Notice of Availability of Administrative Supplements for Neuroimaging Informatics Software Enhancement for Improved Interoperability and Dissemination (NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research)

Notice Number: NOT-EB-07-006 (Replaced with Notice NOT-EB-08-002)

Key Dates
Release Date: May 4, 2007

Issued by
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), (http://www.nibib.nih.gov)

This notice replaces the earlier notice, EB-07-002 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-EB-07-002.html). While the intent and focus of this notice is the same as the earlier one, this notice includes additional information on the format and timing for supplement requests, the evaluation criteria, and contact information for the new program director handling these requests.

This notice is to announce the availability of supplemental funding, provided by the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, to modify, document, or otherwise make more adoptable, interoperable, and usable existing neuroimaging informatics tools and resources.

NIH is establishing an independent Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse (NITRC) for facilitating the dissemination and use of existing neuroimaging informatics tools and resources. A version of this clearinghouse will be released in October 2007. The NITRC consists of a web site that provides neuroimaging informatics tools and resources (or links to them) and information about them to the neuroimaging research community at large. NITRC also provides ongoing opportunities for public comment regarding particular neuroimaging informatics tools and resources in order to guide their development and enhance their use by the neuroimaging research community at large.

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research (http://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/) is a framework to enhance cooperative activities among the NIH Office of the Director and 15 NIH Institutes and Centers that support research on the nervous system. By pooling resources and expertise, the Blueprint takes advantage of economies of scale, confronts challenges too large for any single Institute or Center, and develops research tools and infrastructure that serve the entire neuroscience community.

NIH Institutes and Centers have supported the development of sophisticated, high-quality neuroimaging informatics tools and resources.

Examples of such tools are image segmentation, image registration, image processing pipelines, statistical analysis packages, spatial alignment and normalization algorithms, and data format translators. Resources include well-characterized test datasets, data formats, and databases, among others. These neuroimaging informatics tools and resources need to be adoptable by the extended neuroimaging research community. This requires that neuroimaging informatics tools and resources be well characterized and documented. Examples of research that could be funded through these supplements are: modification of code to accept new data formats, documentation of code, and enhancement of interoperability and adoptability of neuroimaging informatics tools and resources. All efforts are expected to result in broader distribution and dissemination of tools and resources.

When possible, these activities will be conducted in close cooperation with the NITRC. Grantees will engage in community activities with the NITRC to adopt community standards for interoperability and software engineering practices, to make modified and enhanced neuroimaging informatics tools and resources available and work with the NITRC to incorporate the modified and enhanced neuroimaging informatics tools and resources in the NITRC.

Supplement requests will be assessed based on:

  • how well the tools and resources produced at the end of the supplement period are expected to serve the needs of the neuroimaging research community;
  • how relevant the proposed work is to existing neuroimaging informatics tools and resources; and
  • the extent to which the proposed work will enhance sharing and adoption of neuroimaging informatics tools and resources.

Current NIH grantees can request a $50,000 (direct cost) administrative supplement to support work for the purpose(s) stated above. The eligible parent grant mechanisms include R01, R33, R37, P01, P20, P30, P41, P50, P60, U01, U41, and U54. The parent grant should have at least two years remaining at application to be eligible.

Up to two administrative supplement applications may be submitted to supplement a single parent grant, as long as the objectives of the supplements are distinct. For example, one supplement may seek funds to enhance the graphical user interface for an existing neuroimaging informatics tool, while a second application to supplement the same parent grant may request funds to document the code and create a developer’s manual. The maximum for each supplement is limited to $50,000 in direct costs per year. No more than two supplement applications will be accepted per parent grant.

Requests will be accepted on an ongoing basis and administratively reviewed three times per year, in June, October, and February. Supplement requests to be paid in Fiscal Year 2007, should be received by Monday, May 21, 2007. Requests are expected to be within 10 pages, should not be on an official form (such as SF424, PHS398), and should be sent by post or email to Dr. Zohara Cohen as listed below.

The following should be included within the request:

  • the identifier for the parent grant to be supplemented
  • a description of the community need to be addressed by the proposed work
  • a budget request along with a brief justification of the budget
  • a list specifying which resources will be provided to the NITRC at the end of the project period

Inquiries

Direct questions and submit requests for supplemental funds to:

Zohara Cohen, Ph.D.
Program Director
Division of Discovery Science and Technology
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering
Democracy II, Suite 200
6707 Democracy Blvd
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: 301-402-1127
Email: zcohen@mail.nih.gov