This Program Announcement expired on April 15, 2004.

DRUG ABUSE HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH

Release Date:  May 21, 2001

PA NUMBER:  PA-01-097 (This PA has been reissued, see PA-05-139)

National Institute on Drug Abuse
 (http://www.nida.nih.gov)

THIS PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT (PA) USES THE "MODULAR GRANT" AND "JUST-IN-TIME" 
CONCEPTS.  IT INCLUDES DETAILED MODIFICATIONS TO STANDARD APPLICATION 
INSTRUCTIONS THAT MUST BE USED WHEN PREPARING APPLICATIONS IN RESPONSE TO THIS 
PA.

PURPOSE

This program announcement replaces in its entirety PA-94-047, Drug Abuse 
Health Services Research, published in the NIH Guide, Volume 23, Number 10, 
March 11, 1994.

The health services research program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse 
(NIDA) includes interdisciplinary study of the structure, processes, and 
outcomes of drug abuse treatment, prevention, and related health services.  
Research is sought on the organization, management, and economics of drug 
abuse treatment and prevention services, and the effects of these factors on 
the quality, cost, access to, effectiveness, and outcomes of care for drug 
abuse and addictive disorders.  Additionally, this announcement seeks studies 
that examine the impact of the integration of HIV/AIDS and other services on 
outcomes.  Research applications focused on economics and financing of drug 
abuse treatment or prevention should also refer to PA-01-013 for information 
on research sought in those areas.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion 
and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS led national 
activity for setting priority areas.  This Program Announcement (PA), "Drug 
Abuse Health Services Research," is related to one or more of the priority 
areas.   Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at 
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign, for-profit and 
nonprofit, and public and private organizations such as universities, 
colleges, hospitals, units of state or local governments, and eligible 
agencies of the federal government.  Racial/ethnic minority individuals, 
women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal 
investigators. 

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project 
(R01), small (R03), exploratory/developmental (R21), and resource-related 
research project (R24) award mechanisms.  Responsibility for the planning, 
direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the 
applicant.  The total project years for an application submitted in response 
to this PA may not exceed five years for the R01 or R24 (see 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-00-008.html), two years for 
the R03 (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-00-059.html), and 
three years for the R21 
(see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-01-012.html).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The goal of health services research is to benefit the public health by 
improving the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of drug abuse prevention 
and treatment through a better understanding of program and system structures, 
processes, and outcomes.  A significant goal of NIDA’s health services 
research program is to improve the process of blending evidence-based drug 
abuse prevention and treatment interventions into practice by supporting 
studies of transfer of knowledge, organizational adaptation, and the economics 
of new interventions and business practices.  

Topics that are of particular interest to NIDA which cut across various 
prevention and treatment services research domains include studies on 
identified subgroups (e.g., HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, 
interventions aimed at reducing health disparities among minority populations, 
gender-sensitive programming, children and adolescents, the elderly, drug 
abusers involved with the criminal justice system, and persons with co-
occurring disorders), studies to learn how to match appropriate interventions 
to individual needs, studies of program- or system-level prevention and 
treatment processes, research to integrate or link drug abuse prevention or 
treatment to other health and social services, and research to develop 
instrumentation and methodology.  Investigators interested in studying 
behavioral therapies development should refer to PA-99-107, "Behavioral 
Therapies Development Program."		
		
Background

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines health services research as a 
multidisciplinary field of inquiry, both basic and applied, that examines the 
use, costs, quality, accessibility, delivery, organization, financing, and 
outcomes of health care services to increase knowledge and understanding of 
the structure, processes, and effects of health services for individuals and 
populations (IOM, 1995).  Over the past 25 years, health services research has 
contributed a substantial body of knowledge on the effectiveness of drug abuse 
treatment and on the relationship of program and patient characteristics to 
treatment processes and outcomes.  More recently, economics research has 
contributed to understanding issues related to parity, cost-effectiveness and 
cost benefits, and managed care.  Organizational research to date has focused 
primarily on the structure of treatment and is just beginning to apply models 
of organizational change to the domains of drug abuse treatment and 
prevention.

