MOUSE METABOLIC PHENOTYPING CENTERS FOR MODELS OF DIABETES AND ITS COMPLICATIONS
Release Date: February 8, 2000
RFA: DK-00-014 (This RFA has been renewed, see RFA-DK-05-008)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: June 12, 2000
Application Receipt Date: July 12, 2000
PURPOSE
This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits applications to establish
national centers for the purpose of detailed metabolic phenotyping of
knock-out mice and other mouse models potentially useful for
understanding diabetes, its complications, obesity and related
metabolic diseases or conditions. These facilities are expected to
provide a range of standardized procedures to characterize metabolism,
body composition, feeding behavior, activity, tissue pathology, and
other physiologic, anatomic or pathological alterations that may occur
in these mice. The user group for these centers is expected to be NIH
grantees and others, both inside and outside the institution, who wish
to submit their various mice for detailed metabolic and physiologic
phenotyping beyond what would be possible or cost-effective in their
individual laboratories. Because the mice to be characterized will
have been developed on a variety of genetic backgrounds,
characterization must be applicable to the major mouse strains used for
research. Applicants should propose plans to prioritize use of the
facility and for cost recovery from users. Coordination among the
Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers established in response to this RFA
will be required. Finally, Centers are expected to develop improved
methods to characterize the mice using a Pilot and Feasibility Project
mechanism.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a
PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This RFA, (Mouse
Metabolic Phenotyping Centers for Models of Diabetes and Its
Complications), is related to the priority area of Diabetes and Chronic
Disabling Conditions. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of
"Healthy People 2010" at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applications may be submitted by domestic for-profit and nonprofit
organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges,
hospitals, units of State and Local governments, and eligible agencies
of the Federal government. Foreign institutions are not eligible,
although they may apply for Pilot and Feasibility funds from the Mouse
Metabolic Phenotyping Centers. Racial/ethnic minority individuals,
women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as
principal investigators.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative
agreement (U24) award mechanism. The cooperative agreement is used
when participation by NIH staff is warranted to support and/or
stimulate the recipients' activities by working jointly with the award
recipients as a partner. However, NIH staff will not assume prime
responsibility or take a dominant role in the activity. Details of the
responsibilities, relationships, and governance of the studies funded
under cooperative agreements are discussed below in "Terms and
Conditions of Award" under SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS. Except as otherwise
stated in this announcement, awards will be administered under National
Institutes of Health (NIH) grants policy as stated in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
This RFA is a one-time solicitation. The total project period for an
application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed five
years. The anticipated award date is March 1, 2001.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
The NIDDK intends to commit approximately $3,000,000 in FY 2001 to fund
up to 4 new cooperative agreements in response to this RFA. An
applicant may request a project period of up to 5 years and a budget
for direct costs of up to $750,000 per year. Budget requests should
make explicit the anticipated operating costs including fees charged to
users for services. Because the nature and scope of the proposed
research may vary, it is anticipated that the size of the awards will
also vary. Although the financial plans of the NIDDK provide support
for this program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the
availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of
applications of outstanding scientific and technical merit. At this
time, it is not known if this RFA will be reissued.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Background
Mutant mouse models, generated either by directed knock-out or
transgenic techniques or by large-scale mutagenesis, are important
tools for understanding the role of specific genes in health and
disease. Genetic factors are thought to underlie the initiation,
progression, and severity of complex diseases of interest to NIDDK:
diabetes, obesity, and the devastating micro- and macrovascular
complications of diabetes, such as nephropathy, neuropathy,
retinopathy, and atherosclerosis. These diseases have proven difficult
to study, partly due to lack of very good animal models and partly due
to the complexity of the problem. Good animal models may allow for
more rapid development and assessment of therapies and preventive
measures. Candidate genes for diabetes and related disorders are being
identified and mutated in directed research projects. These new mice
include animals containing multiple altered genes or genes altered in
specific tissues. Heterozygous knock-out mice are also potentially
useful models for complex metabolic disease. New large-scale
mutagenesis programs are expected to generate animal models of complex
metabolic diseases in addition to other disorders.
The resultant mice from both these approaches may have subtle
phenotypes that could be particularly difficult to detect with simple
high throughput tests, or with data taken at a single time point.
