CVM Vet-LRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program - (U18)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (Vet-LRN) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Cooperative Agreement Program (U18) is to solicit applications from institutions/ organizations for inclusion into its Veterinary Diagnostic Cooperative Agreement Program. The Vet-LRN cooperative agreements are intended to provide increased sample analyses in the event of animal food or drug related illnesses or other large-scale animal food/feed emergency events requiring surge capacity testing of implicated diagnostic or animal food samples. These samples could involve animal food/feed/drugs, environmental samples related to animal food/feed/drug production and/or animal diagnostic necropsy or clinical samples, and will be collected by Federal, State, or local agencies. Numbers of samples and scheduling of samples will be done by the Vet-LRN Program Office (VPO) at the Center for Veterinary Medicine in coordination with State/Local lab authorities. Federal or State surveillance assignments will also be a source of samples for lab analysis. The FDA estimates that the analysis of 100 samples per year would be optimal. These cooperative agreements will also be used to implement standardized analysis results through the usage of standardized methods, equipment platforms (provided by the award), analytical worksheets, and electronic reporting. Also provided will be training and proficiency testing for each method/platform. Minimal quality management systems will be initiated for each lab, based on existing systems in place in each lab and consultations between the VPO and each lab management group.Grantees will also be involved in small-scale, short-term method development and method validation projects as directed by the VPO. Matrix extension assignments may be needed and can have the potential of requiring rapid turn-around times to respond to animal food/drug contamination events.Funds will be awarded for supplies, equipment, personnel time and some of the yearly operating and maintenance costs. Each laboratory shall develop its own consensus decision making, size and format. Federal agency representatives may be invited to be nonmember liaisons or advisors to the laboratory and its meetings. Award funds may not be used for Federal employees to travel to or participate in these meetings.