Many proven drug abuse prevention and treatment interventions have not been 
integrated into everyday practice.  There is a great need to better understand 
how to use research findings to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of 
drug abuse interventions as usually delivered.  Research is needed on decision 
processes in adopting new business and therapeutic processes (i.e., new 
technology and treatments), as well as on the efficient and effective 
implementation of new practices.  Outside the laboratory, drug abuse treatment 
and prevention interventions are delivered within a complex environment that 
affects the quality, availability, or utilization of services, including 
funding and regulatory constraints, cultural considerations, and community 
infrastructure and priorities.  The effects of these contextual factors on 
drug abuse prevention and treatment services needs to be better understood.  
Research is encouraged under this PA to improve the process of blending 
evidence-based drug abuse treatment and prevention interventions into 
widespread practice.

Investigators are encouraged to utilize the most rigorous research design and 
methodology consistent with the purposes of the research study.  Timely 
reporting of findings, including facilitating practitioner access to findings 
is encouraged.

Research Areas

The following are illustrative of major health services research areas that 
may be addressed under this announcement.  These examples are not exhaustive, 
and topics not mentioned should not be considered excluded under this PA.

Effectiveness.  Research to improve the effectiveness of drug abuse prevention 
and treatment services is encouraged.  In general, research should focus on 
understanding how and why these service systems work, rather than on whether 
they work.  Use of theoretical models is encouraged.  Areas of research 
interest include:

o  Improving prevention and treatment adherence, retention, completion, and 
outcomes.

o  Understanding how elements of prevention act alone or in combination to 
retard transition to drug use and abuse.

o  Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services within and across 
program environments.

o  Improving how needs for services and resources are identified and met, 
especially for types of organizations, models of treatment, and recovery 
stages or processes.

o  Improving the effectiveness of continuity of care and aftercare treatment 
service models.

Organization.  Organizational factors, both structural (e.g., size, shape, 
charter) and environmental (e.g., climate, culture, resources), can affect 
service efficiency and effectiveness.  Research is sought to improve how drug 
abuse treatment and prevention services and service delivery systems are 
organized, particularly in the contexts of continuity of care, availability 
and quality of services, utilization patterns, and health outcomes.  Research 
is needed on how organizations structure and manage prevention and treatment 
services, and on how drug abuse service organizations interact with other 
health, mental health, and social services delivery agencies to meet the needs 
of at-risk or drug using populations.  Research is especially sought on 
processes of organizational change through which clinical and business 
practices are improved.  Areas of research interest include:

o  Organizational models that optimize service availability, access, 
utilization, quality, and patient outcomes, both for general prevention and 
treatment populations and for specific treatment subgroups, including models 
for integrating or linking drug treatment with mental health or medical care.

o  Program policies, guidelines, and procedures that improve treatment entry, 
engagement, retention, satisfaction, and outcomes.

o  Inter and intra-organizational configurations (e.g., organizational 
relationships, organizational size and complexity, staff diversity) related to 
efficiency and quality of care.

o  Standards of care and/or performance indicators to improve assessment of 
patient progress and outcomes.

o  Organizational models of drug abuse treatment and prevention for 
alternative concepts of abuse and addiction.

Management.  Management research is concerned with improving the effectiveness 
and efficiency of work practices, both those involved in delivering 
therapeutic services and those of managing the services delivery business.  
The synergy between business and therapeutic practices has received little 
attention in health services research on drug abuse treatment and prevention.  
Research on management strategies and models to improve drug abuse prevention 
and treatment services is encouraged.  Areas of research interest include:

o  Management strategies to improve the adaptation and adoption of emerging or 
underutilized proven service delivery technologies (e.g., work team models, 
quality management).

o  Process models for the delivery of prevention and treatment services, and 
how these interact with or inform business practices and therapeutic 
processes.

o  Effects of various management models on organizational capacity to use 
resources and adapt to changes in programs, systems, or environments.

o  Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of human resources management 
practices for service delivery personnel, such as selection methods, staff 
credentialing, training, continuing education, supervision, and incentives.

o  Business processes and their influence on service provider job performance, 
quality of care, and other aspects of prevention and treatment.

o  Therapeutic processes, and how the service provider implements, monitors, 
and manages these processes to maintain or improve their effectiveness.

