Notice Number: NOT-OD-11-043

Key Dates
Release Date: February 18, 2011
Receipt Date:  May 9, 2011
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2011

Issued by
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

Purpose

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) announce an administrative supplement program of $400,000 in Fiscal Year 2011 to provide funds to Botanical Research Centers (BRC) (P50s) supported by ODS and NCCAM to encourage new scientific collaborations between Centers, including their partnering institutions. 
The purpose of the collaborative activities is to develop new inter- and multi-disciplinary scientific relationships that advance the goals and specific aims of the collaborating BRCs.  The proposed projects must be within the overall scope of the BRC program and consistent with each collaborating BRC’s theme.  They should advance the aims of ongoing projects or cores.  ODS and NCCAM are particularly interested in leveraging the considerable resources present in the BRC cores.  Therefore, we strongly encourage investigators to seek ways to advance their research goals through collaborations involving cores at other Centers.  Projects that expand the BRC’s scope and/or represent new aims will not be accepted.  Clinical studies are excluded from this opportunity.  This one-year funding opportunity is limited to the existing BRCs and their partner institutions and investigators.

Background

The purpose of the BRC program is to promote collaborative, integrated, interdisciplinary study of botanicals, particularly those found as ingredients in dietary supplements, and to conduct research of high potential for being translated into practical benefits for human health.  Preclinical research that will inform future clinical studies is the primary research focus of this program at this time.    

An evaluation of the program was conducted in 2003 by a panel of extramural scientists.  The panel recommended that program staff foster collaboration among Centers and encourage them to “share resources that could prevent duplication of effort, enhance research capacity, and help expedite high-priority research goals.”  An example of this type of resource sharing would be to foster interaction among the various cores.  The panel also suggested incorporating a broader range of relevant research technologies and approaches.  These supplements are intended, in part, to address the recommendations of that panel.

The importance of this supplemental program is to expand opportunities to advance the science, leverage existing activities with new expertise, technologies and/or resources, increase exposure of investigators from different disciplines to botanical research, and generate data leading to potential publications and new grant support.

Eligibility and Other Requirements

• The current announcement is for supplements to BRC (P50) grantee institutions which are supported by ODS and NCCAM.  No other grant mechanisms are eligible for these supplements.
• Applicants can only include representatives from two BRCs in a single request.
• All partnering institutions within a BRC’s infrastructure are eligible; however, the request must be submitted through one of the BRC grantee institutions.
• A Center can submit multiple applications for collaborative projects with various BRCs, but a Center can only be the recipient of up to two awards.  (See Budget and Funding Information.)
• Co-leaders (one from each parent BRC) of the proposed collaborative projects must be investigators of currently funded BRC cores and/or projects, although other key personnel listed on these projects do not have to be supported currently by the BRC grant.
• Consistent with our intention to foster new collaborations, requests are limited to investigators who have not been collaborators previously.  Requests from co-leaders who have shared grant support or co-authored publications in the past will not be considered. 
• Funds may be requested for projects up to one year in duration, and up to $100,000 total direct costs per project to be divided between the two Centers as the investigators see fit.  Salary support for Center Directors is disallowed unless the Center Director is one of the project’s co-leaders or investigators.  
• The proposed supplement MUST be within the general scope of the peer-reviewed activities and aims approved within the parent BRC grant; projects that expand the scope, add new aims, or are outside the goals of the BRC program or themes of the collaborating BRCs will not be considered.

Before submitting a request, interested BRC Center Directors are strongly encouraged to contact Program Staff listed under “Inquiries” below to verify whether or not the anticipated new collaborations meet the eligibility and other requirements outlined above.

IMPORTANT:  The research proposed by the NIH grantee in the supplement application must be within the original scope of the NIH-supported grant project.  The funding mechanism being used to support this program, administrative supplements, can be used to cover cost increases that are associated with achieving certain new research objectives as long as they are within the original scope of the project.  Any cost increases need to result from making modifications to the project in order to take advantage of opportunities that would increase the value of the project consistent with its originally approved objectives and purposes.

Submitting an Administrative Supplement Request

To be considered for an administrative supplement, submit a request in writing to the NCCAM, not to the Division of Receipt and Referral, Center for Scientific Review.  (See “How to Apply” below.)  The request should be submitted by only one of the two collaborating BRCs and include subcontract costs for the second BRC.

Requests under this notice should use the PHS 398 forms (available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html and include the following elements in the request packet. Font size restrictions apply as designated within the PHS398 instructions.)

