Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information
Participating Organization(s)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Funding Opportunity Title

Scientific Meetings for Creating Collaborative Research Teams under the Indo-US Program for Contraception and Reproductive Health Research (CRHR) [R13]

Activity Code

R13 Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings

Announcement Type

New

Related Notices

None

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number

PAR-11-093

Companion FOA

PAR-11-091, R01 Research Project Grant
PAR-11-092, R03 Small Grant Program
PAR-11-094, R13 Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings

Number of Applications

See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Catalog of Federal Domestics Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)

93.865

FOA Purpose

This FOA issued by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), encourages Research Conference Grant (R13) applications from institutions and organizations that propose to develop collaborative research teams to address priority areas under the Indo-US Program for Contraception and Reproductive Health Research (CRHR). Teams must include investigators from US and Indian institutions involved in basic, clinical and/or social and/or behavioral sciences with particular emphasis on contraception discovery and development, implementation science and social/behavioral science to expand contraceptive options and improve reproductive health. This FOA is intended to provide support for collaborative conferences designed to address high priority areas identified by the Indo-US CRHR Joint Working Group (JWG) utilizing the NIH Conference grant mechanism. The goal of this FOA will be to support collaborations between US and Indian scientists intended to translate science into improved practice and technology addressing issues in contraception and reproductive health. Specifically, conferences would be designed to: 1) review the extant science, 2) identify research gaps, 3) develop a targeted research agenda and 4) wherever possible establish new partnerships to address these gaps through collaborative research proposals. The intent is to broaden the scope of investigation into scientific problems, yield fresh and possibly unexpected insights, and increase the sophistication of theoretical, methodological, analytical and implementation approaches. This program will allow investigators from multiple disciplines to hold meetings in order to provide the foundation for developing interdisciplinary research projects.

Key Dates
Posted Date
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

February 18, 2011

Letter of Intent Due Date

Not applicable

Application Due Date(s)

March 4, 2011, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not applicable

Scientific Merit Review

June/July 2011

Advisory Council Review

October 2011

Earliest Start Date(s)

December 2011

Expiration Date

March 5, 2011

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide 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.

Table of Contents

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

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose

Through a collaborative program of contraception and reproductive health research, the Republic of India and the United States of America will provide support for research conference proposals involving U.S. and Indian investigators to enhance contraception discovery and development, improve reproductive health including enhanced strategies for disease prevention, and evaluate factors impacting in implementation of current or new approaches to improve contraception and reproductive health choices.

The CRHR program places specific emphasis on the need for more "translational" types of research intended to move beyond basic science and discovery to product development and delivery. An emphasis will also be placed on studies addressing social and behavioral factors affecting prevention, care, and treatment of disease/poor reproductive health.

This FOA provides for a specialized use of the R13 mechanism, to foster collaborations between US and Indian investigators to hold meetings for the purpose of developing interdisciplinary research projects to address priority issues in contraception and reproductive health as identified by the Joint Working Group (JWG) providing scientific oversight to the CRHR program. A significant focus of these efforts should be on the translation and implementation of basic, clinical, and social/behavioral science research to the development and implementation of evidence based programs and practices in India. Investigators may propose an application for one or multiple meetings over a period of up to two years. In the latter case justification must be provided for the need of multiple meetings. Such justification might include: need to identify gaps, need to identify viable investigator/institutional partnership, follow-up to support grant application process, and assurance of engagement of new/early stage career investigators to build capacity around the topic area of interest.

Background

In November of 1997, the governments of India and the United States, the former represented by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the latter represented by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), mutually agreed to support Indo-U.S. collaborative research and related activities on contraception and reproductive health research. The implementation of this agreement was charged to the Indo-US program on Contraception and Reproductive Health Research (CRHR) which has as its goal to "build upon previous research cooperation by drawing on the expertise of Indian and U.S. scientists and institutions to promote and support collaborative research that will result in expanded contraceptive options and improved reproductive health." To address shared concerns in contraception and reproductive health, Indian and U.S. a Joint Working Group (JWG) of US and Indian scientists was tasked to undertake a coordinated program involving participation in collaborative, peer-reviewed research projects, scientific workshops and conferences, research training, and technology transfer. This cooperation is intended to be of mutual benefit, trust, and a shared commitment to the advancement of scientific knowledge and its application to improve health and reproductive choices.

