Full Text MH-94-001 NIMH CENTERS FOR BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH NIH GUIDE, Volume 22, Number 44, December 10, 1993 RFA: MH-94-001 P.T. 04 Keywords: Behavioral/Experimental Psychology Emotional/Mental Health National Institute of Mental Health Letter of Intent Receipt Date: February 10, 1994 Application Receipt Date: April 25, 1994 PURPOSE The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) invites applications for Centers for Behavioral Science Research (CBSR). The purpose of such a Center is to provide a unified, integrated research environment in which to pursue novel and focused questions in basic behavioral science related to mental health. It is expected that this mechanism will encourage investigators from a variety of disciplines and approaches to contribute the full range of expertise and advanced technologies available in the basic behavioral sciences. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This Request for Applications (RFA), NIMH Centers for Behavioral Science Research (CBSR), is related to the priority area of mental health and mental disorder. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or "Healthy People 2000" (Summary Report: Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-783-3238). ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Applications may be submitted by domestic, public and private organizations, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State or local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal government. Women and minority investigators are encouraged to apply. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT A CBSR will be supported by the specialized center (P50) grant mechanism, which provides funding for multidisciplinary and multi-investigator approaches to the investigation of specific and complex research problems requiring the application of diverse expertise and methodologies. Grants will be administered under PHS policies and procedures. This RFA is a one-time solicitation. Support may be requested for a period of up to five years. Future unsolicited competing continuation applications will compete with all investigator-initiated applications and be reviewed according to the customary peer review procedures. FUNDS AVAILABLE It is estimated that up to one million dollars total costs will be available in fiscal year 1994 to support one or two centers, with an anticipated average total cost (including indirect costs) of approximately $500,000 per award. However, the exact amount of funding available will depend on appropriated funds, the quality of applications and program priorities at the time of award. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Background The basic behavioral sciences are comprised of a number of fields, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, and linguistics; each of these fields encompasses a number of sub-fields that, in turn, are associated with a broad range of conceptual and methodological strategies. Current approaches for assessing behavioral processes range from macro-social (e.g., social class, culture), to interactional (e.g., interpersonal and group behavior), to individual psychological processes and characteristics (e.g., cognition, emotion, personality), and also include physiological processes that influence and are influenced by behavioral phenomena (e.g., brain function, autonomic and hormonal systems, genetics). Available methods and technologies also cover a wide range, including performance measures, subjective report, behavioral observation, and detailed psychophysiological assessments. The goal of the CBSR is to foster integration among the various behavioral science approaches in order to provide a fuller understanding of mental health. In so doing, this program aims to promote the scientific advances and opportunities that are made possible by cross-disciplinary collaboration and the cross- fertilization of approaches. Center Characteristics A CBSR is expected to address critical questions in basic behavioral sciences research through multidisciplinary, integrative, and highly focused research programs. A CBSR is characterized as follows: o The Center should be conceptualized and organized according to a broad multidisciplinary framework. In the design and execution of the research program, expertise and technological support must be available to address three of the four levels of analysis noted in the Background (above), i.e., macro-social, interactional, psychological, and biobehavioral. It is not necessary for each constituent research project to involve all three of the chosen levels, but they all must be represented in the Center as a whole, and the overarching Center goal must be to foster their integration. o The research questions addressed must concern basic behavioral processes and mechanisms that are important to understanding mental health. o The research must propose novel approaches and must not duplicate work that is currently grant supported. o The CBSR Director must have a demonstrated capability to organize, administer, and direct the Center. This individual should be the scientific leader of the Center and thus must also be the Principal Investigator on at least one of the projects and have a minimum time commitment of 30 percent to the Center grant. o A CBSR must provide research apprenticeship opportunities for junior investigators who have the potential for independent research careers to become skilled in the strategies, approaches, and techniques of modern behavioral science research. At least two Research Apprenticeships must be made available each year. In addition, there should be close coordination between the Center and relevant predoctoral and/or postdoctoral research training programs of the institution. o A CBSR should be conceptualized and defined by its integrative, multidisciplinary nature and need not be limited by geographical or departmental boundaries. A research team may consist of investigators or institutions that are geographically distant, to the extent