Full Text PAR-96-047
 
MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION GRANTS
 
NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 14, May 3, 1996
 
PA NUMBER:  PAR-96-047
 
P.T. 34

Keywords: 
  Emotional/Mental Health 
  Biomedical Research Training 

 
National Institute of Mental Health
 
Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  August 1
Application Receipt Date:  October 1
 
PURPOSE
 
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Education Grants provide a
flexible mechanism for developing innovative educational programs to
encourage individuals to pursue mental health research or to enhance
research and career skills in critical areas of need.  To meet its
programmatic needs, the NIMH will accept grant applications in
response to this announcement that propose one or more of the
following educational objectives:
 
o  Providing experiences to motivate high school, college, graduate,
postgraduate students, and scientists to pursue careers in mental
health research
 
o  Teaching research and other related skills that can aid in
enhancing the participants' research and career success, and aid the
advancement of mental health research
 
o  Developing and evaluating new curricula or approaches to advance
either of the above goals
 
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,
Mental Health Education Grants (R25), is related to the priority area
of mental health and mental disorders.  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) from
the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-512-1800).
 
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
Any not-for-profit or for-profit organization engaged in
health-related education or research and located in the United
States, its possessions, or territories may apply for a Mental Health
Education Grant.  Since this is a short-term educational program,
citizenship requirements do not apply to participants.
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
The mechanism of support for this program announcement is the
education project grant (R25).
 
FUNDS AVAILABLE
 
Funds requested under this mechanism are limited to $100,000 per year
in direct costs.  Requests for lower direct costs, as well as
matching funds from the applicant institution, are encouraged.
Indirect costs are payable at the rate of eight percent of total
direct costs.  The NIMH anticipates making approximately three to
five R25 awards each year.
 
Education Grants may be made for one to five years; the length of the
grant period should be consistent with the objectives of the program.
In some cases, these awards will be made to develop new educational
approaches for which the institution will subsequently assume
support. In other cases, the awards will strengthen ongoing
activities that the NIMH will support over periods of one to five
years.
 
Applications for shorter project periods (i.e., for or one or two
years of support) are encouraged, but programs proposed for three to
five years may also be considered. Mental Health Education Grants are
renewable (see "additional considerations for competitive renewals").
 
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
The activities supported by Mental Health Education Grants typically
involve educational experiences shorter in duration than those funded
under training grants such as National Research Service Awards (NRSA)
or NIH career development (K) awards, which cover several months to a
number of years. However, no use of this mechanism to circumvent or
supplement existing training mechanisms will be allowed.  Mental
Health Education Grants support only educational activities focused
on mental health research, and may not be used for support of
clinical training or clinically oriented continuing education
programs in the mental health professions.
 
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact appropriate
NIMH staff (listed under INQUIRIES) to ascertain whether their
application meets the program priorities of the particular Institute
funding component. If applications do not address an identified
educational need of the NIMH, as stated above, applications may be
returned without review.
 
Mental Health Education Grants may support a variety of educational
activities, including:
 
o  Short courses, workshops, or seminars
 
o  Structured short-term (less than three months duration) research
experiences
 
o  Projects designed for curriculum development or the design,
implementation, and evaluation of educational programs
 
Examples of educational programs that would be desirable include, but
are not limited to, the following:
 
o  Seminars, workshops, or short-term courses about research career
opportunities designed specifically for students enrolled in graduate
school degree programs and/or postdoctoral fellows
 
o  Structured short-term research experiences for promising
predoctoral students interested in research involving any of the
areas covered within the mission of the NIMH, such as neuroscience
and behavioral science, clinical and treatment studies, epidemiology
and mental health services research, and AIDS (see "INQUIRIES")
 
o  Summer courses or workshops designed to facilitate careers in
mental health research for young scientists at the intersection of
basic and clinical research
 
o  Short-term courses or seminars designed to increase awareness
about ethical issues surrounding scientific research
 
o  Short-term courses or seminars to address issues of relevance to
women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in scientific
careers
 
o  Structured summer research experiences, workshops, or seminars for
undergraduate or high school students interested in pursuing research
careers in neuroscience or behavioral science
 
o  Seminars designed to facilitate research experiences among child
clinical psychology interns or child psychiatry fellows
 
o  Workshops focusing on designing improved or "model" training
programs in clinical child psychology
 
o  Workshops to identify areas of need in mental health services
and/or prevention research and research training, including areas
such as managed care, cost-effectiveness, social work, and
public-academic liaison issues
 
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 new
provisions that are substantially different from the 1990 policies.
 
