Funding Details: This funding opportunity supports USDA’s new comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices as described in the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s February 26, 2025, press release, USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg Prices.

Through this grand challenge, APHIS will provide funds to support high-value and high-impact projects that will explore vaccines, therapeutics, research and other strategies to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry. Additional details about the program and this funding opportunity, including additional information for applicants, are available on the USDA APHIS HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge website. APHIS will make available up to $100 million in funds to support the HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge. In this competitive funding opportunity, the HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge is seeking proposals for projects that address the funding priority topics described in the Executive Summary and in more detail in Appendix 1.

Key Dates: Applications must be received through ezFedGrants (eFG) for non-federal applicants or via email to [email protected] for federal applicants by May 19, 2025, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered for funding.

Anticipated Awards: APHIS anticipates that most agreements awarded will not exceed $2,000,000. Proposals exceeding $2,000,000 will be considered.

• Topic 1: Develop novel vaccines to protect poultry from HPAI
• Topic 2: Develop novel therapeutics to address HPAI in poultry
• Topic 3: Conduct research to further understand avian influenza in poultry and to improve response strategies