NATIONAL PRIORITIES: INNOVATIVE SAMPLING DESIGNS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE OF CORONAVIRUSES AND OTHER PATHOGENS IN WASTEWATER | EPA G2022 ORD B1

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA G2022 ORD B1

This EPA discretionary grant opportunity (EPA G2022 ORD B1; CFDA 66.511) focuses on strengthening the nations ability to track infectious diseases by improving how wastewater surveillance networks are designed and used for public health decision-making. The program is rooted in lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, when wastewater monitoring proved to be a practical, cost-effective way to get community-level signals of infection without relying solely on clinical testing. The EPA is looking for research that moves beyond just better lab assays and instead tackles the bigger system question: how to build sampling networks that reliably detect emerging outbreaks early and help interpret how infections are spreading from broad geographic scales (national or regional) down to states, cities, and neighborhoods.

The central goal is to fund innovative research that informs effective wastewater sampling network designs. That includes figuring out where to sample (for example, treatment plants, sub-sewersheds, or targeted upstream locations), how frequently to sample, what types of samples are most informative (grab samples versus composites), and how to balance cost, coverage, and sensitivity so that the network can function as an early warning system. The EPA is especially interested in designs that can provide usable evidence of infection trends and spread in a form public health agencies can readily act on. In practice, that means the research should translate technical wastewater signals into outputs that are understandable and operational for health departments, such as trend indicators, thresholds for concern, or decision frameworks for escalating public health responses.

A major emphasis is integration with public health data and decision processes. During the pandemic, many jurisdictions collected wastewater data, but turning those measurements into clear, comparable indicators across locations was challenging. This opportunity highlights the need for approaches that connect wastewater measurements with other data streams used in public health surveillance (such as reported cases, hospitalizations, or other epidemiological indicators) so that wastewater results can be interpreted consistently across different communities and system types. The opportunity also recognizes that understanding pathogen fate and transport through sewer systems matters for interpreting signals, but it frames the next leap forward as being about network design and data integration rather than purely analytical method development.

The topic scope is not limited strictly to SARS-CoV-2. While coronaviruses are the immediate motivation, the title and description make clear that the intent is broader preparedness for other pathogens as well, supporting future epidemic and pandemic response. The practical outcome the EPA is driving toward is a surveillance approach that can be deployed nationally but still provide actionable local insight, helping agencies detect resurgences, identify new hotspots, and monitor spread patterns efficiently.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a grant (not a contract) under the EPAs research and development related assistance programs. The award ceiling is listed as $1,000,000, with an expectation of a single award, which signals a relatively focused, flagship project rather than many small projects. The opportunity was created on Oct 20, 2021, with an original closing date of Dec 15, 2021; the announcement notes that applicants should refer to the full solicitation, especially Section IV, for the official submission methods and due dates. Eligibility is labeled as Others, with details provided in the solicitations additional eligibility text, meaning it likely allows a range of non-federal entities depending on the specific rules in the full announcement.

Overall, the opportunity is about making wastewater surveillance more strategically designed and more directly usable for public health: designing sampling networks that can detect outbreaks early, support interpretation of spread across scales, and integrate smoothly into the practical workflows and information needs of health agencies nationwide.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NATIONAL PRIORITIES: INNOVATIVE SAMPLING DESIGNS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE OF CORONAVIRUSES AND OTHER PATHOGENS IN WASTEWATER" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.511.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 20, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 15, 2021 Please refer to the announcement, including Section IV, for additional information on submission methods and due dates.. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for EPA G2022 ORD B1

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