This notice has expired. Check the NIH Guide for active opportunities and notices.

EXPIRED


FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH COLLABORATION AWARD FOR HIV-AIDS (AIDS FIRCA)

RELEASE DATE:  June 13, 2002

PA NUMBER:  PA-02-114 (see Notice of Inactivation, NOT-TW-03-007)

EXPIRATION DATE:  April 19, 2005, unless reissued.

Fogarty International Center (FIC) 
 (http://www.nih.gov/fic)
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) 
 (http://www.nichd.nih.gov)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) 
 (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov)
National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)
 (http://www.nimh.nih.gov) 

Application Receipt Dates:  January 2, May 1, September 1

THIS PA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

o  Purpose of the PA
o  Research Objectives
o  Mechanism of Support
o  Eligible Institutions
o  Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o  Special Requirements
o  Where to Send Inquiries
o  Submitting an Application
o  Peer Review Process
o  Review Criteria
o  Award Criteria
o  Required Federal Citations

PURPOSE OF THIS PA

The Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award for HIV-AIDS (AIDS 
FIRCA) facilitates collaborative research between U.S. scientists supported 
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and foreign scientists through 
small individual research grants.

The AIDS FIRCA will extend and enhance the research interests of both the 
U.S. scientist and the collaborating foreign scientist, and will help to 
increase the research capacity of the foreign scientist and institution.  
Awards are made to the U.S. applicant institution to support a collaborative 
research project that will be carried out mainly at the foreign 
collaborator's research site.  Support is available for research related to 
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome 
(AIDS), and for research among HIV-infected persons of conditions that 
disproportionately affect such individuals.

Total direct costs of $32,000 per year is available for up to three years to 
help cover purchase of supplies, small equipment for developing countries, 
technical assistance at the foreign collaborator's laboratory or research 
site, a small salary or consultant fee for the foreign investigator, and 
travel for the U.S. and foreign collaborators and their research associates, 
as justified by the needs of the collaborative research.  For the purpose of 
this program, developing countries eligible to use AIDS FIRCA funds for 
equipment are considered to include those in the following regions:  Africa, 
Asia (except Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan), Central and Eastern 
Europe (Hungary, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Romania, Bulgaria, 
Albania, Turkey and the countries of the former Yugoslavia), Russia and 
independent countries of the former Soviet Union, Latin America, the Middle 
East, and the Pacific Ocean Islands (except Australia and New Zealand).

All areas of research related to HIV infection and AIDS are eligible for 
consideration.  Eligible topics are those contained in the NIH plan for HIV-
related research which is available at the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) 
website http://www.nih.gov/od/oar/index.htm.  Investigators working on topics 
not related to HIV, AIDS or related illnesses among HIV-infected persons 
should apply for a Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award 
(FIRCA).  See the FIRCA announcement in the NIH Guide  
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-02-057.html) and at the FIC 
website (http://www.nih.gov/fic/programs/firca.html)

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

An important role of the FIC is to foster discovery and reduce global health 
disparities through the support of international cooperation across the 
continuum of basic, clinical and applied biomedical, behavioral and health 
sciences.  The opportunity to collaborate internationally provides a means of 
access to new information and perspectives, innovative concepts and methods, 
emerging research technologies, and unique populations and environments 
important for addressing global health problems.

The main objectives of the AIDS FIRCA program are:  1) to support 
collaborative HIV/AIDS-related efforts between U.S. and foreign scientists on 
research of high scientific merit and mutual interest and benefit, and 2) to 
help build research capabilities at the foreign site, if the site is in a 
developing country, and foster further sustained and productive research and 
research collaborations at the foreign site.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

The AIDS FIRCA will use the NIH small research project grant (R03) mechanism.  
One module of $32,000 direct costs per year for up to three years may be 
requested.  As an applicant, you and your foreign collaborator will be solely 
responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.  

