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Part 1. Overview Information

Participating Organization(s)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Components of Participating Organizations

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK )

Funding Opportunity Title
Human Islet Research Network - Consortium on Targeting and Regeneration (HIRN-CTAR) (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Activity Code
U01 Research Project Cooperative Agreements
Announcement Type
Reissue of RFA-DK-13-015
Related Notices
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number
RFA-DK-18-014
Companion Funding Opportunity
None
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)
93.847
Funding Opportunity Purpose

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications for the Consortium on Targeting and Regeneration (CTAR) that supports the development of innovative strategies to increase or protect functional human beta cell mass in patients with Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) through the controlled manipulation of beta cell replication, islet cell plasticity, and the reprogramming of pancreatic non-beta cells into beta-like cells, or through shielding the residual beta cell mass from the autoimmune environment. CTAR is part of the Human Islet Research Network (HIRN).

Key Dates

Posted Date
October 31, 2018
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)
January 26, 2019
Letter of Intent Due Date(s)
January 26, 2019

Application Due Date(s)
February 26, 2019, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)
Not Applicable
Scientific Merit Review
June/July 2019
Advisory Council Review
October 2019
Earliest Start Date
December 2019
Expiration Date
February 27, 2019
Due Dates for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide,except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Table of Contents

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits cooperative agreement applications for projects to develop strategies to target the human pancreatic environment in-vivo to deliver regulatory cells, molecules or gene constructs that can protect or replenish functional beta cell mass, or to engineer cellular or synthetic sentinel biomarkers that can safely monitor the islet tissue environment in individuals at risk of developing Type-1 Diabetes (T1D).

Background

T1D is characterized by the development of an autoimmune response that leads to the specific destruction of the pancreatic beta-cells. While some progress has been made in recent years to partially protect residual beta cell mass in recently-diagnosed individuals and to measure disease progression in patients with T1D with sub-optimal sensitivity, strategies for initiating, maintaining and monitoring a full arrest of disease progression are still needed. In addition, in spite of the encouraging identification of molecules that may have an impact on beta cell replication, robust and safe therapeutic strategies to replenish beta cell mass in patients with T1D have yet to be developed.

The promising outcome of cadaveric islet transplantation has demonstrated that beta cell replacement can be therapeutic for the treatment of T1D. It has prompted the search for alternative and abundant sources of beta cells for replacement therapy, and much progress has been made in differentiating insulin-producing cells from stem/progenitor cells for possible clinical use. At the same time, our rapidly evolving knowledge in areas such as islet-cell plasticity, epigenetic control of cell identity, cellular reprogramming, genome editing and gene therapy, synthetic biology and engineering of therapeutic compounds with cell-specific properties could be leveraged to develop therapeutic alternatives to islet transplantation, such as the safe and controlled replenishment of functional beta cell mass using the remaining islet non-beta cells as a cell source, or the protection of residual beta cell mass following systemic delivery of islet-specific immunomodulatory agents or protective cell-engineering gene constructs.

This initiative proposes to fill technological and scientific gaps that currently prevent the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for preserving or replenishing functional beta cell mass in T1D, including in the following areas:

  • Great progress has been made in recent years in identifying small molecules that may regulate beta cell replication and beta cell mass, although validation of their efficacy often relies on surrogate markers of cell division, casting doubt about the true biological activities of these promising compounds. Better in-vitro platforms to screen for or validate the biological activity of small molecules, drugs, or biologics that have the potential to regulate the regeneration, differentiation or immune protection of human beta cells are needed, particularly for the high-throughput phenotypical screening of dissociated human islets.
  • While there has been a strong emphasis on trying to modulate beta cell numbers by directly targeting the residual beta cell mass, fewer efforts have been invested in targeting, recruiting or modifying other cells within or around the islet (such as alpha, duct, acinar, vascular and peri-vascular cells) in order to increase beta cell mass or to improve the islet disease environment through engineering of paracrine activities or control of cell fate or function.
  • While many genes or regulatory RNA species in the human islet have been identified as possible therapeutic targets, and while gene-editing technologies and a new generation of gene-therapy vectors are evolving rapidly, we still lack the practical means of delivering regulatory constructs to specific cell types within the islet compartment, or of targeting disease-relevant RNAs using small molecules.
  • Circulating human cells have the potential to be used for therapeutic or disease-monitoring purposes. For example, immune cells could be engineered in-vitro to acquire specific cell-homing properties and deliver natural or synthetic therapeutic compounds to the islet compartment after re-introduction into the patient.
  • Innovative engineering strategies could also be used to develop safe, sensitive and specific synthetic or cell-based biomarkers that can report on the state of the islet environment in individuals at risk of developing T1D, for example through the release of inert molecules that can easily be identified and quantified in body fluids.
  • The transdifferentiation of a variety of pancreatic non-beta cells into regulated insulin producing cells remains an attractive regenerative medicine strategy, particularly if the resulting pseudo-beta cells can evade the existing autoimmune environment in patients with T1D. The development of such a strategy will require a combination of technological improvements, from the design of effective cell fate-controlling molecules or constructs, to the production of highly-specific delivery vehicles (viral vectors or targeting complexes), and the building of relevant preclinical models for in-vivo validation.