The need for interdisciplinary research has been recognized at the NIH for decades, and has become more visible because of the increasingly complex problems (e.g., epigenetics, translational science) that are part of the agency’s mission. The NIH has noted repeatedly that scientific breakthroughs occur increasingly at the edges between disciplines and that artificial barriers between disciplines divide scientists and impede progress. Nonetheless, mechanisms that effectively address the need for support for initial contacts across disciplines remain inadequate. In order to be successful in any of the available investigator-initiated mechanisms supported by NIH (e.g., R01, R03), an interdisciplinary team must not only have been formed but have progressed to the point of functioning successfully. Researchers from different disciplines have limited opportunities to interact and form collaborations; they are constrained by institutional silos and barriers. Once they do interact, cross-disciplinary collaborators may use different languages and may take different approaches to measurement, data collection, and causal inference.

This tailored R13 mechanism fills a gap in the tools available to scientists for building interdisciplinary research teams and projects. This initiative is part of the overall CRHR vision for facilitating investigator-initiated interdisciplinary research. In this initial stage, the research team meets, identifies key gaps in knowledge and obstacles to implementation, learns the vernacular of each other’s disciplines, synthesizes theoretical perspectives and methodologies, and develops workable research plans.

This stage would hopefully be followed by a development stage in which the research teams develop proposals to address the gaps identified, capacity needs and obstacles to implementation. Resulting applications could utilize such mechanisms as the NIH Small Grant (R03) mechanism to conduct exploratory and development research needed to address methodological and feasibility questions related to their joint research plans. In the final stage, the research team could submit an application (e.g., R01) to conduct mature interdisciplinary research. These mechanisms support research projects, which implies that common language, goals, and methods must have already been established.

The purpose of this FOA is to encourage and enable investigators to develop such topics and pursue funding support entirely at their own initiative. No single meeting can achieve common understandings and methods across different disciplines. A series of meetings and exchanges over time is necessary. Thus, this announcement provides the opportunity for a higher level of support than a standard conference grant. In return, this announcement articulates specific expectations of progress to be made during the award and is not renewable.

Meetings funded through this announcement may include fewer participants than typical conferences. Meetings will center around a central core of research collaborators, although consultants may be included to address specific needs on an ad hoc basis. Because the CRHR program supports collaborative research, eligibility is limited to collaborations involving US and Indian institutions. The application should propose a process for developing an integrated research agenda around specific CRHR priorities areas. Investigators are required to produce evidence of their willingness and ability to pursue interdisciplinary work, and to outline a timeline for implementing the research aenda with subsequent research programs or projects. The scope of activities supported by this grant is limited to the scientific development of the research agenda; this grant does not provide support for resources spent to write or prepare subsequent applications.

For the purposes of this FOA, interdisciplinary research integrates the analytical strengths of two or more disparate scientific disciplines while addressing gaps in terminology, approach, and methodology. Its goals are to broaden the scope of investigation into scientific problems, yield fresh and possibly unexpected insights, and increase the sophistication of theoretical, methodological, and analytical approaches. Applicants must justify not only the significance of the research question that they propose to address, but also the need and potential benefits of bringing a mix of specific disciplines together to address it.

Scope

The CRHR JWG continues to emphasize the need for more "translational" types of research intended to move from basic science and discovery to product development and delivery. Several areas have emerged as high priority. Emphasis should be placed on single site targets for contraceptive development, candidate methods and approaches to family planning that have achieved a level of development that would make them ideal candidates to move to the delivery/implementation phase. In light of the emphasis on improving use of existing and new contraception devices/options, an emphasis will also be placed on implementation science aimed at identification of factors impinging on reproductive choices in India and globally with particular focus of social/cultural and behavioral sciences.

