Department of Health and Human Services


Part 1. Overview Information
Participating Organization(s)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The policies, guidelines, terms, and conditions of the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) might differ from those used by the HHS National Institutes of Health (NIH). If written guidance for completing this application is not available on the CDC website, then CDC will direct applicants elsewhere for that information.

Components of Participating Organizations

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Funding Opportunity Title

National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation (U60)

Activity Code

U60 Research Cooperative Agreement

Announcement Type

Reissue of RFA-OH-09-001

Related Notices

  • August 1, 2013 - See Notice NOT-OH-13-014. Notice to Update Cooperative Research Agreement.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number

RFA-OH-13-001

Companion Funding Opportunity

None

Number of Applications

See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)

93.262, Occupational Safety and Health Program

Funding Opportunity Purpose

NIOSH is encouraging submission of an application from qualified organizations for a National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation. An applicant is encouraged to consider holistic, trans-disciplinary approaches for high quality applied research, outreach and partnerships, prevention, intervention, research translation and research-to-practice, and program evaluation for continuous improvement and impact assessment. In cooperation with NIOSH, the implementation and diffusion of innovative, evidence-based solutions that address pressing problems in construction safety and health is expected.

Key Dates
Posted Date

June 28, 2013

Letter of Intent Due Date(s)

August 1, 2013

Application Due Date(s)

August 30, 2013 by 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time. Paper application, signed original plus 3 copies, must be submitted to NIOSH. See Section IV. Note: HHS/CDC grant submission procedures do not provide a period of time beyond the application due date.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not Applicable

Scientific Merit Review

November 2013

Advisory Council Review

April 2014

Earliest Start Date

September 1, 2014

Expiration Date

September 2, 2013

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. While some links are provided, 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 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement


Section I. Funding Opportunity Description


Background

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created both NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). NIOSH is an agency established to help assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by conducting research and research translation, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health. Information pertaining to the specific responsibilities of NIOSH are found in Section 22 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 CFR 671).

Construction workers have high rates of work-related injuries and deaths in comparison with other industry sectors. In 2010, there were 751 fatal on-the-job injuries to construction workers, more than in any other single industry sector. Nearly one out of every six work-related deaths in the U.S. Construction worksites are organizationally complex multi-employer sites and present numerous health and safety challenges. Many types of construction work involve potential hazards such as silica, noise, struck-by or welding fumes, and construction tasks can involve awkward postures and other risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders.

In 2007, the NIOSH Construction Research Program underwent external review conducted by the National Academies Board on Infrastructure of the Constructed Environment (BICE) (hereafter referred to as the National Academies). Upon completing the review, the Academies made six major recommendations for improving the Construction Research Program, grouped into three categories http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/const/naseval.html. The three categories are: 1) Transferring Research to Practice; 2) Resources; and 3) Increased Communication with Policy Makers. The committee also provided suggestions and comments for draft goals of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). The National Academies final report was released in October 2008. NIOSH periodically updates its Construction Research Program plan or strategies in order to implement the Academies and other recommendations, as feasible. The NIOSH implementation plan can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/const/naseval.html. In December 2009, NIOSH established an Office of Construction Safety and Health for improving and intensifying coordination and integration activities with the NIOSH-funded National Construction Center and other stakeholders. The NIOSH Construction Research Program, including the extramural grantees component, strives to fulfill its mission through four key areas: high quality research, practical solutions, partnerships, and research-to-practice.

Purpose

With this program announcement, NIOSH continues its financial and technical support for a National Construction Center with emphasis on applied research, translation of scientific discoveries for target-specific users to prevent or reduce construction related injury and illness, effective prevention practices and products (research-to-practice), education, and outreach and sustainable partnerships.

A robust data and statistical program capability as well as a publically-accessible research-to-practice repository for construction hazards and solutions, educational materials and other products are expected.

Training proposals are not allowed.

In 2010, the NORA Construction Sector Council performed a mid-decade review to assess which strategic goals have attracted interest and proposals from researchers and industry stakeholders, and to assess progress towards performance measures. This review identified 6 of the 15 NORA goals as most deserving of focus for achieving ambitious performance measures.

Research Priorities for the Construction Sector

Ready for Impact Applied Research Category

As identified by the NORA Construction Sector Council, the six strategic goals comprising the ready for impact category are:

Because NORA goals continue to represent high priority topics, an applicant is strongly encouraged to submit research proposals addressing NORA construction research intermediate goals. The intermediate goals can be reviewed by clicking on any one of the 15 strategic goals at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/const/noragoals/. The other nine NORA goals continue to be important, but are considered to be more at development or exploratory stages than the six goals above.

Development or Exploratory Applied Research Category

NORA goals comprising the category development and exploratory follow:

Goal 2: Reduce fatal and nonfatal injuries from contact with electricity among construction workers.

Goal 4: Reduce hearing loss among construction workers by increased use of noise reduction solutions, practices, and hearing conservation programs by the construction community.

Goal 6: Reduce welding fume exposures and future related health risks among construction workers by increasing the availability and use of welding fume controls and practices for welding tasks.

Goal 7: Reduce the incidence and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers in the U.S.

Goal 9: Improve the effectiveness of safety and health management programs in construction and increase their use in the industry.

Goal 10: Improve understanding of how construction industry organization factors relate to injury and illness outcomes; and increase the sharing and use of industry-wide practices, policies, and partnerships that improve safety and health performance.

Goal 11: Develop and build recognition and awareness of construction hazards and the means for controlling them by strengthening and extending the reach of quality training and education in the construction industry, including for non-English speaking workers.

Goal 14: Improve surveillance at the Federal, State, and private level to support the identification of hazards and associated illnesses and injuries; the evaluation of intervention and organizational program effectiveness; and the identification of emerging health and safety priorities in construction.

Goal 15: Engage the media more effectively to raise awareness and improve safety and health in construction.

NIOSH strongly encourages submission of an application addressing a combination of applied research, research translation, research-to-practice, and intervention effectiveness or evaluation

that address strategic goals identified above, especially the six ready for impact goals. NIOSH also welcomes individual proposals that address any of the National Academies recommendations referenced above. See Research Objectives and Special Requirements sections for details. In

addition, submission of other highly innovative and significant safety and health research topics for the construction industry would be acceptable e.g., construction safety and health policy research, cost or training effectiveness research.

This FOA does advance the NIOSH mission and the NORA National Construction Research Agenda for protecting workers in the U.S. This program announcement does not directly address CDC public health priorities known as Winnable Battles, or the CDC Strategic Public Health Priority.

Key Components of the National Construction Center

High quality applied research - at least 6 projects

Research translation and/or research-to-practice - at least 5 projects

Center-wide activities

Activities and responsibilities include:

Administrative Core - up to 20% of total costs

The Construction Center should have an administrative structure and management plan that supports the full operation of Center wide activities. As such, this would ensure: 1) coordination, integration and potential impact of Construction Center components and activities; 2) productivity, effectiveness, and appropriateness of Construction Center activities; 3) an evaluation approach/plan for all programs and special initiatives; 4) organization of Construction Center activities, such as invitation of visiting-status consultants, interns and students; 5) organization and convening of Internal and External Advisory Committees; 6) recordkeeping of meeting minutes and measures of overall success, including outcomes for the various programs and outreach and partnership activities; 7) maintaining knowledge of and compliance with research related risk protections, 45 CFR Part 46, and other federal and state statutory and guidance, as applicable; 8) business operations including human resources, IT, and property & equipment, and 9) coordination with NIOSH, NIOSH grantees, and other appropriate individuals, groups, councils, or world-wide organizations.

A strategic plan, including Construction Center goals and implementation and evaluation components must be described. An organizational chart preferably with key personnel labeling must be provided.

Center Director/PI along with sub Program Directors (but not necessarily individual project PI/PD) should be budgeted for at least a 20% calendar months effort to meet operational and planning related responsibilities.

NIOSH requires the development, implementation, and modification/update of a Construction Center Plus r2p Coordination Plan over the grant project period. The coordination plan would include coordination objectives; monitoring and communication activities; performance and impact measures; and information regarding guidance or assistance to individual researchers in developing an r2p plan. NIOSH strongly encourages that the Construction Center have qualified personnel (either through formal training or demonstrated experience and skills) to plan and coordinate r2p activities including performance and impact monitoring, e.g. qualified communication or educational specialist.

