Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 014
The NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 25 014) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), specifically the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). It supports and extends the work of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), a long-running national surveillance effort launched in 1996 as part of broader U.S. actions to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. At its core, the program is about protecting public health by improving how the U.S. tracks antibiotic-resistant bacteria linked to foods sold at retail, so emerging resistance patterns can be identified earlier and responded to more effectively.
This FOA focuses on strengthening and sustaining surveillance in retail food specimens within NARMS. In practical terms, that means increasing the program's ability to collect retail food samples, isolate and identify bacteria of concern, and evaluate those bacteria for antimicrobial resistance. A major emphasis is improving detection of resistance in bacteria associated with food commodities and broadening the sampling network by expanding to new collection sites. By adding sites and increasing coverage, the program aims to widen the geographic and operational scope of retail food monitoring, which helps build a clearer national picture of where resistance is appearing, how it is changing over time, and what risks may be developing in the food supply. The FOA notes that recipients should produce measurable outcomes that align with established NARMS objectives, reinforcing that this is a performance-driven surveillance award rather than an open-ended research grant.
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which signals that FDA anticipates substantial involvement with awardees during the project period. Cooperative agreements typically mean closer coordination with the federal program office than a standard grant, often including alignment on protocols, reporting expectations, quality and consistency standards, data submission practices, and other programmatic requirements needed to keep surveillance comparable across sites. This structure fits NARMS, where standardized approaches and consistent data streams are essential for national-level analysis and trend detection.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes higher education institutions (both public/state controlled and private), nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts, U.S. territories/possessions, and tribal governments, both federally recognized and other than federally recognized). It also includes eligible federal agencies and a range of other domestic entities such as independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments, and faith-based or community-based organizations, as well as regional organizations. However, non-U.S. participation is explicitly restricted: foreign organizations cannot apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. The domestic-only requirement reflects the program's role in U.S. retail food surveillance and the need for consistent national oversight and data governance.
From the provided source data, the program is listed under CFDA (Assistance Listing) number 93.103, and the activity category is Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition. The opportunity was created on 2025-07-11, with an original closing date of 2027-04-01. The expected number of awards is 35, and the stated award ceiling is $200,000. Taken together, those figures suggest a program designed to support a network of participating entities rather than a single large center, helping maintain and expand sampling and testing capacity across multiple sites.
Overall, this FOA is best understood as a capacity-building and operational surveillance funding opportunity within a well-established national monitoring system. It is aimed at strengthening the day-to-day infrastructure needed to track antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from retail foods, expanding the reach of that surveillance to additional locations, and ensuring that outputs are measurable and directly tied to NARMS program objectives that support public health decision-making.Apply for PAR 25 014
- The Food and Drug Administration in the agriculture, consumer protection, food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-11.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-04-01.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the NARMS Cooperative Agreement Program to Strengthen Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Retail Food Specimens?
It is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), designed to support and extend the work of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). The program focuses on strengthening and sustaining surveillance for antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in foods sold at retail in the United States.
2. What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to protect public health by improving how the U.S. tracks antibiotic-resistant bacteria linked to retail foods, so emerging resistance patterns can be detected earlier and addressed more effectively.
3. What does this FOA focus on within NARMS?
This FOA focuses specifically on strengthening and sustaining surveillance in retail food specimens. That includes improving the ability to collect retail food samples, isolate and identify bacteria of concern, and evaluate those bacteria for antimicrobial resistance.
4. What types of activities does the program support?
Based on the description provided, supported activities include expanding retail food sampling capacity, isolating and identifying bacteria from retail food specimens, and testing/evaluating those bacteria for antimicrobial resistance, with an emphasis on standardized, comparable surveillance outputs aligned to NARMS objectives.
5. What is the program trying to improve or expand?
A major emphasis is improving detection of resistance in bacteria associated with food commodities and broadening the sampling network by expanding to new collection sites. Increasing geographic and operational coverage is intended to create a clearer national picture of resistance trends and emerging risks.
6. Is this grant more like research funding or operational surveillance funding?
It is described as a performance-driven surveillance award rather than an open-ended research grant. The FOA notes that recipients should produce measurable outcomes aligned with established NARMS objectives.
7. What is the funding instrument and what does it imply?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. This implies FDA expects substantial involvement with awardees during the project period, typically including close coordination on protocols, reporting expectations, quality/consistency standards, and data submission practices needed for comparable national surveillance.
8. Who is the funding agency and which FDA center is involved?
The funding agency is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the opportunity is specifically associated with FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM).
9. What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is PAR 25 014.
10. What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this opportunity?
The program is listed under Assistance Listing (CFDA) number 93.103.
11. What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition.
12. When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on 2025-07-11.
13. What is the original closing date listed for the opportunity?
The original closing date is 2027-04-01.
14. How many awards are expected?
The expected number of awards is 35.
15. What is the award ceiling?
The stated award ceiling is $200,000.
16. What does the expected number of awards and ceiling suggest about the program structure?
Together, an expected 35 awards and a $200,000 ceiling suggest a network-style program intended to support multiple participating entities to maintain and expand sampling and testing capacity across multiple sites, rather than funding a single large center.
17. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad for U.S.-based organizations. It includes higher education institutions (public/state controlled and private), nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts, U.S. territories/possessions, and tribal governments, both federally recognized and other than federally recognized).
18. Are federal agencies eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list includes eligible federal agencies.
19. Are school districts, housing authorities, and community organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility description includes independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, faith-based or community-based organizations, tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments, and regional organizations (as domestic entities).
20. Are foreign organizations allowed to apply?
No. Foreign organizations cannot apply.
21. Can a U.S. organization apply if it plans to carry out work through a non-U.S. component?
No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
22. Are foreign components allowed under this FOA?
No. Foreign components (as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed.
23. Why does the opportunity restrict participation to domestic entities?
The description ties the domestic-only requirement to the program's role in U.S. retail food surveillance and the need for consistent national oversight and data governance.
24. What outcomes are expected from recipients?
Recipients are expected to produce measurable outcomes that align with established NARMS objectives, supporting national surveillance needs such as consistent sampling coverage, comparable testing, and reliable data streams for trend detection.
25. How does expanding to new collection sites support the program's goals?
Expanding to new collection sites broadens geographic and operational coverage, which helps build a clearer national picture of where resistance is emerging, how it changes over time, and what risks may be developing in the retail food supply.
26. When did NARMS begin and why is it important to this FOA?
NARMS was launched in 1996 as part of broader U.S. actions to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. This FOA supports and extends that long-running national surveillance effort.
27. What is being monitored under this retail food surveillance focus?
The focus is on bacteria of concern found in retail food specimens and their antimicrobial resistance characteristics, to improve detection of emerging resistance patterns associated with food commodities.
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