NINDS SUPPORT OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS AS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS
Release Date: November 6, 2001
NOTICE: NOT-NS-02-003
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
PURPOSE
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) generally
supports scientific meetings through the conference grant mechanism (R13).
Beginning in fiscal year 2002, the NINDS will also accept applications for
the support of scientific meetings as cooperative agreements (U13). The
difference between these mechanisms is that in the case of U13, NINDS Program
staff will be substantially involved in the planning and conduct of the
meeting, assisting the Principal Investigator according to specific Terms and
Conditions (see below). Applicants must refer to the "Guidelines for Support
of Scientific Meetings by NIH,"
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-151.html).
This Notice provides further guidelines and procedures for applications that
request support of a scientific meeting as a cooperative agreement. Applicants
are strongly encouraged to consult with NINDS Program staff listed below, and
submit a letter of intent, prior to submitting an application.
WHEN TO APPLY FOR AN U13
If an NINDS Program staff member will provide substantial assistance to a PI
and that it is anticipated that assistance exceeds the traditional role of
the staff member as Program Administrator, the appropriate support mechanism
is the U13 cooperative agreement. Examples of NINDS Program staff
involvement after award include, but are not limited to, development of an
agenda, selection of speakers, organization of the conference or workshop,
and/or post-meeting publications.
HOW TO APPLY FOR AN U13
Letter of Intent:
Prospective applicants for cooperative agreement meeting funds are strongly
encouraged to submit a letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of
the proposed scientific meeting, the name, address, and telephone number of
the PI, the identities of other key personnel and participating institutions,
including any NINDS Program staff already identified, and the number and
title of this Notice. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not
binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the
information that it contains allows NINDS staff to review workload and avoid
conflict of interest in the review of the application. The letter of intent
is to be sent to the Program staff listed under INQUIRIES at least 60 days
before the intended receipt date of the application. The standard receipt
dates are February 1, June 1, and October 1 of each year. See also important
note below (under Application Procedures) regarding the timing of the
application.
Application Procedures:
When preparing an U13 application, the applicant must consult the "Guidelines
for Support of Scientific Meetings by NIH,"
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-151.html).
The title and number of this Notice must be typed on line 2 of the face page
of the application form and the YES box must be marked.
In the Research Plan section of the application describe the anticipated
role(s) of NINDS Program staff members in the proposed meeting.
Following the Research Plan, the applicant should provide a statement
acknowledging and agreeing to NINDS Program staff post-award involvement in
planning and conducting the scientific meeting, and should describe plans to
accommodate this involvement.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The application must be submitted at least 6 months in
advance of the conference, to provide enough time for peer review and program
evaluation. No conference grant award will be made after the beginning date
of the conference.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Terms and Conditions of Cooperative Agreement Awards:
The Principal Investigator (PI) will have the primary authority and
responsibility to define objectives and approaches; plan, publicize, and
conduct the scientific meeting; and publish the results of the meeting.
The PI will retain custody of, and have primary rights to, information
developed under the cooperative agreement, subject to Government rights of
access, consistent with current Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS), PHS, and NIH policies.
The NINDS Program staff member(s) named in the Notice of Award will assist,
but not direct, the PI in the planning and conduct of the scientific meeting
to ensure that the meeting is relevant and responsive to NINDS scientific
program objectives, research needs and opportunities, and strategic research
questions identified in the "Neuroscience at the New Millennium Priorities
and Plans" for NINDS, August, 1999 which can be viewed at
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds/plans/strategic_plan.htm.
Substantial NINDS programmatic involvement may include assisting the PI in
finalizing the meeting format and agenda, selecting topics for discussion,
publicizing the meeting, selecting speakers and other meeting participants,
and publishing the meeting proceedings.
Publication and copyright agreements and the requirements for financial
status reports; retention of records; and terminal progress reports will be
as stated in the NIH document, "Guidelines for Support of Scientific Meetings
by NIH," NIH Guide, October 30, 1998.
An independent, third-party individual acceptable to both the PI and the
NINDS will be asked to serve as an arbitrator of any serious differences of
opinion on scientific and programmatic issues that may arise during the
planning and conduct of the scientific meeting. This special arbitration
process will in no way affect the rights of the recipient to appeal an
adverse action in accordance with PHS regulations of 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart
D, and DHHS regulations of 45 CFR Part 16.
These special Terms and Conditions are in addition to, not in lieu of,
otherwise applicable Office of Management and Budget administrative
guidelines; DHHS grant administrative regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92,
as appropriate; and other DHHS, PHS, and NIH grants administration policies.
EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS
The reviewers will be asked to discuss the following aspects of the
application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed scientific
meeting will have a substantial impact on the future of research activity in
the proposed area. Each of these criteria will be addressed and considered
in assigning the overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each
application. Note that the application does not need to be strong in all
categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact and thus
deserve a high priority score.
o The importance of the proposed scientific meeting to investigators in the
field and to the general neuroscience community;
o Timeliness and the need for the proposed scientific meeting;
o Adequacy of the scope and content of the proposed scientific meeting;
o Qualifications of the conference organizers and the proposed participants;
o Adequacy of the applicant's efforts and plans to seek out and encourage the
participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented
minorities;
o Adequacy of the applicant's efforts and plans to seek out and encourage the
participation of junior investigators and postdoctoral fellows (if not within
the scope of the meeting, explain why);
o Appropriateness of the proposed format for achieving the stated goals;
o In general, NINDS encourages meetings that are open to all participants.
If a meeting is to be restricted in attendance, adequacy of the rationale for
the closed meeting;
o Adequacy of plans to disseminate the information generated by the
scientific meeting;
In addition to the above criteria, in accordance with NIH policy, all
applications will also be reviewed with respect to the reasonableness of the
proposed budget.
INQUIRIES
NINDS Training and Career Development Officer
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2154, MSC 9531
Bethesda, MD 20892 (for courier: Rockville, MD 20852)
Phone: (301) 496-4188
FAX: (301) 594-5929
Email: NINDSTrainingOffice@ninds.nih.gov
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