Strategically, outreach activities and goals should contribute to measurable impact. Also, outreach activities that facilitate the translation of research and training products for jobsites and/or professions that of are of high priority.

The Construction Center should plan, organize and host an annual one-day thematic meeting attedned by Center leadership, the Center-funded researcher consortium members (e.g., prime institution and sub contracted principal investigators), Advisory and/or Steering Committee members, NIOSH key contacts and other invited representatives. Substantial NIOSH involvement in developing the meeting agenda is anticipated. For application preparation purposes, the meeting location and budgeting could be for either metropolitan Washington D.C. or the Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio area.

Research Objectives/Program - approximately 75% of total costs

The following applies to both Part 1 and 2 below.

An application will undergo NIOSH peer review for scientific and technical merit assessment. For all project and program proposals, anticipated outputs (products generated by the research activities)

as well as short and intermediate outcomes must be provided in the Research Strategy section. Relevance to NIOSH cross sector programs should be identified. For NIOSH cross sector programs, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/.

For submission of a new sub project proposal in years 2, 3, or 4 (June or October receipt date only)

of the grant’s project period, a proposal will be an electronic submission to published NIOSH program announcements (i.e., R01, R03, R21) unless notified otherwise. See specific receipt dates in these program announcements at http://grants.gov/. Further, under certain circumstances NIOSH may accept a Supplemental submission from a recipient resulting from this program announcement. In this case, a funding decision will be made on a case-by-case basis and must be of strong programmatic need and relevance. The grant recipient, and prospective collaborating researchers, must allow for

eight to ten months for a CDC NIOSH funding decision.

1. High quality applied research approximately 40% of total costs

For research relevance and prioritization, please review the NIOSH NORA Construction Research Agenda intermediate goals webpages at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/const/noragoals/).

NIOSH recommends that an application contain 3 or more applied research sub projects for each

of the two NORA Agenda categories (6 or more in total) as follows:

Ready for Impact Goals - NORA goals 1, 3, 5, 8, 12, and 13

Exploratory and Development Goals - NORA goals 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15

A proposal may have a program or project specific focus including a select hazard, health outcome, human factors, work organization or industry system-level emphasis. Interdisciplinary input and involvement is encouraged for attaining overall outputs, well-accepted short and intermediate outcomes, and end outcomes e.g., reduction in injury or death or health condition rate among construction workers.At a minimum, each research proposal, including sub projects and sub programs, should identify:relevance for NORA research agenda, when applicable (i.e., 2 or 3-digit NORA intermediate goal(s); identified trades or occupations for study group(s); expected annual outputs/products; a research-to-practice or translation & dissemination sub plan (in the Research Strategy section); expected intermediate outcomes or impact for select trades, occupations, employers, owners, etc.; and possible NIOSH collaborators, by name, for a specific aim (as represented in a NIOSH Letter of Collaboration in the application).

For each applied research project, an r2p or dissemination sub-plan should be described in the Research Strategy section. The plan should include intended construction trade(s) or groups, organizations, or occupations. Plans may utilize logic models, collaboration with construction partners and stakeholders, and dissemination and/or adoption strategies. Practical (e.g., jobsite) solutions and other outputs that can influence contractors and workers are strongly encouraged. For application preparation purposes, typically an applicant would allocate a portion of project-specific funds for r2p in the latter budget periods, when the project is progressing toward readiness for dissemination, etc.

In lieu of proposing one or two projects addressing NORA goals, an applicant may propose an emerging or new topic of timely importance to the construction industry and its workers. The topic may have indirect or no relevance to NORA goals. For example, research addressing nanomaterial hazards, policy change/effectiveness research or systems-level factors.

2. Research translation and research-to-practice (r2p) approximately 35% of total costs

NIOSH expects an applicant to propose at least 5 r2p and/or translation research proposals.Targeted proposals, by goal type, are explained further below.

The National Academies (2008) emphasized the importance of research to practice (r2p), and identified two critical questions to be in the forefront of r2p and research efforts: 1) How can the program get vital information to the worker in the trench or on the steel ; and 2) How does the program persuade contractors and workers to effectively use the interventions that are developed through research? In addition, the National Academies report included a recommendation that Consideration should be given to having the majority of research to practice efforts of the Construction Research Program conducted through the National Construction Center [http://www.nap.edu/topics].

This FOA views r2p as a fundamental component both for the Center and for sub program proposals. Research to practice can include both research and non-research activities. Research includes proposals that have a program or project specific focus that will yield scientific evidence for accumulation of knowledge, research translation, effectiveness, design related, or technology transfer for ultimately protecting construction workers. For example, conducting diffusion related research could help to identify effective, optimum procedures or steps to reach target behaviors and changes at the individual, group and/or organizational levels e.g., project design or demonstrating the benefits of an intervention. Non-research activities can include support for specific dissemination or marketing steps or development of products for or with intermediate industry partners such as trade associations or trade unions, or end users such as contractors or construction workers. Authors Kreuter and Bernhardt (AJPH Dec 2009, Vol 99, No.12) commentary discussed approaches, dissemination, and developing distribution capacity for evidence-based interventions as an important public health activity. This topic remains especially relevant and important for the construction sector.

For Center-wide, NIOSH requires the development and implementation of a Center Plus r2p Coordination Plan. The intent is two-fold. First, Center r2p coordination is needed to ensure that internal projects are coordinated, that guidance and assistance is provided to individual researchers in developing an r2p plan, and that dissemination, communication and evaluation of results occurs. [Evaluation includes identifying and tracking the causal link between effective transfer and resulting changes in intermediate and end outcomes. For information on an evaluation framework, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nas/framework1.html]. Secondly, the r2p coordination plan needs to be viewed as a critical yet additional activity ( Center Plus ) so that the Center can play a larger role in assisting NIOSH and other researchers with r2p efforts consistent with the National Academies recommendations. At a minimum, this needs to include: providing r2p planning advice to researchers who have requested assistance in developing their own proposals, a yearly construction r2p seminar or workshop open to all construction safety and health researchers and interested professionals, and appropriate assistance to researchers with dissemination and outreach activities. Substantial NIOSH involvement should be expected in working with the Construction Center leadership to address this larger role for r2p. This may include regular (e.g., monthly) communication for strategic and programmatic input and co-prioritization of external requests for assistance/resourcing to coordinate and complement the NIOSH mission.

The NORA Construction Sector Council and NIOSH view the Ready for Impact goals to be the topics most poised for research-to-practice. Accordingly, NIOSH strongly recommends that an application include:

In lieu of proposing one or two projects addressing NORA r2p goals, an applicant may propose an emerging or new topic for r2p or translation important to the construction industry and its workers.

An individual r2p proposal may have a program or project-specific focus that will yield scientific evidence for accumulation and/or adoption of knowledge, research translation and/or its effectiveness, and/or design or technology transfer for ultimately protecting construction workers.

Each individual applied research project should identify:

Examples of r2p research objectives include assessment for strategic impact, triage for supporting selection activity, dissemination and marketing/promotion of research-tested interventions, building or expansion of distribution and support capacity (e.g., transfer information or intervention), and establishment or expansion of formative research and evaluation measures and processes including science-based evidence.

Support Service for Construction Industry Data and Statistics - about 5% of total costs

The purpose of this unit would be to acquire, analyze, interpret and disseminate data, factors, and changes for the construction sector. The types of data will vary including construction related injury, illness, disability, deaths, industry characteristics, or indicators such as employment, demographic economic variables and so forth provide consultation services and/or data in response to stakeholder requests e.g., data set or methods consultation. To accomplish this, the Construction Center must provide and maintain high caliber scientific and technical competency.

Each proposal should identify all expected major outputs/products, by year, and outcomes to be responsive to this announcement identify, track, and record the final disposition for individual requests or services rendered. The sub program should anticipate playing a major role in assisting the Construction Sector Council with evaluating progress on NORA goal performance measures and end of NORA reporting (anticipated in 2016-2017). Tracking activities also include collaboration with NIOSH to track progress on National Construction Agenda goals. Surveillance improvement recommendations and discussion can be found in NORA Construction Agenda strategic goal 14 and in Chapter 4 of the National Academies 2008 Report. Dissemination activities can include support for web portals, online databases, repositories, and use of social marketing or promotion of informational products to increase industry wide awareness and ultimately to influence intermediate and end outcomes

Pilot/Small Studies Research Program

Funding for this program may be proposed within the Administrative Core budget or under the Applied Research budget.

