SPECIALIZED NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAMS ON HEALTH DISPARITY:  HIV AND THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM

Release Date:  August 26, 1999

RFA:  NS-99-007

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  November 30, 1999
Application Receipt Date:  March 10, 2000

PURPOSE

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a
component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites applications for
Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs (SNRP) on Health Disparity awards. 
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to augment and
strengthen the research capabilities of faculty, students, and fellows at
minority institutions by supporting the development of new, and/or the
enhancement of ongoing basic and clinical neuro-AIDS related research projects
and programs.  These awards will be made to support individuals at  minority
institutions who collaborate with one or more established NIH supported
investigators at research intensive organizations.  The collaborative research
program's focus should be on prevention of neurological complications of HIV
infection.

The NIH recognizes that minority institutions are an integral component of our
national biomedical research agenda.  Therefore, the NIH is offering
programmatic assistance for the development of the technology and resources
that are necessary to conduct state-of-the-art neuroscience research.  The
SNRP will help the awarded institutions prepare the next generation of
neuroscience investigators.  Beyond this, the SNRP will become regional
resources that contribute to the NIH mission to find new knowledge that will
improve the health of the American public.  This competitive RFA is one
mechanism that the NIH identifies and supports neuroscientists at eligible
institutions.  To this end, the long term goals are (1) to develop effective
prevention and/or intervention strategies to reduce the burden and the
neurological consequences of HIV/AIDS in socio-economically disadvantaged
populations; (2) to ameliorate problems associated with AIDS-related dementia,
peripheral neuropathy, and other neurological complications of HIV infection;
and (3) to strengthen existing research, evaluation and prevention programs
among research institutions, community-based organizations, and minority
medical and graduate schools.

In summary, the goals of this program are to establish new, or strengthen
existing research collaborations with NIH-supported neuro-AIDS investigators,
investigators at minority institutions, and health care providers to better
deliver the benefits of research to Americans at increased risk for AIDS and
the neurological complications associated with HIV infection.  While awards
under this program are exploratory and intended to enhance and/or extend pilot
neuro-AIDS research projects among collaborating research institutions and
scientists, it is expected that the projects supported will be mutually
beneficial to advancing national efforts to disseminate medical information
and technologies to better serve the health needs of the public in this major
disease.  Successful programs will be further supported to serve as the
foundation for the development of more intensive and larger research studies
to reduce the national burden of this disease.

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 RFA, Specialized Neuroscience
Research Programs on Health Disparity: HIV and the Nervous System, is related
to the priority area of neurological complications of HIV infection. 
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report:
Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report: Stock No. 017-001-00473-1)
through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402-9325 (Tel 202-512-1800), or at
http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications will only be accepted from domestic, public or private, non-
profit, academic institutions that offer Ph.D., M.D., and/or equivalent health
professional degrees, at which more than 50 percent of the students enrolled
are from ethnic or racial minority groups.  Each applicant institution must
identify a collaborating institution that can be a domestic Federal or non-
Federal, public or private, non-profit organization.  Because the awardee will
need continuous and substantial research collaborations to achieve the
objectives of this RFA, the collaborating organization must be in the U.S.,
its possessions, or its territories.

The principal investigator, who serves as SNRP Director, must be a U.S.
citizen, permanent resident, or non-citizen national.  An award pursuant to
this RFA will not be made until and unless the institution appoints a Program
Director who has the professional skills needed to direct the Program.  The
administrative leadership skills, quality of independent research and
productivity, and ability to obtain and effectively use research support of
the proposed Program Director will be assessed  (see REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS).

Participating applicant investigators from the minority organizations should
have completed two or more years of postdoctoral neuroscience research and
must be full-time employees of the applicant institution.  Participating
collaborating investigators from the research intensive institutions must be
current NIH and/or NSF grantees (see RESEARCH OBJECTIVES).

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

The Cooperative Agreement (U-series) award is the administrative mechanism for
supporting activities in which the NIH collaborates substantially in
scientific and/or programmatic matters with the awarded institution(s).  The
Specialized Center-Cooperative Agreement (U54) mechanism will be used to
support the SNRP award.  It is anticipated that collaborating neuroscientists
will benefit from a broader range of research resources and interdisciplinary
research approaches than are available at any one institution.  A SNRP award
will support research and research development activities within the scope of
the program priorities identified by the NINDS.

