Cooperative Agreement to Support Shellfish Safety Assistance Project

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Human Foods Program, announces a cooperative agreement for the "Shellfish Safety Assistance Project" (Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-FD-26-013). The initiative aims to enhance the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) by improving information exchange among regulatory agencies, industry, and consumers. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen state program activities through training, technical assistance, and research focused on developing scientifically defensible food safety controls to reduce illnesses associated with molluscan shellfish consumption. This is a single-source funding opportunity restricted to the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC). The FDA intends to commit up to $500,000 in FY 2026 to fund one award, with a maximum project period of five years and recommended future support of $500,000 annually, contingent upon performance and appropriations. Key details and deadlines: - Application Due Date: August 21, 2026, by 11:59 PM local time. - Eligible Entity: Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) only. - Funding Mechanism: Cooperative Agreement (U01 Research Project), requiring substantial FDA programmatic involvement. - Page Limits: The Research Strategy section is limited to 30 pages. - Cybersecurity: Recipients with access to HHS systems or data must implement robust cybersecurity plans modeled on the NIST framework. Applications will be evaluated based on Significance, Investigator(s), Innovation, Approach, and Environment, with a maximum possible score of 100 points. Administrative inquiries should be directed to Melissa Abbott for scientific/research questions and Patrick Johnson for financial/grants management.