Defects may be exposed only in the presence of physiologic or
nutritional stress. Moreover, simple genetic manipulations could
result in a very complex phenotype due to minor alterations in a large
number of pathways and organs, or in their interaction. The types of
experiments that are currently available to study metabolic processes--
glucose and insulin clamps, indirect calorimetry, or organ balance,
PET, NMR and other tracer studies--are very difficult to do in tiny
animals, and require specialized equipment and expertise.
Characterization of diabetic complications via measurement of
glomerular filtration rate, cardiac or renal hemodynamics also become
technically challenging when done in mice. Therefore, researchers
would benefit from a few centralized, well-equipped facilities to which
they could submit their mice for detailed phenotyping.
Objectives and Scope
A national Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center must be an identifiable
unit within a single institution such as a university, or a consortium
of cooperating institutions including an affiliated university. An
existing program of excellence in biomedical research in the area of
diabetes or diabetes complications would be considered a strength. The
center would be available to study mice generated by NIH-funded and
other investigators from both outside and inside the institution.
In general, Centers will be comprised of several components. Examples
include a phenotyping laboratory and analysis core, an animal care
core, a research and development program, and an administrative core.
In addition, a Center may house an informatics core, a modeling
project, or other cores deemed necessary. It is hoped that Centers
will play a leadership role in the standardization of currently
available phenotyping tests and in the development of new technologies.
Centers are encouraged to propose a Pilot and Feasibility program
capable of supporting small research projects within and outside the
parent institution for the development of new technologies.
The Centers funded by this RFA will be expected to interact with each
other to maximize and coordinate service to the diabetes research
community. A National Steering Committee comprised of funded principal
investigators, NIH staff, and external advisors will be established in
order to oversee and coordinate the funded Centers, and it is expected
to meet about once a year. Applicants should propose a description of
this body and its duties.
A more thorough description of possible cores follows.
A. Phenotyping Laboratory And Analysis Cores
Centers will design or adapt and standardize a variety of tests that
can be conducted on living animals or on body fluids and tissue
samples. These tests would constitute a metabolic phenotyping 'exam'
for potential mouse models of diabetes, diabetic complications, obesity
and complex metabolic diseases. Emphasis will be placed on
technologies that study live animals, although Centers may accept
tissue samples (pancreas, kidney, heart, liver, fat) or body fluids
(blood, plasma, urine) as well as whole live animals from users for
phenotyping. Centers may choose to provide either standard or
customized 'exams' for various animal models, and should propose a
method to advise users in order to determine the appropriate series of
tests. Phenotyping tests may be designed to identify: 1) metabolic,
signaling or endocrine alterations that result in altered glucose
metabolism, obesity or feeding behavior, insulin resistance,
dyslipidemia, diabetes, or other metabolic diseases; 2) altered
susceptibility to or progression of diabetes, obesity, etc.; 3) defects
in hormone production, secretion, receptor recognition, or
intracellular action; 4) developmental alterations leading to diabetes,
alterations in severity of diabetic complications, obesity, or other
metabolic disorders; or 5) susceptibility to the sequelae of diabetes
such as nephropathy, macrovascular disease, retinopathy, or neuropathy.
In addition, a series of high-throughput tests may be proposed to
identify other possible disease models of interest to NIDDK.
Applicants must carefully justify methodologies, technologies,
statistical analytical tools, and costs, and describe the limitations
of the approaches. Applicants must indicate the number of tests that
can be performed each year. Potentially interesting mice will have
been developed on a variety of genetic backgrounds. Therefore
characterization must be applicable to the major mouse strains used for
research. Centers will be required to establish 'normal' parameters
for each test on the appropriate wild type background strains. A
quality control method for establishing, maintaining, and documenting
the reliability of all tests should be proposed.
Many of the proposed tests are likely to require significant
development and standardization during the funding period. A detailed
plan for such development should be included in the application.
Applicants are encouraged to work with members of other communities,
specifically researchers that already have important techniques used in
rats, in order to miniaturize or otherwise adapt these extant
techniques for use in mice.
