Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (U54) | PAR 15 353

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 15 353

The Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (U54) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 15-353) is a CDC/NIOSH cooperative agreement designed to support regional Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health, often referred to as "Ag Centers." The overall goal is to reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing by funding centers that do more than publish research. These centers are expected to produce high-quality science and then actively move that science into real-world practice, so that employers, workers, and communities can adopt proven safety and health solutions.

A central expectation is an integrated center model that connects basic or etiologic research with translation, education, and outreach. In practical terms, a competitive Ag Center is not just a collection of independent projects. It is a coordinated program that uses diverse scientific strengths (for example, epidemiology, industrial hygiene, engineering controls, clinical and behavioral sciences, economics, and communications) to tackle the most pressing occupational safety and health problems affecting the center's service area. While centers can address local, regional, and national issues, they must clearly define the occupational health burden in the population they serve and show a direct line between that burden and the center's proposed research and outreach agenda.

NIOSH emphasizes evidence-based solutions and measurable impact. Applicants are expected to focus on interventions that can be implemented in the field, such as safer work practices, training approaches, engineering or administrative controls, improved personal protective equipment use, and other prevention strategies that reduce exposure to hazards and prevent injuries. Beyond developing solutions, centers should demonstrate capacity to implement and evaluate them, showing how discoveries will be translated into practical tools, guidance, and programs that stakeholders can realistically use. Applications are also expected to explain anticipated impacts both during the funded project period and after the award ends, reflecting an expectation of sustainability, dissemination, and long-term improvements in worker safety and health.

Collaboration is treated as a core requirement rather than an optional feature. Centers are expected to partner with other universities, nonprofit organizations, and occupational safety and health groups, and to draw on external expertise and networks that help move research into practice. Strong stakeholder engagement is implied throughout the announcement: centers should be able to show that their priorities reflect real needs in agricultural, forestry, and fishing communities, and that their outreach channels can reach workers, employers, and intermediaries such as extension services, producer organizations, community groups, and public agencies.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U54), which typically indicates substantial scientific and/or programmatic involvement by the federal agency compared with a standard grant. The listing shows an award ceiling of $1,350,000 and an expectation of about 15 awards. The opportunity is categorized under CFDA 93.262 and was created on 2015-09-25, with an original closing date listed as 2017-11-30.

Eligibility is broad within the United States. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education (including institutions such as Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISIs), nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit entities including small businesses, and a wide range of government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribal governments, and U.S. territories or possessions). Other eligible organizations include independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, tribal organizations, faith-based or community-based organizations, and regional organizations. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH Grants Policy) are not allowed.

In summary, this program funds multidisciplinary centers that can demonstrate a strong, burden-driven agenda for agricultural, forestry, and fishing worker health; a clear plan to translate research into practice through outreach and implementation; and a collaborative structure capable of producing tangible, evidence-based improvements in occupational safety and health at scale.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.262.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-30. (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 $1,350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for PAR 15 353

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