This PA uses just-in-time concepts.  The just-in-time concept allows 
applicants to submit certain information only when there is a possibility for 
an award.  It also uses the modular budgeting format (see 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm).  The modular grant 
concept establishes a specific module in which direct costs (in this case, 
$32,000) may be requested .  Only limited budgetary information is required 
under this approach.  It is anticipated that these changes will reduce the 
administrative burden for the applicants, reviewers and NIH staff.

Continuation of the AIDS FIRCA project depends upon satisfactory research 
progress and availability of funds.  The AIDS FIRCA grant will remain active 
if the "parent grant" (see Special Requirements for more detail about "parent 
grants") expires and is not renewed during the AIDS FIRCA project period.

ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS

Only domestic U.S. organizations are eligible to apply.  You may submit (an) 
application(s) if your institution has any of the following characteristics:

o  For-profit and non-profit organizations
o  Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals 
(including Veteran's Administration hospitals), and laboratories
o  Units of State and local governments
o  Faith-based organizations

Note:  Applicants should check 
http://www.nih.gov/fic/regional/CountryInstructions.html for special 
considerations relative to some potential collaborating countries.

INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry 
out the proposed research and who meets the other eligibility requirements 
below is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for 
support.  Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, women 
and individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH 
programs.  

The U.S. scientist, who must have current NIH-funded research ("parent 
grant"), will apply as Principal Investigator, with a colleague from a 
laboratory or research site in an eligible country.  Occasionally, scientific 
opportunities may arise that warrant a formal collaborative effort between 
the U.S. investigator and individuals from more than one country.  Such 
applications may be considered only after consultation with and pre-approval 
by the FIC AIDS FIRCA Program Officer.

The foreign collaborator must hold a position at an eligible public or 
private non-profit institution that will allow him or her adequate time and 
provide appropriate facilities to conduct the proposed research.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

o  The U.S. applicant must be Principal Investigator or project director on a 
NIH research project grant (referred to as the "parent grant") that will be 
active and funded at the start of the proposed AIDS FIRCA budget period.  
Eligible mechanisms are the R01, P01, or U01.  Principal Investigators of 
subprojects of a program project (P01) or Cooperative Agreement (U01 and U19) 
are eligible.  Other R, P and U mechanisms, and significant subprojects 
within these mechanisms, will be considered on a case by case basis after 
consultation with and pre-approval by the FIC AIDS FIRCA Program Officer.  
Under exceptional circumstances some research contracts (N01 series) may be 
eligible "parent" funding for the AIDS-FIRCA.  Among the mechanisms not 
accepted as "parent grants" are training grants and other research contracts, 
Center Core Grants (P30), Small Business Innovative Research Awards (R43), 
STTR (R44) and Shannon Awards (R55).  AIDS FIRCA applications linked to 
international HIV-AIDS research initiatives of other NIH Institutes and 
Centers and which meet the basic criteria of the program are particularly 
encouraged.  Examples include applications linked to research awards that 
meet the "parent grant" eligibility requirement under programs related to 
AIDS from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, (in 
particular U and P mechanisms of the Comprehensive International Program of 
Research on AIDS, the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the HIV Prevention Trials 
Network); National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National 
Institute of Mental Health; National Cancer Institute; National Institute on 
Drug Abuse; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; and the 
National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research.

o  The "parent grant" must have a minimum of 12 months of funding, which may 
include a no-cost extension, remaining at the time of the application 
deadline to be eligible to apply for AIDS FIRCA funding.  

o  The AIDS FIRCA research proposal may be an extension or a new direction of 
the "parent grant."  However, the proposed research must not overlap with 
research already supported by the U.S. investigator's "parent grant" or by 
other sources.  If the proposal is for work that is not an obvious extension 
of the "parent grant," the research must be clearly within the expertise and 
field of interest of both the U.S. and foreign collaborators, as indicated by 
the general area of science in the "parent grant" and other research support 
and published work.  Such research should ideally make use of the comparative 
strengths of the U.S. and foreign investigators.  Special consideration may 
be given to proposed research which addresses significant global health 
problems, particularly those of high relevance to the foreign country or 
region, and to research that makes use of unique or special resources, 
circumstances or environment of the foreign site.

