FSIS FERN Cooperative Agreement Program

The Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is seeking to award cooperative agreements to FERN member laboratories to provide surge capacity and capability for food defense and food safety testing. The agreements will support the FERN program testing initiatives, method proficiency training, method-required supply and equipment purchases, and reimbursement of personnel expenses. The selected laboratories will test FSIS regulated products in a variety of food defense and food safety activities, including on-going testing of meat, poultry, and egg product matrices for food safety and food defense analytes, method development, method validation, and special directed projects. • The laboratory must be a FERN member in good standing to include at least two of the three disciplines (microbiology, chemistry, or radiochemistry) prior to application submission. • The laboratory will provide a detailed project plan, that will include all mandatory projects and 2 or more additional projects during the award year. • The laboratory must have proper facilities to work with stated agents and agrees to accept unknown samples for testing. • The laboratory will regularly participate in all FERN PTs in the approved discipline, participate in appropriate FERN training courses, and participate in FERN workgroups. • The laboratory will present project progress and milestones to FSIS personnel and other participants in the FSIS FERN CAP by webinar or face-to-face.