The NIH will support and stimulate the activities of the awardee(s) by working
as a partner.  The NIH will not assume direction, take primary responsibility,
or in any other way dominate the activity.  The section TERMS AND CONDITIONS
contains detailed descriptions of the responsibilities, relationships, and
governance of the activities supported by the cooperative agreements for the
Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs on Health Disparity.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The NINDS plan to make up to four SNRP awards in Fiscal Year 2000.  An
applicant may request a project period of five or fewer years, and a budget
for direct costs of up to $1,000,000 per year, excluding indirect costs on
consortium arrangements.  Because the nature and scope of the research
proposed may vary, it is anticipated that the size of each award will also
vary. Although the financial plans of the NINDS provide support for this
program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the availability of
funds and the receipt of applications of outstanding scientific and technical
merit.  At this time, it is not known if competing renewal applications will
be accepted and/or if this RFA will be reissued.

Applicants planning to submit an investigator-initiated new (type 1),
competing continuation (type 2), competing supplement (type 3), or any
amended/revised version of the preceding grant application types requesting
$500,000 or more in direct costs for any year are advised that he or she must
contact institute program staff before submitting the application, i.e., as
plans for the study are being developed.  Furthermore, the applicant must
obtain agreement from NINDS staff that the institute will accept the
application for consideration for award.  Finally, the applicant must
identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, the staff member and
Institute who agreed to accept assignment of the application.  This policy
requires an applicant to obtain agreement for acceptance of both any such
application and any subsequent amendment (Refer to the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts, March 20, 1998).

Any application subject to this policy that does not contain the required
information in a cover letter sent with the application will be returned to
the applicant without review.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background

The NINDS wants to foster an improved health status of and eliminate the
health disparity experienced by Americans at increased risk for HIV/AIDS. 
Focused research and research career development programs such as the
Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs are used to achieve those
objectives.  Secondly, the NIH recognizes the unique and essential
contributions that minority institutions can make to fulfill the promise of
the NIH research agenda.  Therefore, the NIH has the responsibility to the
Nation to ensure that minority and other 'non-research-intensive' institutions
can develop the technology and other resources needed to conduct significant
neuroscience research.  Thirdly, the NIH can foster, by means of the SNRP  and
other programs, the collaborative research affiliations needed to address
neuroscience research problems relevant to the communities and regions served
by awarded institutions.

The Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs will:  (1) help minority
institutions develop state-of-the-art neuroscience research programs; (2)
create more opportunities for researchers employed by minority institutions to
establish research collaborations and professional networks with NIH and/or
NSF grantees employed by research intensive institutions; (3) increase the
role of ongoing research in maintaining a vigorous, stimulating academic and
intellectual milieu that will inspire and prepare students and fellows to
pursue research careers in neuroscience; and (4)  provide support for pilot
research.  This research is needed to polish the skills and abilities of
investigators, to obtain  preliminary data, and to publish  in peer reviewed
journals which  can help ensure successful competition for traditional
research grants and awards. .

Research Objectives and Scope

The NINDS strongly supports scientific investigations into the causes,
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurological diseases and stroke.  An
application for a SNRP in the area of neuro-AIDS could include proposals for
basic and/or clinical research.  Examples of relevant research include, but
are not limited to the following:

o  Development of strategies to promote the dissemination and/or transfer of
information on the neurological complications of HIV infection from research
to service providers;

o  Development of strategies to prevent the spread of HIV infections in the
CNS and PNS;

o  Establishment of population-based studies to evaluate promising new
therapies that could impact the progression of AIDS-associated dementia;

o  Studies on mechanisms underlying the neurological and neurobehavioral
aspects of HIV infection;

o  Identification of surrogate markers which will allow  rapid measurement of
neuropathogenic damage and treatment success;

o  Refinement of brain imaging techniques (CT, MRI, MR spectroscopy,
functional MR, SPECT, and PET) in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV-
associated neurological disease;

o  Elucidation of the role of the immune system, intracellular signaling
pathways, receptors, and cytokines in HIV neuro-tropism and pathogenicity in
HIV-associated dementia;

o  Investigations of signal transduction which may induce recruitment and
proliferation of inflammatory cells and further cytokine/chemokine
dysfunction;

o  Studies of drugs of abuse that result in neuro-AIDS complications;

o  Investigation of possible common links among neurodegenerative diseases
such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and HIV-dementia, where
microglial activation is a common pathway for neural destruction.

