Full Text PAR-95-077

SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM FOR CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY

NIH GUIDE, Volume 24, Number 26, July 21, 1995

PA NUMBER:  PAR-95-077

P.T. 34

Keywords: 
  Cancer/Carcinogenesis 
  Epidemiology 


National Cancer Institute

Purpose

The Division of Cancer Etiology, National Cancer Institute (NCI),
invites small grant (R03) applications relating to cancer
epidemiology.  These are short-term awards intended to provide
support for pilot projects, testing of new techniques, or development
of innovative or high-risk projects that could provide a basis for
more extended research.

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 Program
Announcement (PA), Small Grants Program for Epidemiology, is related
to the priority area of cancer and chronic diseases.  Potential
applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report:
Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report:  Stock No.
017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325, telephone 202-783-3238.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign, for-profit and
not-for-profit organizations, public and private, such as
universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State and
local governments, eligible agencies of Federal government, and small
businesses.  Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women and persons
with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal investigators.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

Support of this program announcement will be through individual
research project grants (R03).  This is a revision of a program
announcement.  This program was initiated in 1986, and modified in
1988 to increase the funding for individual grants from $25,000 to
$50,000 in direct costs for the entire project.  The total project
period for applications submitted in response to this program
announcement may not exceed three years.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Investigators may apply for a small grant to support research on a
topic relevant to cancer etiology for the purpose of:

o  Planning a complex epidemiologic investigation;

o  Developing or validating a laboratory or statistical procedure
that has the potential for improving the quality of cancer
epidemiologic research;

o  Obtaining support to study a question relevant to cancer
epidemiology in situations in which rapid funding is needed, such as
the availability of special personnel for limited time periods,
rapidly evolving research leads on topics such as AIDS, or time-
limited access to an important resource;

o  Analyzing previously collected data for epidemiologic purposes,
such as combining data from several studies to examine consistency or
strength of observed associations;

o  Resolving methodologic problems, such as documenting the accuracy
of a customary procedure in preparation for use in epidemiologic
research or evaluating the effect of cancer diagnosis and/or
treatment on risk factor estimates derived from case-control studies;
or

o  Obtaining funding for investigations of urgent or emergent issues
in cancer epidemiology.

o  Applications for support of dissertation research may receive a
small grant.

Applications for support of purposes other than those stated will be
returned to the proposed Principal Investigator without undergoing
committee review.

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 new policy results
from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law
103-43) and supersedes and strengthens the previous policies
(Concerning the Inclusion of Women in Study Populations, and
Concerning the Inclusion of Minorities in Study Populations), which
have been in effect since 1990.  The new policy contains some
provisions that are substantially different from the 1990 policies.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should
read the "NIH Guidelines on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as
Subjects in Clinical Research," which was reprinted in the Federal
Register of March 28, 1994 (59 FR 14508-14513) to correct typesetting
errors in the earlier publication and reprinted in the NIH Guide for
Grants and Contracts of March 18, 1994, Volume 23, Number 11.

Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from these sources
or from the program staff or contact person listed under INQUIRIES.
Program staff may also provide additional relevant information
concerning this policy.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 5/95) and will be accepted at the standard application
deadlines as indicated in the application kit.  Application kits are
available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may
be obtained from the Office of Grants Information, Division of
Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive,
Room 3032, MSC 7762, Bethesda, MD 20892-7762, telephone 301/710-0267.
The title and number of the program announcement must be typed in
Section 2a on the face page of the application.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including
the checklist, and three exact photocopies in one package to:

DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for courier/overnight service)

In addition, in order to expedite the review of the application,
submit two additional exact photocopies, of the application to:

Referral Officer
Division of Extramural Activities
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Room 636, MSC 7405
6130 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD  20892-7405

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications that are complete and responsive to the program
announcement will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by
an appropriate peer review group convened in accordance with the
standard NIH peer review procedures.  As part of the initial merit
review, all applications will receive a written critique and 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.

Review Criteria

o  The significance of the goal of the proposed research;

o  The practicality and likelihood of accomplishing the small grant
aims;

o  The value of the information the investigator proposes to derive
from the small grant, in the context of the research goal;

o  The adequacy and appropriateness of the methodology for achieving
the purposes of the small grant;

o  The investigator's background and training for carrying out the
proposed activities;

o  The appropriateness of the research team and the evidence of their
effective interaction for the proposed research;

o  The adequacy of the facilities and resources available to the
project;

o  The adequacy of specific budget justifications; and

o  Adequacy of plans to include both genders and minorities and their
subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research.
Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be
evaluated.

The initial review group will also examine the provisions for the
protection of human subjects and animal welfare and the safety of the
research environment.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for funds with other approved applications.
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

o  Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review;
o  Availability of funds; and
o  Program priority and balance

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any issues or
questions from potential applicants is welcome.  Direct inquiries
regarding programmatic issues to:

Dr. A. R. Patel
Division of Cancer Etiology
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Suite 535, MSC 7395
6130 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD  20892-7395
Telephone:  (301) 496-9600
FAX:  (301) 402-4279
Email:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Mr. E. C. Melvin
Grants Management Branch
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza South, Suite 243, MSC 7150
6120 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD  20892-7150
Telephone:  (301) 496-7800, EXT 258
FAX:  (301) 496-8601
Email:  [email protected]

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 93.393, Cancer Cause and Prevention Research. Awards
are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title
IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 990158, 42
USC 241 and 285) and administered under HHS policies and grant
regulations.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental
review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency
review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and promote the non-use 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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