EXPIRED
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Supplements to Support Evaluation of the NCI Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots (Admin Supp)
Additional funds may be awarded as supplements to parent awards using the following Activity Code(s):
Administrative supplement requests must be submitted on paper for the following activity codes:
P30 Center Core Grants
Administrative supplement requests may be submitted electronically for the following activity codes:
R01 Research Project Grant
R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award
U01 Research Project Cooperative Agreements
U24 Resource-Related Research Projects Cooperative Agreements
New
PA-15-305
None
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support projects that will incorporate the use of one or more of the NCI Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots into ongoing research activities. The use of an infrastructure in which large scale genomic data is co-located with computational resources and analysis tools is expected to lead to increased research efficiency and broader access to tools and data for cancer researchers, an important priority for the NCI. The activities and outcomes of projects funded through these supplements will help inform NCI's future plans for providing a computational infrastructure for genomics data.
July 24, 2015
September 18, 2015
Not Applicable
October 18, 2015, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
January 4, 2016
October 19, 2015
Not Applicable
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Application Guide (SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, eRA Commons Administrative Supplement User Guide or PHS 398 Application Guide, as appropriate) except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission
Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) seeks to evaluate the utility of the Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots in furthering cancer research. This FOA will provide support for projects that will incorporate the use of one or more of these resources into ongoing research activities using TCGA or other cancer genomics data. The use of an infrastructure in which large scale genomic data is co-located with compute resources and analysis tools is expected to lead to increased research efficiency and broader access to tools and data for cancer researchers, an important priority for the NCI. The activities and outcomes of projects funded through these supplements will help inform NCI’s future plans for providing a computational infrastructure for genomics data.
The traditional model for analyzing genomic data involves individual researchers downloading data stored at a variety of locations, adding their own data, attempting to harmonize the data, and then computing over these data on local hardware. This model has been successful for many years, but has become untenable given the enormous growth of biomedical data since the advent of large-scale scientific programs that use next generation sequencing technology. The size of the data makes access and analysis difficult for all but the best-resourced institutions, in terms of both storage and computing capability.
To begin to address these challenges the NCI initiated the Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots, which are research and development projects designed to explore innovative methods for accessing and computing on large genomic data. They aim to bring data and analysis together on a single platform by creating a set of data repositories with co-located computational capacity and an Application Programming Interface (API) that provides secure data access for analysis tool developers. The goals of Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots are to democratize access to NCI-generated genomic and related data and to create a cost-effective way to provide computational support to the cancer research community.
To this end, NCI has sponsored the development of three Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots that will be available for use and testing by the scientific community as part of a competitive evaluation, with the goal of informing a future production system. The contracts to develop the Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots have been awarded, to the Broad Institute, the Institute for Systems Biology, and Seven Bridges Genomics. Each of these groups is developing infrastructure and a set of tools to access, explore, and analyze genomics data. All three Cloud Pilots will host a common core data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and all have chosen to implement their systems through a commercial cloud provider. Beyond these commonalities, the three projects are distinct in their system design, data presentation, and analysis resources to serve the cancer research community.
Applications to this FOA must propose the use of one or more of the Cloud Pilots in support of the research objectives of the parent grant. Examples of relevant projects include, but are not limited to:
Projects that involve significant refactoring of one or more of the Cloud Pilots to meet the research goals are not appropriate for this FOA. For example, a project requiring modification of the API in support of the deployment of a new tool on the cloud would not be considered in scope for this effort.
Supplement requests may, but are not required to, propose the specific Cloud Pilot and/or multiple Cloud Pilots they would like to use in support of their research objectives.
While use of controlled-access TCGA data is not a requirement for this supplement, successful applicants who do wish to analyze controlled access TCGA data will need to have current dbGaP authorization at the time of award to access these data in the Cloud Pilots, as outlined under the Genomic Data Sharing Policy . Awardees who are already authorized to access controlled TCGA data will need to update their dbGaP Data Access Request indicating which Cloud Pilot(s) they will be using and how they will be used. Note that all individuals on the project who will be accessing controlled TCGA data will need to be designated as downloaders by the dbGaP-authorized PI. Successful applicants who only propose using open access TCGA data will not be required to have dbGaP authorization.