The sub program includes p to 6 new studies per year with an annual budget of up to $180,000 in total costs The funding ceiling for an individual project with a 12-month or less performance period will be $30,000 in total costs. Note: proposals will not be accepted for approval in the final 9 months of the overall grant project period. A 10 to 12 month proposal may be feasible, a pre-planning discussion with the NIOSH Program Official is recommended.

Support for projects relevant to the NORA construction research agenda is considered fundamental for sustaining the quality, breadth, and relevance of the program. The scope of the program may be broad including basic or applied science, development or exploratory methodologies, prevention effectiveness or intervention, translation, r2p, technology transfer or feasibility and policy research. Training proposals are not eligible.

Grantee will have full responsibility for administration (including research risk related protections) of the Small Studies program. For a proposed project that would be conducted outside the U.S. and its Territories, a brief concept paper must be submitted to the NIOSH Program Official for prior approval. The concept paper should include the approach or plan including obtaining IRB approval from the appropriate IRB within and outside the U.S. Pilot/small projects should provide support for a new, 12-month or less project period.

Allow opportunities for junior faculty, new faculty investigators, post Master or doctorial students, and new disciplines for exposure to construction safety and health research. A research output must be clearly identified in the Abstract and Research Strategy section. Unless notified otherwise, use the Form PHS 398 fillable forms available at http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html. Oftentimes, CDC NIOSH will enable investigators to collect sufficient data to pursue subsequent support through other funding mechanisms.

Approved and funded small studies are not eligible for competing renewal (i.e., same scope and aims)

While the administrative framework for soliciting and managing the Pilot/Small Project Research Program will be at the Center Director's discretion, certain minimal requirements must be met. Management of the program must include mechanisms to ensure: an appropriate announcement of the availability of funding and review criteria; a clear description in the project abstract that the project address a NORA goal or significant topic; documentation of scores for each merit reviewer; appropriate IRB review and approval for all pilot/small projects involving human subjects to ensure protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects (see 45 Code of Federal Regulations 46); and complete up-to-date records of subsequent results or outcomes of each pilot/small project (abstract, RO1/R21 submission/award, dissertation, etc.). For each Construction Center-recommended pilot proposal, an electronic funding recommendation package will be submitted to the NIOSH Scientific Program Official for review and approval. The package must contain the SF424R&R application, documentation of IRB approval of protocol/plan, copies of recruitment and consent materials (when available), copies of data collection instruments/survey, and copies of signed Individual Investigator Agreement, when applicable, when applicable. Study protocols must comply with all applicable Federal and State research regulations.

NIOSH approval of individual studies is required. Submission of an electronic funding recommendation package does not guarantee an approval. Allow up to 30 days for NIOSH review and approval determination. The NIOSH Program Official will consult with the NIOSH Project Officer/Scientist for input, as appropriate. The Construction Center will be responsible for creating, maintaining and providing to the NIOSH Program Official an annual studies a real-time administrative tracking tool (e.g., spreadsheet) for small studies administrative status including IRB determination, terms and conditions, NORA goal relevance, and completion outputs.

Evaluation and Impact of the National Construction Center

The Construction Center is expected to exert a sustained, powerful, transformative influence on construction industry health and safety including specialty trades and public and private sectors.

Overall, the outreach, research, translation, intervention, and r2p efforts of the Center should be focused on specified outcomes especially for improving construction worker health and safety.

All levels of the Center’s effort are expected to have a direct tie to impact, whenever possible. Impacts may involve positive change at the individual/profession, group or high organization level; or, quantify the amount of change or improvement for stakeholders. NIOSH strongly encourages the use of suitable evaluation and/or performance monitoring techniques and measures to assess, track and report impact on a yearly basis. One of the reporting mechanisms will be the grant-required Annual Report of Research Impacts.

An applicant is strongly encouraged to address measures of impact (intermediate outcomes) for all proposed programs and projects.

An applicant should consider holistic, multidisciplinary approaches that link and integrate evidence-based prevention, intervention, translation and r2p, outreach, education, and evaluation in innovative ways or methods. Also, feedback systems should be developed, implemented and assessed at the Center-level.

Annual Report of Research and Translation Impacts: A summary report of the Construction Center’s major outcomes , partnership development, etc., is required. See Special Requirements section later in this FOA.

Institutional Commitment

The Construction Center is expected to possess high caliber scientific and technical competency, be forward looking, and provide national and international leadership in the development and delivery of relevant interventions to improve construction industry safety and health. An applicant’s institution must demonstrate a commitment of support and facilities for the Construction Center. Examples include acquisition of scientific and non-scientific equipment, supplies, adequate facilities and space, computing and software related, data and related MOUs, research risks protections and compliance (i.e., federal wide assurance and institutional review board oversight), travel and meeting/conference support, financial management capability, business operations such as personnel, and especially contract management and controls. A Succession Plan for the Center Principal Investigator or Co Principal Investigator along with institutional commitment and sustainability for a construction related safety and health program must be demonstrated or provided.

See Section IV for other information, special requirements, prior approvals, reporting, required federal citations, and policies related to this announcement.

Section II. Award Information
Funding Instrument

Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.

Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, CDC NIOSH staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.

Application Types Allowed

New
Renewal

The OER Glossary and the PHS 398 Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

The number of awards is contingent upon CDC appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

CDC NIOSH intends to commit up to $28,750,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) for five years to fund one application. For each 12 month budget period, NIOSH intends to commit up to $5,750,000 in total costs. An award issued under this FOA is contingent on the availability of funds and the submission of a meritorious application.

Award Budget

The total budget may not exceed $28,750,000. There is no floor of funding for the FOA; however, submission of an application for only part of this FOA is discouraged. For each sub project and sub program proposal, an applicant may request a budget for total direct costs of up to $400,000 per year. Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs requested by consortium partners are not included in the direct costs limitation. Pre-award costs are not allowable. Because of changes and innovation in the construction sector over time, NIOSH discourages a five year project period for each applied research project proposal unless a highly compelling scientific and technical justification can be made. However, a five year sub program proposal is acceptable for certain components of this FOA e.g., data and statistical service; pilot/small studies program .

Award Project Period

The maximum project period is 5 years. Throughout the project period, CDC's commitment to continuation of awards will be conditional on the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports), and the determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government.

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

Section III. Eligibility Information


1. Eligible Applicants


Eligible Organizations

Higher Education Institutions

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

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

For-Profit Organizations

Governments

Other

A Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a legal, binding agreement from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Attach with "Other Attachment Forms" when submitting via www.grants.gov.

Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Required Registrations

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the PHS 398 Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

All applicant organizations must register with Grants.gov. Please visit www.Grants.gov at least 30 days prior to submitting your application to familiarize yourself with the registration and submission processes. The one-time registration process will take three to five days to complete. However, it is best to start the registration process at least two weeks prior to application submission.

All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the applicant organization. All registrations must be successfully completed and active before the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.

Universal Identifier Requirements and Central Contractor Registration

All applicant organizations must obtain a DUN and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the Universal Identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number is a nine-digit number assigned by Dun and Bradstreet Information Services. An Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) should be consulted to determine the appropriate number. If the organization does not have a DUNS number, an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) should complete the US D&B D-U-N-S Number Request Web Form or contact Dun and Bradstreet by telephone directly at 1-866-705-5711 (toll-free) to obtain one. A DUNS number will be provided immediately by telephone at no charge. Note this is an organizational number. Individual Program Directors/Principal Investigators do not need to register for a DUNS number.

Additionally, all applicant organizations must register in the System for Award Management (SAM), the replacement system for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. Organizations must maintain the registration with current information at all times during which it has an application under consideration for funding by CDC and, if an award is made, until a final financial report is submitted or the final payment is received, whichever is later. SAM is the primary registrant database for the Federal government and is the repository into which an entity must provide information required for the conduct of business as a recipient. Additional information about registration procedures may be found at the SAM internet site at https://www.sam.gov/index.html.