The research plan of an application for a SNRP award must contain the
description of up to three multidisciplinary, collaborative, research projects
that will be mutually beneficial to participating investigators through
coordinated, cooperative interactions.  Each of the proposed projects should
effectively use the scientific and technical strengths of collaborating
investigators to define a research plan appropriate to the requested duration
that will advance scientific knowledge in the research areas identified above.

Description of Key Elements in an Application for a Specialized Neuroscience
Research Program Award: 

o  Selection and appointment of an SNRP Director who has had experience with
neuroscience research funding and research training;

o  Selection of one or more highly qualified applicant investigators at the
minority institution to propose and direct meritorious research projects
suited to their expertise.  These investigators are required to devote a
minimum of 50 percent time and effort to these projects;

o  Documentation of the nature and scope of the collaborative research
projects with NIH and/or NSF grantees from research intensive institutions.
Collaborators at the intensive research organizations must devote no less than
20 percent time and effort to the collaborative projects;

o  Evidence that the senior leadership at the applicant institution has
addressed issues related to  tenure, promotion, research release time, and
other personnel matters pertaining to the scientific success of the SNRP
Director and applicant investigators.  In addition, evidence is required of
institutional commitment and availability of technical and logistical
resources for the long-term support of the SNRP.  Features of the
institutional environment that are relevant to effective accomplishment of the
overall neuroscience program must be briefly described.  As appropriate,
available resources (e.g., clinical and laboratory facilities, patient
populations, geographic distributions of space and personnel) and
collaborative resources should be described.  A letter of support from a
senior institution official (e.g., President or Dean) should outline the
commitment for resources to sustain and support the neuroscience program
throughout the period of funding and beyond the performance period of this
award;

o  The applicant must identify and outline plans for support staff (e.g.,
grants management, administrative, and technical) to ensure the timely
ordering of research supplies, equipment, and other resources essential to the
scientific productivity of the research award;

o  Eligible institutions must show evidence of an existing research
infrastructure that can support the neuroscience research program.  Previous
(past five years) and current research support used for neuroscience research
could be described.  The existing research infrastructure and needed
enhancements must be delineated;

o  Brief description of how the proposed activities will enhance the
scientific capabilities of faculty, students and fellows in neuroscience, and
strengthen the neuroscience curriculum; and

o  Description of the chain of responsibility for decision making and
administration, beginning at the level of the institution's President and
including all key staff (e.g., Sponsored Programs Administrator, Department
Chair, and Dean), plans for day-to-day administration of the SNRP, program
coordination, planning, and evaluation.  The proposed relationship of SNRP to
existing programs and, how the SNRP initiative will augment and strengthen the
research infrastructure need to be described in detail.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The awardee will work to establish research priorities within the approved
research scope of each SNRP award through discussions with the NINDS Office of
Special Programs in Neuroscience.  The NINDS reserves the right to include
outside consultants/experts in these discussions.  After the awardee and the
NINDS have set the priorities, the awardee will be responsible for conducting
the research activities.  The awardee and the NINDS will interact in a
cooperative manner throughout the duration of the award to facilitate progress
and resolve any problems that may arise. 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The following Terms of Award are in addition to otherwise applicable OMB
administrative guidelines, HHS Grant Administration Regulations at 45 CFR Part
74 and 92, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies. 
Cooperative Agreements are subject to the administrative requirements outlined
in pertinent OMB, HHS, PHS, and NIH guidelines, with particular emphasis on
HHS regulations at 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 74.  Indirect costs are
calculated and awarded for cooperative agreement the same way as for grants.

1.  The Awardee Rights and Responsibilities:

o  The awardee has primary authority and responsibility to define the
scientific objectives and approaches, to plan, conduct, analyze, and publish
results, interpretations, and conclusions of the studies;

o  The awardee has the primary responsibility for establishing effective and
substantial research collaborations with NIH and/or NSF grantees from research
intensive organizations.  The scope and nature of the research on common
protocols must be adequately documented and must ensure participation,
collaboration, and sharing of methods and data among collaborating
organizations;

o  The awardee has the primary responsibility for establishing an internal
advisory committee of the collaborating neuroscientists.  The committee will
have the responsibility for directing and monitoring the progress of the
research projects. Also, the committee must develop opportunities for
information exchange, seminar presentations, and research training for
students and fellows;

o  The awardee has the primary responsibility for establishing an external
advisory committee of distinguished senior neuroscientists.  Annually, the
committee will assess the productivity of the SNRP, make recommendations for
the future direction of the SNRP initiative, and provide advice and guidance
about personnel matters and the allocation of resources to individual projects
and investigators.

