Modeling Infectious Diseases in Healthcare (MInD Healthcare) to Improve Pathogen Prevention and Healthcare Delivery | CDC RFA CK 25 0018

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA CK 25 0018

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through NCEZID, is offering a cooperative agreement opportunity titled "Modeling Infectious Diseases in Healthcare (MInD Healthcare) to Improve Pathogen Prevention and Healthcare Delivery" (Funding Opportunity Number: CDC RFA CK 25 0018; CFDA: 93.084). The main goal is to fund practical, innovative mathematical modeling and computational tool development that helps public health and healthcare partners better understand and control how pathogens spread in healthcare environments. The focus is squarely on real-world prevention and response needs in settings where healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) are a continuing threat and where faster, better-informed decisions can reduce harm to patients and staff.

The work supported under this NOFO centers on three connected modeling aims. First, applicants are expected to develop or advance models that describe and simulate transmission of pathogens within healthcare settings, including factors that drive spread across units, facilities, patient populations, and care processes. Second, projects should improve the ability to predict outbreaks of HAI pathogens and anticipate trends in the overall burden of both antimicrobial-resistant and antimicrobial-susceptible HAIs, helping decision-makers see where risk is increasing and why. Third, the NOFO prioritizes modeling that can test and compare prevention and control strategies, so partners can estimate how well different interventions might work, under what circumstances they are most effective, and what tradeoffs they may involve.

A major theme is that this is not just about producing academic models, but about building applied tools and approaches that can be used with public health partners to guide evidence-based action. The NOFO explicitly ties the modeling work to supporting informed public health decision-making and optimizing prevention strategies in response to evolving needs and emergencies in healthcare settings. Funded groups are expected to operate within or alongside the MInD Healthcare network, positioning awardees as part of a community of HAI and ARO modeling leaders whose methods and outputs can be shared, adapted, and used to strengthen preparedness and response across jurisdictions and health systems.

The opportunity also places clear emphasis on training and workforce development in applied public health modeling. In practical terms, applicants should be prepared to show how their project will expand skills, mentorship, and hands-on opportunities for building modeling capacity, and how they will collaborate with public health partners as part of that development. This emphasis reflects CDC interest in not only producing models for immediate use, but also growing the talent pipeline and strengthening long-term capability to model healthcare transmission and intervention impacts.

Eligible applicants include a broad range of governmental, academic, tribal, and nonprofit organizations: state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education). The instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means CDC expects substantial involvement or collaboration during the project period, such as coordination on priorities, data use, methods, dissemination, or alignment with public health practice needs.

Key funding parameters are straightforward. The award ceiling is $650,000, with an anticipated total of 6 awards. The original closing date is 2025-03-19, and the opportunity was created on 2025-01-17. A strict responsiveness requirement is highlighted: applicants that request funding above the stated ceiling will be considered non-responsive and will not move forward for review. This makes staying within the funding cap a non-negotiable submission requirement.

Overall, this NOFO is aimed at expanding a national applied modeling capability for healthcare-associated pathogen spread, outbreak prediction, and intervention evaluation, while simultaneously strengthening the modeling workforce and public health partnerships needed to translate technical work into actionable prevention and response strategies.

• The Centers for Disease Control - NCEZID in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Modeling Infectious Diseases in Healthcare (MInD Healthcare) to Improve Pathogen Prevention and Healthcare Delivery" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-01-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-19. (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 $650,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for CDC RFA CK 25 0018

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