PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTERS Release Date: March 18, 1999 PA NUMBER: PA-99-074 P.T. National Institute of Mental Health Letter of Intent Receipt Date: April 15, 1999; and November 1 each year thereafter Application Receipt Date: May 12, 1999; and January 15 each year thereafter This program announcement supersedes PAR-94-038, published in the NIH Guide Vol. 23, No. 7, February 18, 1994 (Rev. August 1995), and will govern future competitive renewals for existing PRCs and applications for new PRCs. PURPOSE The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) invites research grant applications for Prevention Research Centers (PRCs). The primary goal of this program is to provide scientific infrastructure support that facilitates the development and widespread application of new preventive interventions for mental disorders, including severe mental disorders. Prevention research includes interventions to (a) reduce the risk of onset, or delay onset, of mental disorders and behavioral dysfunctions; (b) reduce the severity and course of disorders; (c) prevent comorbid conditions and disorders; (d) prevent relapse, recurrence, excess disability, side effects, and inappropriate service or resource use. These Centers are essential to the development of integrated, interdisciplinary research strategies that can address key issues in the rapidly evolving field of prevention science. This program announcement (PA) focuses on support for research Centers that either bridge basic and intervention research (Translational Centers), or intervention and services research (Intervention Centers). All centers will focus on state-of-the-art methodologies and interdisciplinary research approaches, in order to address pressing public health problems. This PA is responsive to recommendations from three landmark reviews of the prevention science field: (1) the report of the Institute of Medicine, "Reducing Risks for Mental Disorder: Frontiers for Preventive Intervention Research" http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/rrmd/index.html (2) the report of the NIMH Ad Hoc Committee on Prevention Research, AA Plan for Prevention Research for the NIMH: "Report to the National Advisory Mental Health Council" http://www.nimh.nih.gov/op/opprev.htm (3) the report of the National Advisory Mental Health Council Workgroup on Mental Disorders Prevention Research, "Priorities for Prevention Research at NIMH" http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/priorrpt/index.htm HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS led national activity for setting priority areas. This PA, Prevention Research Centers, is related to the priority area of Mental Health and Mental Disorders. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" at http://www.crisny.org/health/us/health7.html ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Applications may be submitted by domestic for-profit and non-profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State or local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal Government. Women, racial/ethnic minority individuals, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal investigators. Foreign institutions are not eligible for either the R24 or P30 funding mechanisms. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Resource-Related Research Projects (R24) mechanism for developing centers and Center Core Grants (P30) mechanism for mature centers. Support for a developing center (R24) may be requested for a single, non-renewable 5-year period only, with a maximum request of $400,000 direct costs per year, plus negotiated institutional indirect costs. Competitive renewal may be only for a mature center. Support for a mature center (P30) can be requested for an initial period of up to 5 years, followed by a competitive renewal for a second 5-year period, with a maximum period of 10 years and a maximum request of $1,000,000 direct costs per year, plus negotiated institutional indirect costs. Criteria for developing and mature centers are described below. Allowable Costs PRC funds can support subject recruitment and incentive costs and outreach activities to ensure appropriate participation by women, children and adolescents, and minorities. In appropriate cases, PRCs may also request allowable patient bed costs or research ward costs as well as additional personnel for outpatient facilities. Such funds will be made available, however, only when it is clear that no other funds are available for such purposes and the beds or facilities are essential to the conduct of the research. Because the nature and scope of the research proposed in response to this program announcement may vary, it is anticipated that the size of an award will also vary. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES PRCs provide infrastructure support rather than support for specific, fully developed research studies. The availability of such an infrastructure is intended to enable a greater efficiency and breadth in the capacity to pursue preventive intervention research. Investigators seeking support for individual research projects, or for a coordinated set of research projects, should use mechanisms other than the PRC, such as a program project grant, interactive research project grant, or multi-institutional collaborative research project. Prevention Research Center Infrastructure Prevention research is construed broadly to include not only the prevention of initial cases of mental disorders and related problems, but also the prevention of comorbid conditions, recurrence, relapse, functional impairments, side effects, and inappropriate service or resource use. Although the specific structure and organization of individual PRCs will vary, all PRCs are organized around a major prevention question or theme. There are two different types of PRCs, Translational and