Full Text AG-97-005 EDWARD R. ROYBAL CENTERS FOR RESEARCH ON APPLIED GERONTOLOGY NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 14, May 2, 1997 RFA: AG-97-005 P.T. 04 Keywords: Aging/Gerontology Behavioral/Social Studies/Service National Institute on Aging Letter of Intent Receipt Date: July 24, 1997 Application Receipt Date: October 24, 1997 PURPOSE This Request for Applications (RFA) seeks applications in support of the Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology. The Roybal Centers program's purpose is to facilitate the process of translating basic behavioral and social research theories and findings into practical outcomes that will benefit the lives of older people. The Roybal Centers focus on strategies to improve quality of life, enhance productivity, and minimize the need for care. The Roybal Centers have an emphasis distinct from the clinical and biomedical approaches that are sponsored through the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (RFA AG-96-003, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 25, No. 12, April 19, 1996). 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 priorities. This RFA, Centers of Research on Applied Gerontology, addresses several priority areas including chronic disabling conditions, physical activity and fitness, violent and abusive behavior, and unintentional injuries as they relate to older people. 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 202/512-1800). ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Domestic, public and private, for-profit and non-profit institutions and organizations, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal government are eligible to respond to this RFA. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as Principal Investigators. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. The principal investigator (PI) is required to have held, or to now hold, at least two R01 (or similar grants including a competing continuation as separate) grants as principal investigator. These grants must have been awarded as new or competing continuation awards within 10 years of the receipt date of this RFA. The investigative team, including the PI, is required to have held, or to hold, at least three such awards in the same interval. Questions about eligibility may be referred to the program contact listed under INQUIRIES. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT The support mechanism for these awards will be the specialized center (P50) mechanism. Such awards support activities that comprise a multidimensional approach to a particular problem area. A maximum of five years of support may be requested. At that time, funds may be available for competitive renewal of the Centers. All current policies and requirements that govern the research grant programs of the NIH will apply to grants awarded in connection with this RFA. FUNDS AVAILABLE An estimated $2,500,000 to $3,000,000 will be made available in Fiscal Year 1998 to support awards made under this RFA. It is expected that up to six awards will be made at a maximum of $400,000 direct costs per award in the first year, exclusive of facilities and administrative costs on consortia. Budget increments for subsequent years will be limited to no more than two percent. Applications with budget requests exceeding this amount will not be accepted by the NIA and will be returned to the applicant. This level of support is dependent on the receipt of a sufficient number of applications of high scientific merit. Awards pursuant to the RFA are contingent upon the availability of funds for this purpose. The NIA appreciates the value of complementary funding from other public and private sources, including foundations and industrial concerns, for activities that will complement and expand those supported by the NIA. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Researchers are encouraged to seek funding to apply the theories, paradigms, and methodology of the behavioral and social sciences to address practical problems of late middle aged and older people, such as at work, in the home, in transportation, in health care, or in other areas of concern to the population. The focus of this initiative is on translating research results from basic behavioral and social science into practical benefits for older adults. The organizing principle behind each center should reflect this aim of establishing a pattern of research translation from basic research to practical outcome. Each Center should focus on a single organizing theme, rather than cover the spectrum of problems that may be addressed by the initiative as a whole. The individual projects that are part of the Center should have as their goal a practical end point--improvement in some indicator or indicators of functioning in these different environments. The research may apply to a real world situation, findings and methodologies previously identified through smaller or more selective studies. Alternatively, the research may apply broader scientific knowledge from a related domain to a particular problem. Improvements in behavioral indicators relevant to the practical domain (e.g., laboratory measures of cognitive functioning, health status, or subjective well-being) may be considered interim goals. However, the end-point is improvement in functioning in the practical domain itself. One highly desirable feature of the Centers will be a focus on special populations of older people. The size of minority older populations has been increasing. The oldest old remain the population at greatest risk for dependency. Older adults who have been identified as developmentally disabled face particular problems in later life. Poor older adults in rural areas have severely limited access to health and general services. These and other special populations who have pressing needs warrant attention from researchers in aging. The focus on investigating a practical problem will require applicants to show familiarity with the practical domain or environment being investigated as well as with relevant aspects of aging research. That familiarity may be achieved by collaboration with specialists in the domain or community, or by prior experience in applying aging research successfully to this domain. Because practical problems will likely cross disciplinary backgrounds and benefit from input from practice professionals as well as researchers, applications that reflect such broad-based expertise are particularly encouraged. The following examples illustrate potential research strategies in a number of different practical domains. These