The Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) currently comprises 150+ federal, state, and local government regulatory laboratories with varying capacities to perform threat agent testing.

FERN has 41 cooperative agreements already in place which target state, local, and tribal FERN labs in an effort

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to augment the network?s microbiological, chemical, and radiological threat agent testing capacities.

The current FERN cooperative agreement labs also focus on developing better diagnostic capabilities for threat agent testing within the Network partner laboratories.

These current cooperative agreements enhance the ability to analyze for microbiological, chemical and radiological threat agents utilizing FERN methods and improve laboratory capacities for food defense assignments and outbreak response.

In support of the network, FERN has established a training program conducted by FDA and USDA which provide numerous trainings opportunities for FERN partner laboratory personnel to enhance their technical expertise.

This new proposed Training Support cooperative agreement will augment the current FERN Training program and expand the number of training opportunities with industry vendors via regional/national meetings.

This new Training support cooperative agreement would support the purchase of equipment and supplies required in an effort to coordinate with the existing training program, and reimbursement of personnel expenses.

[NOTE:
The agreement does not support construction costs or funding for the travel or lodging of participant FERN lab attendees to attend the training workshops.

Travel/lodging funding for the cooperator?s immediate staff to coordinate the training workshop will be funded under this cooperative agreement.

The travel/lodging costs for participating FERN lab attendees will be funded from a different source.]