SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Program Activities

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The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) has established the Laboratory and Diagnostics Working Group (LDWG) seeking submissions to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for necessary expenses to research, develop, validate, manufacture, purchase, administer, and expand capacity for COVID–19 tests to effectively monitor and suppress COVID–19…” (Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139)). OASH/LDWG seeks proposals for projects that will further enable the coordination and development of testing and associated products that meet the current and future needs, and the effective transition of technology into broad use without impediments. The primary areas of focus should specifically include (1) Scaling and Networking of Technologies, and (2) Testing Demonstrations & Technical Assistance. Specifically, OASH is interested in submissions that will substantially increase our testing capacity and quality in the near term, and do not fall within the scope of other HHS programs. When posted, the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will provide guidance for applicants on the submission of short white papers, which after review, may be followed by full proposal submissions for consideration for funding. Applicants will have the option of forgoing the white paper submission for direct submission of a full proposals. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis to address immediate public needs. Applicants must submit white papers and applications through Grants.gov according to the instructions in the FOA. Applicants must have an active SAM registration at the time of submission and maintain an active registration throughout the review process and during any award that may result. BACKGROUND: On January 31, 2020, HHS Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus, now known as SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19. Testing is vital to prevent and contain outbreaks that may occur as economic and social activities expand across the country. Accordingly, the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139) provides funding to HHS to “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for necessary expenses to research, develop, validate, manufacture, purchase, administer, and expand capacity for COVID–19 tests to effectively monitor and suppress COVID–19…” As part of the response to this requirement, and in order to administer agency actions to mitigate the pandemic, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Laboratory and Diagnostics Working Group (LDWG) complements existing efforts within the Department. To meet current and future challenges with the least possible risk, the nation needs more testing - with increasingly diverse, accurate, and affordable platforms – that are tailored to specific use cases.

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