1) Cover Letter - Citing this Notice (NOT-OD-11-043), a request for an Administrative Supplement, and the following information:

• Center Director name
• Parent grant number and title
• Amount of the requested supplement
• Name and title of the institutional official, and
• Phone, email, and address information for both the Center Director and institutional official. 

The cover letter must be signed by the authorized organizational representative/institutional official.

2) PHS 398 Form Page 1 (Face page) MS Word  PDF

• The title of the project (Box 1) should be the title of the parent award.
• This Notice [number and title, “Notice of Availability of Administrative Supplements for Collaborative Projects Between Currently Funded NIH Botanical Research Centers (P50)] should be cited in Box 2, and the “yes” box should be checked.
• The Principal Investigator (PI) must be the same as the PI (Center Director) on the parent award. 
• The remaining items on the face page should be filled out in accordance with the PHS 398 application instructions.

3) PHS 398 Form page 2 MS Word  PDF
Note: The project “summary” is that of the administrative supplement, not the parent grant.

4) A brief proposal describing the project, including:

a) Scope of the overall project and the anticipated contribution of the requested supplement (not to exceed six pages). Provide a one-page Introduction and now more than a five-page description of the scope of the overall project on which the supplemental request is based.

This section should include a description of the supplement's specific aims, including research design and methods and data analysis.  Describe the relationship of the supplement request to the parent grant.  Specifically, this description should include how the activity enhances existing aims and relates to the BRC themes. 

b) Budget for the supplement with a justification that details the items requested, including Facilities and Administrative costs.  Budget format should be presented in the same format as the parent grant. See Budget and Funding Information below.

c) Biographical Sketch for all new key personnel (those who are additions on the supplemental project) MS Word  PDF

d) Human Subjects/ Vertebrate Animal documentation (if applicable). Include a current Human Subjects/IRB or Vertebrate Animals/IACUC approval letter, if available. Otherwise, this will be required at the time of funding. All appropriate IRB and IACUC approvals must be in place prior to a supplement award being made. 

Any differences in the involvement or use of human subjects or specimens, or use of vertebrate animals, between the administrative supplement activity and the parent grant should be noted.  When appropriate, details should be provided on the protection of human subjects and inclusion of women, children, and minorities.  Additional guidance on Human Subjects Research and Vertebrate Animals is provided under Part II of the PHS 398 instructions (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html).  

e) PHS 398 Checklist Form MS Word  PDF

Selection Factors

Administrative supplement requests will be reviewed administratively by ODS and NCCAM Program and Grants Management Staff, as well as scientifically by other NIH and extramural scientists.  Selection factors will include the following:

• Relevance of the proposed activities to the parent grant, i.e., BRC themes, and BRC program purpose
• Enhancement or advancement of ongoing aims
• Adequate progress of the parent grant appropriate to the current stage of the project
• Appropriate and well-described plan to accomplish the goals within the timeframe proposed
• Expertise of the research team proposed to conduct and achieve the goals the supplemental study.
• The need for or significance of the research or scientific activities
• Public health relevance
• Scientific approach/merit
• Plans for monitoring the collaborative project and reporting its progress in annual progress reports
• Potential for peer-reviewed publications
• Potential to lead to future grant support and application to or translation to human health
• Availability of funds

Budget and Funding Information

Although the financial plans of the ODS and NCCAM provide $400,000 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.  Awards will be limited to no more than two per Center.

The requested project budget may not exceed $100,000 total direct costs per project to be divided between the two Centers as the investigators see fit.

Supplemental funding will be awarded no sooner than 8 weeks after the receipt date.  Requests submitted sooner than the receipt date will not be considered until all requests are received.

How to Apply

This is a one-time announcement.  Applications must be received on or before Mary 9, 2011.  Do not send applications to the NIH Center for Scientific Review. 
To be considered for an administrative supplement, the request must be signed by the Authorized Organizational Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO), and must describe the need for additional funding and the categorical costs.

Submit one original, hard copy of the request packet (with original signatures of the authorized business official) to the address listed below:

George Tucker, M.B.A.
Chief, Grants Management Officer
Grants Management Branch
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
National Institutes of Health
6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 401
Bethesda, MD  20892-54-75 (express courier use:  Rockville, MD  20852)

Inquiries

Inquiries and discussion of plans for responding to this Notice are strongly encouraged.

Program Contacts for general inquiries concerning the supplement program and detailed content of the request:

Marguerite Klein, M.S.
Health Science Administrator
Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 3B01
Bethesda, MD  20892 (express courier use:  Rockville, MD  20852)
Phone:  (301) 496-0168         
Email:  kleinm@mail.nih.gov

Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
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