o  There is no limit to the number of distinct AIDS FIRCA grants an applicant 
may be awarded over time and applicants may already be AIDS FIRCA grantees at 
the time of application.  However, only one AIDS FIRCA application may be 
submitted by the same U.S. investigator per review cycle.

o  Applicants may apply for only one competitive renewal for an additional 
three years of a given AIDS FIRCA award, providing the above-mentioned 
criteria are satisfied at the time of application for the renewal.  Current 
grantees may want to consider whether their collaboration has developed to 
the point where they can submit an R01 research grant application.

o  The research under the AIDS FIRCA award is to occur mainly at the foreign 
site and the major portion of the funds and items purchased must be used at 
the foreign site to support this research.

WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES

We encourage your inquiries concerning this PA and welcome the opportunity to 
answer questions from potential applicants.  Inquiries may fall into three 
areas:  scientific/research, administrative and financial/grants management 
issues.

o  Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to:

Jeanne McDermott, C.N.M., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Division of International Training and Research
Fogarty International Center
Building 31, Room B2C39
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD  20892-2220
Telephone:  301-496-1653
Fax:  301-402-0779
Email:  [email protected]

Jennifer S. Read, M.D., M.S., M.P.H.
Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS Branch
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health
Executive Building, Room 4B11F
6100 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Telephone:  301-435-6872
Fax:  301-496-8678
Email:  [email protected]

Dr. Willo Pequegnat
Chief, Prevention & Translational Research Program
Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research and AIDS
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Blvd., Room 6205, MSC 9619
Bethesda, MD 20892-9619
Telephone:  301-443-6100 
Fax:  301-443-9719 
Email:  [email protected]

Direct your questions about general administrative issues to:

Ms. Janice Solomon
Program Specialist
Fogarty International Center
Building 31, Room B2C39
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD  20892-2220
Telephone:  301-496-1653
Fax:  301-402-0779
Email:  [email protected]

Direct your questions about financial or grants management issues to:

Mr. Randolph Williams
Grants Management Specialist
Fogarty International Center
Building 31, Room B2C29
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD  20892-2220
Telephone:  301-496-5710
Fax:  301-594-1211
Email:  [email protected]

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application 
instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001) along with the supplemental instructions 
below.  The PHS 398 is available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive 
format.  For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267, 
Email:  [email protected].  Additional important information and 
clarifications may be found under the Frequently Asked Questions section of 
the FIC AIDS FIRCA website (http://www.nih.gov/fic/programs/fircin2.html).

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Under the Description Section: 
Please include the name of the foreign country and institution, the foreign 
collaborator and the "parent grant" number in your description.  (e.g., "This 
research will be done primarily in Peru at Lima University in collaboration 
with Jorge Smith as an extension of NIH grant # R01AI98765.")

Performance Site Section: 
Provide the full name, address at the foreign institution, phone, and Email 
of the foreign collaborator where the research will be performed.  Also 
provide the full number of the NIH "parent grant" and the dates of the award 
(e.g., R01AI98765-01; 9/30/2000 - 9/29/2003). 

Research Plan - special instructions:
Follow the instructions for the PHS 398 except as described below (and note 
that the research plan must not exceed ten pages for sections a-d):

Foreword:  
Original AIDS FIRCA applications should have a one-page foreword in which you 
describe the nature of the proposed collaboration, and discuss any relevant 
previous collaborative arrangement(s).  In cases where the Principal 
Investigator has previously served as a mentor to the foreign collaborator, 
address the independence of the foreign collaborator in regards to the 
proposed AIDS FIRCA research.  In particular, address respective 
contributions to the preparation of the research proposal.

