USAID’s ENDOR Grant: Combating Neglected Diseases through Operational Research

Project Title: Ending Neglected Diseases through Operational Research (ENDOR)

Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number: 7200AA24RFA00001

Deadline for Question/Clarifications: November 6, 2023; 1:00PM, Washington, DC Time

Closing Date: December 8, 2023

Closing Time: 1:00PM, Washington, DC Time

Under this five-year cooperative agreement, USAID intends to transfer federal Global Health (GH) assistance funds by awarding one cooperative agreement to an organization or to a consortium of organizations. WHO’s 2030 NTD Roadmap Gap Assessment, and recent WHO NTD Global Partners Meeting, highlight several gaps in disease-specific strategies for mapping, monitoring and evaluation, availability of accurate and field-friendly diagnostics, and sustainable public health and surveillance systems, to name some. Within USAID’s existing flagship implementation projects, Act | East led by RTI and Act | West led by FHI360, endemic countries and implementing partners frequently encounter these highlighted challenges in implementation. Increasingly, there are challenges in approaching post-elimination strategies, such as country-specific periodic surveillance and provision of NTD services after elimination/control has been reached (thereafter community-wide drug treatments have ended).

ENDOR will support national governments, local research institutions, and local NGOs by addressing the following high level Focus Areas:

1. Fostering and convening a network of local and international research investigators, including young and mid-career researchers, and identifying and prioritizing NTD OR needs in a more diverse and equitable manner;

2. Defining and undertaking relevant coordinated research initiatives as prioritized by USAID and USAID NTD Program implementing partners to target the gaps and barriers highlighted by the WHO 2030 NTD Roadmap and the NTD community;

3. Improving the timeliness and quality of OR initiatives through issuance of subaward agreements under ENDOR directly to local and endemic country institutions in response to persistent and new challenges, and translating these into programmatic solutions to solve endemic country issues; and

4. Working collaboratively with the NTD donor community to ensure that support for research is equitable and appropriate to meet project needs.

Project Title: Ending Neglected Diseases through Operational Research (ENDOR)

Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number: 7200AA24RFA00001

Deadline for Question/Clarifications: November 6, 2023; 1:00PM, Washington, DC Time

Closing Date: December 8, 2023

Closing Time: 1:00PM, Washington, DC Time

Under this five-year cooperative agreement, USAID intends to transfer federal Global Health (GH) assistance funds by awarding one cooperative agreement to an organization or to a consortium of organizations. WHO’s 2030 NTD Roadmap Gap Assessment, and recent WHO NTD Global Partners Meeting, highlight several gaps in disease-specific strategies for mapping, monitoring and evaluation, availability of accurate and field-friendly diagnostics, and sustainable public health and surveillance systems, to name some. Within USAID’s existing flagship implementation projects, Act | East led by RTI and Act | West led by FHI360, endemic countries and implementing partners frequently encounter these highlighted challenges in implementation. Increasingly, there are challenges in approaching post-elimination strategies, such as country-specific periodic surveillance and provision of NTD services after elimination/control has been reached (thereafter community-wide drug treatments have ended).

ENDOR will support national governments, local research institutions, and local NGOs by addressing the following high level Focus Areas:

1. Fostering and convening a network of local and international research investigators, including young and mid-career researchers, and identifying and prioritizing NTD OR needs in a more diverse and equitable manner;

2. Defining and undertaking relevant coordinated research initiatives as prioritized by USAID and USAID NTD Program implementing partners to target the gaps and barriers highlighted by the WHO 2030 NTD Roadmap and the NTD community;

3. Improving the timeliness and quality of OR initiatives through issuance of subaward agreements under ENDOR directly to local and endemic country institutions in response to persistent and new challenges, and translating these into programmatic solutions to solve endemic country issues; and

4. Working collaboratively with the NTD donor community to ensure that support for research is equitable and appropriate to meet project needs.