Towards that end, the CRHR program seeks a balance among 1) R&D of totally new male and female focused targets and methods (hormonal, non-hormonal and/or barrier), 2) approaches to increase the acceptability, access and utilization of currently available methods of family planning in at-risk populations of men, women and couples, and 3) efforts to incrementally improve existing methods, i.e., make what is already available, better. Some specific areas to be emphasized include, but are not limited to: 1) Product Development and Applied Research Development of new methods of male contraception including: post-testicular methods and non-surgical methods of sterilization, long-acting and hormonal contraceptives including injectable (development and expanding the access to and use), implants, vaginal rings and transdermal methods, female barrier methods for dual protection, i.e. for contraception and HIV/STI prevention, projects to expand the knowledge about and access to emergency contraception using different service delivery options, evaluation of point of care (POC) immunodiagnostics for STIs/HIV and sperm count.

Additional priority areas include relevant aspects of social, behavioral and implementation science research including: research related to expanding the use of available methods of contraception, especially for young, low parity women, improving the image and acceptance/use of vasectomy and IUDs, and of condoms for pregnancy and HIV/STI prevention. Investigation of the full range of r issues that impact on the ability of women, particularly young married women, to use contraception and development of interventions of overcome these barriers.

Section II. Award Information
Funding Instrument

Grant

Application Types Allowed

New
The OER Glossary and the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations, and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

It is anticipated that 2-3 awards will be made each year with US costs not to exceed $35,000 per conference/meeting.

Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon funding recommendations of the JWG and the availability of funds.

Although the financial plans of the partner agencies for the MCHDR program (NICHD and the Indian Council for Medical Research: ICMR) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

As the CRHR program is a partnership between the two nodal agencies, NICHD and DBT, the costs of these collaborative projects will be shared by the partner agencies. NICHD will fund the dollar costs for meritorious applications from US investigators who can justify the need and viability of collaboration with an Indian collaborator. The rupee costs for conducting the Indian component of the research protocol will be covered by DBT.

Award Budget

Budgets for total costs of the U.S. component for any conference/meeting of up to $35,000 per conference may be requested for up to 2 conferences/meetings over a 2 year period.

Award Project Period

A project duration of up to two years may be requested.

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.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants
 
Eligible Organizations

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

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply. Foreign (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not allowed.

Only U.S. based institutions may apply. Indian institutions should submit separately to the Indian Secretariat

Required Registrations

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the applicant organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.

Eligible Individuals (Project Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. Resubmission applications may be submitted, according to the NIH Policy on Resubmission Applications from the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Advance permission to submit an application must be requested early in the process and no later than 6 weeks before the application submission date. The letter from the NIH IC conference grant contact person (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r13/r13_contacts.doc) documenting advance permission to submit an application must be included in the Cover Letter component of the application. For the NICHD, the appropriate NIH staff member is the Scientific/Research Contact listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Letter of Intent

Not applicable

Required and Optional Components

The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional.  Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for application submission. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan Component

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Special Instructions

The application must propose a research conference involving a collaborative effort between the U.S. Principal Investigator and an Indian scientist. Because this is a joint partnership between U.S. (NICHD) and Indian (DBT) agencies, involving both dollar and rupee funding decisions, it is essential that:

The following instructions are to be used in conjunction with the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide accompanying the SF424 (R&R) application form:

PHS 398 Checklist Component

The checklist is required; however, no information regarding facilities and administrative (F&A) costs (also called indirect costs) should be included as these are not allowable costs for this mechanism.

SF424 (R&R) Cover Component

Enter the title of the scientific conference or scientific meeting in the Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project field of the SF424 Cover component.

Research and Related Project/Performance Site Locations:

Enter the site of the conference or meeting as the Performance Site.

Allowable Costs

For applications considered under this FOA all allowable costs are limited to dollar costs for the US collaborator only. The application must clearly stipulate what costs will be covered by the US collaborator and those covered by the Indian collaborator. For US investigators, salary (in proportion to the time or effort spent directly on the conference/scientific meeting); rental of necessary equipment; travel and per diem or subsistence allowances; supplies needed for conduct of the meeting (only if received for use during the budget period); conference services; publication costs; funds to help defray registration costs for some select attendees (for example, women, racial/ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, other individuals who have been traditionally underrepresented in science, graduate students); speakers fees.