examples are illustrative only. Applications are welcome from all domains that are important to older adults in daily life. o Use principles from human factors or training research to design work environments that accommodate the needs of older workers, or improve competence in critical skills that support independence. o Use perceptual and cognitive theory and methods to derive valid functional tests of competence for work, for driving, and for other safety-related activities. o Apply models of information processing (e.g., discourse analysis, text comprehension, and schema-based remembering) in adulthood to design complex instructional materials such as insurance, medical, and financial forms, medical and pharmacological information leaflets, or on the cognitive processes that subserve decision making about social security, financial, insurance, and medical treatments (research on older persons' decisions about medical treatments have typically focused on the antecedents and consequences, but have not focused on the cognitive processes involved in making the decision). o Use knowledge about age-related declines in working memory, prospective memory, and long-term memory to investigate the relationship between cognitive functioning and health behaviors and to develop interventions to reduce associated risks. Memory declines may place older persons at increased risk of not being able to follow complex medical regimens, keep medical appointments, or remember to take prescribed medications. o Adapt principles of health behavior change to modify health promotion programs for specific older populations or to address conditions affecting older people's health status (e.g., dietary change, exercise, self-help). o Use models of family systems and functioning to guide family oriented interventions for enhancing family capacity to care for older relatives. o Use theories of organizational analysis (e.g., from medical sociology or from industrial or organizational psychology) to enhance the quality of care for older persons and the receptivity of organizations to meeting the needs of older people (e.g., work settings). o Use community organization theory to develop and evaluate community-based programs for older adults that focus on social activities, public service, or educational development. Structure of the Centers Each Center must consist of a) a management core, b) 2-4 component projects, c) 2-4 pilot projects (annually), and d) a dissemination core. A recruitment core is recommended, but not required. Management Core The management core is central to each Center. Activities of the core should include: o providing administrative advice and guidance on possible applications that arise from the research projects, and materially assisting the application of these results; o facilitating collaborative work across the funded projects by coordinating data collection and providing technical support and guidance to the individual projects as needed; o monitoring individual component projects and pilot projects that are part of the Center, assessing the progress, and reassigning resources as needed during the course of the award (Major changes must be approved by the NIA before going into effect.); o initiating and maintaining interactions with relevant community groups (e.g., community boards, businesses, health care facilities) in order to facilitate the conduct of the Center's research projects. The day-to-day running of the management core will be coordinated by the PI of the Center. However, this core should have an Advisory Committee that oversees the functioning of the core and the individual projects. The Advisory Committee should consist of at least five members. The PI of the Center should be the chair of the Advisory Committee. At least one member of the committee should have primary background in the proposed field of application through a service or commercial role in that field. At least one member of the committee should be an experienced researcher from another institution, whose only connection with the Center is through serving on the committee. Individual project leaders may serve on this committee. However, individual project leaders together with the Center PI cannot be a voting majority of the committee. During the first year of the Center, the Advisory Committee should meet at least twice (one of these meetings may be a conference call, but at least one meeting must be in person) to review the research plans and status of current projects. Major changes in individual projects, the deletion of projects, or the addition of new projects should be approved by the NIA prior to taking effect. Reports of these meetings should be prepared and provided to NIA. During the out years of the Center, the PI should send the Advisory Committee program reports and seek advice as needed, with the entire committee or with individual members. At least one meeting with the entire Advisory Committee should be held each year during the outyears, either in person or by conference call. Component Projects All component projects to be conducted during the grant period must be included in the application and will be reviewed by the scientific review group. A component project may start or terminate at any time during the project period, but at least two projects (and not more than four) must be active at all times. If additional outside support is available, the number of component projects may exceed four. The decision regarding the number of component projects should be based on the ability to provide adequate funding to program activities. The PI of the Center must be a PI on one of these component projects, and each component project must have a different PI. The projects should each relate to the central organizing theme of the Center. The Roybal Centers are intended to generate practical outcomes. Therefore, all Centers should propose at least one component project that has a plan for field research. The possible practical outcomes of such work should be clearly stated. It is also anticipated that the majority of projects funded will have an intervention phase. Therefore, applications that do not include an intervention phase must explain why no intervention is appropriate. Interventions that are selected must be based on sound theory, have supporting pilot data and show a methodologically sound plan for evaluation of the intervention. The evaluation should contain a plan to monitor intended effects of the intervention and some means to monitor unintended and negative consequences. Pilot Projects The Center application must provide for funds to