AFPMB is soliciting pre-proposals/white papers for original and innovative research designed to develop new interventions for the protection of deployed military personnel from medically relevant pests, including arthropod disease vectors of mosquito-borne arboviruses and tick-borne pathogens, as well as fly-borne bacterial pathogens.
AFPMB is interested in research on new vector control countermeasures focused on three major areas to control biting arthropods that transmit force-degrading pathogens, primarily mosquitoes and ticks:
- personal protection technology/systems which prevent arthropod bites
- new or improved vector control technology/methods/systems
- new active ingredients and formulations of novel public health pest pesticides.
along with research on:
5. new decision support tools
6. new vector surveillance tools that focus on improving vector control outcomes.
AFPMB desires solutions that are “leap forward” technologies resulting in dramatic improvements.
Deployed personnel face significant resource constraints and logistical challenges. Improvements should consider the following:
- User acceptability (for personal protection tools such as repellents)
- Portability (the smaller the size and weight, the better)
- Cost effectiveness (includes initial procurement, operational and maintenance costs)
- Sustainability (minimal or no power requirement, fuel source, replacement
parts etc) - Labor requirements (autonomous systems are most desired)
- System compatibility (eg can integrate with currently fielded systems)
- Entomological efficacy (significant performance improvement over available materials)
White paper submissions are due 12 December 2023.
Document
Broad Agency Announcement – Protection from Threats Posed by Arthropod Disease Vectors: AFPMB-BAA-24-01