Non-allowable Costs

Purchase of equipment; transportation costs exceeding U.S. carrier coach class fares; visas; passports; entertainment; tips; bar charges; personal telephone calls; laundry charges; dues; honoraria or other payments for the purpose of conferring distinction or communicating respect, esteem or admiration; patient care; alterations or renovations; facilities and administrative costs/indirect costs. Refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information regarding costs.

Budget Component

Budget information should only include information for the U.S. awardee and subawardees. No budget information for foreign-based subawardees should be included.

Resource Sharing Plan

Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Appendix

Do not use the appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

3. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

4. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

5. Funding Restrictions

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.

6. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.  Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. 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.

Important reminders:
All PD/PIs must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component 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 Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete will not be reviewed.

Advance permission to submit an application is required for all NIH conference grant applications, including new, resubmission, renewal, and revision applications. Advance permission to submit an application should be requested early in the process and no later than six weeks before the receipt date. The letter from an NIH Institute or Center (IC) documenting advance permission to submit an application (i.e., the permission-to-submit letter) must be submitted with the application and attached in the Cover Letter Component. All applicants must include the advance permission letter from the NIH staff member who has agreed to accept assignment of the application. The NIH staff member granting advance permission must be one of the contacts designated at the NIH Conference Grant Web site (go to http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r13/r13_contacts.doc). For all participating ICs, the appropriate NIH staff member is the Scientific/Research Contact listed in Section VII, Agency Contacts. Attach the letter as part of the PHS 398 Cover Letter component (PDF). If an application is received without a permission letter, it will not be accepted for review. Note that advance permission to submit an application does not guarantee funding.

Do not include Indian locations on the Project/Performance Site Location Form.

Do not complete the Human Subjects sections.

In the Conference Plan section of the application (uploaded as the Research Strategy attachment), describe the objectives, specific program, and logistical arrangements for the meeting. Describe the format and list the agenda and speakers, including the principal topics to be covered, problems to be addressed, and developments or contributions the conference/meeting might stimulate. Provide a detailed justification for the conference/meeting, including the scientific need, timeliness, and usefulness of the conference/meeting to the scientific community. Describe the composition and role of the organizing committee, and provide the names and credentials of key participants in the conference/meeting, including the basis for their selection and documentation of their agreement to participate.

Because the CRHR program is intended to foster research collaborations between US and Indian institutions and because the funding of grants under this FOA will be shared jointly by the US and Indian nodal agencies, NICHD and ICMR, applications must include a detailed description of the nature and history of the US and Indian collaborative team responsible for achieving the goals outlined in the application.

Describe plans for the appropriate involvement of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in the planning and implementation of, and participation in, the proposed conference/meeting. Describe plans to identify resources for child care and other types of family care at the conference site to allow individuals with family care responsibilities to attend. That information should allow attendees to make arrangements for family care as needed. Estimate the expected size and composition of the audience, as well as the method of selection. Describe plans for publicizing the conference/meeting to all interested participants and for publishing the proceedings (with the latter possibility not being required). Identify related conferences/meetings held on the subject during the past 3 years [and how the proposed conference/meeting is similar to, and/or different from these, and why it is still necessary and useful]. If this is one of a series of periodic conferences/meetings held by a permanent sponsoring organization, briefly describe and evaluate the last conference/meeting in the series.

Applications requesting multiple years of support must provide the following additional information for each future year requested, in as much detail as possible: meeting topic(s); tentative dates, locations, and participants; and contingency plans for future meetings dependent upon, for example, the outcome of the first year’s conference/meeting or developments in the field.

A critical part of the application for NIH support of conferences/meetings is documentation of appropriate representation of women, racial/ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and other individuals who have been traditionally underrepresented in science. Attendance for some individuals will be dependent on the availability of resources for family care. A broad cross section of individuals must be included in all aspects of planning, organization, and implementation of NIH-sponsored and/or supported conferences/meetings. Appropriate representation means representation based on the availability of these scientists from these groups known to be working in a particular field of biomedical or behavioral research. If appropriate representation is not apparent, no award will be issued until program staff members are assured of concerted recruitment efforts. Organizers of scientific conferences/meetings must document compliance with the Guidelines for Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Scientific Meetings Supported by the NIH (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r13/index.htm). This Web site also includes addresses and information for offices at NIH that support conference/meeting activities.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Overall Impact

After considering all of the review criteria, briefly summarize the significant strengths and weaknesses of the application and judge the likelihood that the proposed conference/meeting will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of the goals of NIH supported research, which is to advance our understanding of biological systems, to improve the control of disease, and to enhance health.