Research Opportunities and Scope

This Funding Opportunity Announcement encourages the development of innovative tools and strategies for the therapeutic targeting of relevant cell types residing within or around the human islet with the long-term goal of protecting or replenishing functional beta cell mass in patients with T1D, or for the non-invasive monitoring of the islet environment in individuals at risk of developing T1D or diagnosed with the disease. Contributions to this initiative could include, but are not limited to, the discovery, development or optimization of:

  • Next-generation medium- to high-throughput screening platforms using single (or a small number of) primary human islets for the discovery, validation or optimization of novel regulators of islet cell plasticity or beta cell mass, stress, survival, immunogenicity and/or function; emphasis should be on platforms or devices that could be easily manufactured, could be readily distributed to and adopted by the biomedical research and drug-discovery communities, and can provide dynamic readouts of islet function through the use of technologies such as high-content imaging or stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell cultures (SILAC); next-generation xenotransplantation platforms for the functional validation of targeted therapeutic strategies using human islets in-vivo, that may include the reconstitution of components of the human autoimmune environment to assess the efficacy of immunomodulatory interventions.

  • Novel receptors or transmembrane proteins (including postranslationally modified isoforms) that are highly-specific of adult human beta cells or other islet cell types, and that can be used as molecular anchors in the context of a targeted therapeutic strategy in-vivo;
  • Reagents or molecular complexes that can serve as cargo delivery vehicles to facilitate the safe, efficient and specific delivery of small molecules or regulatory gene constructs to human beta cells or other cell types within relevant pancreatic compartments.
  • Therapeutic molecules engineered for exclusive activity in human islet cell subtypes, including multivalent synthetic ligands or regulatory compounds that require a cell-specific environment for activation; innovative combination of bioactive molecules to achieve the double objective of restoring beta cell mass and silencing autoimmunity;
  • Small molecules or combination of therapeutic agents that can reverse immune and endocrine failures observed in early disease, such as beta cell-specific regulators of ER stress, processing/repair pathways, senescence and/or immunogenicity; support could be for compound discovery, lead optimization, or the development and validation of drug-like versions of promising molecules before clinical use;
  • Gene constructs encoding a protein or regulatory RNA that can impact beta cell survival, mass or immunogenicity following in-vivo delivery through viral or non-viral vectors; strategies for islet cell-specific genome editing; validation strategies using advanced preclinical platforms (such as non-human primates) to convincingly demonstrate in-vivo efficacy and preclinical toxicology prior to first in man;
  • Engineering of immune-privileged beta cells through expression of non-endogenous immunomodulatory molecules, such as proteins used by viruses, parasites or cancer cells to evade immune surveillance;
  • Strategies to specifically target cells or tissue compartments within the islet environment other than the pancreatic beta cells for the purpose of modifying that environment to help protect or replenish functional beta cell mass;
  • Strategies to reinforce protective pathways or anatomic structures in and around the human islet that naturally contribute to responses against environmental stresses or immune attacks. Examples include strengthening the peri-islet basal membrane, reducing the immunogenicity of human islet beta cells, interfering with the specific homing of activated T cells to the human pancreatic islet, blocking immune cell infiltration through the islet vascular or lymphatic capillaries or improving the health or function of tissue components such as islet blood vessels or neuronal networks that may be disrupted in the early stages of T1D in humans;
  • Engineering of patient-derived circulating cells, such as T regulatory cells, with specific cell-homing properties and the ability to deliver therapeutic or immunomodulatory agents to the human islet compartment, to include nonendogenous regulatory proteins or molecules;
  • Cell-based or synthetic sentinel biomarkers that could be delivered to the human islet compartment and release non-degradable processed products in blood or urine in response to pancreatic islet stress, inflammation, injury or autoimmune events for the non-invasive monitoring of early disease processes.