Blending Research and Practice.  Research is encouraged under this PA to 
improve the processes of blending evidence-based drug abuse treatment 
interventions into clinical practice, and of bringing new prevention 
strategies into wider use.  Areas of emphasis include studies of effective 
transfer of knowledge, changing organizational behavior, and financing new 
treatments and prevention programs.  Areas of research interest include:

o  Technology transfer and knowledge dissemination within the context of drug 
abuse treatment and prevention.  Research on treatment providers, including 
identification of needs, skills, and competencies.
 
o  Alternative models for systematic organizational change, clinical or 
organizational decision-making processes, models for defining, monitoring, and 
evaluating program performance, and integrating research-based interventions 
into usual treatment practices or setting, research on impact of adopting new 
practices on management, organizational structure, and financing.

o  Decision-making processes to approve new treatment services, approaches, or 
interventions for reimbursement by payers.  Research on the impact of managed 
care on utilization of research-based treatment interventions.

Economic Research.  Economic research informs decisions related to resource 
allocation and improvement of efficiency and equity.  Studies are sought on 
the economics of drug abuse services for treatment and prevention, especially 
for research on alternative payment systems, public and private financing 
systems, and the design of insurance.  Illustrative areas of research include 
financing of drug abuse treatment and prevention services, alternative 
delivery systems and managed care, cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and cost-
utility analysis, and cost and production of drug treatment and prevention 
services.  More information on NIDA’s program of research on the economics of 
drug abuse prevention or treatment is available in PA-01-013. 

Access and Utilization of Drug Abuse Treatment Services.  Particularly for 
underserved subgroups, research is sought on access to and utilization of drug 
abuse prevention and treatment services.  This includes (a) studies of 
treatment integration and linkage models to improve access to and utilization 
of medical, psychiatric, and social services, (b) research on individual, 
program-level, and environmental barriers to treatment, and (c) studies of the 
natural history of utilization of drug abuse treatment and related health 
services (e.g., treatment careers, effectiveness and cost benefits of repeated 
episodes of treatment).

Cross-Cutting Research Areas.  Areas of health services research that cut 
across the topical areas suggested above include:

o  Special populations.  Health services research studies focused on treatment 
and prevention services in specific populations, including persons with 
HIV/AIDS, gender-sensitive programming, children and adolescents, patients 
with multiple co-occurring disorders, the homeless, ethnic minorities, and the 
elderly.  Studies of treatment services provided to criminal justice involved 
drug abusers, including diversion programs, judicially mandated treatment for 
drug abuse, and continuity of care/transition models for drug abusing 
offenders.  Research on health disparities resulting from problems of access, 
utilization, or effectiveness of prevention or treatment interventions.

o  Intervention matching.  Studies to deliver defined prevention and treatment 
interventions and services more effectively and efficiently, and to 
investigate the contribution of discrete intervention elements to processes 
and outcomes.  Research to improve the assessment of patient needs and to 
match needs with treatment settings, services, and resources.  Research on 
stages or phases of treatment to identify and match services to client 
recovery stage.  Studies of continuity of care and aftercare models that match 
services to patient needs.

o  Quality of drug abuse prevention and treatment.  Studies to improve the 
quality of drug abuse treatment and prevention services, including range and 
accessibility of services, service mix, referral systems, and competence of 
staff, research on customer expectations, perceptions, and satisfaction with 
services.  Studies of prevention and treatment processes to investigate the 
contribution of discrete intervention elements to outcome, to improve 
prevention and treatment interventions in established settings, or to improve 
clinical and organizational decision-making or criteria formulation.  
(Investigators interested in behavioral therapy processes should also see PA-
99-107, "Behavioral Therapies Development Program.")