that the research design requires and accommodates such arrangements. Research Areas The following are examples of broad behavioral science research areas related to the NIMH research mission that could be supported by this program. The list is not comprehensive. In the formulation of specific research questions, attention should be given to the relevance of these processes to mental health concerns. o Sensation and perception o Motor control and skill o Learning and memory o Reasoning; problem-solving; decision-making; planning o Language and communication o Interpersonal interactions and processes, e.g., conflict, status o Marital and family relationships o Sexual and reproductive behavior o Attitudes, persuasion, stereotyping o Group identity and behavior, including multi-ethnic and minority issues o Societal and cultural influences on behavior o Emotion and mood states o Personality/individual differences; gender differences o Stress, coping, and adaptation o Sleep and circadian rhythms In keeping with the integrative, multidisciplinary emphasis of the CBSR, it is very important that attention be given to connections across these various domains and processes, e.g., links between emotion and learning or memory, between interpersonal interactions and physiological reactivity, or between group identity and decision-making. In addition to human studies, primate and rodent models are appropriate. Also appropriate are theoretical and mathematical modeling approaches. Activities Supported To provide a suitable structure for achieving objectives of this program, a Center may request funds for the following: o Individual Research Projects: Funds must be requested to support three or more individual research projects. Each project should have the characteristics of a traditional research grant (R01) as well as demonstrating a significant integrative contribution to the CBSR. o Cores: Funds may be requested for "core" support. Each Core must provide essential services to two or more approved Individual Research Projects. Possible Cores include those focused on administrative, subject recruitment, or measurement issues. Core support may involve salaries, research resources to be shared across projects, equipment needed to conduct the proposed research, and incidental alteration and renovation of facilities consistent with Public Health Service policy. Depending upon the geographical and administrative boundaries of the Center components, there may be one or more Cores. o Research Apprenticeships: Funds must be requested to support the supervised research activities of junior faculty, postdoctoral staff, and/or advanced graduate students. These individuals should have high potential for a research career but require further supervised research experience. Salary support, tuition, travel, and research support may be provided. At least two research apprenticeships must be made available each year. o Essential Scientific Expertise: To provide the most effective combination of scientific knowledge and skills, applicants may request funds to support scientists to augment or strengthen the skills, expertise, and capabilities of existing staff. Although recruitment of such scientists may take place after the award has been made, the expertise required, the role in Center activities, and the time to be devoted to the Center should be provided in the application. It should be emphasized, however, that after the award is made, such individuals may not serve as a substitute for a Project Principal Investigator. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS A major requirement for a CBSR is the conduct of multidisciplinary, integrative behavioral research on focused questions that have implications for mental health; the nature of these implications must be stated clearly in the application. The application must describe the hypotheses to be tested and the goals and approaches for the CBSR. In addition, the application should clearly articulate the reasons a Center approach is needed for the proposed work as well as the unique benefits that will accrue from a Center. The application should include the following components, in the designated order. Budget: A summary "detailed budget page for the initial budget period" and "budgets for the entire project period" should be included for the proposed CBSR as a whole. In addition, an individual "detailed budget page for the initial budget period" and "budgets for the entire project period" should be included for EACH component (Core(s) plus Individual Research Projects). General Description of the Center (Not to exceed 10 pages): An overview should be provided of the entire proposed Center describing the central theme and goals, and how the Center will achieve its major objectives. The proposed contribution of each of the Individual Research Projects and Core(s) in achieving the objectives of the Center should be explained. Plans for the Research Apprenticeships should be described as well as the methods for selecting qualified individuals. Furthermore, the administrative arrangements and support necessary to effect the research should be carefully described. In particular, when more than one institutional site is involved, a detailed statement and supporting documentation for the cooperative administrative arrangements are required and should be submitted with the application. In addition, detailed information should be provided on collaborations, recruitment, facilities, and resources as well as any expenses anticipated from grant funds for sites with such an arrangement. Cores (Not to exceed 5 pages for any one Core): The applicant should describe how the Core will contribute to the overall goals of the Center as well as how each specific project will draw upon a particular Core. The description of each Core should clearly indicate the facilities, resources, services, and professional skills that the facility will provide. Individual Research Projects (Not to exceed 10 pages for any one project): The major research objectives and goals of each project, its