Projects that are mostly focused on developing delivery vehicles or cell-targeting strategies need to demonstrate efficacy of delivery to the human islet environment in-vivo using biological or imaging-based readouts.

Projects that are exclusively focused on developing new imaging-based strategies for in-vivo monitoring of beta cell mass or function are not responsive to this FOA. However, the use of imaging-based reporter systems to validate in-vivo efficacy of new islet-targeting strategies is considered responsive.

The long-term outcome of the projects proposed in response to the current initiative should be the development of safe and highly-specific products or reagents that could be administered orally or systemically to patients with T1D, at risk of developing T1D or with severe insulin deficiency unrelated to T1D, and could have a reasonable chance of being used in the clinic in the foreseeable future. To demonstrate the translational potential of their approach, applicants will need to validate within the funding period of the grant the efficacy of the proposed therapeutic or diagnostic strategy in vivo using human cells or tissues (engraftment models), or large animal models that would be adequate for assessing efficacy and toxicity prior to first in man. Biological efficacy should be demonstrated following systemic, oral or surgical administration of the therapeutic or diagnostic agent in the relevant preclinical system.

Successful applicants will join the Consortium on Targeting And Regeneration (CTAR) that was created in 2014 to support the development of innovative strategies to increase functional human beta cell mass in vivo through the controlled manipulation of beta cell replication or islet plasticity, or the reprogramming of adult non-beta cells into beta-like cells, or the protection of residual beta cell mass from autoimmune destruction in T1D (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-13-015.html ). CTAR is one of the five consortia that constitute the Human Islet Research Network (HIRN), created in 2014 to support innovative and collaborative translational research to understand how human beta cells are lost in T1D, and to find innovative strategies to protect and replace functional beta cell mass in humans.

Successful applicants will be expected to work collaboratively with all of their CTAR and HIRN colleagues and to contribute to an environment of sharing and trust across the network. All methods, reagents, resources, biomaterials, protocols, data and models developed by CTAR investigators are expected to be made available to the research community, as appropriate and consistent with achieving the goals of the program. All participants will be expected to adhere to the sharing policies developed by the HIRN as a term of the award. CTAR Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) must participate in the annual HIRN Investigator Scientific Retreat, as well as in CTAR Steering Committee teleconferences to be held at least bi-annually. All participants will be obligated to abide by the policies adopted the majority vote of the CTAR Steering Committee and the HIRN Trans-Network Committee (see "Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award, Section VI.2.).

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

Funding Instrument
Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NIH scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities. See Section VI.2 for additional information about the substantial involvement for this FOA.
Application Types Allowed
New
Renewal

The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Clinical Trial?
Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

NIDDK intends to commit $2.5 million for FY 2019 to fund 3-5 awards.

Award Budget
Application budgets are limited to $550,000 direct costs per year.
Award Project Period

The maximum project period is 4 years.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Organizations

Higher Education Institutions

  • Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  • Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

  • Hispanic-serving Institutions
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  • Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
  • Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
  • Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

  • Small Businesses
  • For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Governments

  • State Governments
  • County Governments
  • City or Township Governments
  • Special District Governments
  • Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
  • Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
  • Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
  • U.S. Territory or Possession
Other
  • Independent School Districts
  • Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
  • Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
  • Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
  • Regional Organizations
  • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)
Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Required Registrations

Applicant organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

  • Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
  • System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
  • Grants.gov Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:

  • A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
  • A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
  • An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101)

1. Requesting an Application Package

Buttons to access the online ASSIST system or to download application forms are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

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 IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

  • Descriptive title of proposed activity
  • Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
  • Names of other key personnel
  • Participating institution(s)
  • Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

John Connaughton, Ph.D.
Chief, Scientific Review Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-7797
Email: [email protected]

