Notice Number: NOT-NS-19-036
Key Dates
Release Date : February 14, 2019 (Rescinded March 6, 2019)
RFA-NS-18-041
Issued by
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Purpose
The purpose of this notice is to inform applicants of the removal of the Cost Matching Requirement Instructions for RFA-NS-18-041 Discovery of Biomarkers, Biomarker Signatures, and Endpoints for Pain (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) . There will no longer be a Cost Matching Requirement for this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This notice will be effective for the next application due date of March 7, 2019 and subsequent application due dates.
Currently Reads:
Part 2. Full Announcement of Text Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Background:
This FOA is part of the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis.
More than 25 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, a highly debilitating medical condition that is complex and lacks effective treatments. In recent decades, there has been an overreliance on opioids for chronic pain despite their poor ability to improve function. This contributed to a significant and alarming epidemic of opioid overdose deaths and addictions. Innovative scientific solutions to develop alternative treatment options are thus critically needed.
The challenges facing the development of non-opioid alternative pain medications include: a lack of reliable measures of pain biology and perception, a difficult regulatory path with high safety and labeling hurdles, poor predictive power of preclinical models, and a paucity of validated targets. In addition, patient populations are heterogeneous across multiple pain conditions, with high variability in individual responses to intervention.
One potential solution toward accelerating the discovery and development of alternative pain therapies is the use of objective biomarkers and endpoints that could define pathophysiologic subsets of pain, evaluate target engagement of a therapeutic and predict analgesic efficacy of new therapeutics. Unfortunately, there are very few validated biomarkers available that provide the information described above. Therefore, the goal of this FOA is to promote the discovery of promising candidate biomarkers, biomarker signatures and endpoints for pain indications that will withstand rigorous validation and ultimately provide the tools necessary for the development of non-opioid therapeutics for the treatment of pain conditions.
Public Law 115-141, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (signed March 23, 2018) includes a requirement that grantees from for-profit applicant organizations must provide a 50% match and/or in-kind contribution of all federally awarded dollars under the grant award (direct costs, as well as facilities and administrative costs) for research related to opioid addiction, development of opioid alternatives, pain management and addiction treatment.
Matching Requirement: A grantee from a for-profit organization funded under this funding opportunity announcement must match funds or provide documented in-kind contributions at a rate of not less than 50% of the total-Federally awarded amount, as stipulated by Public Law 115-141, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018.The applicant will be required to demonstrate that matching funds and/or in-kind contributions are committed or available at the time of, and for the duration of, the award. Applications must identify the source and amount of funds proposed to meet the matching requirement and how the value for in-kind contributions was determined. All matching funds and/or in-kind contributions must be used for the portion of allowable project costs not paid by Federal funds under the grant award. NIH will not be the recipient, nor serve as a pass-through entity, of any such matching funds and/or in-kind contributions required under this announcement. See 45 CFR 75.306 for additional details.
Modified to Read:
Part 2. Full Announcement of Text Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Background:
This FOA is part of the NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis.
More than 25 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, a highly debilitating medical condition that is complex and lacks effective treatments. In recent decades, there has been an overreliance on opioids for chronic pain despite their poor ability to improve function. This contributed to a significant and alarming epidemic of opioid overdose deaths and addictions. Innovative scientific solutions to develop alternative treatment options are thus critically needed.
The challenges facing the development of non-opioid alternative pain medications include: a lack of reliable measures of pain biology and perception, a difficult regulatory path with high safety and labeling hurdles, poor predictive power of preclinical models, and a paucity of validated targets. In addition, patient populations are heterogeneous across multiple pain conditions, with high variability in individual responses to intervention.
One potential solution toward accelerating the discovery and development of alternative pain therapies is the use of objective biomarkers and endpoints that could define pathophysiologic subsets of pain, evaluate target engagement of a therapeutic and predict analgesic efficacy of new therapeutics. Unfortunately, there are very few validated biomarkers available that provide the information described above. Therefore, the goal of this FOA is to promote the discovery of promising candidate biomarkers, biomarker signatures and endpoints for pain indications that will withstand rigorous validation and ultimately provide the tools necessary for the development of non-opioid therapeutics for the treatment of pain conditions.
Currently Reads:
Section II. Award Information
Award Budget
Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
As mentioned in NOT-OD-18-181, any for-profit recipient of funds shall be subject to a matching requirement of funds or documented in-kind contributions of not less than 50 percent of the total funds awarded to such entity.
Modified to Read:
Section II. Award Information
Award Budget
Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
Currently Reads:
Section III. Eligibility Information
2. Cost Sharing
For grantees from a for-profit organization, this FOA does require cost sharing, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. More information on cost matching requirements is in Section IV.2 R&R or Modular Budget.
Modified to Read:
Section III. Eligibility Information
2. Cost Sharing
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. For grantees from a for-profit organization, this FOA does not-require cost sharing.
Currently Reads:
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
R&R Budget:
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Cost Matching Requirement for For-profit Applicants
Cost matching or documented in-kind contributions is required for for-profit organizations responding to this FOA. The for-profit awardee is required to match funds or provide at least a 50% matching of funds or documented in-kind contributions at a rate of not less than 50% of the for the total-Federally awarded amount (direct costs, as well as facilities and administrative costs), as stipulated by Public Law 115-141, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018.