initiate small-scale pilot research by both junior and established investigators at their institutions. Funding may not exceed $10,000 direct costs per pilot project. A minimum of two and a maximum of four pilot projects will be funded annually. Pilot projects will receive funds for one year only. The Center application must describe a plan to develop, identify, review, and monitor pilot projects. However, descriptions of the pilot projects should not be included in the application and they will not be evaluated individually. Dissemination Core The practical outcomes generated by the Roybal Centers should be widely disseminated to the research community and general public so that the results can be implemented by others. Therefore, each Center must participate in a program of dissemination of research results. The applicant should address how they will include research dissemination activities, such as newsletter publication, presentations at scientific conferences, publication in scientific outlets (book chapters and articles in refereed journals), publications in popular press (magazines, newspapers, etc.), interface with community agencies and programs, and interviews with electronic media. Also important are planned strategies for translating research findings into practical programs or services. Recruitment Core Because this RFA encourages working with special populations and requires research involving practical situations, conventional methods of recruiting and testing subjects may not always be appropriate. Therefore, applicants may choose to set-aside up to $50,000 direct costs annually to establish and staff a recruitment core. The roles of this core would be to: o liaise with community groups who can assist in recruitment and retention; o consult community groups about planned studies; o recruit and maintain contact with subjects; o assist in making assessment arrangements either in the laboratory or at test sites; o collect standardized demographic information from subjects; o administer any general performance testing battery (Applicants may choose to allocate more than $50,000 to the recruitment core if such performance testing is directly relevant to hypotheses being addressed either by the Center as a whole or by individual projects.); o assist project members in collecting information about subjects from public records; and o support modest payments for participation and transportation to facilitate recruitment and retention of hard-to-reach groups. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Annual Meeting Investigators are encouraged to request funds to travel once each year to meet with the other investigators who are funded through this RFA. The meetings will be held at the NIH, Bethesda, MD, or at another site agreed to by the PIs and the NIA. The purpose of the meetings is to have investigators working in the same general area share information about research methods and findings. Applicants should include a statement in the application indicating a willingness to participate in such meetings and to cooperate with other researchers in the exchange of data, materials, and ideas. 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," 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. This information is available on the internet at the following URL: http://www.nih.gov LETTER OF INTENT Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by July 24, 1997, a letter of intent that includes identification of all participating investigators and institutions, and a descriptive title. The NIA requests such letters only for the purpose of providing an indication of the number and scope of applications to be received and, therefore, usually does not acknowledge their receipt. A letter of intent is not binding, and it will not enter into the review of any application subsequently submitted, nor is it a necessary requirement for application. The letter of intent is to be sent to: Dr. Jared B. Jobe Behavioral and Social Research National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Room 533, MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 Telephone: (301) 496-3137 FAX: (301) 402-0051 Email: Jared_Jobe@nih.gov APPLICATION PROCEDURES Prospective applicants are advised to communicate with program and grants management staff as early as possible in the planning phase of application preparation. NIA staff are available to assist applicants to ensure that the objectives, structure, and the budget format for the proposed Center are acceptable. Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) and prepared according to the directions in the application packet, with the exceptions noted below. 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, e-mail: asknih@odrockm1.od.nih.gov. The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the application such that it may not reach the review committee in time for review. On the face page of the application: Item 2 Type, "Edward R Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology." Check the "YES" box. A 10 page limit applies separately for the management core, the recruitment core (if proposed), and the dissemination core. A five page limit applies to the description of the pilot program. A 25 page limit applies separately for each component research project. Complete information, including a budget, must be provided for the management core, each component project, the pilot program, the dissemination core, and the recruitment core (if proposed). For the management core, Section C must describe at least: (1) The major theme and rationale for the Center; (2) the organization of the core; (3) the relation between the core and the individual projects, including oversight responsibilities; (4) the relation between the core and the community or service groups most likely to be affected by the research; and (5) the means by which the core will facilitate application of research results. For each component project, the application should be prepared following the guidelines for a research project contained in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/95). For the pilot program, Section C must describe the Center's plan to (1) develop, (2) identify, (3) select, and (4) monitor pilot projects. For the dissemination core, Section C must describe the plans for (1) newsletters, (2) publications and presentations, (3) interface with community agencies and programs, (4) interface with the media, and (5) strategies for translating research findings into practical programs or services. For the recruitment core, Section C must describe: (1) the nature and characteristics of the proposed recruitment sample(s); (2) any screening instruments used to select people as eligible for the study; (3) any proposed standard batteries of tests that will be administered to the whole sample; and (4) what recruitment and retention procedures will be used to obtain and maintain an adequate sample. Send or deliver the completed application and three signed, exact photocopies in a single package to the following office, making sure that the original application with the RFA label attached is on top. 