Continuing Enhanced National Surveillance for Prion Diseases in the United States
Status: Open
Posted date: July 10, 2026
Archive date: April 26, 2027
Opportunity ID: 363153
Opportunity number: CDC-RFA-CK-27-0046
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Agency name: Centers for Disease Control - NCEZID
Agency code: HHS-CDC-NCEZID
Award floor: $3,000,000
Award ceiling: $25,000,000
Cost sharing required: No
Funding Instrument Types
- Cooperative Agreement
Category of Funding Activity
- Health
Eligible Applicants
- City or township governments
- County governments
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Independent school districts
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- 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
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Small businesses
- Special district governments
- State governments
- Unrestricted
Categories (use these for quoted searches)
- agency_code:hhs_cdc_ncezid
- category_of_funding_activity:health
- cost_sharing_or_matching_requirement:false
- eligible_applicants:city_or_township_governments
- eligible_applicants:county_governments
- eligible_applicants:for_profit_organizations_other_than_small_businesses
- eligible_applicants:independent_school_districts
- eligible_applicants:native_american_tribal_governments_federally_recognized
- eligible_applicants:native_american_tribal_organizations_other_than_federally_recognized_tribal_governments
- eligible_applicants:nonprofits_having_a_501_c_3_status_with_the_irs_other_than_institutions_of_higher_education
- eligible_applicants:nonprofits_that_do_not_have_a_501_c_3_status_with_the_irs_other_than_institutions_of_higher_education
- eligible_applicants:private_institutions_of_higher_education
- eligible_applicants:public_and_state_controlled_institutions_of_higher_education
- eligible_applicants:small_businesses
- eligible_applicants:special_district_governments
- eligible_applicants:state_governments
- eligible_applicants:unrestricted
- funding_instrument_type:cooperative_agreement
- opportunity_category:discretionary
- status:open
The CDC announces the availability of FY 2027 funds for a cooperative agreement to continue enhanced national surveillance for human prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), in the United States. The purpose is to continue an active surveillance program to help confirm suspected and clinically diagnosed cases of human prion disease and to monitor the occurrence of potentially emerging human prion diseases in the United States. Outcomes are enhanced national surveillance for always fatal human prion diseases through improved diagnoses and continued monitoring for emerging or new prion diseases in the United States. These outcomes are accomplished through the funding of a specialized center to conduct state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques. Prion diseases can only be confirmed through brain tissue analyses, and many facilities lack the expertise and/or the willingness, due to infection control concerns, to handle and accurately diagnose specimens from suspected cases. Since 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has funded a center to provide prion disease diagnostic services, which has allowed for disease confirmation, evaluation of disease trends over time, and identification of disease subtypes. Data have been shared with CDC experts who partner with center staff, providing guidance and epidemiological knowledge. This collaboration has contributed to accurate national surveillance findings and helped to provide confidence that novel prion diseases, such as a human form of the animal prion disease, chronic wasting disease, have not been occurring in the country.