THE NIH GUIDE FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS:  INTENT TO MODIFY

NIH GUIDE, Volume 23, Number 9, March 4, 1994



P.T. 34



Keywords:

  Grants Administration/Policy+ 

  Information Science/Systems 



National Institutes of Health



PURPOSE



The National Institutes of Health intends to modify the NIH Guide for

Grants and Contracts on August 1, 1994.  The format of Request for

Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs) will not be

changed, but increased emphasis on electronic access of those

documents will be implemented.  The purpose of the changes is to

improve the timeliness and accuracy of information dissemination and

reduce production costs.



BACKGROUND



The printed edition of the weekly NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

now includes notices, PAs, Notices of Availability (NA) of RFAs, and

NAs of Requests for Proposals (RFP) and is mailed to approximately

34,000 subscribers.  Although first class postal service is used,

copies of the printed version may not be received until a week or

more following publication.



Currently, a delimited, electronic edition of the NIH Guide, which

includes RFAs in addition to NA/RFAs, is sent via a BITNET LIST to

530 sites, primarily university offices of sponsored research.  The

NIH Guide is also available on a public access electronic bulletin

board and on the NIH GOPHER on the Internet.  Through these sources,

the NIH Guide, including the full text of RFAs and PAs, is available

nationwide within a day of publication.



INTENDED MODIFICATIONS



Content of the NIH Guide



The printed edition of the NIH Guide will contain notices and brief

NA/RFAs and NA/PAs.  The NAs will include a brief summary of the

purpose of the RFA or PA; the application receipt date, anticipated

number of awards, and funds available for RFAs; and information about

how to obtain a copy of the RFA or PA.  The electronic edition will

include the contents of the printed edition and the complete text of

PAs and RFAs.



Access to the NIH Guide



PAs and RFAs will be available in print and via email from the NIH

contacts listed in each NA in the printed edition.  The NIH will send

one copy of the printed edition of the NIH Guide to each major

component of each Institution, primarily to the Offices of Sponsored

Research or the equivalent, and institutions not on the list of

institutional contacts maintained by the NIH may request

subscriptions.  The current subscription list for the printed edition

will be terminated.



The  electronic edition of the NIH Guide, including the RFAs and PAs,

will be available to individuals via a LISTSERV subscription list,

the NIH Grant Line electronic bulletin board, and the NIH Gopher

Server.  Current subscribers to the printed edition are encouraged to

establish a preferred route to the electronic edition of the NIH

Guide as soon as possible and cancel subscriptions to the printed

edition.



ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO THE NIH GUIDE FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS



LISTSERV Distribution



On the day of publication, a delimited electronic edition of the NIH

Guide for Grants and Contracts is distributed to list members.  The

delimiters are characters that mark the beginning and end of each

item.  Several institutions have found this useful for topical

searching, archiving, and intra-institutional distribution.  At this

time, individuals and institutions may join the list.  To join, send

an E-mail message to [email protected] or via the Internet to

[email protected] requesting inclusion on the list.



NIH Grant Line Bulletin Board



The NIH Grant Line includes information about NIH extramural

programs, including the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.  A new

feature on the NIH Grant Line allows the rapid transmission of files

via Bitnet or Internet to a Bitnet or Internet address instead of

downloading via a modem.



To access the NIH Grant Line, the terminal emulator must be

configured as follows:  1200 or 2400 baud, even parity, 7 data bits,

1 stop bit, half duplex.  Using the procedure specified in the

communication software, dial 1-301-402-2221.  When a response

indicates that a connection has been made, type  ,GEN1  (the comma is

mandatory) and press ENTER; the NIH system will prompt for INITIALS?.

Type  BB5  and press ENTER.  A prompt will ask for ACCOUNT?  Type

CCS2  and press ENTER.



Messages and a menu will be displayed that allow one to read

Bulletins and download Files.  Back issues of the NIH Guide are found

in different Directories.  GUIDE90 has issues going back to July 6,

1990; GUIDE91, GUIDE92, and GUIDE93 have all issues for each year.

Type F (for FILES) to access any of the files that are arranged into

directories.  To get an overview of the kinds of information

available, type D (for Directory).



Access to NIH Grant Line via the Internet



To access the NIH Grant Line in an interactive Internet session,

Telnet to WYLBUR.CU.NIH.GOV and, when a message has been received

that the connection is open, type VT100.  At the INITIALS? prompt,

type BB5 and at the ACCOUNT? prompt, type CCS2.  This puts the user

into the NIH Grant Line.



NIH Gopher



The NIH Gopher contains information about the NIH, including the NIH

Guide to Grants and Contracts, and has text searching capability.

One can tunnel to the NIH Gopher, if one has access to a system with

Gopher.  Local computer support staff should be consulted for

additional information.



INQUIRIES



For additional information or comment on the intended modifications,

direct inquiries to:



Claudia Blair, Ph.D.

Director, Institutional Affairs Office

National Institutes of Health

Building 1, Room 328

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-5366

FAX:  (301) 402-2831

email:  [email protected] or [email protected]



For additional information about the NIH Grant Line Bulletin Board,

direct inquiries to:



John C. James, Ph.D.

Assistant Director for Special Projects

Division of Research Grants

Westwood Building, Room 109

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 594-7270

FAX:  (301) 594-7384



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