Notice Number: NOT-CD-05-109

Key Dates
Release Date: May 10, 2005

Issued by
Office of Public Health Research, CDC, (http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/PHResearch/overview.htm)

On May 2, 2005, the Office of Public Health Research, CDC, issued a Request for Applications entitled, RFA-CD-05-109 Centers of Excellence in Public Health Informatics that is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CD-05-109.html. This Notice is to inform the scientific community that the OPHR is amending RFA-CD-05-109, Centers of Excellence in Public Health Informatics to include:

1. Corrections to the Executive Summary
2. Corrections to Section III. Eligibility Information, 3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria
3. Supplementary instructions for the Form PHS 398

Corrections

The paragraph below replaces the previous Executive Summary.

Executive Summary

This funding opportunity will use the P01 award mechanism to support Centers of Excellence in Public Health Informatics to advance the study and practice of public health informatics through collaborative efforts among academic public health experts, local and/or state public health departments, developing Regional Health Information Organizations, and other health and informatics professionals. The Centers of Excellence in Public Health Informatics initiative is the newest of CDC Health Protection Research Initiative grants (HPRI), a broad initiative that supports research and aimed at promoting health and/or preventing disease, injury, or disability and protecting people from health threats including infectious, environmental, and terrorist threats. Approximately 3.0 million dollars will be committed in FY 2005 to fund up to 3 new grants in response to this RFA. Applications may be submitted by domestic, public and private, for-profit and non-profit organizations, faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible agencies of the Federal government. Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Only one application per applicant can be submitted in response to this announcement. Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 9/2004). The PHS 398 document is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format.

The paragraph below replaces the previous one under Section III Eligibility Information, 3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria:

Linkages and Collaborations: Centers should be established so as to have structured linkages to, collaborative and cooperative relationships with, public health agencies, other public and private organizations that have an interest in public health informatics and population health improvement, including local and state governmental health agencies, healthcare provider organizations, corporations and businesses with large employee health benefit programs, healthcare financing organizations, insurers and other third party payers, research organizations, other Federal and state government agencies, and health-related community-based organizations. Each Center should have, through academic affiliation or other structural means, access to, and active engagement of, experts representing a broad array of disciplines in public health, psychology, business, economics, and other health-related and social sciences which relate to public health informatics. Interactions among Centers are an important part of this initiative. Centers must identify creative strategies to foster formal and informal intra- and inter-center collaborations to identify and address overarching scientific and methodological issues. This may be in the form of research collaborations, participation in Web-based health communication exchanges by scientists on a visiting basis, exchange of resources and materials, and other mechanisms.

Additional Application Instructions

The instructions for the Form PHS 398 do not entirely apply to the submission of these P01 grant applications. Accordingly, applicants are strongly encouraged to follow the SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS found below:

Supplementary Instructions

You must submit your application on PHS 398. Assemble and paginate it as one complete document.

• Face Page: Use Form Page 1 as instructed in the PHS 398. On line 2, enter the number and title of this RFA.

• Description, Performance Site(s) and Key Personnel: Using page 2 of PHS 398, provide a succinct but accurate description, the abstract, of the overall multi-project application, addressing the major, common theme of the program. Do not exceed the space provided.

Under "key personnel," list the principal investigator of the multi-project application, followed by the project leaders of the research projects and cores and other key personnel.

• Table of Contents: Do not use form page 3 of the PHS 398; a more comprehensive table of contents is needed for a multi-project application.

Keeping in mind that the application will be peer reviewed project by project and core by core, prepare a detailed table of contents that will let reviewers locate information pertinent to the overall application as well as to each component project and core. For each project and core, include a page reference for the budget. Identify each project by number (e.g., project 1), title, and project leader, and each core by letter (e.g., core A), title, and core leader.

• Composite Budget: Prepare a composite budget for all proposed years of support, using the Budget Sample Format (see example without escalation). Indicate the page location of your budget in the table of contents.

• Budget for Entire Proposed Project Period: Use form page 5 of the PHS 398 application kit. This budget should include total direct costs of the Cores and Projects for all years requested.

• Detailed Budget for Projects and Cores: Use form page 4 for detailed budget for initial budget period for individual projects and cores and include a justification for the budget elements.

• Budgets Pertaining to Consortium/Contractual Arrangements: Use Form Pages 4 and 5. These budgets are included if consortium/contractual arrangements are needed.

• Budget Justification Pertaining to Consortium/Contractual Arrangements: if applicable.

• Biographical Sketch of Principal Investigator (Center Director): Put biographical sketches of professional personnel for all components at the end of the application, with the principal investigator's first followed by other key personnel in alphabetical order.

• Resources: Do not complete for the overall application. Give essential information in the individual research project and core sections of the application.