The awardee will retain custody of, and primary rights to the data and
intellectual property developed under the award, subject to current government
policies regarding rights of access as consistent with current HHS, PHS, and
NIH policies.  The NINDS reserves the right to negotiate additional awardee
terms and conditions based on recommendations from the Initial Review Group
and the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council.

2.  NINDS Staff Responsibilities:

The NINDS will have substantial scientific/programmatic involvement during the
award performance period by contributing to the planning and assessment
activities and by providing technical assistance, advice and coordination
beyond normal program stewardship for grants. (see INQUIRIES, below).

o  The NINDS will have primary responsibility for stewardship of the award and
overall responsibility for monitoring the conduct, progress, and fiscal
management of the research program;

o  The NINDS will help shape a comprehensive framework for the development of
the SNRP and provide technical advice and expertise regarding scientific
direction and program management;

o  The NINDS will help the applicant institution and SNRP Director establish
reasonable time lines to achieve the developmental goals of the SNRP.  The
NINDS will facilitate interactions between the awardee and collaborating
investigators;

o  The NINDS reserves the authority to recommend reductions in budget,
withhold support, suspend and/or terminate the award if technical performance
falls below acceptable standards for quality and timeliness;

o  The NINDS will actively participate as non-voting members in all meetings
of the external advisory committee during the performance period of the award;

o  The NINDS reserves the authority to recommend additional research endeavors
within the approved research and negotiated budgets; and

o  The NINDS reserves the right to include selected extramural and intramural
staff as consultants/experts on scientific issues during the performance
period of the award.

3.  Arbitration

Any disagreements about scientific/programmatic matters (within the scope of
the award) between the awardee and the NINDS may be brought to an arbitration
panel convened by the Director's of the co-sponsoring NIH components.  The
decision of the arbitration panel, by majority vote, will be binding.  The
process to resolve programmatic differences described above in no way affects
the rights of a recipient of a cooperative agreement assistance grant to
appeal an adverse determination in accordance with PHS regulations at 42 CFR
Part 50, Subpart D, and HHS regulations at 45 CFR Part 16.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and
their sub-populations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and
compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is
inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the
research.  Adequate plans to include both genders and minorities and their
subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research must be
included.  Plans for recruitment and retention of subjects will be evaluated. 
This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of
Public Law 103-43).

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical
Research, which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994
(FR 59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23,
Number 11, March 18, 1994.  This information is available on the Internet at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html.
Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program staff
listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant
information concerning the policy.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the
NIH, unless there is scientific or ethical reasons not to include them.  This
applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates after
October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Policy and Guidelines on the inclusion of Children as Participants in
Research Involving Human Subjects" that was published in the NIH Guide for
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL
address: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by November 30, 1999, a letter of
intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed research, the name,
address, and telephone number of the principal investigator, the identities of
other key personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title
of the RFA in response to which the application may be submitted.  Although a
letter of intent is not required, it is not binding, and does not enter into
the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains
allows NINDS staff to estimate the potential review workload and avoid
conflict of interest in the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to:

Dr. Alfred W. Gordon
Director, Office of Special Programs in Neuroscience
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Suite 2149
Rockville, MD  20892-9535

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used in
applying for these grants.  These forms are available at most institutional
offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of
Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health,
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910; telephone (301) 710-0267; Email: grantsinfo@nih.gov; and from the NIH program administrator listed
under INQUIRIES. Application kits are also available on the Internet at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

An application for a SNRP award must include the following:

o  Competitive applications will develop new and/or strengthen existing
collaborative projects with NIH and/or NSF grantees from research intensive
institutions.  Investigators must clearly define the nature and extent of the
research collaboration, such that they fully explain the necessary
administrative, fiscal, and scientific aspects in the application.

o  A research plan for up to five years that includes the proposed
organization and functioning of the SNRP.  The plan should demonstrate the
applicant's knowledge, ingenuity, practicality, and commitment to developing a
significant, productive, research program.

o  A description of, and justification for the proposed individual research
projects and core service facilities.  Applicants are required to propose up
to three meritorious research projects, and must describe the nature and scope
of scientific research collaborations.

o  A description of the research, training goals, and capabilities of the
proposed SNRP.  The Program Director and NINDS must establish a time line for
supported applicant investigators to prepare and submit proposals for
traditional research grant review during the performance period of the SNRP
award; and

o  A description of the infrastructure for conducting studies aimed at
developing a nationally competitive neuroscience research program.

