Detection and Characterization of Emerging Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Pathogens in Indonesia | RFA CK 20 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CK 20 002

The grant opportunity "Detection and Characterization of Emerging Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Pathogens in Indonesia" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA CK 20 002) is a CDC-led cooperative agreement meant to strengthen Indonesia's ability to rapidly detect, correctly identify, and better characterize emerging diseases that spread through vectors (like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas) or from animals to humans. The central aim is to build directly on laboratory capacity, surveillance systems, and scientific partnerships that CDC and Indonesian institutions have already established under earlier awards, rather than starting from scratch. The focus is on practical, real-time public health impact: making sure that when unusual febrile illnesses or suspected outbreaks appear, the country has reliable systems to recognize what pathogen is responsible and respond before it spreads widely.

A major reason this opportunity exists is Indonesia's unusually high risk profile for emerging infectious diseases. Indonesia is often described as a global hotspot because it has a very large population distributed across almost 1,000 inhabited islands over a long equatorial span. That geography creates constant movement of people, animals, and goods across many ecological zones, which increases the chance that a new pathogen can emerge locally and then spread regionally or internationally. In a setting like that, gaps in diagnostic coverage and surveillance can allow outbreaks to grow unnoticed, especially when early symptoms look like common acute febrile illness.

The NOFO highlights two specific pathogen groups as priorities: arboviruses and Rickettsia. Arboviruses are transmitted by arthropods and can move efficiently between wildlife, livestock, and humans, making them hard to control once established. Rickettsial diseases (including typhus group and spotted fever group illnesses) are also emphasized because they can cause severe disease but are easily missed clinically and require targeted diagnostics. The opportunity points out a striking knowledge gap in Indonesia, noting that relatively few pathogenic arboviruses have been documented there compared with neighboring Australia, suggesting under-detection rather than true absence. It also notes that murine typhus and scrub typhus are historically endemic yet rarely diagnosed, which implies that many infections may be misclassified as generic fever illnesses or attributed to other causes without laboratory confirmation.

This funding opportunity is positioned as a continuation and expansion of earlier CDC-supported work that began around 2011. That earlier effort helped establish a modern molecular diagnostic laboratory in Jakarta, deliver nationwide training in virology techniques and biosafety, and pilot a broader acute febrile illness surveillance network. The NOFO uses concrete prior successes to show what improved capacity can achieve: under the previous cooperative agreement (RFA-CK-15-001), partners reported the first identified cases of West Nile virus and Zika virus in Indonesia, conducted the first Zika seroprevalence study, and detected Rickettsia felis as a cause of fatal neurological disease for the first time. The implication is that better tools and systems do not just refine academic knowledge; they change what the health system is able to see and measure, which directly affects outbreak detection and clinical understanding.

From a broader policy standpoint, the opportunity is tied to Indonesia's role in the Global Health Security Agenda and to the country's Joint External Evaluation (JEE) priorities. The CDC frames the work as supporting national goals like strengthening the laboratory system and improving real-time surveillance for emerging pathogens. In other words, the project is not only about generating research findings; it is also about reinforcing core public health functions such as diagnostic readiness, biosafety practices, and surveillance performance in ways that align with internationally recognized preparedness benchmarks.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning CDC expects active involvement and close collaboration during the project rather than a hands-off funding relationship. The program sits under the health funding category and is associated with CFDA 93.084. The NOFO anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000. It was posted in October 2019 with applications originally due in January 2020 (electronically submitted applications due by 5:00 p.m. ET on the deadline). Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement, suggesting it may be targeted toward specific institutions or partnership structures capable of carrying out advanced laboratory and surveillance work in Indonesia.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to push Indonesia's detection and characterization capabilities further so that emerging vector-borne and zoonotic threats are identified faster, confirmed more accurately, and understood well enough to guide public health action. It treats laboratory strengthening, workforce training, and surveillance expansion as mutually reinforcing pieces of a single goal: reducing the risk that a novel or under-recognized pathogen circulates quietly until it becomes a larger epidemic.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Detection and Characterization of Emerging Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Pathogens in Indonesia" 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 Oct 19, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 14, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA CK 20 002

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