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) At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must be sent to: Chief, Scientific Review Office National Institute on Aging Gateway Building, Room 2C212 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 It is important to send these copies at the same time as the original and three copies are sent to the Division of Research Grants. The application must be received by October 24, 1997. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Upon receipt, DRG staff will review applications for completeness and NIA staff will review applications for responsiveness. Applications that are incomplete, nonresponsive to this RFA, or exceed the annual direct cost limit of $400,000 direct costs per award in the first year, exclusive of facilities and administrative costs on consortia, will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group (IRG) within the NIA, convened in accordance with 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, and assigned a priority score. Although the review may involve an applicant interview, a request for additional information, or a site visit, the written application submitted should be complete. The second level of review will be provided by the National Advisory Council on Aging. The most important criterion for scientific merit review will be the proposed Center's demonstrated potential to act as a conduit between basic behavioral and social research and applied outcomes. Both the evidence of past involvement in related research and the specific plans for seeking applied outcomes described in the application will be considered part of that potential. The following specific review criteria reflect how these overall goals will be evaluated in the review process. For competing continuation applications, progress on the criteria listed below and future plans will be considered. For new applications, pilot data and future plans will be considered. 1. Overall, the proposed Center will be evaluated for: a) the theoretically and empirically supported rationale for the particular approach to extending basic behavioral and social research into applied areas; b) quality of coordination of center activities around a theme, as described in the cores; c) commitment from the host institution to the research activity and availability of appropriate facilities for the research activities proposed; and d) appropriateness of the budget for the Center. 2. The management core will be evaluated for: a) quality of the evaluation plan for monitoring the effectiveness of proposed interventions; b) leadership ability, relevant experience in appropriate areas, and scientific stature of the PI. The time commitment of the Center PI must be sufficient to show substantial personal supervision of the various activities of the Center. A past history of applying basic behavioral and social research in a relevant area will be an important advantage; and c) qualifications and experience of members of the advisory committee to the Center. 3. The component projects will be evaluated for: a) scientific and technical significance and originality of the component projects. Pilot data will be advantageous; b) appropriateness and adequacy of the experimental approach and methodology proposed by the component projects to carry out the research; and c) qualifications and experience of the component project investigators and appropriateness of their investment of time in the project. 4. The pilot project program will be evaluated on the quality of the plan to develop, solicit, identify, review, monitor, and evaluate the pilot projects. 5. The recruitment core will be evaluated on: a) the 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 be evaluated; and b) plans to liaise, consult, recruit, and collect data from participants. 6. The dissemination core will be evaluated on the quality of the plans for dissemination activities, such as newsletters, publications and presentations, interface with community agencies and programs, interviews with electronic media, and planned strategies for translating research findings into practical programs or services. The initial review group will also examine the provisions for the protection of human and animal subjects and the safety of the research environment. AWARD CRITERIA Awards will be made on the basis of the availability of funds. Primary weight will be given to the NIH peer review results. Program balance will also be considered. INQUIRIES Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged in order to clarify issues or questions. The opportunity to clarify any issues or answer any questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Dr. Jared B. Jobe Behavioral and Social Research National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Room 533, MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 Telephone: (301) 496-3137 FAX: (301) 402-0051 Email: Jared_Jobe@nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Mr. David Reiter Grants and Contracts Management National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Room 2N212, MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-1472 Email: dr36t@nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, Number 93.866. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A Section 301 (42 USC 241) and administered under PHS grant policies and Federal Regulations, most specifically at 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. Special Terms of Awards applying to projects funded in response to this RFA are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable OMB administrative guidelines, HHS grant administrative regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies. Awardees will maintain custody of, and primary rights to, their data developed under their awards, subject to Government rights of access, consistent with current HHS, PHS, and NIH policies. 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 and contract 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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