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 reprinted
in the NIH GUIDE FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS of March 18, 1994, Volume
23, Number 11.
 
Investigators may obtain copies from these sources or from program
staff or contact person listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may
also provide additional relevant information concerning the policy.
 
LETTER OF INTENT
 
Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by August 1, a letter of
intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed research,
the name, address,and telephone number 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 a subsequent application, the information that it
contains allows NIMH staff to estimate the potential review workload
and avoid conflict of interest in the review.  The letter of intent
may be sent to either of the program staff listed under INQUIRIES.
 
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
 
Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 5/95).  Applications kits are available at most
institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from
the Grants Information Office, Office of Extramural Outreach and
Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge
Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/710-0267,
email:  ASKNIH@odrockm1.od.nih.gov.
 
Applicants must use the forms for regular research grants and follow
the specific instructions on pages 6-20 in the PHS 398 application
kit, with the exceptions listed below.  As in the standard PHS 398
instructions, sections "a-d" of the Research Plan in R25 applications
are limited to 25 pages.
 
Specific Instructions for R25 Applications:
 
1. Application face page: item number two on this page must include
the program announcement number and the title, Mental Health
Education Grants (R25).
 
2. Resources (Form page 8): describe the educational environment;
include a description of the facilities, laboratories, participating
departments, computer services, and any other resources to be used in
the conduct of the proposed program.  Use continuation pages, as
necessary.
 
3. Research Plan: part "c" of this section should be retitled
"Preliminary Data and Activities" and included if applicable.  This
section should contain information on steps that have led to the
proposed Education project. A section entitled "Progress Report" is
required for competing continuation and supplemental applications.
 
4. Research Plan: part "d" of this section should be retitled
"Education Program Plan" and should contain material organized under
the following subheadings, as appropriate to the specific project:
 
a) Program Direction - describe arrangements for administration of
the program; provide evidence that the Program Director is actively
engaged in research and/or teaching in an area related to mental
health, and can organize and administer the education program, as
well as evidence of institutional commitment and support for the
proposed program.
 
b) Program Faculty/Staff - describe the characteristics and
responsibilities of the faculty; provide evidence that participating
faculty and preceptors are actively engaged in research or other
scholarly activities related to mental health.
 
c) Proposed Education Program - provide programmatic detail on the
special activities proposed (e.g., courses, curricula), including
description of plans to provide education to participants regarding
the responsible conduct of research.
 
d) Program Participants - provide detail about the proposed
participants; include a description of plans for recruiting as
participants individuals from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
 
e) Education Evaluation Plan - include evaluation plans for
determining success of the program in achieving its goals and
objectives.
 
5. Research Plan: if applicable, under part ~h~ of this section,
"Consortium/Contractual Arrangements," include a description of plans
for collaborating with other institutions for purposes of exchange
and sharing of resources, including faculty, equipment, and
facilities.
 
Allowable Costs
 
Allowable costs must be consistent with PHS policy and be reasonable,
allocable, and well documented and justified for the education
program.
 
Specifically, funds may be requested for:
 
Personnel costs - faculty members participating in the design and
implementation of the education program may request salary and fringe
benefits appropriate for the percent of time devoted to the program.
Salaries requested may not exceed the levels commensurate with the
institution's policy for similar positions.  (Mentoring interactions
and activities with students are considered a regular part of a
faculty member's academic duties and are non-reimbursable).
 