integration with the other projects, and its relationships to the overall Center should be described. In addition, detailed descriptions should be provided on the following: o Research Plan: The questions to be addressed and the hypotheses to be tested by the proposed research should be highly focused and fully explained. Full discussion is required on the status of current research efforts (both within the Center and elsewhere) addressing this issue, the limitations of existing approaches, and why the research necessitates a multidisciplinary, integrative approach. o Method: The description of the design, methodology, and data analysis plan should outline the strategies proposed to accomplish the specific aims of the project, and should include a discussion of the innovative aspects of the approach. The experimental procedures need not be spelled out in great detail if those procedures have already been extensively published and widely accepted by the scientific community. In contrast, any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies should be fully described. Furthermore, the feasibility of the proposed studies, the potential pitfalls, relevant alternative approaches should changes become necessary, and their relevance to the goals of the Center should be fully discussed. The methods to be used should be cited and referenced. It should be emphasized that this necessitates the inclusion of investigators that are considered to be leaders in their fields and whose studies are widely published and accepted by the scientific community. o Operational Plan: A description of the resources and working arrangements required to implement the research plan should be fully elaborated. A detailed description should be given of all research components. A distinction must be made between those resources that already are in place (including staff) and those resources that must be added to complete the proposed research. If the application represents a revision of an application previously submitted in response to RFA MH 93-08 (NIMH Centers for Behavioral Science Research, fiscal year 1993), it must: (1) satisfy the Application Requirements of the current RFA MH 94-001 (see above); (2) respond to criticisms made in the previous summary statement; and, (3) include an Introduction (up to three pages in length) that summarizes any substantial additions, deletions, and changes that have been made. STUDY POPULATIONS SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES CONCERNING INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH STUDY POPULATIONS Applications for grants and cooperative agreements involving human subjects are required to include both women and minorities in study populations for research, unless compelling scientific or other justification for not including either women or minorities is provided. This requirement is intended to ensure that research findings will be of benefit to all persons at risk of the disease, disorder, or condition under study. For the purpose of these policies, minorities include U.S. racial/ethnic minority populations (specifically: American Indians or Alaskan Natives, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics). It is recognized that it may not be feasible or appropriate in all basic and clinical research projects to include representation of the full array of U.S. racial/ethnic minority populations. However, applicants are urged to assess carefully the feasibility of including the broadest possible representation of minority groups in the project as a whole. Applications should include a description of the composition of the proposed study population by gender and racial/ethnic group, and the rationale for the numbers and kinds of people selected to participate. This information should be included in the form PHS 398 in Sections 1-4 of the Research Plan AND summarized in Section 5, Human Subjects. Applications should incorporate in their study design gender and/or minority representation appropriate to the scientific objectives of the work proposed. If representation of women or minorities in sufficient numbers to permit assessment of differential effects is not feasible or is not appropriate, the reasons for this must be explained and justified. The rationale may relate to the purpose of the research, the health of the subjects, or other compelling circumstances (e.g., if in the only study population available there is a disproportionate representation in terms of age distribution, risk factors, incidence/prevalence, etc., of one gender or minority/majority group). If the required information is not contained within the application, the review will be deferred until it is complete. Peer reviewers will address specifically whether the research plan in the application conforms to these policies. If gender and/or minority representation/justification are judged to be inadequate, reviewers will consider this as a deficiency in assigning the priority score to the application. All applications for research submitted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are required to address these policies. NIH funding components will not award grants that do not comply with these policies. LETTER OF INTENT Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent, by February 10, 1994. The letter should include a title of the proposed Center, the name, address, and telephone number of the Center Director, descriptive titles of the Core(s) and Individual Research Projects, names of other key personnel, and participating institutions. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of subsequent applications, the information that it contains is helpful in planning for the review of the applications. The letter of intent is to be submitted to the NIMH program contact listed under INQUIRIES. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Form PHS 398 (rev. 9/91), Application for Public Health Service Grant, is to be used in preparing a formal application for support. However, applicants must follow the page limitations as outlined under SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS in this announcement. The form PHS 398 application kit is available through the applicant institution's office of sponsored research; from the Office of Grants Information, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, Westwood Building, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone 301/710-0267; and from the NIMH program contact listed under INQUIRIES. Item 2a on page 1 of the application must read: "MH 94-001: NIMH CENTERS FOR BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCH." A signed original and four exact copies of the application must be prepared. These are to be sent directly to: Division of Research Grants National Institutes of Health Westwood Building, Room 240 Bethesda, MD 20892** For planning purposes, it is strongly suggested that an additional copy of the application be sent to Dr. Lynne C. Huffman at the address listed under INQUIRIES. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Review Process After initial assignment to NIMH, applications submitted in response to this RFA will be reviewed by NIMH staff to determine if they satisfy the objectives and requirements of a CBSR as outlined in this RFA (excluding scientific or technical merit). Applications that do not meet these objectives and requirements will not be accepted and will be returned to the applicant. Accepted applications will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by a special review committee (SRC) convened by the NIMH, composed primarily of non-Federal scientists, and by the National Advisory Mental Health Council. Review Criteria Criteria for review of CBSR applications will include the following: o Intrinsic merit: The overall quality, scientific merit, relevance to mental health, and innovation of the research to be done; the likelihood that the work will lead to fundamental advances within the field, to new discoveries, and/or to new technological developments. In addition, the research conducted must center around a highly focused and well-defined research problem. o Appropriateness of the Center approach: The need for and suitability of the Center approach; whether a Center approach will add significantly to what could be accomplished through other modes of research support. In this respect, the integration of component projects is of utmost significance and should be described explicitly. o Research competence: The qualifications and scientific credentials of the Center Director and constituent project directors will be considered. It is expected that these individuals will be regarded by their peers as leaders in their respective fields. o Center director credentials: Ability of the Center Director to organize, direct, and administer the Center and, in addition, be the principal investigator on at least one of the proposed projects. It is expected that this individual will devote a minimum of 30 percent time to the Center grant. Thus, the Director must by necessity be the scientific leader of the Center. o Institutional commitment: The nature and level of resource commitments and resources available from the home institution and from other participant institutions; and plans for interactions with the rest of the sponsoring institution. o Appropriateness of management plans and arrangements: The feasibility and adequacy of the organizational and administrative plans; the appropriateness of the budget; and the mechanisms to evaluate the Center's progress. o Quality of plans for Research Apprenticeships: The effectiveness of approaches used to attract and involve junior investigators and students who show potential for significant contributions and independent research careers. o Quality of linkages between the proposed Center and ongoing training programs in the institutional environment. o Human and animal subjects: Adequacy of the Center's plans for the protection of human and animal subjects. o Gender and minority concerns: Adequacy of the Center's plans to address gender and minority issues in the proposed research. While each component of the proposed CBSR (Core(s) plus Individual Research Projects) will be reviewed independently, recommendations of the SRC will be for the application in its entirety. Under some circumstances, it may be appropriate for the SRC to recommend that one or more components not be funded. Schedule Letter of Intent Receipt Date: February 10, 1994 Application Receipt Date: April 25, 1994 Administrative Review: April-May 1994 SRC Review: May-June 1994 Advisory Council Review: September 12-13, 1994 Anticipated Start Date: September 30, 1994 AWARD CRITERIA o Scientific merit of the research program as determined by peer review o Responsiveness to the objectives outlined in this RFA o Availability of research funds and the competing demands of other research funding requirements The P50 grant supporting a Center for Behavioral Science Research is not transferable to another institution. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Address the letter of intent, inquiries regarding programmatic issues, and forward one copy of the PHS 398 to: Lynne C. Huffman, M.D. Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11C-10 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-3942 FAX: (301) 443-4822 E-mail: L3H@CU.NIH.GOV Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Diana Trunnell Grants Management Branch National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 7C-15 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-3065 AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.242. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410), as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 as implemented through Department of Health and Human Services regulations at 45 CFR part 100 or Health Systems Agency review. The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace. This is consistent with the PHS mission of promoting the protection and advancement of an individual's physical and mental health. .
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