o  Research instrumentation and methodology.  Development of research 
instruments and methods to study the effectiveness of drug abuse treatment, to 
study treatment processes, and to develop patient-treatment services matching 
protocols.  Measurement of the effectiveness of prevention interventions.  
Development and validation of measures of drug use and addiction severity, 
system-level needs and outcomes, and quality of care indicators.  Development 
of instrumentation and methodology to assess community prevention needs, help 
quantify severity of community drug problems, and improve subgroup receptivity 
to prevention messages.  Measurement of organizational factors and 
relationships between organizational entities such as treatment agencies and 
other health, social services, and criminal justice system agencies.

Infrastructure Development Grants.  Applications for Infrastructure 
Development grants use the Resource-Related Research Projects (R24) mechanism.  
Infrastructure Development grants are intended to improve infrastructure and 
capability to carry out health services research, especially in areas of 
organization, management, and economics.  Infrastructure Development grants 
are limited to $300,000 in direct costs per year.  The applicant should 
describe plans to develop the institutional research infrastructure and 
faculty capacity to conduct drug abuse services research.  Two components are 
required:  an Infrastructure Improvement Plan and Research Pilot Proposals.

o  Infrastructure Improvement Plan.  Infrastructure Development applicants 
must identify specific needs and explain how these will be addressed under the 
Infrastructure Development award.  The Infrastructure Improvement Plan may 
request salary costs of core personnel and support for student research 
assistants, shared research resource costs such as consultation and equipment, 
support of pilot studies, and other necessary implementation costs.

o  Research Pilot Proposals.  Infrastructure Development applicants should 
include at least two research pilot proposals.  Pilots are intended to be 
developmental or training projects with the potential to lead to research of 
high scientific and technical merit.  A budget must accompany each proposed 
pilot.

Investigators interested in developing or improving infrastructure in Social 
Work should also refer to NIDA’s PAR-00-008, "Social Work Research Development 
Program."

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and 
their sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported biomedical and 
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and 
compelling rationale and justification is provided indicating that inclusion 
is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of  
the research.  This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 
(Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). 

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
UPDATED "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in 
Clinical Research," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on 
August 2, 2000 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html), 
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines is available at  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm.  The 
revisions relate to NIH defined Phase III clinical trials and require: a) all 
applications or proposals and/or protocols to provide a description of plans 
to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender 
and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable, and b) all 
investigators to report accrual, and to conduct and report analyses, as 
appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

NIH POLICY AND GUIDELINES ON THE INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN 
RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) 
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the 
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.  
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt 
dates after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
"NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children as Participants in 
Research Involving Human Subjects" that was published in the NIH Guide for 
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL 
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html.

URLS IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES

All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within 
specified page limitations.  Unless otherwise specified in an NIH 
solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide 
information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation 
to view the Internet sites.  Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON DRUG ABUSE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR THE 
ADMINISTRATION OF DRUGS TO HUMAN SUBJECTS  

The National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse recognizes the importance of 
research involving the administration of drugs to human subjects and has 
developed guidelines relevant to such research.  Potential applicants are 
encouraged to obtain and review the recommendations of the Council before 
submitting an application that will administer compounds to human subjects.  
The guidelines are available on NIDA"s Home Page at http://www.nida.nih.gov 
under Funding or may be obtained by calling (301) 443-2755.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 
4/98) and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated 
in the application kit.  Application kits are available at most institutional 
offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of 
Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD  20892-7910, telephone (301) 710-0267, E-mail: [email protected].

Applicants planning to submit an investigator-initiated new (type 1), 
competing continuation (type 2), competing supplement, or any amended/revised 
version of the preceding grant application types requesting $500,000 or more 
in direct costs for any year are advised that he or she must contact the 
Institute or Center (IC) program staff before submitting the application, 
i.e., as plans for the study are being developed.  Furthermore, the 
application must obtain agreement from the IC staff that the IC will accept 
the application for consideration for award.  Finally, the applicant must 
identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, the staff member and 
Institute or Center who agreed to accept assignment of the application.  

