ANIMAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENT FOR SMALL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 22, Number 8, February 26, 1993



PAR NUMBER:  PAR-93-058



P.T. 34



Keywords:

  Animal Breed. & Facil., Scientific 

  Animal Research Policy 



National Center for Research Resources



PURPOSE



The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) encourages the

submission of individual animal resource improvement grant

applications from small biomedical research institutions.  Domestic

public and private institutions, organizations, and associations are

eligible to apply for this grant if they meet the following two

requirements:  (1) The institution must have one or more research

projects supported by the Public Health Service (PHS) that involve

the use of laboratory animals, and (2) The institution must have

received less than $1,500,000 (direct costs) of PHS support for

research projects during the most recently completed Federal fiscal

year (October 1, 1991 through September 30, 1992).



The major objectives of this program are to upgrade animal

facilities, develop administratively centralized programs of animal

care, and enable institutions to comply with the USDA Animal Welfare

Act and DHHS policies related to the care and use of laboratory

animals.  These awards do not require matching funds from the awardee

institution.  Support is limited to alterations and renovations (A&R)

to improve laboratory animal facilities, and purchase of major

equipment items for animal resource, diagnostic laboratory,

transgenic animal resources, or similar associated activities.



ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS



Domestic public and private institutions, organizations, and

associations are eligible to apply for this grant if they meet the

above requirements.  Institutions and commercial firms providing only

services or products and without a clearly defined animal related

research component are not eligible to apply.  Also, this program

will not support requests for equipment used for teaching purposes

and for housing non-research animals.  Applications from other

Federal agencies or institutions (e.g., Department of Veterans

Affairs) are limited to requests for equipment only.  Applicants may

not submit more than one application or apply for other NCRR support

for developing and improving institutional animal resources in the

same Federal fiscal year.



Another grant program for animal facility improvement, called

"Developing and Improving Institutional Animal Resources" is

available, and will be announced in the NIH Guide for Grants and

Contracts.  Dollar ceilings are higher in that program, but there

will be a requirement for matching funds.  Institutions receiving

less than $1,500,000 per year may compete for funding under either

program.  Institutions receiving $1,500,000 or more (direct costs) of

PHS support for research projects during the most recently completed

Federal fiscal year may only submit applications to the "Developing

and Improving Institutional Animal Resources" program.



MECHANISM OF SUPPORT



The mechanism available for the support of improvement projects is

the Grant for Repair, Renovation, and Modernization of Existing

Research Facilities (G20).  Requests are limited to A&R to improve

existing laboratory animal facilities, allowable fees associated with

the A&R project, and major resource equipment related to the

improvement project, such as animal cage systems and cage washers.

Requests for new construction, including the completion of shell

space, and equipment intended for teaching or non-research purposes

are not allowable.  Requests for basic general purpose equipment

items for centralized surgeries, diagnostic laboratories, transgenic

animal facilities, and other similar associated activities are

allowable when well justified and integral to the proposed project.

However, a single item of equipment, or an aggregate of identical

equipment items, must have a total cost of at least $1,000.  The

total budget request for the improvement grant application and award

is limited to a total of $300,000 (direct costs), of which not more

than $200,000 may be used for alterations and renovations.  Matching

funds are not required.



RESEARCH OBJECTIVES



Animal resource improvement grants are awarded to assist biomedical

research institutions in upgrading animal facilities and developing

administratively centralized and uniformly effective programs of

research animal care.  Another major objective is to assist

institutions in complying, and maintaining compliance, with

provisions of the Animal Welfare Act and PHS policies related to the

care and use of laboratory animals.



APPLICATION PROCEDURES



Applications are to be submitted on grant application form PHS 398

(rev. 9/91).  The single annual receipt date for these applications

is June 1.  Applications received by this deadline will receive

October/November initial peer review, January/February review by the

National Advisory Research Resources Council, and will have an

earliest possible award date of April 1.  Applications received after

the June 1 deadline will be returned to the applicant without review.



Current guidelines for this program may be requested from the

Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, CMP.  These guidelines must be

followed in detail.  Applications not adhering to these guidelines

will be considered non-responsive to this program and will be

returned to the applicant without review.



The completed original application (signed original including

appendices, if any) and three copies must be sent or delivered to:



Grant Application Receipt Office

Division of Research Grants

National Institutes of Health

Westwood Building, Room 240

Bethesda, MD  20892-4500**



Simultaneously, two additional copies (with appendices, if any) must

be sent under separate cover to:



Scientific Review Administrator

Comparative Medicine Review Committee

Office of Review

National Center for Research Resources

Westwood Building, Room 10A16

Bethesda, MD  20892-4500



REVIEW PROCEDURES



All applications will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit

by an appropriate review committee managed by the Office of Review,

NCRR.  Second level review will be provided by the National Advisory

Research Resources Council (NARRC).  Review of the applications will

be based on scientific merit, technical soundness, and cost

effectiveness.  Review criteria are listed in the supplemental

program guidelines.



AWARD CRITERIA



Applications will compete with all others in the G20 category for

available funds.  An institution must have current PHS funding for

research to be eligible for an award.  The following will also be

considered when making funding decisions:



o  Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review

o  Availability of funds



INQUIRIES



Inquiries about specific improvement program guidelines and detailed

instructions for application are encouraged and are to be directed to

the following address (requests for guidelines should include two

self-addressed mailing labels):



Cynthia L. Pond, D.V.M.

Director, Laboratory Animal Science Program

Comparative Medicine Program

National Center for Research Resources

Westwood Building, Room 857

5333 Westbard Avenue

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-5175 (After 3/28/93, (301) 594-7933)

FAX:  (301)  480-0868 (After 3/28/93, (301) 594-9149)



Questions regarding fiscal matters may be directed to:



Mr. Paul Karadbil

Office of Grants and Contracts Management

National Center for Research Resources

Westwood Building, Room 849

5333 Westbard Avenue

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-9840 (After 3/28/93, (301) 594-7955)



Application forms (PHS 398) may be obtained from the institutions

office of sponsored research and from the Office of Grants Inquiries,

Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, Westwood

Building, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone (301) 496-7441

(After 3/28/93, (301) 710-0267).



AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS



This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance No. 93.306, Laboratory Animal Sciences and Primate

Research.  Awards will be made under the authority of the Public

Health Service Act, Title III, Section 301 (Public Law 78.410, as

amended; 42 USC 241) and administered under PHS grant policies and

Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 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.



.


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