Each funded center will have unique strengths, either because of the
technologies available to it, or because of expertise in some aspect of
metabolism, diabetes, diabetic complications, etc. It is expected that
each center will work closely with the others through a National
Steering Committee to take full advantage of these strengths and
provide the best possible range of tests. Ongoing research to provide
new tests, with an emphasis on novel technologies and miniaturization,
should also be coordinated through this body.
Examples of phenotyping tests include, but are not limited to:
o Glucose and insulin clamps;
o Carbon-13 NMR studies of metabolic pathway flux;
o PET or other imaging measurements of regional nutrient uptake;
o Whole body or organ balance tracer measurements of carbohydrate,
protein, amino acid, or lipid uptake and production;
o Body composition measurements;
o Appetite, food intake, whole body energy balance and activity
measurements;
o Glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, and renal hemodynamics;
o Exercise stress testing;
o Physiologic measurements, such as blood pressure, cardiac output,
regional blood flow, or nerve function;
o Anatomy and tissue pathology;
o Hormone, cytokine, metabolite, ion, enzyme profiles in very small
volumes of body fluids;
o Physiologic and/or metabolic response to exogenous hormones or
altered diet;
o Alterations in development;
o Immune parameters, especially those that are significant for
development of type 1 diabetes and diabetic complications; or
o Vulnerability of tissues to complications of diabetes.
B. Animal Care Core
Investigators will receive, house, feed, monitor and maintain the
health of submitted mice for the duration required for the phenotyping
exam. Proposals must include policies, procedures, and anticipated
costs for these items. It is not anticipated that these animals will
be returned to the users.
C. Research and Development Core
This RFA aims to foster the development of new technologies and tests
that will enhance and enlarge the capability of the centers to
characterize mouse models of diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders,
and diabetic complications. This might include, for example, novel
technologies applied to living animals, miniaturization of existing
assays, or contracting or collaborating with investigators from other
areas to lend their expertise to develop new technologies or assays. A
detailed plan for these projects should be submitted in the
application. In addition to in-house research and development efforts
that would take place under the auspices of the principal or co-
investigators, the Centers are encouraged to propose a Pilot and
Feasibility program. This would provide short-term grant support (1-2
years) to fund projects in new technology and test development and
would provide a mechanism to draw upon technologies yet to be developed
or expertise not found within the Center. Centers would be expected to
dedicate at least $150,000 of direct costs during years 2-5 for these
projects, which would be solicited from inside and outside the
institution. This money would be competitively distributed to 1)
develop new technologies or miniaturization of existing technologies
for use in mice; 2) develop applications of existing technologies for
mouse phenotyping; 3) provide new tests to meet identifiable,
outstanding needs of the Center(s); 4) establish new types of
mathematical models, informatics, databases or products that otherwise
augment the Centers. These funds are not intended to support ongoing
funded research of an investigator. They would in most cases not be
renewable. Applications may contain examples of the sorts of Pilot and
Feasibility projects that might be solicited. These might outline
goals, experimental approach, and the difficulties that would need to
be overcome, but they need not be fully developed.
Each Center will be required to administer a finite portfolio of Pilot
and Feasibility Projects, which will likely be a subset of those
selected under the auspices of the National Steering Committee. These
will be funded through the parent U24 awards as subcontracts to outside
institutions, or as subprojects within the parent institution. It is
expected that the Pilot and Feasibility programs will be overseen by
the National Steering Committee, which will work with the NIH and all
funded Centers to determine the appropriate methods for national
solicitation, selection, and administration of these awards. The U24
application should propose methods by which these will be accomplished.
D. Administrative Core
Applicants must provide methods to maintain center records, establish,
standardize, document and distribute protocols, and to provide for
quality control and budgetary oversight. Applicants must also provide
methods for establishing priorities among submitted mice, and a plan
for full or partial cost recovery from users. The same priority
criteria and reimbursement structure should be applied to submitted
animals from all investigators, whether inside or outside the parent
institution. Applicants should plan to advise users on the appropriate
'exam' for their particular animal model and research goals. They must
plan to distribute funds for Pilot and Feasibility projects, and inform
the research community of the available phenotyping exams. An internal
advisory board consisting of the principal and co-investigators and
other important personnel should be proposed in order to oversee the
daily operation of the center. The Applicant should describe how the
center will fit into, augment, and be supported by the parent
institution, and plan for designating an alternate or replacement
Principal Investigator should it become necessary.