The RFA label, available in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application kit, must be
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.  The RFA label and
line 2 of the application should both indicate the RFA number.  Failure to use
this label could result in delayed processing of the application such that it
may not reach the review committee in time for review.  In addition, the RFA
number and title must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application
form and the "YES" box must be marked.

The sample RFA label available at: 
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been modified to
allow for this change.  Please note this is in pdf format.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and three signed photocopies, in one package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710 
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must be
sent to:

Dr. Lillian Pubols
Scientific Review Branch
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Suite #3208
Bethesda, MD  20892

SCHEDULE

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  November 30, 1999
Application Receipt Date:       March 10, 2000
Council Review:                 September 14, 2000
Earliest Award Date:            December 2000

Applications must be received by March 10, 2000.  If an application is
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review. 
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept an application in
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.  Also,
the CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one
already reviewed.  This does not preclude the submission of substantial
revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must include
an introduction addressing the previous critique.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by CSR, and
responsiveness by NINDS staff.  Applications that are incomplete and/or non-
responsive to this RFA, or exceed the maximum first year direct cost limit of
$1,000,000, excluding costs for consortium budgets, will be returned to the
applicant without further consideration.  A Special Emphasis Panel (SEP)
convened by the NINDS will determine the scientific merit of each application.
The NINDS will withdraw from further competition those applications judged by
the SEP to be noncompetitive for an award and notify the applicant principal
investigator and applicant organization.

The review of the SNRP application is based not only on the traditional review
criteria for research projects, but also considers the feasibility and
potential for investigators to gain scientific independence.  The following
criteria will be used to evaluate the potential for productive collaborative
research, and the overall potential for enriching the academic and
intellectual milieu for doing research that will increase what is known about
healthy and disordered nervous systems.

o  The significance, approach, and innovation of the proposed research
projects and of the SNRP as a whole;

o  The scientific and administrative qualifications of the principal
investigator to direct the SNRP;

o  The strengths of the applicant investigators and collaborating
neuroscientists, particularly the academic qualifications, neuroscience
research experience, expertise and research productivity;

o  Appropriateness and adequacy of the experimental approach and methodology
proposed to carry out the research, considering the applicant and collaborator
research backgrounds and their respective contributions in the development of
the research proposal.  The application must have scientific merit, but unlike
a traditional research grant application, it must be evaluated in the context
of the developmental goals and feasibility of the study;

o  The nature, scope, and effectiveness of the plans for coordination and
cooperation among research project investigators;

o  Evaluate the facilities, resources, and environment of the applicant
institution (including existing relevant equipment, animal, and/or computer
resources, and departmental or interdepartmental cooperation);

o  Evidence of a detailed plan for career development of students and fellows
in neuroscience research and other neuroscience related health professions;

o  The specific research goals to be accomplished, the hypotheses to be
tested, and the likelihood that applicant investigators will produce the
preliminary data and publications to be competitive for a traditional research
grant during the performance period of the award;

o  Appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration, including the
justification for requested items in terms of the aims and methods of the
proposed research studies;

o  For research involving human subjects, adequacy of plans to include both
genders and minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific
goals of the research.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects
will also be evaluated.  Reviewers should assess the age-appropriate inclusion
or exclusion of children in the research project and evaluate the plans for
conducting the research in accord with the NIH guidelines on the inclusion of
children as participants in research involving human subjects; and

o  The adequacy of the proposed plan for animal welfare and biohazard safety
in the research environment.

AWARD CRITERIA

Funding decisions will be based on the scientific and technical merit of the
application as determined by the Initial Review Group and the National
Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council, program balance, and the
availability of funds.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any
issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries
regarding programmatic issues to:

Dr. Joana Rosario
Office of Special Programs in Neuroscience
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Suite 2150
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-5489
FAX:  (301) 594-5929
Email:  jr69z@nih.gov

Dr. A.P. Kerza-Kwiatecki
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Suite 2115
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-1431
FAX:  (301) 402-4020
Email:  ak45w@nih.gov

For information on budget and fiscal matters, contact:

Mr. Maurice Johnson
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Suite 3115
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-7432
FAX:  (301) 402-0219
Email:  mj34w@nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No.
93.854 (Biological Basis Research in the Neurosciences).  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 NIH grants policies and Federal Regulation 42 CFR 52 and 45
CFR Part 74 and 92.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental
review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a
smoke-free workplace, and to promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking
in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early
childhood development services are provided to children.  This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.

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