Hospital-based birth defects surveillance in Kampala, Uganda | RFA GH 16 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA GH 16 008

The grant opportunity titled "Hospital-based birth defects surveillance in Kampala, Uganda" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA GH 16 008) is a CDC-led cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening and continuing a hospital-based system for tracking birth defects in Kampala. The project builds directly on an earlier CDC-supported effort (award #1U01GH000487) and is focused on four major hospitals in the city. Its core surveillance component is designed to systematically identify and document major external structural birth defects among newborns, creating a consistent, comparable set of data over time rather than relying on irregular reporting or incomplete records.

Alongside the ongoing surveillance, the opportunity also supports a nested case-control study that runs at the same time and within the same hospital population being monitored. The goal of this research component is to evaluate whether maternal exposure to specific HIV-related medications during very early pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of birth defects in infants. In particular, it examines cotrimoxazole (often used to prevent or treat opportunistic infections in people living with HIV) and antiretroviral therapies (ARTs). By comparing medication histories among mothers of babies with identified birth defects (cases) and mothers of babies without such defects (controls), the study is structured to estimate associations between early pregnancy medication use and birth defect outcomes.

The intended deliverables are both practical and scientific. On the practical side, continuing surveillance provides baseline (background) rates of major external birth defects in Kampala, which is essential for local public health planning, for evaluating changes over time, and for interpreting any future safety signals related to medication use in pregnancy. On the scientific side, the nested case-control study generates baseline estimates of how commonly cotrimoxazole and ARTs are used in early pregnancy in this setting, and whether that exposure pattern appears to correlate with higher prevalence of specific major external birth defects. Together, these outputs help public health leaders and clinicians better understand medication safety in pregnancy in a context where HIV treatment and prophylaxis are common and where high-quality, population-relevant data are needed.

Administratively, the funding is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the CDC is expected to have substantial involvement in the project beyond simply providing funds, such as technical collaboration, guidance on surveillance methods, or support on study design and analysis. The opportunity falls under the health activity category and is listed under CFDA number 93.067. Eligible applicants are public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, reflecting an expectation that academic institutions will play a leading role in implementing surveillance operations, maintaining data quality, and conducting the epidemiologic case-control analysis.

Key funding details include an award ceiling of $500,000 and an expectation of a single award, indicating a single lead recipient would coordinate the full scope of surveillance and research activities. The opportunity was created on 2016-03-02, with an original application closing date of 2016-05-04, and was administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via ERA.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hospital-based birth defects surveillance in Kampala, Uganda" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-03-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-05-04. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for RFA GH 16 008

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