If an award is granted, the grantee organization must notify potential sub-recipients that no organization may receive a sub award under the grant unless the organization has provided its DUNS number to the grantee organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least6 weeks prior to the application due date.

Eligible Individuals (Center Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Center Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (CD(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.

More than one Center Director/PI (i.e., multiple CDs/PIs), may be designated on the application for projects that require a team science approach and therefore clearly do not fit the single-CD/PI model. Additional information on the implementation plans and policies and procedures to formally allow more than one CD/PI on individual research projects is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.

When multiple institutions are involved, one institution must be designated as the prime institution and funding for the other institution(s) must be requested via a subcontract to be administered by the prime institution. When submitting a detailed budget, the prime institution should submit a comprehensive budget using the Research & Related Budget component. All other institutions should have their individual budgets attached separately to the Research & Related Sub award Budget Attachment(s) Form. See Section 4.8 of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for further instruction regarding the use of the sub award budget form.

2. Cost Sharing

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

3. Additional Information on Eligibility


Number of Applications

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

NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed within the past thirty-seven months (as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement), except for submission:

As defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement, applications received in response to the same funding opportunity announcement generally are scored individually and then ranked with other applications under peer review in their order of relative programmatic, technical, or scientific merit.

HHS/CDC/NIOSH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information


1. Address to Request Application Package

Applicants are required to prepare applications according to the current PHS 398 application forms in accordance with the PHS 398 Application Guide.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS 398 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.

Letter of Intent

Letter of Intent signed by both PI and Business Official is required, but is not binding.

Due date is August 1, 2013, 5 pm eastern time.

The Letter is to identify the name and full address for the Center along with full contact information for the Center Principal Investigator, Business/Institutional Official, and all Center-level Key Personnel. Identify the proposed project period start and end dates, overall project period total costs for overall Center, and total costs for each year of support that is requested for each Key Component of the application. See Part A, Section I, Key Components in this FOA.

Using a table format, for each application key component provide column headings and content for: a) descriptive title, b) Project Director, c) full address for Project Director including institution affiliation, d) Key Personnel, and e) institution affiliation for all Key Personnel, f) number of years support is requested, and g) number and title of this funding opportunity announcement.

Organize and format each applied research project using the following sub headings: Applied Research Ready For Impact category heading, then list project A, project B, etc.; Applied Research Development and Exploratory category heading, then list project A, project B, etc.). Also, include table columns for number of years support requested; NORA Construction intermediate goal relevance (e.g., 3.2 Objects); and identify any institutions/consultants outside the U.S., when applicable.

Email or fax copy of signed Letter of Intent to:

Steven Inserra
Scientific Program Official
CDC/NIOSH/OEP
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E74
Atlanta, GA 30333 USA
Telephone: 404-498-2552
Fax: 404-498-2571
Email: SInserra@cdc.gov

Application Submission

Paper application (signed original plus 3 paper copies) only must be submitted to the CDC NIOSH Peer Review Contact listed below and by 5 pm eastern time.

George Bockosh, MS
CDC/NIOSH/OEP
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E74
Atlanta, GA 30329-4018

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the PHS 398 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed, in addition to the following page limitations to the Research Strategy section of each component of the application.

Applicants submitting individual applied research project proposals for 2 years or less should limit their Research Strategy to 6 pages.

Organize Research Plan (or Program Plan) for each program or project as follows:

Specific Aims - 1 page limit

Research Strategy (or Program Strategy) - follow the page limits specified above

Significance

Investigators

Innovation

Approach

Environment

Preliminary Studies for New Applications/Progress Report for Renewal Applications (see note below)

Bibliography and References Cited/Progress Report Publication List

Protection of Human Subjects

Inclusion of Women and Minorities

Targeted/Planned Enrollment Table - when applicable

Inclusion of Children

Vertebrate Animals

Select Agent Research

Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan - when applicable

Consortium/Contractual Arrangements

Letters of Support (e.g., consultants, collaborators, including CDC NIOSH)

Resource Sharing Plan(s)

Checklist

Instructions for the Submission of Multi-Component Applications

The following section supplements the instructions found in the PHS398 Application Guide, and should be used for preparing a multi-component application.

The application should consist of the following components:

All applicants should use the following outline: PHS 398 Face Page (Form Page 1).

Form Page 1-continued (only if Multiple PD/PIs are proposed)

Summary, Relevance, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel, Other Significant Contributors, and Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Use Form Page 2, additional Project/Performance Site pages an additional continuation pages as needed.

Complete Table of Contents (Overall)

Detailed Budget for the Initial Budget Period for Overall Construction Center (1st 12 month budget for all components in the order they appear in the application) Form Page 4

Budget for the Entire Proposed Project Period for Overall Center (all years, all components) Form Page 5

Biographical Sketch for Center Director/Multiple Directors

Other Support for Center Director/Multiple Directors

Other Biographical Sketches (for people relevant to overall Center)

Other Support for Key Personnel (relevant to overall Center)

Resources (facilities, scientific environment, physical resources, etc., relevant to overall Center)

Overall Description of the Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation 10 pages maximum

Past Performance/Accomplishments in Last Project Period (for existing centers) - 5 pages maximum

Past Performance/Accomplishments Relevant to Construction Center goals (for new applicants) - 5 page maximum

Institutional Commitment to the Construction Center - 2 pages maximum

Identification of Consortium Partners and/or States that will be involved with the Construction Center

Human Subjects summary table that lists all the projects and human subjects information (official project title, project PI Name, performance sites, FWAs, IRB approval date/status)

Center-wide Activities Cover Sheet (should serve as table of contents for the section by including each project/activity title, PI, type of project (R01, etc.) and 1st page of each project)

*Center-wide Activities Program Description (see outline and page limits below)

Administrative Core Cover Sheet (with section title, PI Name and table of contents for the section)

*Administrative Core Description (see outline and page limits below)

Pilot/Feasibility Projects Sub Program Description (see outline and page limits below)

Cover Sheet for Research

Component/Objectives (with section title, PI/Program Director Name, and table of contents for the section)

Research Component/Objectives Program (see outline and page limits below)

Research Component/Objectives for High Quality Applied Research Cover Sheet (should serve as table of contents for the section by including each official project title, project-specific PI Name, performance sites, FWAs, IRB approval date/status)

*Individual Research Project Plans (project A, project B, etc. see outline and page limits below)

Cover Sheet for Translation Research and/or Research to Practice Component/Objectives (with section title, Program or Project Director Name, and table of contents for the section)

Research Component/Objectives for Research Translation and/or Research-to-Practice Sheet (should serve as table of contents for the section by including each official project title, project PI Name, performance sites, FWAs, IRB approval date/status)

*Individual Research Project Plans (project A, project B, etc. see outline and page limits below)

Support Service for Construction Data and Statistics Cover Sheet (with section title, Program or Project Director Name and table of contents for the section)

* Support Service for Construction Data and Statistics Description (see outline and page limits below)

Checklist

Appendix

*Note: Each individual core, program and project should constitute a complete, discrete unit within the application. For each comprehensive R01-type project, the application should not exceed 25 pages. Use the following outline: Face Page with Items 1-8 completed

Overall Component

All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.

Face Page (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel, Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Table of Contents (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed

Biographical Sketch (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.:

Resources (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed

Research Plan (Overall)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Resource Sharing Plan:Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as provided in the PHS 398 Application Guide, with the following modifications:.

Core or Project

All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.

Face Page (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel, Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed

Table of Contents (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Biographical Sketch (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Resources (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.

Research Plan (Core or Project)

All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as provided in the PHS 398 Application Guide.

Special Requirements for the National Construction Center

Please be sure to address the following in the application:

1. NIOSH prior approval is required for an application that proposes to exceed the annual $5,750,000 total costs funding ceiling. A prior approval from NIOSH, in the form of a letter or email, must be included in the application. With a prior approval from NIOSH, there is no guarantee of offer of award or commitment of funds greater than the expected annual budget of $5,750,000.

2. For each sub project, an applicant is strongly encouraged to provide statements addressing the relevance for cross-sector and construction trades, and a rationale for how the proposal will contribute overall to the construction industry safety and/or productivity. Detailed information about the NIOSH Program Portfolio can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/.