• Checklist format page: Complete for the entire application and place at the end of the application package.

Program Overview -- Research plan

This narrative section summarizes the overall research plan; this section is limited to 25 pages.

A P01 application is a confederation of interrelated research projects, each capable of standing on its own scientific merit but complementing each other. This important section lets a group of investigators show the program's conceptual unity by describing the general scientific area and laying out a broad research strategy.

As the strategy develops, briefly show the place of each project and core in the overall scheme. Summarize special features in the environment and resources that make this application strong or unique.

Appendix

You can have only one appendix for the whole application, up to 10 documents or 100 pages, whichever is less. All pages in reprints and other documents count as one page.

Limit the appendix to information directly relevant to the application. Place data crucial to the research plan in the application, not in an appendix. Clearly cross-reference all appended material to a project or core. Prepare five sets of the appendix including only relevant reprints, making sure that reprints are cross-referenced as well.

Instructions for Individual Projects

Each research project must have a face page PHS 398 form page 1. Note: For each project and the overview section, items a-d of the research plan are limited to 25 pages.

For Number and title of project, follow these instructions. For all research projects use a number (e.g., 1, 2, 3) to designate each research project and make sure each has a unique title. Give the name and title of the project leader and participating investigators. Type the number and title of a research project on the upper left-hand margin of all relevant pages, for easy cross-reference.

Complete all other items on the face page using the PHS 398 instructions.

The following instructions are unique to P01 grants. For other items in an individual project application, follow the PHS 398 instructions.

• Form page 2. Provide a Description , or abstract, of the research following instructions on form page 2 of the PHS 398. The abstract should briefly describe how the research project will contribute to attaining the objectives of the overall program.
• Under Key personnel , follow the PHS 398 instructions, listing all key personnel participating in the project beginning with the project leader.
• Form page 3. Prepare a Table of contents for the research project using form page 3 of the PHS 398. Do not repeat the biographical sketches of participating investigators since they will be included at the end of the overall application and in that table of contents.

Research plan

• Item A -- Specific aims: List in priority order the broad, long-range objectives and goals of the proposed project. Concisely and realistically describe the hypothesis or hypotheses to be tested. In addition, state the project's relationship to the multi-project program goals and how it relates to other projects or cores. This section is typically one page.
• Item B -- Background and significance: Use this section to describe how the proposed research will contribute to meeting the program's goals and objectives and explain the rationale for selecting the methods to accomplish the specific aims. In addition to stating the biological significance of the research, indicate the project's relevance to the primary theme of the grant.

Appendix. Do not create an appendix for an individual project.

Instructions for Core Units

The overall project should include an Administrative Core and a Scientific Core, which support all projects within the Centers. All cores: limit items a-d to 25 pages each.

Administrative core. The institution and the principal investigator are responsible for the application and for collaborative research activities. The institution is legally and financially responsible and accountable for the use and disposition of funds and attests to the availability of personnel and facilities capable of performing and supporting the administrative functions of the program.

Request funding for overall administration, for example, secretarial and other administrative services, expenses for publications for collaborative efforts, and communication expenses.

Scientific core or cores. A scientific core is a resource for the whole grant. The application must indicate the projects it will serve, e.g., statistical support to research projects 1 and 2. This section should give a clear picture of the facilities, techniques, and skills the core will provide and the role of the core leader and each key participant. Also state the percentage of total dollars required to support each project that will use each scientific core.

Each core must have a face page PHS 398 form page 1.

For Letter and title of core, follow these instructions. For all cores use a letter (e.g., A, B, C) to designate each core unit and give each a unique title; type these on the upper left-hand margin of all pages in the core section for easy cross-reference.

State the name and title of the core leader and participating investigators. Complete other items on the face page using the standard PHS 398 instructions.

• Form page 2. Provide a Description (abstract) of the core activities and services according to the instructions on form page 2 of the PHS 398. In addition, the abstract should contain a brief description of how the core services will contribute to attaining the program's objectives.
• Form page 3. Prepare a Table of contents for the core using form page 3 of the PHS 398. Do not repeat the biographical sketches of participating investigators since they will be included at the end of the overall application and in that table of contents.

Research Plan

• Item A -- Specific aims: List in priority order the broad, long range objectives of the proposed core. In addition, state its relationship to the program's goals and how it relates to the research projects or other cores. This section is typically one page.
• Item B -- Background and significance: Use this section to describe how the proposed core activities will contribute to meeting the program's goals and objectives and explain the rationale for selecting the methods to accomplish the specific aims. In addition, this section should indicate the relevance of the core to the primary theme of the grant.

Appendix. Do not create an appendix for a core.

Inquiries

Direct questions about scientific/research issues to:

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