E. Databases and Data Sharing
Timely sharing of information, materials, protocols and technology will
speed scientific discovery by permitting researchers access to
well-characterized resources as quickly as possible. At the same time,
data collected on submitted mouse models cannot be considered public
information. Applicants are expected to propose appropriate means of
recording data and interacting with the research community. They
should comment regarding the confidentiality of data collected on
submitted mouse models. It is hoped that databases, web sites, etc.
will be able to serve the needs of all centers established by this
initiative.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must indicate their willingness to be part of a National
Steering Committee consisting of representatives of each Phenotyping
Center, NIH staff, and members of the scientific community who are
unaffiliated with funded centers, and who will act in an advisory
capacity. The annual meetings will be held to encourage exchange of
information among investigators who participate in this program. A
major goal of these meetings is to facilitate progress by providing a
forum that will lead to sharing skills, ideas, technology, data, and
biological reagents. At the meetings, participants will also discuss
quality assurance, informatics, coordination, sharing, means of
informing the research community of services offered by the Phenotyping
Centers, and training. Applicants must indicate their willingness to
work together to develop a range of phenotyping tests that are
complimentary. If duplication is absolutely necessary, centers should
expect to use similar protocols. The National Steering Committee will
also participate in administering the Pilot and Feasibility arms of the
Centers. Applicants must include travel funds that will allow the
Principal Investigator and at least one other key research scientist to
participate each year for a one-day meeting in Bethesda, Maryland.
During the course of the funding period, technologies will improve, and
the rate of progress and focus of work supported by the cooperative
agreement may change. It is expected that the Principal
Investigator(s), in consultation with NIDDK program staff and the
National Steering Committee, will make any necessary adjustments to
accommodate the changing research environment, to remain focused on
appropriate goals, to maintain excellent coordination with the other
projects funded under this RFA, and to incorporate new technological
advances.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AWARD
The administrative and funding instrument used for the Centers is a
cooperative agreement (U24), an "assistance" mechanism in which
substantial NIH scientific and programmatic involvement with the
awardee is anticipated during the performance of the agreement.
Under the cooperative agreement, NIDDK's purpose is to work with the
Center as a partner to assist and stimulate the Centers' planning and
implementation. NIDDK will not assume primary direction,
responsibility, or a dominant operating role in the Center. The
primary role and total responsibility for Center programs resides with
each Center. The Center and the NIDDK as noted below will share
specific tasks and activities in completing the agreement.
These special Terms of Award are in addition to and not in lieu of
otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget
administrative guidelines, HHS Grant Administration Regulations at 45
CFR Parts 74 and 92, and other HHS and NIH Grant Administration
policies.
1. Awardee Rights and Responsibilities
The Awardee will have primary and lead responsibilities for the project
as a whole, but is expected to collaborate and cooperate with the
National Steering Committee, as well as with NIDDK staff. The Awardee
is expected to administer the Center, design and provide mouse
phenotyping tests for the diabetes and metabolic diseases research
community, and facilitate and support research as outlined in the
application.
The Awardee will establish an Internal Advisory Committee to provide
scientific and administrative oversight. The Advisory Committee will
be composed of the lead center personnel, and other technical or
research personnel. These individuals are not limited to center
faculty. The committee is expected to meet at least monthly. Minutes
of these meetings will be made available to NIH staff upon request.
The Advisory Committee is charged with both prioritizing projects
submitted to the Center and periodically reviewing Center activities to
ensure that Center objectives, as outlined in the application, are
being met.
Data on normal mouse background strains shall become public and
available. The users will retain custody of, and have primary rights
to, the data taken on their particular mouse models, subject to
Government rights of access consistent with current HHS and NIH
policies. These data may be made public with permission of the
investigator to whom the animals belong.