Intervention, both of which may be either developing or mature centers. Translational PRCs focus on infrastructure support for risk factor and other pre- intervention research in order to develop and pilot promising preventive interventions prior to going to scale with larger efficacy and effectiveness trials. The primary mission of these PRCs is to translate findings from basic research on biological, psychological, and social risk and protective processes into new models of potential preventive interventions. Intervention PRCs focus on infrastructure support for randomized, controlled efficacy and effectiveness trials, and/or preventive service systems and policy research. The primary mission of these PRCs is to test the efficacy, application, and dissemination of preventive intervention strategies in a variety of well-defined populations and settings, with the objective of informing and improving public health policy. Research supported by PRCs need not be limited to strictly translational research or prevention trials. Translational PRCs may also provide limited infrastructure support for some efficacy and/or effectiveness trials within the scope of their central scientific theme. Similarly, Intervention PRCs may also provide limited infrastructure support for some pre-intervention research and other pilot work prior to going to scale in large efficacy and effectiveness trials. It is expected, however, that the primary focus of PRC activities will be on either translational or intervention research. The proposed research agenda for the PRC must be based upon a highly integrated, multidisciplinary approach which bridges basic and applied science, and involves the most advanced technologies relevant to the research area. A PRC need not be limited by departmental or geographical boundaries. A research team may consist of investigators drawn from research components within a single institution or institutions which are geographically distant, to the extent that this is feasible and cost effective. For example, it is anticipated that an Intervention PRC may need access to several different sites for effectiveness trials. All PRCs are expected to provide: o leadership as a major national scientific resource, through the development of a clear research agenda and an active program of preventive intervention research within the Center, collaborative arrangements across Centers and with other relevant research programs, and strong mentorship and/or research apprenticeship opportunities for new prevention scientists; o the PRC Director should have overall responsibility for leadership of the PRC as a major national scientific resource. This individual must have demonstrated capability to organize, administer, and direct the Center, be a principal investigator on at least one of the projects, and have a minimum time commitment of 30 percent to the Center; o an environment of research excellence achieved through a critical core of investigators who integrate ideas from diverse scientific and disciplinary realms. PRC multidisciplinary teams work at a high level of methodological sophistication, and have a productive record of peer-reviewed publications. Examples of multidisciplinary teams may include, but need not be limited to, epidemiologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and statisticians; or anthropologists, social scientists, statisticians, psychiatrists; or pediatricians, epidemiologists, psychologists, and statisticians, etc.; o administrative structure that maximizes efficiency through strategic scientific program planning, monitoring, and execution, pooled resources, and sound financial practices. A PRC must have sufficient authority to establish the necessary administrative and management procedures to carry out its scientific mission within the institution in which it is housed; o institutional infrastructure dedicated to prevention science; resources that facilitate prevention research by scientists who receive primary support through NIH and other peer-reviewed sources and who require the types of facilities available through a PRC; research support and facilities not easily obtained through individual research project grants; o models of community outreach, input, and collaboration, including the development of culturally sensitive preventive interventions and research designs acceptable to the communities within which the Center is working. Research designs and interventions should be developed in partnership with communities and their facilities and institutions whenever feasible, and should be compatible with existing services structures, where appropriate; and o opportunities for investigators who have potential for independent research careers to become skilled in state-of-the-art approaches and methods. In addition, opportunities should be made available for established, mid-career researchers in closely related fields to re-focus their work on prevention science issues. There should also be close coordination between the PRC and relevant predoctoral and/or postdoctoral research training programs of the institution. Special attention should be given to the recruitment of minority students. PRCs are expected to make maximum use of the variety of mechanisms available to researchers to recruit and support developing prevention scientists. PRC Functions To fulfill the mission outlined above, all PRCs are expected to perform a number of functions that support the conduct of translational or prevention trials research. These functions may be represented as individual core units of the Center, or they may be clustered together. Although the relative emphasis of PRC functions will vary with the specific structure and organization, all of the elements must be addressed in each application. Functions include, but are not limited to: o Research agenda and theory development. PRCs are expected to develop an