Page Limitations
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed
Instructions for Application Submission
The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.
SF424(R&R) Cover
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
SF424(R&R) Other Project Information
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

R&R Subaward Budget
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
PHS 398 Research Plan
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy:

In addition to describing the details of their research strategy, applicants should specifically document the following characteristics of their project:

Biological validation:

  • For projects that are focused on developing cell-targeting strategies, applicants should describe how they will demonstrate efficacy and specificity of delivery to a human islet environment;
  • For projects that are proposing to discover or to develop novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategies, applicants need to indicate how they will validate the biological efficacy of the approach using live human cells or tissues;

Impact:

  • All applicants should characterize the level of novelty of their proposed approach compared to similar efforts in the field, and the impact that their project will have on T1D research, diagnosis and/or treatment;
  • All applicants should describe the near-term and long-term contribution of their proposed approach to the development of safe and efficient therapeutic or diagnostic tools, and whether these have a reasonable chance of being used in the clinic;

Contribution to the HIRN effort:

  • All applicants should describe how their project could benefit from interactions and collaborations with their CTAR and HIRN colleagues, and how their proposed research will contribute to the overall scientific mission of CTAR and HIRN.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The following modifications also apply:

Applicants are expected to register resources supported by this FOA with the NIDDK Information Network (dkNET) at https://dknet.org/ and use Research Resource Identifiers (RRID) assigned through dkNET in any publication supported by this FOA.
Appendix:
Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
When involving NIH-defined human subjects research, clinical research, and/or clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Foreign (non-U.S.) institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday , the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement .

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Guidelines for Applicants Experiencing System Issues. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
Post Submission Materials
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy. Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Overall Impact
Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Scored Review Criteria
Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project rigorous? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

Specific to this FOA: is the proposed project likely to lead to the development of safe and efficient therapeutic products or diagnostic tools that have a reasonable chance of being used in the clinic?

Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or those in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Specific to this FOA: is the applicant proposing to fill an important technological gap in the field that could benefit the overall research community, or to develop a significantly novel approach to the diagnosis or treatment of T1D?

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?

Specific to this FOA: For projects that are focused on developing cell-targeting strategies, is the proposed approach to demonstrate efficacy and specificity of delivery to a human islet environment appropriate? For projects that are proposing to discover or to develop novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategies, is the proposed approach to validate the biological efficacy of the strategy using live human cells or tissues appropriate?

If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?

Additional Review Criteria
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Relevance to CTAR's and HIRN's missions:

Will the proposed research contribute positively and significantly to the overall scientific mission of CTAR and HIRN? Does the project present an opportunity for research that would be enhanced by consortium interaction, collaboration and expertise?

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.


Individuals Across the Lifespan

When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.

Not applicable.

For Renewals, the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.

Not applicable

Additional Review Considerations
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Reviewers will assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or augment existing U.S. resources.

Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: (1) Data Sharing Plan; (2) Sharing Model Organisms; and (3) Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS).

For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group convened by NIDDK, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:
  • May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.
  • Will receive a written critique.
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
  • Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
  • Availability of funds.
  • Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.

Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person’s race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/laws/revisedlep.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html; and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/about/rgn-hqaddresses.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable OMB administrative guidelines, HHS grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Part 75 and other HHS PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement U01, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and the NIH as defined below.