3. One institution must be designated as the prime institution (prime recipient or THE Center) and funding for the other institution(s) must be requested as a subcontract. When submitting a detailed budget, the prime institution should submit its all-inclusive budget using the Research & Related Budget component. All other sub institutions should have their individual budget and detailed justification attached to the Research & Related sub project Budget Attachment(s) Form. Alternatively stated, each research project should be a complete stand-alone proposal including all budget information for all years of a project. See Section 4.8 of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for further instruction regarding the use of the sub award budget form.

4. An Administrative function or Core may include liaison and outreach with the NORA Construction Sector Council and other stakeholder groups, research impact assessment and Center- and program level evaluation. For application preparation, Center-level activity and budgeting may be assigned to the Administrative Core. NIOSH substantial involvement (i.e., planning, coordination, and collaboration/outreach via a monthly in-person meeting) with Construction Center-level leadership is anticipated. As planned, the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health, in cooperation with the NIOSH Office of Extramural Programs, will participate in monthly meetings. The PI will assist with agenda development and follow up communication or tracking using a basic, mutually agreed upon format. Occasionally, meetings will be in- person at a yet determined location but possibly at the NIOSH Washington D.C. Office.

5. Substantial NIOSH involvement is anticipated for strategic and prioritization planning and integration including Construction Center research goal setting; inter-agency coordination, integration and possible collaborative research activities; and for input for evaluations over the entire project period. NIOSH principal liaison for scientific and strategic coordination will be with the Director of the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health, and in cooperation with the NIOSH Office of Extramural Programs. Scientific and technical collaboration with NIOSH scientists is encouraged. Depending upon the specific activities of NIOSH collaborators, CDC NIOSH institutional review board approval may apply. A determination would be made on a project or program-specific basis.

6. Article or announcement submission for NIOSH eNEWS: Construction Center is required on a quarterly basis, and recommended for the NIOSH Construction Twitter site.

7. The Center will be required to conduct periodic national webinars addressing various topics and/or information about the Center s services.

8. For the Just-In-Time and PHS 2590 submissions, the Construction Center must provide a cumulative summary matrix/table of research projects/programs. The NIOSH Scientific Program Officer will provide a sample template of the matrix and/or minimum information fields after notice of award. The matrix would include name of PI and institution, project title, IRB approval and expiration dates by institution, Federalwide Assurance Number(s), and state(s) where data collection is being conducted, NORA goal alignment, when applicable, and date of completion.

9. Grantee Meeting: an applicant should budget for a one-day grantee meeting with NIOSH grant management personnel for each year of support. These meetings may alternate as live video and in-person meetings. While the location of in-person meetings is currently not known, applicants should budget for meetings to be in the Washington D.C. area or Dayton, OH. Periodically, it is possible the meeting may be held in federal meeting space in the city of the grant recipient, if applicable.

Appendix for the Entire Application

Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix (please note all format requirements) as described in the PHS 398 Application Guide.

Foreign Institutions

Foreign instutitions are not eligible to apply.

3. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates.

Information on the process of receipt and determining if your application is considered on-time is described in detail in the PHS 398 Application Guide.

Applicants may track the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration.

4. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

5. 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 not allowed. .

6. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be received on or before the due dates in Part I. Overview Information. If an application is received after that date, it will not be reviewed.

Important Reminder

All CD/PIs must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field may delay receipt and review of the application.

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 Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Applicants are reminded to enter the approved Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) that the applicant has on file with the Office for Human Research Protections, if available. If the applicant has a FWA number, enter the 8-digit number. Do not enter the FWA before the number. If a Project/Performance Site is engaged in research involving human subjects, the applicant organization is responsible for ensuring that the Project/Performance Site operates under and appropriate Federal Wide Assurance for the protection of human subjects and complies with 45 CFR Part 46 and other CDC human subject related policies described in Part II of this Application Guide and in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

Upon receipt in NIOSH, an application will be checked for completeness and responsiveness to the FOA. Applications that are incomplete or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Application Involving Multiple Institutions

When multiple institutions are involved, one institution must be designated as the prime institution and funding for the other institution(s) must be requested via a subcontract to be administered by the prime institution. When submitting a detailed budget, the prime institution should submit the all-inclusive budget using the PHS 398 budget forms. All other institutions should have their individual budget reflected in the prime institution’s overall budget and in programs or projects specific detailed budget attachments and accompanying justification for the initial budget year, and budget for each consecutive year of support.

Application Involving MultipleCenter Directors/Principal Investigators

More than one CD/PI may be designated as Construction Center Director. The role and responsibilities of each Co-Center Director must be clearly identified especially for programmatic, fiscal, research risks protection compliance, and communication and reporting coordination. An application should designate a Contact PI for grant administration and/or Liaison to the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health. Multiple CD/PI may also lead individual research, prevention, intervention, translation, outreach, education or evaluation projects. In this case, direct costs related budgeting for each project PI should also be contained in the project-specific detailed budget proposal. Also, direct costs for multiple CD/PI in the Administrative Core and/or Center-wide activities should be contained in those respective detailed budget(s) and justifications.

Scientific Meetings and Symposia

An applicant may propose an in-person or internet conference (e.g., symposium, workshop, or any other organized and formal meeting) for the initial and consecutive budget periods. The primary focus of these meetings must be for the advancement of safety and health for the construction sector and/or researchers of this industry. Generally, for guidance purposes an applicant should follow the most recent published NIOSH R13 program announcement for conferences and scientific meetings available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/funding.html. Unless otherwise approved by NIOSH in advance, these will be open meetings to accommodate interested professionals, stakeholders, and the public.

Note: the meeting justification and budget should be incorporated in the Center application, and not submitted electronically to the NIOSH R13 program announcement. Planning collaboration with NIOSH and other organizations is encouraged for optimizing the planning committee and meeting agenda, speaker recruitment, outreach and participation, and after-meeting dissemination to target audiences. Because a proposed conference/scientific meeting is to be done under the auspices of a cooperative agreement, an applicant should review allowable costs in the HHS Grants Policy Statement including exhibit 4. As noted in the HHS GPS, speaker’s fees are not allowable.

HHS or CDC conference approval may be required. Therefore, the prime recipient may be required to complete a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Approval Form as part of the Just in Time and for each PHS2590 submission. Grantee must allow for at least 60 business days for a NIOSH approval. Post-award, CDC NIOSH will provide administrative updates for implementation and compliance purposes.

Global Collaboration for Applied Research Proposals

Worldwide collaboration for supporting particular projects research aims through the use of sub contracts, made by eligible U.S. institutions, is acceptable. Federal grant regulations and guidelines will apply including for types of allowable costs, and for human subjects research protections requirements including HHS Office for Health Research Protections. OHRP guidelines can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ and international topics specifically at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/international/index.html.

Proposed research projects involving activities outside the U. S. or in collaboration with international organizations must be clearly identified in the application with respect to name of the country, name of institution(s), name of project title and collaborator(s), budget and budget justification, and international collaborator(s) primary responsibilities and the expected major outputs or products. All requests for international travel require a NIOSH prior approval. Allow 30 days for NIOSH approval.

Post-Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115

Section V. Application Review Information


1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the CDC mission (http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm), all responsive applications submitted to CDC NIOSH will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIOSH peer review system.

An application that does not fully address the Research Objectives and Other Special Requirements of this program announcement would be judged unresponsive and will not be peer reviewed. In these circumstances, the Principal Investigator and Business Official will be notified.

As part of the scientific peer review process, all applications:

Following initial peer review, applications will receive a second level of review for programmatic relevance and balance. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

Site Visits

A site visit to the applicant institutions may be made (but such site visits are not assured) to evaluate the overall merit of the application. The site visit team includes members of the Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) who have expertise in major academic applied research and training, continuing education, facilities, outreach, and other activities of the proposed Center, the NIOSH Scientific Review Officer, and the NIOSH Program Officer. A site visit is not a prerequisite and is not assured for consideration of an application by NIOSH. Therefore, the application is considered a complete document for review purposes. Furthermore, the applicant should not use the site visit as an occasion for adding programs, projects, or personnel, for making major changes, or for delivering another exposition of the application. Rather, it should be used by the Center Director and associates to elaborate on the Center and it’s programs, cost effectiveness and quality control features of the programs, and on other Center activities for which funding is requested, as well as to answer reviewers' questions. The site visit team will not consider any area that is presented for evaluation at the site visit which has not been included in the application. Budgetary changes also will not be considered at the time of a site visit. The findings of the site visit team are reported and discussed by the members of the SEP, which makes the final peer review recommendations and assigns the priority score.