organizing prevention/promotion research theme or set of themes and a research agenda that define the mission of the Center. For each theme, PRC applications are expected to review the relevant empirical and theoretical literature, identify major unresolved issues, and present a plan for developing a rigorous, theory driven, multi-disciplinary program to address research questions and clarify theory and/or practice; o Methodology. PRCs are expected to provide state-of-the-art, sophisticated methodological expertise to all Center-related research projects. This function includes, but is not limited to, sample development, methods and instrument development, assessment and diagnosis, research design, statistics, and primary and secondary data analysis. PRCs can also support relevant biological and behavioral research laboratories. PRCs are strongly encouraged, where appropriate, to include a focus on methodological research aimed at solving design and statistical problems of critical importance to longitudinal field trials; o Data management. PRCs are expected to provide up-to-date data management efforts of the highest quality in order to facilitate all aspects of data processing and analysis, including secondary data analysis, development of data for public use, and timely production of research publications; o Innovative pilot projects. PRCs may request seed money and start-up funds to support new, innovative pilot projects. Such high-risk preliminary studies have the potential for developing into larger projects that could then compete for funds on their own from other Federal, State, or private sources. PRCs must provide a process of scientific review for the pilot study program; o Knowledge and technology transfer. PRCs are expected to sponsor scientific meetings and symposia in their thematic area, generate scientific and public education publications and other outreach activities to address public health issues, make data available for public use, disseminate findings and successful intervention technologies, and highlight ethical issues in preventive intervention research. Both Center and additional mechanisms can be used as appropriate; o Mentoring. PRCs are expected to provide prevention research opportunities to new and established investigators through a program of training, career development, and research apprenticeships. Special attention should be given to the recruitment of minority investigators. The full range of research training and other career mechanisms can be used; and o Opportunities for research collaboration. PRCs are expected to capitalize on opportunities for cross-site and cross-research-project collaborations, where appropriate. Collaborative research planning activities, including piloting, can be included as PRC sponsored activities. Fully developed collaborative projects will be funded through regular research grant mechanisms. Developing and Mature Centers There are two categories of grant applications under the PRC program: applications for developing centers and applications for mature centers. Although there are no absolute criteria to distinguish who should apply in which category, the following guidelines apply: The category of developing centers is appropriate for institutions that (a) are interested in developing a critical mass of research scholars necessary to conduct state-of-the-art prevention research, or (b) already have a critical mass of researchers from relevant disciplines who are interested in re-focusing and integrating their research around a prevention science theme of translational research or intervention trials. Applicants in this category must have strong track records in research (although not necessarily in prevention research) and show promise of developing into fully functioning centers. Developing centers have research themes and existing collaborations, but need funds to recruit additional scientists, expand core functions, or fully develop a multidisciplinary prevention science agenda. A developing center contains research planning activities and a developmental program of pilot research which will determine the specific form and direction that a fully operational Center could take in future years. A developing center may focus on improving research methodology, strengthening and focusing existing research programs, integrating scientific perspectives, community or service base building for effectiveness trials, developing cultural competence in theory and intervention strategies, recruiting promising investigators and other professional personnel, and addressing other areas of research potential. Although the level of funding for a developing center will be relatively modest and a function of the specific needs of the Center, the grant will provide maximum flexibility to allow the achievement of its desired goals. As a developing center progresses, in terms of both the articulation of major research programs and the development of resources and facilities, application for R01s and for full support as a mature center can be made. Developing centers should demonstrate the potential for becoming a national scientific research resource in the area of prevention science. Mature centers are fully developed entities that are poised to rapidly become mature centers by virtue of previous commitments of institutional resources, recruitment and/or development of an existing critical mass of prevention scientists, the presence of substantial recent prevention research publications in peer-reviewed research journals, active prevention trials grants, etc. Mature centers should be a major national scientific research resource in prevention science. In mature centers, funds can be requested to support research career development candidates at the same level of experience as would be appropriate for Institute-supported scientist development and academic awards. Specific Research