Strengthening the Strategic Information (SI) Capacity of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Support of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment Activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEP | CDC RFA GH22 2213

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2213

This grant opportunity, titled "Strengthening the Strategic Information (SI) Capacity of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Support of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment Activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo under PEPFAR," is a CDC cooperative agreement designed to improve how HIV program data are collected, managed, analyzed, and used in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The focus is on strengthening the Government of the DRC's own systems and decision-making capacity, primarily through the Ministry of Health and its National AIDS Control Program (Programme National de Lutte contre le Sida, PNLS). The underlying problem the opportunity is responding to is a familiar one in large public health programs: data may be available, but gaps in quality, consistency, and practical use can limit the ability to target resources, measure progress, and improve outcomes. PNLS develops a three-year National Strategic Plan to address these gaps, and this award is positioned to support that plan by reinforcing the country's strategic information foundation.

The funding details signal a single, substantial award with CDC involvement typical of cooperative agreements. While the listed Year 1 award ceiling is shown as 0 (meaning no formal maximum was specified in that field), CDC anticipated approximately $3,000,000 in total funding for the first year, dependent on funds being available. Only one award was expected, indicating CDC likely intended to work with a single primary recipient that would coordinate closely with government counterparts and implementing partners. The opportunity was posted under CDC RFA GH22-2213, within CFDA 93.067, and eligibility was broadly unrestricted, meaning many types of organizations could apply as long as they met any requirements explained in the full notice.

Programmatically, the heart of the opportunity is the modernization and scale-up of national electronic reporting and patient/data management systems already adopted by the government, rather than creating new parallel tools. The notice specifically names the District Health Information Software (DHIS2), the National Data Repository (NDR), the Viral Load Sample Management System (VLSM), and Tier.Net (described as three inter-linked electronic registers). These platforms are used by the government at the health zone level to report HIV program data, and they are available free of charge and accessible to all implementing partners as well as CDC staff. A major emphasis is interoperability, meaning these systems should be able to exchange information reliably so that reporting, case monitoring, viral load tracking, and aggregate program management reinforce each other instead of producing fragmented datasets. Interoperability also supports more credible national reporting, reduces duplicative data entry, and improves the timeliness and completeness of information needed for program decisions.

The recipient's expected role is largely enabling and coordinating: ensuring nationwide rollout of these systems, improving data availability to stakeholders, and strengthening overall data quality, analysis, and management for the national HIV program. "Nationwide rollout" implies moving beyond pockets of implementation to consistent use across health zones, including standardization of workflows, user training, supportive supervision, and ongoing system maintenance. "Making relevant data available to stakeholders" points to practical access for decision-makers at different levels, from national leadership to provincial teams to implementing partners, likely through dashboards, standardized reports, and data sharing mechanisms that protect confidentiality while still enabling performance monitoring and planning.

Another key objective is improving how DRC measures whether HIV interventions are working at the population level, not only within clinics. The opportunity calls for epidemiologically appropriate methods to monitor and evaluate program effectiveness related to HIV incidence, prevalence, and community-level viral load. That language suggests supporting analytical approaches that can interpret program data alongside surveillance or survey information, helping PNLS and partners answer questions like whether new infections are declining, whether treatment scale-up is translating into viral suppression at community level, and where prevention and treatment gaps remain. This is tied directly to prioritization: the strengthened strategic information capacity is meant to inform where interventions should be intensified to maximize impact, rather than distributing resources evenly regardless of need.

Geographically, while the systems work is national in scope, the notice highlights three PEPFAR-supported provinces as priority areas for using improved data to drive results: Kinshasa, Haut-Katanga, and Lualaba. These provinces are likely focal points for intensive analysis, targeted monitoring, and program optimization, using improved data systems to identify underperforming sites, underserved populations, viral load testing bottlenecks, and retention challenges. Better strategic information in these locations is intended to translate into smarter prevention, care, and treatment strategies, such as refining outreach and testing approaches, strengthening linkage to treatment, ensuring routine viral load monitoring, and focusing quality improvement where gaps are most evident.

Finally, the opportunity explicitly includes support to PNLS to develop and implement a National HIV Strategic Information Plan. In practice, that would typically mean helping define national standards for data collection and reporting, clarifying governance and roles across levels of the health system, setting priorities for system upgrades and interoperability, establishing procedures for data quality assurance, and building the workforce capacity needed to sustain these systems. It also includes reinforcing use of the core platforms (NDR, Tier.Net, DHIS2, and VLSM), which underscores that technology alone is not the endpoint; the goal is routine, consistent use that produces trustworthy data and leads to better program decisions and ultimately better HIV outcomes.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening the Strategic Information (SI) Capacity of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Support of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment Activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEP" 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 Dec 27, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 25, 2022 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2213

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: