NOFO OE22-2202: Enhancing U.S. Clinical Laboratory Workforce Capacity – Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this funding? 

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcement is intended to help CDC reach a larger proportion of clinical laboratory professionals and bridge, train, and sustain the laboratory community to support rapid, large-scale responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.  

What are the strategies for this effort? 

There are three high-level strategies:  

• Bridge – strengthening essential links between clinical laboratory and public health laboratory training/continuing education professionals and CDC 
• Train – developing and evaluating education and training resources for clinical laboratory professionals 
• Sustain – expanding the reach of CDC’s training and workforce development resources among the clinical laboratory community and promoting awareness of the laboratory profession to broader audiences 
• Further information on the strategies can be viewed on pages 4-6 of the NOFO in the PDF found in the announcementexternal icon on grants.gov. 

What are the intended outcomes? 

Short term outcomes include: 

• Improved engagement and participation of clinical laboratory professionals in training and workforce development programs 

• Improved awareness and understanding of training and workforce development needs, challenges, and opportunities 
• Increased use of laboratory education and training resources tailored to clinical laboratory professionals 
• Increased uptake of CDC/DLS dissemination platforms and improved awareness of the high-quality training resources housed on those platforms 

Further information on the outcomes can be viewed on pages 8-10 of the NOFO in the PDF found in the announcementexternal icon on grants.gov.

How can I make sure I will be notified if changes are made to the NOFO? 

Per the grants.gov help desk, in grants.gov, click on the “Login to Subscribe” link on the Synopsis page and log in. That will sign you up for email notifications regarding the NOFO. This does not affect the application process in any way, but if changes are made to the NOFO you will receive a notification.  

Will the application be submitted on grants.gov or GrantSolutions and what is the due date? 

Applications must be submitted by April 25, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time at www.grants.govexternal icon.  

What is the page-limit, font size and other requirements for the project narrative? 

Applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long, single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and number all pages, including the work plan. Content beyond the specified page number will not be reviewed.  

Further information on the project narrative can be viewed on pages 22-24 of the NOFO in the PDF found in the announcementexternal icon on grants.gov. 

Are references included in the 20-page CDC project description? 

Citations and references are not a requirement of the NOFO. Therefore, you can cite references, if you wish; however, they must be included in your 20-page narrative.  

Would CDC prefer to have the applicant provide their cooperative agreement plan using tables as well? Or would CDC prefer this information in a more narrative form? Or both? 

This NOFO does not prohibit the use of tables in the project narrative, budget narrative or workplan. It is up to the applicant’s discretion to provide their response in table or narrative format.  

Is there a specific budget and narrative template/Excel format that we should use when submitting the application? 

There is not a specific budget and narrative template, or Excel format applicants should use when submitting the application. Applicants may use the Budget Preparation Guidelinespdf icon for guidance, but applicants should use their judgement on how to best present the information in their application.  

Where will I find the questions from callers and the transcript of the Informational Call? 

A summary of the informational call will be posted to the OE22-2202 webpage as soon as it is available.  

Is equipment an allowable cost in the application? 

Yes, equipment is an allowable cost. For a bulleted list on what is allowed in the budget, please refer to page 24 of the NOFO.  

Is there a specific budget and narrative template/Excel format that we should use when submitting the application? 

There is not a specific budget and narrative template, or Excel format applicants should use when submitting the application. Applicants may use the Budget Preparation Guidelinespdf icon for guidance, but applicants should use their judgement on how to best present the information in their application.  

Is the budget included in the project narrative 20-page limit? 

No, the budget is not included in the project narrative 20-page limit.  

Further information on the budget can be viewed on pages 24-26 of the NOFO in the PDF found in the announcementexternal icon on grants.gov. 

What is the difference between a cooperative agreement and grant? 

A grant award is used for assistance when no substantive involvement by the government is anticipated. A cooperative agreement is the appropriate award instrument in situations where the principal purpose of the award is to support or stimulate recipient activity and the government has substantive involvement in the project. 

Are awards three years in duration? 

Yes. This NOFO is comprised of three consecutive one-year budget periods. The first budget period length of 12 months is from September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023. Each new budget period starts on September 1.  The last budget period will end on August 31, 2025.  

Is there a goal in mind in terms of how broad CDC would like the reach to be? Is CDC looking at a percentage of the community or a broad number of laboratory professionals that CDC would like to have access to for training? 

There is not a concrete number or percentage in mind yet. The intent is to reach a much larger subset (in number and variety) of the clinical laboratory community across the US. See pages 29-30 of the NOFO in the PDF found in the announcementexternal icon on grants.gov for more information on criteria used for applicant review and scoring.  

Is the goal of the cooperative agreement for the organization applying to identify 1 to 3 partners different from another organization and get them on the OneLab Network? 

Via this NOFO, one to three organizations will be funded to partner with CDC to reach the broader laboratory community. There is no requirement for an organization applying to the NOFO to have a collaboration with an organization outside of CDC.  However, if an organization does have such a relationship(s) and intends on relying on such collaboration to accomplish the activities identified in their workplan, such information should be included in the application. 

The activities in this cooperative agreement will contribute to the OneLab initiative. For more information on OneLab, visit www.cdc.gov/onelab. 

What type of assistance is available if direct assistance isn’t available? 

Direct assistance is the provision of person(s) to work on the project in lieu of financial assistance.  Recipients of the OE22-2202 NOFO will not receive direct assistance but will receive financial assistance, technical assistance, evaluation assistance, and any additional assistance deemed necessary in accordance with cooperative agreements. With the financial assistance provided, recipients can support the salaries and benefits of existing or new staff, hire contractors, or hire consultants.