2. NIH Staff Responsibilities
The NIDDK Program Officer will have substantial scientific and
programmatic involvement in the Centers. NIDDK will designate a
Program Officer and a Grants Management Specialist to provide
administrative oversight of the cooperative agreement. The NIDDK and
the awardees will jointly select members of the National Steering
Committee. The NIDDK Program Officer will assist the awardees in
coordinating activities among the Centers, providing information to
researchers about the availability of services, and in developing
policies for prioritization of use of these services.
3. Collaborative Responsibilities
A National Steering Committee, composed of the principal investigators
of each supported Metabolic Phenotyping Center, the NIDDK Program
Officer, and external advisors, has the primary responsibility for
developing and implementing common procedures, guidelines, and criteria
across Centers. It will also be responsible for establishing common
procedures and guidelines for Pilot and Feasibility programs, and for
reviewing submitted applications. The Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping
Centers agree to use any common guidelines and procedures set by the
National Steering Committee (e.g., process for systematic review of
quality control, protocols, record keeping, database management, report
formats).
4. Arbitration
Any disagreement that may arise on scientific and programmatic matters
within the scope of the cooperative agreement and between award
recipients and NIDDK may be brought to arbitration. An arbitration
panel will be composed of three members: one selected by the Center
Principal Investigator; a second member selected by NIDDK; and, the
third member selected by the two prior selected members. This special
arbitration procedure in no way effects the awardee's right to appeal
an adverse action that is appealable in accordance with PHS regulations
at 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D, and HHS regulation at 45 CFR Part 16.
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to submit by June 12, 2000 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 the RFA in response to which the application
may be submitted.
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 NIDDK staff to estimate the potential review
workload and avoid conflict of interest in the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent to:
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Activities, NIDDK
Room 653
6707 Democracy Boulevard MSC 5452
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
(Bethesda, MD 20817 for express/courier service)
Telephone: (301) 594-8885
FAX: (301) 480-3505
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used
in applying for these grants. These forms 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, email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) 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. In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2
of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be
marked.
The sample RFA label available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been
modified to allow for this change. Please note this is in pdf format.
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and three signed photocopies, in one package to:
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040 - MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
At time of submission, two additional copies of the application must be
sent to:
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Activities, NIDDK
Room 653
6707 Democracy Boulevard MSC 5452
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
(Bethesda, MD 20817 for express/courier service)
Applications must be received by July 12, 2000. If an application is
received after this date, it will be returned to the applicant without
review. Supplemental documents containing significant revision or
additions will not be accepted, unless applicants are notified by the
Scientific Review Administrator.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application
in response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently
pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending
application. The CSR will not accept any application that is
essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude
the submission of substantial revisions of applications previously
reviewed, but such applications must include an introduction addressing
the previous critique.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS
Applicants must carefully describe methodologies, technologies, quality
control measures, record keeping, statistical tools, costs and cost
recovery strategies, and known limitations of proposed tests.
Applicants should outline strategies for research and development of
new tests, or implementation of tests that will take place during the
funded period. Since new techniques are being developed rapidly, the
applicant should discuss how they will take advantage of technical and
methodological advances as they occur.
Pilot and Feasibility Program: Applicants may include brief
descriptions of sample Pilot and Feasibility studies to demonstrate the
sort of projects likely to be solicited. Applicants should outline
strategies for solicitation and review of Pilot and Feasibility
applications, and for administering awards. It is expected that all
awarded Centers will work with NIH, each other, and the National
Steering Committee to finalize and implement policies regarding the
Pilot and Feasibility programs. Each Center will be required to
administer a subset of awarded Pilot and Feasibility Projects, either
as subcontracts under the parent U24 award to other institutions, or as
subprojects within the parent institution.
Internal Advisory Committee: The application should describe the
composition and functions of an Internal Advisory Committee that would
establish priorities for the Center, discuss issues of quality control,
cost recovery, record keeping, new technologies, etc.
National Steering Committee: One external National Steering Committee
will be established to oversee all funded Centers. Applicants should
propose strategies for staffing this committee, and an outline of its
duties.
Annual Meetings: Applicants must include travel funds that will allow
the Principal Investigator and at least one other key person to
participate each year in a one-day meeting in Bethesda, Maryland.
Applications should include a statement indicating willingness to
participate in these meetings.
