PEDIATRIC BRAIN MRI DATABASE AND STUDY OF NORMAL DEVELOPMENT:  CENTRAL
COORDINATING SITE

Release Date:  April 28, 1998

RFP AVAILABLE:  NIMH-98-DM-0002

P.T.

National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD) are issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) entitled
"Pediatric Brain MRI Database and Study of Normal Development:  Central
Coordinating Site" as Full and Open Competition under SIC Code 8731.  The NIMH,
NINDS and NICHD plan to award a five year cost-reimbursement contract, and plan
to make the award by September 30, 1998.  This will be the initial award for this
requirement. The purpose of this contract is to organize a network of magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and data analysis sites and supervise a
multicenter study of normal brain development.  The coordinating site will play
a key role in planning, organizing and conducting the multicenter study, taking
primary responsibility for providing scientific expertise and quality control at
all stages of the process.  The study will recruit a community sample of normal
children who will be studied with brain MRI scans and behavioral measures.  State
of the art automated computer software will be selected, developed and used to
analyze the MRI images and to characterize normal development using sophisticated
quantitative measures.  A data sharing plan will developed, and raw data,
analytic software and results of data analyses will be made available to
extramural researchers.  Critical to this effort will be the role of the
coordinating center in insuring homogeneity or comparability of data collected
across sites and across a time period of approximately five years.  Thus, the
central coordinating center must have knowledge and expertise in the following
areas:  (1) MRI hardware, software and acquisition sequences, (2) the design,
creation and implementation of state-of-the-art MR image analysis using automated
computer software, (3) developmental neuroanatomy, (4) the transfer from multiple
sites and processing of large MRI data sets, (5) insuring comparability of data
across machines and time, and (6) statistical expertise as applied to MRI
research.

RFP No. NIMH-98-DM-0002 will be available on or about April 22, 1998 and the
receipt date for proposals is June 9, 1998.  The RFP may be accessed through the
NIMH Home Page by using the following instructions:  access the home page at
http://www.nimh.nih.gov, first select "Grants and Contracts", then select "NIMH
Request for Proposals (RFP)", and lastly select "NIMH-98-DM-0002."

Please note that the RFP for this requirement will include the Statement of Work,
Deliverables and Reporting Requirements, the Technical Evaluation Criteria, and
proposal preparation instructions.  All information required for the submission
of an offer will be contained in the electronic RFP package.  Following proposal
submission and initial review process, offerors comprising of the competitive
range will be requested to provide additional documentation to the Contracting
Officer.  All responsible sources may submit a proposal that will be considered
by the NIMH.  This advertisement does not commit the Government to award a
contract.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries may be directed to:

David J. Eskenazi
Contracts Management Branch
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 9C-15
Rockville, MD  20857-8030
Telephone:  (301) 443-2696
Email:  de5d@nih.gov

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