Public Health Lab’s Flexible Funding for Food Safety and Microbiology Quality
Official title: South Carolina Department of Health-Laboratory Flexible Funding Model Application
Funded at South Carolina Department of Public Health · NIH-11422092 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A state public health lab is using flexible funding to sustain and enhance its food safety and microbiology testing, including whole genome sequencing, to protect South Carolinians from foodborne illness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | South Carolina Department of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $219,161 |
| NIH project number | 5U19FD008608-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11422092 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable; this grant is a laboratory quality and surveillance program rather than a patient-focused clinical study.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals seeking direct medical treatment or trial participation would not be the primary beneficiaries of this grant.
What this research studies
This grant supports the South Carolina Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratory to maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and strengthen its quality management system. It includes internal audits, proficiency testing, and quality improvements, while expanding surveillance through partnerships with state food programs. The project will perform hundreds of analyses on human and animal food samples and generate genomic data from environmental sources to deepen our understanding of microbial diversity. The work aims to improve laboratory practices and public health readiness, with results shared to inform policy and safety practices.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this funding could lead to more reliable food safety testing and faster, data-driven responses to foodborne threats impacting families and communities.
How similar studies have gone: ISO/IEC 17025–based public health labs have shown that rigorous quality management and genomic surveillance improve detection and response to foodborne pathogens.
Where this research is happening
-
South Carolina Department of Public Health
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Davis, Megan — South Carolina Department of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Davis, Megan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.