Administrative Supplements to Study Economic Impact of Interventions Targeting Cancer Survivors and/or their Families

Notice Number: NOT-CA-08-013

Key Dates
Release Date: April 22, 2008

Issued by
National Cancer Institute (NCI), (http://www.cancer.gov/)

Purpose

The Office of Cancer Survivorship (OCS) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announces the availability of administrative supplemental funds for support of NCI-funded behavioral and psychosocial intervention research being conducted among cancer survivors and their families. The intent of these administrative supplements is to promote research on the economic impacts of such interventions. Current NCI awardees of R01, P01, P50, U01, and U19 grants pertinent to behavioral and/or psychosocial intervention research may apply for administrative supplement funds provided that the following conditions are met:

  • The original cancer control grant or cooperative agreement award involves a psychosocial and/or behavioral intervention that is delivered to cancer survivors and/or their family members during or after cancer treatment and designed to improve post-treatment health or well-being;
  • Costs for the proposed economic or health services outcome component cannot have been included in the original award;
  • The original award must have a minimum of 2 years remaining on the grant to be eligible for funding under this supplement;
  • The original award must be held by a Domestic (United States) institution (in other words, grant holders at Foreign institutions and organizations are not eligible to request supplemental funds under this opportunity); and
  • The Principal Investigator (PI) for the supplement must be the PI of the original award.

NIH/NCI contract holders are not eligible to request supplemental funding for their contracts in connection with this opportunity.

The purpose of these administrative supplements is to fund the addition of or inclusion in the original study design of information on the economic and/or health services impact(s) of the intervention being delivered. Interventions could target survivors, their family/caregivers, or both. Specific outcomes of interest could include, but are not limited to:

  • Cost of administering the intervention (e.g., personnel effort, materials
  • Cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions (e.g., studies that describe the cost-effectiveness of an intervention using data on both costs and intervention outcomes that are "internal" to the original study);
  • Impact of the intervention on participants health care utilization;
  • Impact of the intervention on medical treatment adherence;
  • Out-of-pocket expenses associated with participation in the intervention;
  • Impact of intervention participation on survivors employment status and/or that of their primary caregivers; and
  • Changes in medication use associated with intervention status.

Projects proposed for supplemental funding should examine how information regarding the healthcare utilization and/or cost impact analysis would be used to inform survivors and/or their families about the role of the intervention in improving their health-related outcomes. Applicants also should indicate how the availability and use of this information is expected to impact planning and/or policy decision-making at the level of health care providers and/or at other organizational levels (e.g., practice groups, clinics, and treatment centers). Investigators applying for these supplements are strongly encouraged to establish appropriate collaborations with experts in economic analysis or health services research and/or researchers/practitioners who can provide unique expertise related to the impact of cost considerations in the implementation of standards for quality cancer care. It is also recommended that applicants requesting supplemental funding have a plan for how they would share information about their findings with the larger behavioral, psychosocial, and clinical communities in the context of cancer survivorship.

The NCI intends to commit approximately $1,000,000 in FY 2008 to fund five to seven administrative supplements in response to this initiative. An applicant must request a project period of 1 year. The budget for total costs is limited to $200,000 per request. Although the financial plans of the NCI provide support for this program, administrative supplement awards pursuant to this initiative are contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious requests.

Submission of Requests

This Notice is a one-time announcement, and formal requests must be received at the NCI (see address below) on or before June 9, 2008. Supplemental funding requests must be signed by the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their administrative supplement requests electronically as an e-mail attachment in PDF format; however, the scanned request must include the signature of the AOR.

DO NOT attempt to submit these administrative supplement requests to the NIH via Grants.gov. Also, note that the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) IS NOT involved in receipt, processing, and reviews of these requests.

Electronic Submission:

If sending an electronic PDF copy, the email address is bellizzk@mail.nih.gov.

Paper Submission:

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the request and five signed, single-sided photocopies, in one package to:

Keith M. Bellizzi, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Program Director
Office of Cancer Survivorship
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 404, MSC 8336
Bethesda, MD 20892-8336 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for non-USPS delivery)
Telephone: 301-496-4687
Fax: 301-496-5070
E-mail: bellizzk@mail.nih.gov

Detailed submission instructions are provided in the Submission Guidelines (http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/eco_impact_instructions.html). Briefly, the request should contain sufficient detail (similar to a standard research application, but not to exceed 7 pages) to allow the NCI staff members to assess the scientific merit of the proposed survivorship-related studies in intervention research and the appropriateness of the request for supplemental funding. Budget requests must not exceed $200,000 in total costs for a funding period not exceeding 12 months. Requests will be evaluated by NCI program staff (and appropriate consultants) who have expertise in the cancer survivorship-related intervention research. Awards will be determined on the basis of scientific merit, program relevance, research potential, and availability of funds. The earliest anticipated award date for this program will be September 1, 2008.

Inquiries

Before submitting a request, each eligible grantee is encouraged to discuss their plans for supplemental research with the NCI Program Director (i.e., Program Official) who is responsible for the particular original R01, P01, P50, U01, or U19 award.

General inquiries concerning the programmatic priorities should be directed to:

Julia H. Rowland, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Cancer Survivorship
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 404, MSC 8336
Bethesda, MD 20892-8336 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for non-USPS delivery)
Telephone: 301-402-2964
Fax: 301-594-5070
E-mail: rowlandj@mail.nih.gov

Martin L. Brown, Ph.D.
Chief, Health Services and Economics Branch
Applied Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Boulevard, EPN Room 4000, MSC 7344
Bethesda, MD 20892-8336 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for non-USPS delivery)
Telephone: 301-496-5716
Fax: 301-435-3710
E-mail: mbrown@mail.nih.gov

Inquiries regarding administrative and fiscal matters should be directed to:

Crystal Wolfrey
Office of Grants Administration
National Cancer Institute
6120 Executive Boulevard, EPS Room 243, MSC 7150
Bethesda, MD 20892-7150 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for non-USPS delivery)
Telephone: 301-496-8634
E-mail: crystal.wolfrey@nih.gov