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

  • CTAR Awardee(s) will be primarily responsible for defining the objectives and approaches, planning, conduct, analysis, and publication of results, interpretations, and conclusions of studies conducted under the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement award.
  • The CTAR Principal Investigator/Program Director will assume responsibility and accountability to the applicant organization officials and to the NIH for the performance and proper conduct of the research supported under this Funding Opportunity Announcement in accordance with the terms and conditions of award, as well as all pertinent laws, regulations and policies.
  • The CTAR Awardee will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards until time of publication, subject to Government policies regarding rights of access consistent with current HHS, PHS, and NIH/NIDDK policies.
  • All staff of the CTAR Awardee will maintain the confidentiality of the information developed by the investigations, including, without limitation, study protocols, data analysis, conclusions, etc. per policies approved by the consortium as well as any confidential information received by third party collaborators.
  • CTAR awardees must analyze, publish and/or publicly release and disseminate results, data and other products of the study in a timely manner, concordant with the approved plan for making quality-assured data and materials available to the scientific community and the NIH, consistent with NIH policies and goals of the FOA.
  • All staff of the CTAR Awardee will be required to participate in a cooperative and interactive manner with NIH staff, one another and with the HIRN Administrative Hub (HIRN-AH) in all aspects of CTAR.
  • CTAR awardees are expected to share data, materials, models, methods, information and unique research resources that are generated by the projects in accordance with CTAR policies in order to facilitate progress. When appropriate, and in accordance with NIH policies, awardees will be expected to collaborate; share novel reagents, biomaterials, methods and models and resources; and share both positive and negative results that would help guide the research activities of other CTAR members.
  • CTAR awardees will submit a list of milestones and project deliverables to the HIRN-AH prior to the initial HIRN meeting, and will update this list annually.
  • CTAR Awardees agree to establish agreements amongst themselves that address the following issues: (1) Procedures for data sharing among consortium members and data sharing with any third party (including both industry and academic partners), as appropriate and consistent with achieving the goals of the program; (2) Procedures for safeguarding confidential information, including without limitation, any data generated by the consortium as well as information and/or data received from external collaborators; (3) Procedures for addressing ownership of intellectual property that result from aggregate multi-party data; (4) Procedures for sharing biospecimens under an overarching MTA amongst consortium members that operationalizes material transfer in an efficient and expeditious manner; and (5) Procedures for reviewing publications, determining authorship, and industry access to publications. The NIDDK Program Official may consult with others at NIH including the NIDDK Technology Advancement Office regarding these agreements and issues.
  • Awardees agree that third party collaborations (including both industry and academia) should be governed by a research collaboration agreement (e.g. CTA, RCA, etc.) with terms that ensure the collaboration is conducted in accordance with the Cooperative Agreement, applicable NIH/NIDDK policies and procedures and any policies and procedures developed by the CTAR. The NIDDK Program Official may consult with others at NIH including the NIDDK Technology Advancement Office regarding these collaboration agreements.
  • CTAR awardees must operate in accordance with processes and goals as delineated in the Funding Opportunity Announcement.
  • Upon completion or termination of the research project(s), the CTAR awardees are responsible for making all study materials and procedures broadly available (e.g., putting into the public domain) or making them accessible to the research community according to the NIH-approved plan submitted for each project, for making data and materials available to the scientific community and the NIH for the conduct of research. The data sharing plan should include a plan to accomplish this at the end of the study.
  • CTAR awardee(s) agree to the governance of the study through a Steering Committee: The PD/PI, or contact PD/PI in the case of multi-PD/PI awards, will serve as a voting member of the Steering Committee and will attend all meetings of the Steering Committee. Each full member will have one vote. The awardee will be responsible for accepting and implementing the goals, priorities, procedures, protocols, and policies agreed upon by the Steering Committee and Subcommittees.
  • CTAR awardees must serve on CTAR subcommittees as needed. Subcommittees will report progress at Steering Committee Meetings and/or lead discussions at the Annual Investigator's Retreat.
  • CTAR awardees may be asked by NIH staff to scientifically review applications for special opportunity pool funds, as deemed appropriate.

NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

  • The NIDDK will designate program staff, including a Program Officer and a Grants Management Specialist to provide stewardship and administrative oversight of the cooperative agreement. The Program Officer and Grants Management Specialist will be named in the Notice of Grant Award.
  • The NIH will invite experts with relevant scientific expertise to provide feedback to the NIH on CTAR activities. The External Experts will meet to review the progress of the research projects and to advise NIH staff of scientific developments and opportunities that may enhance the achievement of the study goals.
  • An NIDDK Project Scientist will be substantially involved in this project above and beyond the normal stewardship of an NIDDK Program Official as follows:
  • The NIH Project Scientist will coordinate and facilitate the research projects, attend and participate in all meetings of the CTAR, and act as a liaison between the Awardee and the External Experts.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) will be a member(s) of the Steering Committee and, as determined by that committee, and its Subcommittees as needed. Only one NIH Project Scientist will vote on the Steering Committee. Other designated NIH program staff attending the steering committee meetings will be an ex officio (non-voting) member(s).
  • The NIH Project Scientist, and other designated NIH program staff will help the Steering Committee develop and draft operating policies.
  • The NIH Project Scientist and Program Officer will review the scientific progress, cooperation in carrying out research, and maintenance of high quality research in each of the individual research project, and review the project for compliance with operating policies developed by the CTAR. Based on this review, the Project Scientist in conjunction with the Program Officer may recommend to the NIH to continue funding, or to withhold or restrict support for lack of scientific progress or failure to adhere to policies established by the CTAR. Review of progress may include regular communications between the Principal Investigator/Program Director and NIH staff, periodic site visits for discussions with awardee research teams, fiscal review, and other relevant matters. The NIH retains the option of organizing periodic external review of progress.
  • The NIDDK reserves the right to terminate or curtail any study or any individual award in the event of (1) substantial shortfall in data collection or submission, quality control, or other major breach or a study protocol or CTAR policy and procedure, (2) substantive changes in a study protocol that are not in keeping with the objectives of the FOA, and/or (3) concerns related to human subject safety that prompt the need for premature termination.
  • The NIH Program Scientist and Program Officer will review applications for Special Opportunity Funds for responsiveness to program goals to ensure that they are within the scope of CTAR research as described in the Funding Opportunity Announcement and NIH guidelines. The NIH will enlist additional scientific consultants as necessary from within the NIH whose function will be to assist the Project Scientist in carrying out the goals and aims of the approved studies. The NIH will have one vote for any key committees, regardless of the number of NIH consultants involved in the project.
  • The NIH Project Scientist will have substantial scientific programmatic involvement in research coordination and performance monitoring. The dominant role and primary responsibility for these activities resides with the awardee, however, specific tasks and activities in carrying out the studies will be shared among the awardees and the NIH Project Scientist.
  • The NIH Project Scientist serves as a resource with respect to other ongoing NIH activities that may be relevant to CTAR studies to facilitate compatibility and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort.
  • The NIH Project Scientist or designee may coordinate activities among awardees by assisting in the design, development, and coordination of a common research protocol and statistical evaluations of data and in the publication of results.
  • The NIH Project Scientist may review procedures for assessing data quality and monitor study performance.
  • The NIH Project Scientist may be a co-author on study publications. In general, to warrant co-authorship, the NIH staff must have contributed to one or more of the following areas: (a) design of the concepts or experiments being tested; (b) performance of significant portions of the activity; (c) participation in analysis and interpretation of study results and (d) preparation and authorship of pertinent manuscripts.

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

  • Through the CTAR Awardee(s) and NIH staff, CTAR will cooperatively develop and implement processes to submit information and data to the HIRN-AH, determine criteria and processes for quality control of information and data to be posted for the research community, refine scientific objectives, and implement research advances to facilitate the goals of the study, consistent with NIH policies and achieving the goals of the program as described in the Funding Opportunity Announcement.
  • There will be an initial face-to-face meeting of HIRN and a minimum of 2 CTAR meetings (teleconferences or face-to face meetings) annually. CTAR awardees, the CTAR Project Scientist, and the CTAR Program Official are expected to attend these meetings. One of these bi-annual meetings could be combined with the annual HIRN Investigator Scientific Retreat.

Steering Committee

CTAR awardees agree to the governance of the CTAR through a Steering Committee.

  • On an annual basis, and following input from the CTAR Steering Committee members, NIDDK staff will appoint a Steering Committee Chair who will be in charge of facilitating the CTAR Steering Committee meetings and teleconferences. In collaboration with the HIRN-AH and the NIH Project Scientist, the Chairperson is responsible for coordinating the Steering Committee activities, for preparing meeting agendas and for chairing meetings.
  • The Steering Committee, including the Project Scientist, is responsible for establishing and implementing processes and criteria for recommending special projects for consideration for special opportunity funds by NIH staff.
  • The NIH Project Scientist may work with awardees on issues coming before the Steering Committee and, as appropriate, other committees.
  • The Steering Committee will be composed of the Principal Investigators/Program Directors for each U01, or by U01 representatives (one per U01 grant) chosen by the Principal Investigators/Program Directors in the cases of multi-PI grants, and the NIH Project Scientist. Only the U01 PI/PD or multi-PI U01 representatives and the NIH Project Scientist will be voting members of the Steering Committee and will attend all meetings of the Steering Committee. Each full member will have one vote. Other designated NIH program staff attending the steering committee meetings will be ex officio (non-voting) members. The CTAR Steering Committee will meet at least twice a year.
  • All major scientific and policy decisions will be determined by voting policies as established by the Steering Committee at the initial meeting. This committee will operate to develop collaborative protocols, identify impediments to success and strategies to overcome them, develop shared tools for disseminating information about the projects, and identify opportunities for sharing techniques, materials, information and tools developed within each individual project. Steering Committee activities and decisions will consider the advice of the External Experts.
  • The NIH Project Scientist will help the Steering Committee develop and draft operating policies.
  • NIDDK staff, in concert with the Steering Committee, will have the option to redirect research activities being pursued within the U01 grants if it is considered beneficial to the overall program.
  • The Awardee will be responsible for accepting and implementing the goals, priorities, procedures, protocols, and policies agreed upon by the Steering Committee and Subcommittees. Awardees must serve on CTAR subcommittees as needed. Subcommittees will report progress at Steering Committee Meetings and/or lead discussions at the Annual Investigator’s Retreat.