Overall Impact -Overall Center

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the Center to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria:

I. Review Criteria for the Overall National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation (Inclusive of all center wide activities, administrative core, research projects, data and statistical support, pilot studies, research to practice coordination and institutional commitment)

Overall Impact:

Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the Center to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following six scored review criteria, Review Criteria for Renewal Applications, and additional review criteria (as applicable for the projects or programs proposed).

Past Performance:

For renewal application

Has the Center established a record of achievement in occupational safety and health in construction and has it established itself as a recognizable entity in the field?

Has the current Center made significant contributions to safety and health as demonstrated by their accomplishments?

Is there evidence of integration and synergy among the projects and core/key components in the Center?

Is there data that clearly demonstrates the major impacts/outcomes to date?

The impact and productivity of the Center will also be measured through publications by Center investigators, conferences, newly funded research grants in occupational safety and health, and new collaborations with other organizations, etc.

For competing continuation applications, the evaluation will be based on information submitted since the previous competitive review.

Past Performance:

For new application

For new applications, the evaluation will be based on the history of prior efforts and the project plans.

Significance:

What is the impact of the Center in meeting the regional and national needs for construction worker illness and injury protection?

Does the creation or continuation of a particular center advance forward the field of occupational safety and health? Does the application show great potential to advance research translation and r2p, by audience or trade?

Investigators:

Do the Center Director and leadership team have adequate training and experience to lead the Center? Is there a succession plan for Center leadership?

Are the qualifications of the research and support staff adequate with respect to experience and a record of accomplishments as research investigators in occupational safety and health?

Are the leaders/directors acknowledged by their peers for capability and solutions development as indicated by letters of support, professional and/or academic appointments, and professional recognition/awards?

Is the PI capable of recruiting and retaining quality professional staff and scientists?

Do the leaders/directors demonstrate a knowledge and commitment to all levels of construction safety and health science, fostering trans-disciplinary work, and to workers in particular?

Is there evidence of continuing education in organizational leadership and effectiveness of the Director and/or Deputy Director?

Does the applicant include a qualified communications specialist/scientist?

Do principal investigators and/or program managers indicate a willingness to lead or participate in NORA Strategic goal workgroups (via meetings and teleconferences) in order to help communicate and coordinate among stakeholders including researchers?

Innovation:

Does the application propose new and innovative programs and maintain highly effective approaches to the occupational safety and health field?

Does the Center consider the emergence of new hazards or exposures for research?

Does the Center employ the selection and implementation of new performance monitoring processes, measures or metrics, or methods and reporting?

Are visual aids or other initiatives proposed to enhance communication and reporting for r2p and translation goals?

Does the plan include the development and use of social media approaches (webinars and webpages, print or video/digital materials for special content), tailored for certain construction sector related audiences or workers?

Approach:

Is the application cohesive and likely to achieve synergy and integration of the component programs?

Is the proposed Center more than the sum of its parts, not just a collection of programs or projects? Are the programs well integrated with each other and designed to foster interdisciplinary interaction?

Is a strategic plan provided or described?

Does the plan describe how the Construction Center will assist in the introduction of new programs or highly coordinated initiatives or campaigns; expand or improve existing programs; respond to future pressing challenges and opportunities; promote collaborations; and achieve progress in construction sector related safety and health.

Is an organizational chart provided and coherent?

Does the Construction Center utilize an external advisory group for advancement of overall synergy and integration?

Do plans include the collaboration and active support of a broader cross section of stakeholder, workers or trades, and businesses including disparity related conditions?

Does the application contain at least 6 applied research projects for:

(note: all NORA goals are described on pages 5 and 6)

Does the application contain at least 5 r2/p and/or research translation project for:

Was an r2p coordination plus plan provided? Was there a description for an r2p repository? And are these materials accessible to the public and free of cost?

Does the plan assess the relevance and track the performance of NORA construction goals especially the ready for impact goals 1, 3, 5, 8, 12 & 13?

Are there letters of support and are these letters specific as to goal/aims, activities, access to workers or jobsites, recruitment, or desired outcomes? Does the application indicate strong support for coordination with the implementation of the NORA Construction Research Agenda and Council?

Environment:

Is information provided on the quality, sufficiency, and multidisciplinary character of the combined research, translational, research to practice, and data management environment?

Is there evidence of institutional commitment to the goals of the Construction Center and its activities and programs?

Is there evidence of adequate operational and legal internal controls for compliance with federal grant regulations and guidance?

Is there evidence of adequate budgetary internal controls for compliance with federal grant regulations and guidance?

II Review Criteria for Center Wide Activities and the Administrative Core

Overall Impact: Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of Center-wide Activities and Administrative Core, in consideration of the following criteria, Review Criteria for Renewal Applications, and additional review criteria.

Past Performance: For a renewal/re-competing application only.

Does the applicant demonstrate capacity and recent successes regarding the integration of Center-wide leadership, planning and operations to achieve overall synergies and numerous outputs (both expected and indirect)? Is there evidence of important intermediate outcomes for the protection of construction workers?

Do these outcomes include new partnerships? Was there evidence of increased effectiveness and/or efficiency in organizational performance?

Administrative Core: For all applications.

Are there adequate overall plans for administration, leadership, planning, and management of the Center including continuous improvement? Is there adequate depth of management to provide long-term continuity of Center leadership?

Does the administrative structure facilitate communication among the Construction Center program managers and the project/research leaders?

Are there plans for strategic planning, allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements designed to effectively achieve the goals of the Center? Does the plan have benchmarks for the establishment of new partnerships e.g., performance-based strategies?

Was an r2p Center wide Coordination Plan included? Is resourcing and organizational identification for this high level function and service ?

Does the institution’s mission or value statements address preservation of scientific integrity, responsible conduct of research and projects, and ethical, impartial conduct for competed activities or funding?

Is the business plan description adequate?

Adequacy of External and Internal Advisory Committees:

Are there existing external and internal advisory committees?

Are there appropriate plans for organizing and convening an External Advisory group to advise the Construction Center leaders on the progress, and measuring the effectiveness and impact of the Center?

Are there appropriate plans for an Internal Advisory Committee drawn from Construction Center staff to advise and assist the Construction Center leadership, and for execution and management of the Center’s applied research, r2p and communication programs?

Does the plan adequately describe activities that will impact practitioners, construction environments, or other agencies and institutions that are involved with construction worker issues?

Does the plan facilitate outreach and positioning for forging working relationships with businesses and workers?

Are appropriate occupational safety and health constituents identified and engaged in the program?

Are there letters of support and are the letters specific as to goals, activities, or desired outcomes?

Does the applicant provide strategies or processes for continuous improvement using input from the external steering committee, use of performance measures or data, key informant information, etc.?

Adequacy of the Administrative Core’s senior leadership:

Does the Center Director(s)/Co PIs, Program Directors/Managers, Business Official have appropriate experience, training and education?

Have the individuals demonstrated effective and responsible leadership in the past?

Is the Principal Investigator(s) and sub program Directors/Managers budgeted for at least a 20% calendar months effort?

Are the leadership positions identified, and is there a succession plan for especially the Principal Investigator and Business Official positions?

Does the Center Director support implementation of organizational and leadership development goals and objectives?

Are the Principal Investigator(s) and sub program Directors/Managers committed to least a 20% calendar months effort?

Adequacy of the Administrative Support:

Are the qualifications, duties and time commitments of administrative staff appropriate?

Does the administrative structure facilitate communication among the Construction Center program managers and the project/research leaders?

Adequacy of Management of Pilot Projects:

Note: Pilot projects can be submitted as part of the center wide activities section of the application or as a separate effort. Use these guides if the pilot projects are goals or priorities described adequately? Is the plan/guidance to conduct and manage pilot projects adequate?

Does the guidance and/or pilot project adequately address NORA construction goals that are listed in the FOA?

Are the procedures for scientific review of applications, ensuring human subject protection, project scoring-ranking-funding recommendation for NIOSH, and tracking of project performance appropriate?

Do projects encourage external or multi-Center/Institution collaborative partnerships in pilots to address emerging issues and/or r2p in construction safety and health?