This policy requires an applicant to obtain agreement for acceptance of both 
any such application and any such subsequent amendment.  Refer to the NIH 
Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 20, 1998 at  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-030.html.

The modular grant concept establishes specific modules in which direct costs 
may be requested as well as a maximum level for requested budgets. Only 
limited budgetary information is required under this approach.  The 
just-in-time concept allows applicants to submit certain information only when 
there is a possibility for an award.  It is anticipated that these changes 
will reduce the administrative burden for the applicants, reviewers, and 
Institute staff.  The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is 
to be used in applying for these grants, with the modifications noted below.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANT APPLICATIONS

BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

Modular Grant applications will request direct costs in $25,000 modules, up to 
a total direct cost request of $250,000 per year.  The total direct costs must 
be requested in accordance with the  program guidelines and the modifications 
made to the standard PHS 398 application instructions described below:

PHS 398

o  FACE PAGE - Items 7a and 7b should be completed, indicating Direct Costs 
(in $25,000 increments up to a maximum of $250,000) and Total Costs [Modular 
Total Direct plus Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs] for the initial 
budget period.  Items 8a and 8b should be completed indicating the Direct and 
Total Costs for the entire proposed period of support.

o  DETAILED BUDGET FOR THE INITIAL BUDGET PERIOD - Do not complete Form Page 4 
of the PHS 398.  It is not required and will not be accepted with the 
application.

o  BUDGET FOR THE ENTIRE PROPOSED PERIOD OF SUPPORT - Do not complete the 
categorical budget table on Form Page 5 of the PHS 398.  It is not required 
and will not be accepted with the application.

o  NARRATIVE BUDGET JUSTIFICATION - Prepare a Modular Grant Budget Narrative 
page (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm for sample 
pages).  At the top of the page, enter the total direct costs requested for 
each year.  This is not a Form page.

Under Personnel, list all project personnel, including their names, percent of 
effort, and roles on the project.  No individual salary information should be 
provided.  However, the applicant should use the NIH appropriation language 
salary cap and the NIH policy for graduate student compensation in developing 
the budget request.

For Consortium/Contractual costs, provide an estimate of total costs (direct 
plus facilities and administrative) for each year, each rounded to the nearest 
$1,000.  List the individuals/organizations with whom consortium or 
contractual arrangements have been made, the percent effort of all personnel, 
and role on the project.  Indicate whether the collaborating institution is 
foreign or domestic.  The total cost for a consortium/contractual arrangement 
is included in the overall requested modular direct cost amount.  Include the 
Letter of Intent to establish a consortium.

Provide an additional narrative budget justification for any variation in the 
number of modules requested.

o  BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH - The Biographical Sketch provides information used by  
reviewers in the assessment of each individual"s qualifications for a specific 
role in the proposed project, as well as to evaluate the overall 
qualifications of the research team.  A biographical sketch is required for 
all personnel, following the instructions below.  No more than three pages may 
be used for each person.  A sample biographical sketch may be viewed at:  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.

- Complete the educational block at the top of the form page,
- List position(s) and any honors,
- Provide information, including overall goals and responsibilities, on 
research projects ongoing or completed during the last three years, and
- List selected peer-reviewed publications with full citations.

o  CHECKLIST - This page should be completed and submitted with the 
application.  If the F&A rate agreement has been established, indicate the 
type of agreement and the date.  All appropriate exclusions must be applied  
in the calculation of the F&A costs for the initial budget period and all 
future budget years.

The applicant should provide the name and phone number of the individual to 
contact concerning fiscal and administrative issues if additional information 
is necessary following the initial review.

The title and number of the program announcement must be typed on line 2 of 
the face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the 
checklist, and five signed photocopies in one package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040   MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established NIH referral 
guidelines.  Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit 
by appropriate scientific review group convened by NIDA in accordance with the 
standard NIH peer review procedures.  As part of the initial merit review, all 
applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which 
only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally 
the top half of the applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a 
priority score, and receive a second level review by the appropriate national 
advisory board or council.  Small grants do not receive a second-level review.