Administrative and clerical salary costs associated with the program
may be direct charges to the grant only when specifically identified
and justified as reflecting significantly greater effort than the
level of such services routinely provided by academic departments.
Requests for consultant costs, equipment, supplies, necessary travel,
and other project related expenses must be justified as specifically
required by the program proposed and not duplicate items generally
available at the institution for educational programs.
 
Participants in the education program may receive only per diem
living (necessary lodging and meals) and domestic travel expenses
associated with attendance at the education programs.
 
Unallowable costs:
 
Tuition costs are not allowed under this program nor can the
participants receive any payments or remuneration for attendance.
Funds from this program may not be used to supplement stipends or
provide other individual compensation to trainees supported by PHS
training grants.
 
An original and five legible copies of the completed and signed
application are to be sent or delivered to:
 
DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)
 
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
 
Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS
referral guidelines.  Applications that are complete 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 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.
 
The review committee will assess the educational, scientific, and
technical merit of any application assigned to and accepted by the
NIMH.  These applications should be of high quality and responsive to
the stated purpose of this program announcement.
 
Grant applications to the Mental Health Education Program should be
characterized by innovation, scholarship, and responsiveness to the
special and/or changing needs of mental health research.  To ensure
that these objectives are met, applications will be evaluated by the
following criteria, depending upon the nature and complexity of the
proposed program.
 
Review Criteria
 
o  Novelty and significance of the education program to mental health
research
 
o  Quality of the program leadership, including the participating
faculty, both in terms of past records of achievement and
qualifications to implement future plans as proposed
 
o  The overall quality and adequacy of the design of the program to
achieve its short-term objectives and long-term goals
 
o  Adequacy of the specialized curriculum to augment the research
education
 
o  Evidence of the institution's commitment to the program
 
o  Adequacy of the program's plan to evaluate its effectiveness in
achieving the proposed objectives
 
o  When appropriate, adequacy of plans to disseminate knowledge
learned from the program to the mental health research community
through a variety of routes including appropriate publication in
professional periodicals and journals, and presentations at national
meetings
 
o  Appropriateness of the budget and the duration of the support
needed to achieve the stated goals and objectives
 
o  In addition to the criteria stated above, applications seeking a
continuation of support will be evaluated by peer reviewers in terms
of the progress reported from prior support, the viability of the
proposed program extension, and continuing curriculum needs in the
particular area of specialization in which the grant application is
focused.
 
AWARD CRITERIA
 
Applications will compete for available funds with all other approved
applications assigned to NIMH.  The following will be considered in
making funding decisions: Quality of the application as determined by
peer review, availability of funds, program priority, and balance
among types of grants supported by NIMH.
 
Schedule
 
Applications for Mental Health Education Grants will be accepted and
reviewed once a year only according to the following schedule:
 
Letter of Receipt Date:        August 1
Application Receipt Date:      October 1
Review Meeting:                February/March
NIMH Council Meeting:          May
Earliest Possible Start Date:  July 1
 
INQUIRIES
 
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIMH staff for
technical assistance and information concerning current program
priorities before applying for an award.  Requests for program
information about Mental Health Education Grants may be addressed to:
 
Henry Khachaturian, Ph.D.
Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11-103
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-8033
FAX:  (301) 443-1731
Email:  hkhach@helix.nih.gov
 
Kenneth G. Lutterman, Ph.D.
Division of Epidemiology and Services Research
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-95
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-3373
FAX:  (301) 443-4045
Email:  klutterm@nih.gov
 
Leonard Mitnick, Ph.D.
Office of AIDS Programs
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-75
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-9719
FAX:  (301) 443-9719
Email:  lmitnick@nih.gov
 
George Niederehe, Ph.D.
Division of Clinical and Treatment Research
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18-101
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-3264
FAX:  (301) 594-6784
Email:  gniedere@nih.gov
 
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
 
Diana S. Trunnell
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Mental Health
Parklawn Building, Room 7C-08
Bethesda, MD  20857
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 Public Health Service Grants Policy Statement (April 1,
1994).
 
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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