Do projects encourage stimulating investigators from other fields of study (professional discipline/expertise) to apply their expertise to construction safety and health?

Do projects identify intermediate or end users for r2p pilots?

Does the applicant describe compelling, current, and substantive reasons for the pilot project if other than for a NORA National Construction Agenda Intermediate goal?

Are there adequate plans for retaining copies of all pilot project applications, documentation of merit reviews, project scoring and ranking, funding recommendation, performance monitoring, and upon completion a final report?

Is there a mechanism for tracking the results or impact of each pilot project , i.e., by documenting publications and presentation abstracts, conference proceedings abstracts, subsequent related R01/R21 submission to a DHHS Agency, or development of materials?

III. Review Criteria for Applied Research Sub Program(s) and/or Sub Project(s) for All Applications (including applied research projects and translation & research-to-practice projects)

Overall Impact: Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project’s successful completion, in consideration of the following criteria.

Additional Review Criteria - Overall Programs and Projects

As applicable for the programs and projects 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.

Protections for Human Subjects

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six 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 six 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 Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

When the proposed projects involves clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for inclusion of minorities and members of both genders, as well as the inclusion of children. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.

Vertebrate Animals

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Biohazards

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.

Resubmissions

Not Applicable

Renewals

The committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.

Revisions

Not Applicable

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the application 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.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Not Applicable. However, foreign organizations may participate in program or applied research project proposals by way of a sub award or contract of the lead U.S. institution for the individual program or applied research project. Foreign organizations must comply with all applicable federal laws including the 2007 HHS Grants Policy Statement and 45 CFR Part 46 Guidelines for the Human Research Protections.

Select Agent Research

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).

Resource Sharing Plans

An applicant must include a plan for sharing research data. The HHS/CDC data sharing policy is available at http://www.cdc.gov/surveillancepractice/policy.html. An applicant responding to this funding announcement should include a description of how grant-funded research data sets will be made available to interested individuals, upon request. Or, explain why data sharing is not possible for certain scenarios. Information on data/resource sharing can be found on page II-74 (Sharing Research Tools) of the current HHS Grants Policy, which is available at http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/grantsnet.html.

The precise content of the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data being collected, collaborating institutions, and how the PI is planning to share data. Applicant should describe briefly the expected schedule for data sharing, the format of the final data set, the documentation they will provide, whether or not any analytic tools also will be provided, whether or not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so, a brief description of such an agreement (including the criteria for deciding who can receive the data, decision timeline, and whether or not the grantee will place any conditions on the use of data), and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under their own auspices by mailing a disk file, or by posting downloadable data on its website, or through some other process. References to data sharing may also be appropriate in other sections of the application.

The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data will be assessed by the CDC NIOSH review process. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit or the priority score.

Budget and Period of Support

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 CDC NIOSH Special Emphasis Panel in accordance with CDC NIOSH peer review policy, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in eRA Commons. 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:

Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.

Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

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.

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 the DUNS, SAM Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for CDC Procurement and Grants website, https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ and https://www.fsrs.gov/.

Prior Approval of Pilot Projects

Awardee-selected pilot projects will require prior approval by NIOSH prior to initiation.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All HHS/CDC grant and cooperative agreement awards include the HHS Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the HHS Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of Award (http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/grantinformation/hhsgps107.pdf).

Applicants should review the information on additional requirements available at: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/Addtl_Reqmnts.htm.

The following additional requirement is of particular importance for this announcement:

Information on the HHS/CDC data sharing policy is available at the following websites: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/additional_req.shtm#ar25.

http://www.cdc.gov/od/foia/policies/sharing.htm.

Information on data/resource sharing can be found on page II-74 (Sharing Research Tools) of the current HHS Grants Policy, which is available at http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/grantsnet.html.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

All HHS/CDC grant and cooperative agreement awards include the HHS Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the HHS Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of Award (http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/grantinformation/hhsgps107.pdf).

Awardees must comply with the administrative requirements (AR) outlined in 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 74 or Part 92, as appropriate, as well as any additional requirements included in the FOA.

Generally applicable ARs http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/additional_req.shtm follow:

AR-1: Human Subjects Requirements

AR-2: Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research

AR-3: Animal Subjects Requirements

AR-7: Executive Order 12372 Review

AR-9: Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements

AR-10: Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements

AR-11: Healthy People 2010

AR-12: Lobbying Restrictions

AR-13: Prohibition on Use of CDC Funds for Certain Gun Control Activities

AR-14: Accounting System Requirements

AR-16: Security Clearance Requirement

AR-21: Small, Minority, And Women-owned Business

AR-22: Research Integrity

AR-24: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Requirements

AR-25: Release and Sharing of Data

AR-26: National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

AR-28: Inclusion of Persons Under the Age of 21 in Research

AR-30: Information Letter 10-006, - Compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

AR-27: Conference Disclaimer and Use of Logos

AR-8: Public Health System Reporting Requirements

AR-15: Proof of Non-profit Status

AR 23: Compliance with 45 C.F.R. Part 87

AR 32 FY 2012 Enacted General Provisions

AR-20: Conference Support

HHS Policy on Promoting Efficient Spending: Use of Appropriated Funds for Conferences and Meetings, Food, Promotional Items and Printing Publications

This policy supports the Executive Order on Promoting Efficient Spending (EO 13589), the Executive Order on Delivering and Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government (EO 13576) and the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum on Eliminating Excess Conference Spending and Promoting Efficiency in Government (M-35-11). This policy apply to all new obligations and all funds appropriated by Congress. For more information, visit the HHS website at: http://www.hhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/acquisition/effspendpol_memo.html)

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local Governments are eligible to apply), and other HHS, PHS, and CDC grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an assistance mechanism (rather than an acquisition mechanism), in which substantial CDC programmatic involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the HHS/CDC 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 HHS/CDC as defined below.

The Center Director(s)/PI(s) will have primary responsibility for:

NIOSH staff with relevant subject matter expertise may have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in extramural awards, as follows:

Specific substantial involvement activities will be negotiated further with the grantee as part of the pre-award process. This will include adding special terms and conditions in the notice of grant award.

The Scientific Contact named in this announcement will serve as the Scientific Program Official (SPO) for the award. This person will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the notices of grant award.

3. Reporting

Awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

An Annual Report of Research and r2p Outputs and Outcomes is required. The timeframe will be either the grant budget or calendar year and will be negotiated with the award recipient. To the extent possible, construction trade and occupation along with hazard and/or health condition relevance should be identified.

A final progress report, invention statement, equipment inventory list and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement and OEP guidance.

Although the financial plans of the HHS/CDC CIO(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity depend upon the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports) and the determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government.

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.

Compliance with this law is primarily the responsibility of the Federal agency. However, two elements of the law require information to be collected and reported by recipients:

information on executive compensation when not already reported through the Central Contractor Registry; and 2) similar information on all sub awards/subcontracts/consortiums over $25,000. It is 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 CDC 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 HHS Grants Policy Statement (http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/grantinformation/hhsgps107.pdf) for additional information on this reporting requirement.

A. Submission of Reports

The Recipient Organization must provide HHS/CDC with an original, plus one hard copy of the following reports:

Yearly Non-Competing Grant Progress Report, (use form PHS 2590, posted on the HHS/CDC website, http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/forms.htm and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm, is due 90 to 120 days prior to the end of the current budget period. The progress report will serve as the non-competing continuation application. Although the financial plans of the HHS/CDC CIO(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports) and the determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government

Annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) SF 425 is required and must be submitted through eRA Commons within 90 days after the end of each budget period.

A final progress report (e.g., close out report), invention statement, equipment/inventory report , and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report (FFR) Standard Form ( SF ) 425 Form are required within 90 days of the end of the project period.

B. Content of Reports

Yearly Non-Competing Grant Progress Report

The grantee s continuation application/progress report should include:

Description of Progress during Annual Budget Period: Current Budget Period Progress reported on the PHS 2590 (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm). Detailed narrative report for the current budget period that directly addresses progress towards the Measures of Effectiveness included in the current budget period proposal.

Applied Research Projects: for each project

a) Research Aim/Objective: status (completed, ongoing, started but unmet, and begin next period), challenges, summarize successes and outputs, and lessons learned

b) Leadership/Partnership: list project collaborations and describe the role of external partners.