HIRN Trans-Network Committee (HIRN-TNC)

The HIRN-TNC will consist of: the PD/PI of the HIRN-AH and the Steering Committee Chairs and Project Scientists of the HIRN scientific topic consortia (CHIB, CTAR, CMAI, CBDS and HPAC); the TNC is not a governing body and does not cast votes.

  • The TNC will facilitate communication and foster collaboration across the different consortia.
  • The TNC will be responsible for organizing the yearly HIRN Scientific Investigator’s Retreat.
  • The TNC will meet by teleconference at least twice a year and will be organized by the HIRN-AH. Meetings will be used to discuss and prioritize, and review the progress of applications that will use "opportunity pool" funds. Subcommittees of HIRN, as well as working groups for scientific planning may be established and require participation by the CTAR members through in-person, electronic, or teleconference meetings, as appropriate. The HIRN-AH is responsible for providing and maintaining a record of minutes of all EC meetings, which will be approved by the EC.

Expert Scientific Panel (ESP)

An independent panel of 2-3 External Experts will be appointed by the NIDDK and meet by teleconference with the CTAR Project Scientist and the CTAR Project Officer at least once a year. The CTAR-ESP will be updated on progress and give feedback to NIH on adjustments and future directions for the CTAR research projects. On an annual basis, and following input from the ESP members, NIDDK staff will appoint an ESP Chair who will be required to attend the annual HIRN Investigator Scientific Retreat, to participate to the CTAR Steering Committee meetings as ex-officio, and to serve as the CTAR-ESP representative to the larger HIRN-ESP that will also meet once a year. The CTAR ESP Chair will be tasked with relaying the CTAR Steering Committee recommendations for new Opportunity Funds Initiatives to the HIRN-ESP. All CTAR-ESP members will also be invited to listen as ex-officio to CTAR Steering Committee meetings. Members of the CTAR-ESP may be asked, on an ad hoc basis, in the peer review of applications for new research applications that request "opportunity pool" funds. The HIRN-AH will support costs for teleconferences between the ESP and the CTAR Steering Committee, will arrange the CTAR-ESP and HIRN-ESP teleconferences, maintain a record of minutes, and support costs for the CTAR-ESP chair to participate in the annual HIRN Investigator Scientific Retreat.

Dispute Resolution

Disagreements that may arise in scientific/technical matter or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between award recipients and the NIDDK may be brought to arbitration after first attempting to resolve the issue through the Steering Committee or its subcommittees, as appropriate. An Arbitration Panel composed of three members will be convened. It will have three members: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual awardee. This special dispute resolution procedures in no way affect the awardee's right to appeal an adverse action in accordance with PHS regulations at 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D, and HHS regulations at 45 CFR Part 16.

3. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
Application Submission Contacts
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten on-time submission, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application processes and NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: [email protected]

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Olivier Blondel, Ph.D.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-451-7334
Email: [email protected]

Peer Review Contact(s)

Najma Begum, Ph.D.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-8894
Email: [email protected]

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Craig Bagdon

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-2115
Email: [email protected]

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Authority and Regulations
Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75.
This FOA is supported under the authority of P.L. 115-123, Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018; Section 50902. Extension for special diabetes programs.


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