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR
and responsiveness by the NIDDK. Incomplete and/or non-responsive
applications 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 convened by the NIDDK in accordance with
the review criteria stated below. 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 the applications under review, will be
discussed, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review
by the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory
Council.
Applications for Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers will be reviewed
in the context of their ability to support and expand NIDDK's goals to
study and treat diabetes and its complications, obesity, and other
complex metabolic diseases. Specific review criteria are:
o Proposed Phenotyping Tests: Will the proposed tests characterize a
reasonable range of metabolic phenomena, and provide information that
would otherwise be unavailable to most laboratories, or more cost-
effective to conduct centrally? Do they utilize state-of-the-art
technology? Is the necessary technical and analytical expertise
available? Will the proposed tests help researchers characterize
existing mouse models of disease and identify new ones?
o Innovation: Does the application demonstrate potential for in-house
development of important new tests and technologies that will expand
the scope and quality of the available phenotyping exam? In addition,
does it indicate a willingness to participate in a Pilot and
Feasibility program that would also contribute new tests and
technologies to the Center? Are adequate mechanisms proposed for
collecting and reviewing applications and administering funds for this
program?
o Coordination: Is the applicant willing and able to provide a
phenotyping service for the national diabetes, metabolism, and NIDDK
research communities? Does the applicant state a willingness to work
with the NIH, other awarded Centers and a National Steering Committee
to develop the best possible set of phenotyping tests? Will this
service be accessible to outside investigators, and are the criteria
for prioritizing the testing of submitted mice fair and equitable? Is
the applicant willing to share protocols and technology with the
research public? Is the applicant willing to participate in developing
a national database of test results on control animals from appropriate
background strains, and other appropriate information?
o Management: Are the applicant’s plans for oversight, animal care,
quality control and record-keeping adequate?
o Investigators: Are the investigators appropriately trained and well
suited to carry out this work? Do they have experience with metabolic
research, with mice, and with the proposed technologies? Is the
proposed work appropriate to the experience level of the principal
investigator and other researchers?
o Resources and Environment: Does the institutional environment in
which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success?
Is there evidence of institutional support? Are there appropriate
facilities and equipment, and will the Center have access to them? Is
there an intellectual research community available to participate in
test development? Are there candidate users at the applicant
institution?
In addition to the above criteria, in accordance with NIH policy, all
applications will also be reviewed with respect to the following:
o The reasonableness of the proposed budget.
o The adequacy of the proposed protection of humans, animals, or the
environment, to the extent that they may be adversely affected by the
project proposed in the application.
Schedule
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: June 12, 2000
Application Receipt Date: July 12, 2000
Peer Review Date: November-December, 2000
Council Review: January, 2001
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: March 1, 2001
AWARD CRITERIA
Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:
o Merit of the proposed service and scientific projects as determined
by peer review;
o Programmatic priorities, including geographic location of the
applicant organization, diversity of phenotyping tests, willingness to
work with other institutions to minimize overlap between centers, and
relevance of the phenotyping tests to advance the understanding of
diabetes and diabetic complications;
o Availability of funds; and
o Total cost of the project.
INQUIRIES
Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. The opportunity to
clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome.
Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:
Maren R. Laughlin, Ph.D.
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases
NIDDK 45/5AN-24J
45 Center Drive MSC 6600
Bethesda, MD 20892-6600
Telephone: (301) 594-8802
FAX: (301) 480-3503
E-mail: maren.laughlin@nih.gov
Robert A. Star, M.D.
Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases
NIDDK 45/6AS-13K
45 Center Drive MSC 6600
Bethesda, MD 20892-6600
Telephone: (301) 594-7715
FAX: (301) 480-3510
E-mail: StarR@extra.niddk.nih.gov
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
Mary Kay Rosenberg
Division of Extramural Activities
NIDDK 45/6AS-49D
45 Center Drive MSC 6600
Bethesda, MD 20892-6600
Telephone: (301) 594-8891
FAX: (301) 480-3504
E-mail: RosenbergM@extra.niddk.nih.gov
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
No. 93.93.847, 93.848 and 93.849. Awards are 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 NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR
Parts 74 and 92. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental
review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency
review.
The NIH 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 NIH mission to
protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American
people.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
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NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health®
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