Translation of Research (1 page maximum).

When relevant to the goals of the research project, the report should describe how the significant findings may be used to promote, enhance, or advance translation of the research to policy or practice. This section should be understandable to a variety of audiences, including policy makers, practitioners, public health programs, healthcare institutions, professional organizations, community groups, researchers, and other potential users. The project director should identify the research findings that were translated into public health policy or practice and how the findings have been or may be adopted in public health settings. Or, if they cannot be applied yet, this section should address which research findings may be translated, how these findings can guide future research or related activities, and recommendations for translation. If relevant, describe how the results of this project could be generalized to populations and communities outside of the study.

Questions to consider in preparing this section include:

How will the scientific findings be translated into public health policy or practice?

How will the project improve or effect the translation of research findings into policy or practice?

How will the research findings help promote or accelerate the dissemination, implementation, or diffusion of improvements in public health programs or practices?

How will the findings advance or guide future research efforts or related activities?

Public Health Relevance and Impact (1 page maximum).

This section should address improvements in public health as measured by documented or anticipated outcomes from the project. The PI should consider how the findings of the project relate beyond the immediate study to improved practices, prevention or intervention techniques, policy, or use of technology in public health. Questions to consider in preparing this section include:

How will this project lead to improvements in public health?

How will the findings, results, or recommendations been used to influence practices, procedures, methodologies, etc.?

How will the findings, results, or recommendations contributed to documented or projected reductions in morbidity, mortality, injury, disability, or disease?

Current Budget Period Financial Progress: Status of obligation of current budget period funds and an estimate of unobligated funds projected provided on an estimated FFR.

New Budget Period Proposal:

Detailed operational plan for continuing activities in the upcoming budget period, including updated Measures of Effectiveness for evaluating progress during the upcoming budget period.

Report listed by Research Aim/Project.

Project Timeline: Include planned milestones for the upcoming year (be specific and provide deadlines).

New Budget Period Budget: Detailed line-item budget and budget justification for the new budget period. Use the CDC budget guideline format.

Publications/Presentations:

Include publications/presentations resulting from this CDC grant only during this budget period. If no publication or presentations have been made at this stage in the project, simply indicate Not applicable: No publications or presentations have been made.

IRB Approval Certification:

Include all current IRB approvals to avoid a funding restriction on your award. If the research does not involve human subjects, then please state so.i.e., Code 10. Please provide a copy of the most recent local IRB and/or CDC IRB, if applicable.

Annual Federal Financial Reporting:

The Annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) SF 425 is required and must be submitted through eRA Commons within 90 days after the end of each budget period. The FFR should only include those funds authorized and disbursed during the timeframe covered by the report. The final FFR must indicate the exact balance of unobligated funds and may not reflect any unliquidated obligations. There must be no discrepancies between the final FFR expenditure data and the Payment Management System's (PMS) cash transaction data.

Failure to submit the required information in a timely manner may adversely affect the future funding of this project. If the information cannot be provided by the due date, you are required to submit a letter explaining the reason and date by which the Grants Officer will receive the information. All CDC Financial Expenditure data due on/after October 1, 2012 must be submitted using the FFR via the eFSR/FFR system in the eRA Commons. All Federal Reporting in the Payment Management System is unchanged. All new submissions should be prepared and submitted as FFRs.

CDC s implementation of the FFR retains a financial reporting period that coincides with the budget period of a particular project. However, the due date for annual FFRs will be 90 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the budget period ends. Note that this is a change in due dates of annual FFRs and may provide up to 60 additional days to report, depending upon when the budget period end date falls within a calendar quarter. For example, if the budget period ends 1/30/2012, the annual FFR is due 6/30/2012 (90 days after the end of the calendar quarter of 3/31/2012). Due dates of final reports will remain unchanged. The due date for final FFRs will continue to be 90 days after the project period end date.

Grantees must submit closeout reports in a timely manner. Unless the Grants Management Officer (GMO) of the awarding Institute or Center approves an extension, grantees must submit a final FFR, final progress report, and Final Invention Statement and Certification within 90 days of the end of grant period. Failure to submit timely and accurate final reports may affect future funding to the organization or awards under the direction of the same Center Director/Principal Investigator (CPD/PI).

FFR (SF 425) instructions for CDC grantees are now available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm. For further information, contact GrantsInfo@nih.gov. Additional resources concerning the eFSR/FFR system, including a User Guide and an on-line demonstration, can be found on the eRA Commons Support Page: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/eramain.shtm.

FFR Submission: The submission of FFRs to CDC will require organizations to register with eRA Commons (Commons) (https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/). CDC recommends that this one time registration process be completed at least 2 weeks prior to the submittal date of a FFR submission.

Organizations may verify their current registration status by running the List of Commons Registered Organizations query found at: http://era.nih.gov/commons/. Organizations not yet registered can go to https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/registration/registrationInstructions.jsp for instructions. It generally takes several days to complete this registration process. This registration is independent of Grants.gov and may be done at any time.

The individual designated as the CD/PI on the application must also be registered in the Commons. The CD/PI must hold a PI account and be affiliated with the applicant organization. This registration must be done by an organizational official or their delegate who is already registered in the Commons. To register PIs in the Commons, refer to the eRA Commons User Guide found at: http://era.nih.gov/commons/index.cfm.

Final Reports:

Final reports should provide sufficient detail for CDC to determine if the stated outcomes for the funded research have been achieved and if the research findings resulted in public health impact based on the investment. Awardee is strongly encouraged to discuss and obtain applicable version 'Closeout Guidance' from the NIOSH Program Official. Failure to do so may involve an improper format and subsequent required significant editing and re-submission of the Closeout Report by the CD/PI.

Generally, the grantee’s final report should include:

Abstract / Research Aim/Project Overview: The CD/PI should describe the purpose and approach to the project, including the outcomes, methodology and related analyses. Include a discussion of the challenges, successes and lessons learned. Describe the collaborations/partnerships and the role of each external partner.

Translation of Research Findings: The CD/PI should describe how the findings will be translated and how they will be used to promote, enhance or advance the research findings and the impact on public health policy and practice. This section should be understandable to a variety of audiences, including policy makers, practitioners, public health programs, healthcare institutions, professional organizations, community groups, researchers and other potential end users. The PI should also provide a discussion of any research findings that influenced policy or practice during the course of the project period. If applicable, describe how the findings could be generalized and scaled to populations and communities outside of the funded project.

Public Health Relevance and Impact: This section should address improvements in public health as measured by documented or anticipated outcomes from the project. The PI should consider how the findings of the project related beyond the immediate study to improved practices, prevention or intervention techniques, policy, technology or systems improvement in public health.

Comprehensive Publications; Presentations; Media Coverage: Include information/citations regarding all publications, presentations or media coverage resulting from this CDC funded activity. Please include any additional dissemination efforts that did or will result from the project.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone: 301-710-0267
TTY: 301-451-5936
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, tracking application status, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: commons@od.nih.gov

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Extramural Program Official and Scientific Contact:

Steven Inserra, MPH
Scientific Program Official
CDC/NIOSH/OEP
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E74
Atlanta, GA 30329-4018
Telephone: 404-498-2552
Fax: 404-498-2571
SInserra@cdc.gov

Intramural Scientific, NORA and Technical Contact:

Matt Gillen
Deputy Director, NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health
Coordinator, NIOSH Construction Program
NIOSH Office of the Director
395 E Street S.W.
Suite 9200, Patriots Plaza Building
Washington, DC 20201
Telephone: 202-245-0651
Fax: 202-245-0664
mgillen@cdc.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

George Bockosh, MS
CDC/NIOSH/OEP
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E74
Atlanta, GA 30329-4018
Telephone: 412-352-5181
Fax: 404-498-2571
GBockosh@cdc.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Mary Pat Shanahan
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
(Courier) 626 Cochrans Mill Road
(USPS) P. O. Box 18070 MS P05
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Telephone: 412-386-4453
Fax: 412-386-6429
mshanahan@cdc.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

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

Authority and Regulations

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections of the Public Health Service Act as amended and under the Code Federal Regulations. Awards are made under the authorization of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 20(a) and 21(a) (29 USC 669(a) and 29 USC 670); Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, Section 501(a), 30 USC 951(a); 42 USC 300mm 300mm-61); Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement. .


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