and Systems under PEPFAR" (Funding Opportunity Number: CDC RFA GH 24 0096) and sits in the health funding activity category under CFDA 93.067. The closing date listed for applications was February 21, 2024, and CDC anticipated making two awards. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the applicant pool is broadly open, and the funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial CDC involvement in shaping, supporting, and monitoring technical activities during implementation.

For year 1, CDC projected approximately $7,000,000 in total fiscal year funding, contingent on the availability of funds. At the same time, the notice specifies an award ceiling for year 1 of $0 (none), which can be confusing at a glance; in practical terms, it signals that the agency is not setting a maximum cap per award in the announcement text, while still stating the overall amount it expects to have available for the first year. In other words, applicants should rely on the total anticipated funding and the expected number of awards to infer a likely range, while recognizing that final award amounts depend on CDC decisions and appropriations.

Programmatically, the grant is motivated by the central role laboratories play in HIV care: accurate diagnosis, timely monitoring, and appropriate clinical management for people living with HIV (PLHIV), including the detection and management of opportunistic infections (OIs). The notice highlights that Mozambique has already made significant progress in laboratory capacity and network optimization, particularly in access to early infant diagnosis (EID) and viral load (VL) testing. A key performance marker included in the description is the rise in viral load coverage from 67% in 2018 to 83% in 2022, which is framed as contributing to better patient monitoring and improved outcomes. This opportunity is designed to build on those gains and help government institutions further strengthen, integrate, and sustain laboratory services in alignment with the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals, which focus on diagnosing people with HIV, ensuring they receive treatment, and achieving viral suppression.

The NOFO lays out several major technical aims. One is pushing toward comprehensive coverage for both VL and EID testing so eligible clients can access these services consistently and without delays. Another is supporting the expansion of HIV testing to improve case detection, which implies strengthening testing capacity and the systems that ensure tests are available, accurate, and properly reported. The opportunity also emphasizes stronger diagnostic capacity for tuberculosis (TB) and other opportunistic infections, reflecting the reality that HIV outcomes are heavily influenced by the timely identification and treatment of co-infections. Beyond the technical testing menu, the NOFO places clear weight on improving governance of laboratory systems, which typically includes coordination structures, policies and standards, oversight mechanisms, and clearer roles across national and subnational levels to keep the network performing predictably.

A substantial portion of the work is focused on capability building and the systems that underpin quality. The description calls for building technical, scientific, and managerial capacity, which can include workforce development, mentorship, leadership training, and strengthening operational management practices across the lab network. It also calls for robust laboratory data systems and quality management systems (QMS), reflecting the idea that quality is not just a matter of equipment and reagents but also of documented procedures, routine monitoring, corrective actions, and continuous improvement. The NOFO explicitly references comprehensive quality assurance (QA) and continuous quality improvement (QI) programs as essential building blocks for HIV rapid test site certification and laboratory accreditation. That language signals an expectation that implementers will support facilities in meeting recognized standards, documenting compliance, and sustaining performance over time.

Finally, the notice stresses integration: rather than strengthening HIV laboratory services in isolation, it seeks to better integrate laboratory systems and services to support multi-disease testing and to improve responsiveness to emerging public health threats. This points to investments that make the laboratory network more resilient and adaptable, such as harmonized platforms and workflows, shared quality and data systems, stronger specimen referral and result reporting systems, and governance models that can pivot during outbreaks or other emergencies. Overall, the opportunity is positioned as a systems-strengthening effort that uses HIV and PEPFAR priorities as the backbone while deliberately building a laboratory infrastructure that can serve broader national health security and multi-disease needs in Mozambique.

• The Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Mozambique’s Capacity to Integrate and Sustain High-Quality Laboratory Services and Systems under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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