Review Criteria

The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of 
biological, behavioral, and social sciences improve the control of disease, 
and enhance health.  In the written comments reviewers will be asked to 
discuss the following aspects of the application in order to judge the 
likelihood that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the 
pursuit of these goals.  Each of these criteria will be addressed and 
considered in assigning the overall score, weighting them as appropriate for 
each application.  Note that the application does not need to be strong in all 
categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact and thus 
deserve a high priority score.  For example, an investigator may propose to 
carry out important work that by its nature is not innovative but is essential 
to move a field forward.

(1) Significance:  Does this study address an important problem?  If the aims 
of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?  
What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive 
this field?

(2) Approach:  Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses 
adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the 
project?  Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider 
alternative tactics?

(3) Innovation:  Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches, or 
methods?  Are the aims original and innovative?  Does the project challenge 
existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

(4) Investigator:  Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited 
to carry out this work?  Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience 
level of the principal investigator and other researchers (if any)?

(5) Environment:  Does the scientific environment in which the work will be 
done contribute to the probability of success?  Do the proposed experiments 
take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ 
useful collaborative arrangements?  Is there evidence of institutional 
support?

For Research Infrastructure (R24) grants, the following review criteria apply:

Infrastructure Improvement Plan

- The quality and potential of the plan to develop a sustainable research 
program in one or more core substantive areas of drug abuse health services 
research,
- The quality and appropriateness of the proposed plans for the development of 
the research team,
- The potential of the project"s management organization and proposed research 
team to become leaders in the field of drug abuse health services research and 
to improve the environment for collaborative drug abuse research, and
- The scientific leadership, experience, and appropriateness of the Program 
Director for the implementation of the Infrastructure Development grant.

Research Pilot Projects

- The potential of the study to be a building block in the development of 
future research,
- The innovation and creativity of the approach in addressing a core health 
services research problem,
- The qualifications of the team leader and the research team, and
 - The feasibility of the proposed research design, methods, and analyses in 
relation to the aims of a pilot project.

In addition to the above criteria, in accordance with NIH policy, all 
applications will also be reviewed with respect to the following:

o  The adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities and their 
subgroups, and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be 
evaluated.

o  The reasonableness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the 
proposed research.

o  The adequacy of the proposed protection for humans, animals, or the 
environment, to the extent they may be adversely affected by the project 
proposed in the application.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended 
applications.  The following will be considered in making funding decisions:  
Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review, availability of 
funds, and program priority.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify issues or questions from 
potential applicants is welcomed.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues related to treatment to:

Jerry Flanzer, D.S.W.
Acting Chief, Services Research Branch
Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 4222, MSC 9565
Bethesda, MD  20892-9565
Telephone:  (301) 443-4060
Fax:  (301) 443-6815
E-mail:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues related to prevention to:

Elizabeth Robertson, Ph.D.
Chief, Prevention Research Branch
Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 5154, MSC 9589
Bethesda, MD  20892- 9589
Telephone:  (301) 443-1514
Fax:  (301) 480-2542
E-mail:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding review issues to:

Teresa Levitin, Ph.D.
Office of Extramural Affairs
National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 3158, MSC 9547
Bethesda, MD  20892-9547
Telephone:  (301) 443-2755
Fax:  (301) 443-0538
E-mail:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Gary Fleming, J.D., M.A.
Grants Management Branch
Office of Planning and Resource Management
National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 3131, MSC 9541
Bethesda, MD  20892-9541
Telephone:  (301) 443-6710
Fax:  (301) 594-6847
E-mail:  [email protected]

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS 

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 
93.279.  Awards are made under authorization of sections 301 and 405 of the 
Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered 
under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 
74 and 92.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review 
requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a 
smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In 
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking 
in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which 
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early 
childhood development services are provided to children.  This is consistent 
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of 
the American people.

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