Users who upload their own data to the Cloud Pilots must do so in accordance with the relevant data use agreements. If these data are controlled through dbGaP, the users Data Access Request will need to be updated in accordance with the NIH position statement of dbGaP data in the cloud,
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Scientific/Research Contact for this FOA to ensure that the supplement content area fits with the goals of this FOA.
The funding instrument will be the same as the parent award.
Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.
Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NIH scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.
Non-competing Administrative Supplements
The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Application budgets are limited to $40,000 in direct costs and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. Direct Costs may not exceed Parent Award Direct Costs.
The funding mechanism being used to support this program, administrative supplements, can be used to cover cost increases that are associated with achieving certain new research objectives, as long as the research objectives are within the original scope of the peer reviewed and approved project, or the cost increases are for unanticipated expenses within the original scope of the project. Any cost increases need to result from making modifications to the project that would increase or preserve the overall impact of the project consistent with its originally approved objectives and purposes.
The project and budget periods must be within the currently approved project period for the existing parent award and the work must be completed no later than September 30, 2016.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
All organizations administering an eligible parent award may apply for a supplement under this announcement.
Higher Education Institutions
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
For-Profit Organizations
Governments
Other
This announcement is for supplements to existing projects. To be eligible, the parent award must be active and the research proposed in the supplement must be accomplished within the competitive segment. The proposed supplement must be to provide for an increase in costs due to unforeseen circumstances. All additional costs must be within the scope of the peer reviewed and approved project.
IMPORTANT: The research proposed by the NIH grantee in the supplement application must be within the original scope of the NIH-supported grant project.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to
apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Applicant Organizations
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Since administrative supplements are made against active grants and cooperative agreements, many of these registrations may already be in place. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
Individual(s) must hold an active grant or cooperative agreement, and the research proposed in the supplement must be accomplished within the competitive segment of the active award. Individuals are encouraged to work with their organizations to develop applications for support.
For supplements to parent awards that include multiple PDs/PIs, the supplement may be requested by any or all of the PDs/PIs (in accordance with the existing leadership plan) and submitted by the awardee institution of the parent award. Do not use this administrative supplement application to add, delete, or change the PDs/PIs listed on the parent award. Visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for more information.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each is sufficiently distinct from any other administrative supplement currently under consideration by the awarding NIH Institute or Center.
Applicants must prepare applications using current forms in accordance with the Application Guide.
For electronic submissions, applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this announcement, or use the eRA Commons streamlined submission process.
All forms must be completed for the supplemental activities only and must not reflect funding or activities for the previously awarded parent award.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions for their submission option (SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, eRA Commons Administrative Supplement User Guide or PHS 398 Application Guide, as appropriate) including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to documented requirements is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
All page limitations applicable to the parent award as described in the Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed, with the following exceptions or additional requirements:
For this specific FOA, the Research Strategy section is limited to 6 pages.
Applicants submitting paper applications must use the PHS 398 Application Forms and the PHS 398 Application Guide.
Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application forms and instructions for preparing a research grant application, with the following additional guidance:
The grantee institution, on behalf of the PD/PI of the parent award, must submit the request for supplemental funds directly to the awarding component that supports the parent award. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, to:
Juli Klemm, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 301-480-5778
Email: [email protected]
Administrative supplement requests for most single-project activity codes can be submitted using either paper or electronic submission processes. Administrative supplement requests for multi-project activity codes must be submitted using the paper submission process. See Activity Code section in Part 1 to determine if electronic submission is an option for your activity code.
Instructions for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov
Use the Apply button(s) in Part I of this announcement to access the application forms package posted at Grants.gov. If presented with more than one form package, use the Competition ID and Competition Titles provided to determine the most appropriate application forms package for your situation.