Topics For Translational PRCs, infrastructure may be in support of: o Development and preliminary testing of prevention strategies aimed at changing risk factors and/or mediators associated with mental disorders and related behavioral dysfunctions; o Development and preliminary testing of promotive interventions, with emphasis on identification and independent assessment of relevant mental health outcomes; o Development and piloting of novel preventive interventions, including pharmacological interventions, that target genetic or other biological risk factors for mental disorders. Such risk factors may be specific to disorders as well as general; o Hypothesis development studies, including animal models and case-control research, to identify potential causal factors and mechanisms involved in the development, exacerbation, or recurrence of symptoms, disorders, impairments, and comorbid outcomes; o Model-building etiological research to specify the nature, timing, and relative contribution of risk and protective factors, as well as underlying psychological, social, and biological processes that mediate the movement from risk to psychopathology and impairment over time; o Targeted intervention experiments to test causal pathways specified in etiological models to identify mechanisms by which interventions work; o Intervention technology development studies that examine innovative methods for changing targeted risk factors and processes, or for promoting and maintaining behavior change; o Studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of change and maintenance of change at levels of the individual, interpersonal relationships, families, networks of support, and/or community; o Studies aimed at understanding optimal timing or scope of interventions, or subgroup differences in response to different intervention strategies; o Generation and piloting of ecologically valid prevention trials with multiple intervention components that target risk and protective factors across a number of domains simultaneously; o Development and piloting of prevention strategies aimed at risk factors and processes common to multiple outcomes; and/or o Development and piloting of multicomponent intervention approaches through systematic construction of individual modules which later can be tested in combinations. For Intervention PRCs, infrastructure may be in support of: o Efficacy trials of promising preventive interventions that test previously generated causal models of risk and protective processes; o Studies to guide dosing and duration of preventive interventions in specific subgroups and populations; o Prevention efficacy and/or effectiveness trials aimed at risk factors common to comorbid disorders and/or maladaptive outcomes; o Prevention trials that target subsyndromal or prodromal disorders that place the individual at high risk for conversion to full-blown disorder; o Prevention trials aimed at reducing risk for relapse and recurrence of disorders; o Research on the prevention of side effects and adverse reactions to preventive or treatment interventions; o Prevention efficacy trials to test individual and/or combined modules of multicomponent intervention strategies prior to testing for effectiveness; o Prevention trials involving embedded universal, selected, and indicated intervention strategies; o Prevention trials involving systematic testing of combinations of previously- developed individual modules; o Studies that address cultural, methodological, design, and other transitional issues that may arise in adapting an efficacious intervention for testing in multi-site and/or effectiveness trials; o Effectiveness trials to adapt and test efficacious preventive intervention approaches in new populations or settings (e.g., different geographic region, primary care, work sites); o Multi-site trials to test the generalizability of preventive interventions in more diverse, heterogeneous populations and settings; o Economic, e.g., cost-effectiveness, cost-offset, etc., studies of preventive interventions; o Research that broadens the measurement of outcomes of interventions, including functional status and appropriate service utilization; and/or o Dissemination and/or services research once interventions have demonstrated effectiveness and are ready for adoption by service systems. INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23, No. 11, March 18, 1994 available on the web at the following URL address: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates after October 1, 1998. All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children as Participants in Research Involving Human Subjects" that was published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL address: http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program staff listed under INQUIRIES. Program staff may also provide additional relevant information concerning the policy. LETTER OF INTENT Prior to application submission, prospective applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed PRC, the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the Principal Investigator, the identities of other key personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title of this program announcement. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of subsequent applications, the information allows NIMH staff to estimate the potential review workload and to help avoid conflict of interest in the review. The letter of intent is to be submitted by April 15, 1999; or by November 1 each year thereafter. The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Eve Moscicki at the addresses listed under INQUIRIES. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact program staff early in application development with any questions regarding the responsiveness of their application to the goals of this PA. Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) and will be accepted on the single receipt date of May 12, 1999 and on January 15 each year thereafter. The earliest possible funding in 1999 would be December 1. Application kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone (301)710-0267; fax: (301)480-0525 Email: GRANTSINFO@NIH.GOV. The application is also available at http://www.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm An applicant planning to submit an investigator-initiated new (type 1), competing continuation (type 2), competing supplement, or any amended/revised version of the preceding grant application types requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year are advised that he or she must contact Institute program staff before submitting the application, i.e., as plans for the study are being developed. Furthermore, the applicant must obtain agreement from Institute staff that the Institute will accept the application for consideration for award. Finally, the applicant must identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, the staff member and Institute who agreed to accept assignment of the application. This policy requires an applicant to obtain agreement for acceptance of both any such application and any subsequent amendment. Applicants who are uncertain regarding which Institute or Center to contact should call the Referral Office, Center for Scientific Review. Refer to the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 20, 1998 (http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-030.html). Applications for new R24 and new P30 grants that were not previously supported under the R24 mechanism have the following page limitations: (1) the Overview of the Center including sections on the Background, Significance, and Aims of the Center, the Model for the Center, and a brief description of each Core, and the complete Administrative Core are considered one component with a 25-page limit; and (2) a maximum of 5 additional pages per Core may be used to describe each Core and how it is expected to relate to and enhance the capabilities of the other Cores and the overall aims of the Center. For P30 applications for Centers previously funded (as R24s or P30s), an additional 5 pages may be used to report on overall progress of the Center, and another 5 pages per Core to report on the progress of each Core during the preceding years. The title and number of the program announcement must be typed in Section 2 on the face page of the application. The completed original application and three legible copies must be sent or delivered to: CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must also be sent to: Henry Haigler, Ph.D. Division of Extramural Activities National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6154, MSC 9609 Bethesda, MD 20892-9609 REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the NIMH in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures. As part of the initial merit review, all applications will receive a written critique and may undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the appropriate national advisory council or board, when applicable. Review Criteria The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of bio- behavioral systems, improve the control of disease and disorder, and enhance health. In their written comments reviewers will be asked to discuss the following aspects of the application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals. Each of these criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each application. (1) Public Health Significance: Does this center address an important public health problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will the field of prevention science benefit? What will be the effect of the center and its affiliated studies on fundamental advances in the development, testing, and dissemination of preventive interventions and on informing public health policy? (2) Approach: Is the concept of a center fulfilled, including (a) an integrated prevention science theme and a multidisciplinary thrust to achieve a common mission, (b) development of a pooled, core database that can yield results beyond that accomplished with individual projects alone, (c) attraction of established investigators and development of genuine collaborations among investigators with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, (d) a research development component for new or mid-career investigators through research training and career development mechanisms, (e) a process for stimulation and evaluation of new pilot study proposals? Will a center approach add significantly to what could be accomplished through other modes of research support? Is the approach adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to its public health aims? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? (3) Innovation: Does the center propose to develop novel concepts, approaches, measures or methods in translating basic research for the development of preventive interventions, or in intervention research for the testing and dissemination of preventive interventions? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the center extend existing approaches or develop new methodologies or technologies in prevention science? (4) Leadership: Are the center director and other senior investigators at the forefront of their respective fields? Do they have the experience and authority necessary to organize, administer and direct the center? (5) Environment: Does the scientific, technical, and administrative environment of the center contribute to excellence and the probability of success? Does the center take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is the center able to gain access to representative samples of target populations in a variety of community and institutional settings? Is there evidence of a high level of institutional commitment and support? The initial review group will also examine: the appropriateness of proposed project budget and duration; the adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities and their subgroups, and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research and plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects; the provisions for the protection of human and animal subjects; and the safety of the research environment. In addition to the above criteria, in accordance with NIH policy, all applications will also be reviewed with respect to the following: o PRC Organization. The quality and appropriateness of the organizational structure, the quality and experience of the administrative staff, the plans for quality control through in-house consultation and outside review (e.g., Scientific Advisory Board), and the quality of the plans for the allocating and monitoring of resources; o Center Functions. The quality of the proposed core functions, including: research agenda/theory development, methodology, data management, knowledge and technology transfer, mentoring, collaboration, community sanction/liaison, laboratories, etc. The extent to which these Center functions can be expected to contribute to the quality of individual research projects developed under the Center umbrella, and to the quality of research in the field more broadly; o Community Collaboration. The quality of proposed procedures for community, institution, or agency outreach and input in developing and testing culturally competent and acceptable prevention strategies. Modified Review Criteria for Developing Centers All PRC applications will be reviewed according to the procedures and criteria outline above. However, for applications for developing centers, the above criteria will be modified by the following: o The quality and extent of institutional support available to facilitate the development of the PRC. The nature and level of resource commitments from the home institution/department and from other participating institutions/departments are of necessity not of the level of the mature center. Nonetheless, evidence of significant commitment of long-term institutional support is needed; o The quality of plans to recruit excellent new research faculty, or to further integrate the work of existing investigators around preventive intervention trials. Applications for a developing center need not be characterized by the same level, disciplinary mix, or number of established, funded investigators as an application for a mature center. Instead, a developing center is reviewed on the basis of the quality of its plans to recruit or re-deploy high caliber investigators, the likelihood these plans will succeed, and the probability that the developing center will lead to significant new research collaborations or multi-disciplinary integrations; o The likelihood that the establishment of a developing center will facilitate existing research activities and serve as a mechanism to expand the proposed prevention science theme into a fully developed prevention research agenda that will serve as a basis for an application for a fully mature center; o The likelihood that the PRC will develop into a fully mature center during the five years of support. Developing centers are carefully reviewed for evidence that the PRC is likely to succeed and become a fully functioning mature center within the 5-year funding period. Additional Criteria for Developing Centers Seeking Competing Renewal as Mature Centers o The extent to which the developing center has matured. The extent to which the center has developed a significant research identity and focus in prevention science, and has evolved into a major national scientific resource; o The extent to which the PRC's leadership has been successful in establishing core structures, articulating the program of each core, encouraging inter-core collaborations, and in developing administrative procedures and practices that foster prevention science research of the highest quality and significance; o The extent to which the PRC has been successful in attracting productive investigators and promising trainees to the center. AWARD CRITERIA Applications will compete for available funds with all other approved applications. The following will be considered in making funding decisions: program relevance, quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review, availability of funds, program balance, and Institute priority. INQUIRIES Potential applicants are encouraged to contact appropriate program staff well in advance of submitting an application for peer review. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Doreen Spilton Koretz, Ph.D. Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research, and AIDS National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6200, MSC 9617 Bethesda, MD 20892-9617 Telephone: (301) 443-5944 FAX: (301) 443-4611 Email: dkoretz@nih.gov Eve K. Moscicki, Sc.D., M.P.H. Division of Services and Intervention Research National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7149, MSC 9633 Bethesda, MD 20892-9633 Telephone: (301) 443-4283 FAX: (301) 443-4045 Email: emoscick@nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Diana S. Trunnell Grants Management Branch National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6115, MSC 9605 Bethesda, MD 20892-9605 Telephone: (301) 443-3065 FAX: (301) 443-6885 Email: Diana_Trunnell@nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.242. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. Awards will be administered under PHS grants policy as stated in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (October 1, 1998). PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the nonuse of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.
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