Scored Review Criteria

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Significance

Does this conference/scientific meeting address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge or clinical practice be advanced? What will be the effect of these endeavors on the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

Investigator(s)

Is(are) the PD/PI(s) well suited for organizing and fulfilling the goals of this conference/scientific meeting? Are the qualifications and past performance of the PD/PI(s) appropriate, and are they well suited for their described roles in the conference/scientific meeting? Are the key personnel and selected speakers appropriate and well suited for their described roles in the conference/scientific meeting?

Innovation

Does the conference/meeting employ novel approaches or methods to fulfill its purpose? Does the conference/scientific meeting draw together appropriate experts who may otherwise not have an opportunity to meet?

Approach

Are the format and agenda for the conference/meeting appropriate for achieving the specified goals? Is the conference/meeting timely for the subject matter? For applications designating multiple PDs/PIs, is the Leadership Plan approach, including the designated roles and responsibilities, governance and organizational structure consistent with and justified by the topics of the conference/meeting and the expertise of each of the PD/PIs?

Environment

Is the conference/scientific meeting site appropriate? Does the applicant organization have the ability to contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed meetings, exhibits, interactions, etc., take advantage of unique features of the environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is institutional support evident? Is there evidence of US and Indian institutional support? As an international collaboration is the collaborative team well described and justified, in terms of why this research should be done via an international collaboration, are the respective roles of the Indian and US collaborating investigators and institutions well described, and how will this research project be coordinated?

Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact/priority score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Indo-U.S. Collaboration

Is the collaboration well established? Do the institutions have a history of close working relationships and productivity? Is the international collaborative team well described and justified in terms of why this research should be done via an international collaboration? Does the plan include details about how the collaborating institutions will work together to achieved the stated objectives including provision for collaborative proposal development, capacity development and technology transfer? Is there evidence of U.S. and Indian institutional support?

Appropriate Representation

How well do the plans for inclusion of women, racial/ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and other individuals who traditionally have been underrepresented in science provide for their appropriate representation in the planning, organization, and execution of the proposed conference/scientific meeting? For more information, visit Inclusion of Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in NIH-Supported Conference Grants.

Protections for Human Subjects

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children 

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Vertebrate Animals

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Biohazards

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Resubmissions

Not appllicable.

Renewals

Not applicable

Revisions

Not applicable

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.

Provision of Family Care Facilities

Are the plans to inform attendees about family care resources adequate?

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Select Agent Research

Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Resource Sharing Plans

Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).

Budget and Period of Support

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the NICHD (assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons), in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will:

After the initial and independent merit review by both partners (NICHD and DBT), the CRHR JWG will conduct a secondary review, coordinated by the CRHR Secretariats, that will: 1) consider the results of the respective primary reviews conducted according to the established institutional review procedures for the nodal agencies, NICHD and DBT; 2) determine responsiveness to program areas listed above; 3) assess the strength of the collaboration; and 4) determine relative priorities in the context of current CRHR program objectives. As part of this process, information from your application, summary statement and/or letter of intent may be shared with the JWG.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA . Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council (NACHHD) . The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee 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 the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

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

Not Applicable

3. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final progress report, invention statement, and Financial Status Report are required when an award is relinquished when a recipient changes institutions or when an award is terminated.

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.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading or navigating forms)
Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone 301-710-0267
TTY 301-451-5936
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov

eRA Commons Help Desk(Questions regarding eRA Commons registration, tracking application status, post submission issues)
Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: commons@od.nih.gov

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Daniel J. Raiten, Ph.D
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-435-7568
Email: raitend@mail.nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Sherry Dupere, Ph.D.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-496-1485
Email: duperes@mail.nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Bryan S. Clark, M.B.A
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-435-6975
Email: clarkb1@mail.nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

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.

Authority and Regulations

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 Parts 74 and 92.


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