Prepare applications using the SF424 (R&R) forms associated with the chosen package. Please note that some forms marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this announcement. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate required and optional forms, with the following additional guidance:
Special Instructions for Streamlined Submissions using the eRA Commons for electronic-based submissions
NIH offers a streamlined system through the eRA Commons for submitting administrative supplements. Login to the eRA Commons, identify the parent award, and prepare an administrative supplement request. A User s Guide for submitting through this system is available, with the following additional guidance:
The grantee institution, on behalf of the PD/PI of the parent award, must submit the request for supplemental funds directly to the awarding component that supports the parent award. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, to:
Juli Klemm
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 301-480-5778
Email: [email protected]
Foreign (non-U.S.) institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the Application Guide.
See Part I. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirements for obtaining a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and for completing and maintaining an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit electronic applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their electronic application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
For electronic application submission, information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424(R&R) Application Guide.
For paper-based application submission, information on the process of receipt and determining if your application is considered on-time is described in detail in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applications must be submitted using the instructions specified above.
Applicants must complete all required registrations prior to submission. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Guidelines for Applicants Experiencing System Issues.
Important
reminders:
For applications submitted electronically on the SF424
(R&R) Application forms, all PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID
in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form of the SF
424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to
include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the
successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the (SAM). Additional information may be found in the Application Guide.
See more tips for avoiding common errors.
Not Applicable
Administrative Supplements do not receive peer review. Instead, the administrative criteria described below will be considered in the administrative evaluation process.
The staff of the NIH awarding component will evaluate requests for a supplement to determine its overall merit. The following general criteria will be used:
Budget and Period of Support
NIH staff will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Overall Impact
The goal of the supplements is to provide information on the ability of each Cloud Pilot to support important community-driven computational research questions using TCGA or other cancer genomics data. Evaluation criteria for the proposed supplement activities will include the following:
Is the proposed project technically feasible within the supplement's funding period?
Are the proposed timelines adequate and realistic?
How will the project proposed validate, extend, or stress test the Cloud Pilot APIs, workflow engine, analytical framework and/or security framework?
Will the project contribute substantially to evaluating the impact of the APIs, storage, and computational infrastructure offered by the Cloud Pilots on cancer research?
Will the administrative supplement increase or preserve the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved?
In addition, each of the following criteria will be evaluated as applicable for the proposed supplement.
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, NIH staff will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, NIH staff will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.
NIH staff will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
NIH staff will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Administrative supplement requests will undergo an administrative evaluation by NIH staff, but not a full peer review. Applications submitted for this funding opportunity will be assigned to the awarding component for the parent award and will be administratively evaluated using the criteria shown above.
Not Applicable
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. This may be as an NoA for the supplemental activities only; alternatively, it may be as either a revision to the current year NoA or included as part of a future year NoA. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website. When calculating the award for additional funds, NIH will 1) prorate funding if the requested budget period is adjusted at the time of award, and 2) use the institution’s current F&A rate; i.e., the rate in effect when the new funding is provided.
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
Any supplements to Cooperative Agreements will be subject to the same Cooperative Agreement terms and conditions as the parent award.
Reporting requirements will be specified in the terms and conditions of award as applicable to the supplemental activities. In most non-competing continuation applications, the progress report and budget for the supplement must be included with, but clearly delineated from, the progress report and budget for the parent award. The progress report must include information about the activities supported by the supplement even if support for future years is not requested. Continuation of support for the supplement activities in the remaining years of the competitive segment of the grant will depend upon satisfactory review by the NIH awarding component of progress for both the parent award and the supplement project, the research proposed for the next budget period, and the appropriateness of the proposed budget for the proposed effort. This information is submitted with the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, submitting
and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten
submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions
regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and
application packages)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Web ticketing system: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx
Email: [email protected]
GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and
process, finding NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-710-0267
Juli Klemm, Ph.D
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 301-480-5778
Email: [email protected]
Not Applicable
Jackie Boudjeda
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6312
Email: [email protected]
Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75.