Federal funds may not be used as a source of matching funds. Generally, cost matching requirements may not be met from the following sources:
a) Costs borne by another Federal grant or sub award;
b) Costs or contributions toward cost sharing on another Federal grant, a Federal procurement contract, or any other award of Federal funds;
c) Cost of services or property financed by income earned by contractors under a contract from the recipient (or sub recipient);
(d) Program income; and
(e) Patient incentives.
The for-profit organization will be required to demonstrate that matching funds and/or in-kind contributions are committed or available at the time of, and for the duration of, the award. Applicants must submit budgets that clearly document the total costs, the source and amount of matching funds, and how valuation was determined in the case of in-kind contributions, as well as the Federal and Institutional (non-Federal) components of the budget. All matching funds and/or in-kind contributions must be used for the portion of allowable project costs not paid by Federal funds under the grant award. NIH will not be the recipient, nor serve as a pass-through entity, of any such matching funds and/or in-kind contributions required under this announcement. See 45 CFR 75.306 for additional details.
Budget Justification: All for-profit applicants must document the matching (non-Federal) component and the federal (non-matching) component in the total project budget. That is, the requested budget plus the cost-matching budget must be detailed in tabular format to document the cost-matching (non-Federal) component and the federal (non-cost matching) component. The amount of matching is subject to adjustment based on total allowable costs incurred. All costs and contributions used to satisfy the matching requirement must be documented by the recipient, including how the value for in-kind contributions was determined, and are subject to audit. The cost matching requirement is not negotiable for for-profit organizations.
Modified to Read:
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
R&R Budget:
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Currently Reads:
Section IV. Application Submission Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
PHS 398 Research Plan
Letters of Support:
- Applicants should include letters of support from consultants, contractors, and collaborators.
- If applying from an academic institution, include a letter of support from the technology transfer official who will be managing intellectual property associated with this project.
- If research will be performed at more than one institution, include a letter of support from each institution clarifying how intellectual property will be shared or otherwise managed across the institutions.
- If collaborating with a private entity, include a letter of support that addresses any agreement to provide agent(s), any limits on the studies that can be performed with said agent(s), any limitations on sharing of data (including negative results), and whether a licensing agreement(s) will be needed and in place once the project is funded. This letter should come from a designated official within the private entity who has authority to speak on these issues.
- If an application plans to utilize the infrastructure or resources of existing projects, whether funded by the NIH, other governmental or non-governmental entities, letters of support detailing the terms of collaboration and data sharing must be included.
- If utilization of extant samples is proposed as a component of the study, letters of support or approval for use of those samples should be included.
- For-profit applicants must include a letter(s) of support confirming that the required secured cost matching (cash; in-kind commitments such as salary, consultant costs, equipment) is available and confirm that the essential personnel have the authority within the organization to allocate resources.
Modified to Read:
Section IV. Application Submission Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
PHS 398 Research Plan
Letters of Support:
- Applicants should include letters of support from consultants, contractors, and collaborators.
- If applying from an academic institution, include a letter of support from the technology transfer official who will be managing intellectual property associated with this project.
- If research will be performed at more than one institution, include a letter of support from each institution clarifying how intellectual property will be shared or otherwise managed across the institutions.
- If collaborating with a private entity, include a letter of support that addresses any agreement to provide agent(s), any limits on the studies that can be performed with said agent(s), any limitations on sharing of data (including negative results), and whether a licensing agreement(s) will be needed and in place once the project is funded. This letter should come from a designated official within the private entity who has authority to speak on these issues.
- If an application plans to utilize the infrastructure or resources of existing projects, whether funded by the NIH, other governmental or non-governmental entities, letters of support detailing the terms of collaboration and data sharing must be included.
- If utilization of extant samples is proposed as a component of the study, letters of support or approval for use of those samples should be included.
Currently Reads:
Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Additional Review Considerations
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. Specific to this FOA: How likely is it that the plans for cost matching will be adequate?
Modified to Read:
Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Additional Review Considerations
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.
Currently Reads:
Section VI. Award Administration Information
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person’s race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/index.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html; and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/laws-regulations-guidance/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.
Special award condition specific to this FOA: A grantee from a for-profit organization funded under this announcement must match funds or provide documented in-kind contributions at a rate of not less than 50% of the total-Federally awarded amount, as stipulated by Public Law 115-141, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. See 45 CFR 75.306 for additional details. Matching funds must be non-Federal funds set aside for this project and are available from the source(s) identified in the application, as committed to by the recipient. Cost matching will be evaluated by the awarding office to ensure that this requirement is being met. Compliance with the matching requirement must be verified on an annual basis and must be documented in the annual and final FFR.
Modified to Read:
Section VI. Award Administration Information
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person’s race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/index.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html; and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/laws-regulations-guidance/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.
All other aspects of this FOA remain unchanged.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Mary Ann Pelleymounter, PhD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Telephone: 301-496-1779
Email: mary.pelleymounter@nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
