FOR-FD-25-002
Animal Food Regulatory Program Alliance
Summary
FDA/ORA Cooperative Agreement Program: Animal Food Safety Systems
This cooperative agreement supports the development of a coordinated national animal food safety infrastructure through federal-state collaboration and regulatory modernization. The program targets improvements to manufactured animal feed oversight, quality assurance systems, and risk assessment frameworks aligned with the Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS) and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance requirements. Funded work spans regulatory surveillance enhancement, interagency knowledge-sharing platforms, training program development for state and federal agencies, and evidence-based refinement of animal food safety standards to address emerging manufacturing and food safety challenges.
The program emphasizes building mutual reliance between federal and state regulatory programs, establishing shared best practices and sampling protocols, and promoting continuous improvement of animal food safety systems through collaborative governance and stakeholder engagement.
- Who can apply: Federal and state government agencies involved in animal food regulation and public health oversight.
- Funding & project length: Not stated.
- Award mechanism: Cooperative agreement.
- Key dates: Not stated.
- Best fit for: Regulatory agencies, food safety researchers, and public health professionals working on animal feed manufacturing oversight, FSMA implementation, and interagency coordination.
Insights (5)
Interagency partnership is core requirement, not optional add-on
This cooperative agreement explicitly prioritizes federal-state collaboration and mutual reliance between regulatory programs. Success requires sustained engagement with FDA/ORA and state agencies—applicants without established relationships or formal MOUs with state regulators will be at a significant disadvantage. This is not a traditional research grant; it is a systems-building mechanism.
Animal food safety expertise and regulatory systems knowledge essential
The program focuses narrowly on animal feed (not human food) regulatory frameworks, AFRPS standards, and FSMA compliance implementation. Applicants must demonstrate deep knowledge of animal food manufacturing, regulatory surveillance, and quality assurance systems. General food safety researchers without animal feed sector experience or regulatory agency partnerships will struggle to align with program objectives.
Program favors established regulatory or public health institutions
The emphasis on building national systems, training delivery, and interagency coordination suggests this mechanism is better suited to mid-career or senior researchers embedded in regulatory agencies, universities with strong state partnerships, or established food safety centers. Early-stage investigators without institutional regulatory credibility or existing state agency networks may find this cooperative model less accessible than traditional research mechanisms.
Training and standards promotion are equally weighted with research
Objectives 2–4 emphasize developing training programs, promoting AFRPS standards, and facilitating best-practice sharing—not hypothesis-driven research. Applicants should position themselves as systems architects and educators, not bench researchers. Success requires capacity to deliver training, convene stakeholders, and support regulatory modernization, not just generate novel data.
Cooperative mechanism implies cost-sharing and long-term commitment
Cooperative agreements typically require recipient cost-sharing and sustained engagement over multiple years. Applicants must have institutional capacity and budget flexibility to support ongoing interagency collaboration, training delivery, and standards development work beyond the federal award. This is a structural commitment, not a discrete project.
Key Facts
Deadline
—
Posted
Wed, August 14, 2024
Award Range
$600,000 – $600,000
Expected Awards
1
Keywords
Research Areas