Specific Aims: 
List the specific aims of the "parent grant" exactly as written in the 
"parent grant."  If these are longer than one page, you may summarize them 
and indicate that you have done so.  If the AIDS FIRCA is more closely 
related to another funded (but not AIDS FIRCA-eligible) grant, please be sure 
to give the specific aims of that grant here also.  Then, list the specific 
aims of the AIDS FIRCA proposal.  Finally, discuss how the specific aims of 
the AIDS FIRCA relate to the aim(s) of the "parent grant," and other relevant 
grants, if applicable. 

Research Design and Methods:  
Follow the instructions described in PHS Form 398 instructions.  However, at 
the end of this section, outline the proposed contributions of the U.S. 
Principal Investigator and the foreign collaborator to the study.  Describe 
exactly where and when each aspect of the work will be carried out and by 
whom.  This will allow reviewers to assess the contributions of each 
laboratory or research site and predict the likelihood for success.

Collaborator Assurance:  
Attach a letter (on institutional letterhead) from the foreign collaborator 
confirming his/her role in the project.  Also, provide a statement confirming 
the foreign collaborating organization's willingness to comply with all 
pertinent U.S. Federal regulations and policies.  For example, the 
institution must be willing to support the collaboration with time and 
resources for the foreign collaborator, to provide necessary documentation to 
the U.S. institution for tracking expenditures and human subjects population 
tracking, and provide necessary documentation to the Office of Human Research 
Protection (OHRP) for human involvement and to the Office of Laboratory 
Animal Welfare (OLAW) for animal involvement, if necessary.  The letter must 
be cosigned by the Head of a Department, Dean, or other academic official.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANT APPLICATIONS:  Section C, item 3, of 
the research grant application instructions for the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html includes step-by-step 
guidance for preparing modular grants.  Additional information on modular 
grants is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.
Follow the modular grant directions, except that AIDS FIRCA applications must be
submitted as one module of $32,000 in direct costs.  The modular grant format 
simplifies the preparation of the budget in these applications by limiting the 
level of budgetary detail.

Budgetary Restrictions:
Applications will be submitted using the modular grant process but AIDS FIRCA 
grants will have the following budget restrictions that must be considered in 
the development of the modular budget:  

1)  Travel funds for the Principal Investigator, foreign collaborator, or 
colleagues to visit the research sites must not exceed $7,000 annually.
2)  Travel funds for the foreign collaborator to attend scientific 
conferences must not exceed $2,000 annually.
3)  Consultant fees for the foreign collaborator(s) must not exceed a total 
of $5,000 annually.
4)  Salary for the Principal Investigator, or any other staff at the U.S. 
site, is not allowed.
5)  Equipment costs may be included for research conducted in countries 
included in the following regions:  Africa, Asia (except Japan, Singapore, 
South Korea and Taiwan), Central and Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland, the 
Czech and Slovak Republics, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey and the 
countries of the former Yugoslavia), Russia and independent countries of the 
former Soviet Union, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific Ocean 
Islands (except Australia and New Zealand).

Checklist: 
Facilities and Administrative costs:  Facilities and Administrative (F&A) 
Costs must be calculated on the basis of the off-site rate of the U.S. 
sponsoring institution.

For applications that have foreign subcontracts, F&A costs of up to eight 
percent can be requested by the foreign institutions.  F&A costs for a 
foreign subcontract are considered direct costs on the applicant's 
application and should be included as part of the $32,000 that can be 
requested.  Please see 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-01-028.html
for more information on the F&A costs allowed for foreign 
institutions and international organizations.

SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH:  The application, along with all required 
supplemental information, must be submitted as a single package by the U.S. 
grantee's institution.  Submit a signed, typewritten original of the 
application, including the checklist, and five signed photocopies in one 
package to:

Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD  20892-7710
Bethesda, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)
Telephone:  301-435-0715

APPLICATION PROCESSING:  Applications must be received by the receipt dates 
described on the first page of this PA.  If the receipt date falls on a 
weekend or holiday, the deadline is automatically extended to the following 
Monday or business day.  The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not 
accept applications that are submitted after the pertinent deadline.  CSR 
will not accept any application in response to this PA that is essentially 
the same as one currently pending initial review unless the applicant 
withdraws the pending application.  This does not preclude the submission of 
a substantial revision of an application already reviewed, but such 
applications must include an Introduction addressing the previous critique.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Applications submitted for this PA will be assigned on the basis of 
established PHS referral guidelines.  The research proposals will be reviewed 
for scientific and technical merit and quality of the collaboration.  
Applications will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by study 
sections under the AIDS and Related Research Initial Review Group in the 
Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH, convened in accordance with the 
standard NIH peer review procedures (http://www.csr.nih.gov/refrev.htm).

As part of the initial merit review, all applications:

o  Will receive a written critique
o  May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to 
have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications 
under review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score
o  Will receive a second level review by the FIC Advisory Board or by another 
appropriate national advisory council or board from another IC that may be 
interested in funding an application.

REVIEW CRITERIA

The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of 
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health.  The 
AIDS FIRCA program also addresses important factors associated with 
international collaborative research and research capacity building at the 
foreign research site if the site is a developing country.  In the written 
comments, reviewers will be asked to discuss the following aspects of your 
application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research will 
have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals:

o  Significance
o  Approach
o  Innovation
o  Investigator
o  Environment
o  Research Capacity Building

The scientific review group will address and consider each of these criteria 
in assigning your application's overall score, weighting them as appropriate 
for each application.  Your application does not need to be strong in all 
categories to be judged likely to have major impact on the scientific field 
and/or research capacity building of the foreign collaborator, their country 
or institution, and may thus deserve a meritorious priority score.  For 
example, you may propose to carry out important work that, by its nature, is 
not innovative but is essential to move a field forward.  In one example, an 
investigator may propose research on an important topic in a developing 
country with underdeveloped research infrastructure but with unique 
resources, environment or knowledge not readily available in the U.S. or 
other developed nations.  Such projects may be slower to achieve their 
scientific goals but may receive special consideration for their potential to 
build research capacity along with significant scientific impact in the long-
term.  The criteria are as follows:

(1) SIGNIFICANCE:  Does your study address an important problem related to 
the global HIV/AIDS epidemic or specifically to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 
foreign site, if it is a developing country?  If the aims of your application 
are achieved, how do they advance scientific knowledge?  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?  Do you acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative 
tactics?

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

(4) INVESTIGATOR:  Are you and the foreign collaborator appropriately trained 
and well suited to carry out this work?  Is the foreign collaborator able to 
undertake and direct the foreign research efforts?  Is the work proposed 
appropriate to your experience level as the Principal Investigator and to 
that of the foreign collaborator and other researchers?

(5) ENVIRONMENT:  Does the scientific environment in which your 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?

In addition, when a developing country is involved as the foreign site, the 
following additional criterion will be considered:

(6) RESEARCH CAPACITY BUILDING:  Does the collaboration have the potential to 
enhance the research capability of the foreign collaborator and the foreign 
site?  Does the research constitute a substantial scientific endeavor for the 
foreign collaborator, including creative and scientific input to the research 
proposal?  The foreign site and investigator should not be used merely to 
gather biological samples (clinical, plants, etc), or behavioral data 
(interviews, surveys, etc).  In all cases, the foreign investigator should be 
actively involved in analyzing and interpreting the data.  Is the research on 
a problem of particular relevance for the foreign country involved?  Are the 
resources necessary to perform the research available or obtainable?

ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA:  In addition to the above criteria, your 
application will also be reviewed with respect to the following:  

PROTECTIONS:  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.  

INCLUSION:  The adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all 
racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the 
scientific goals of the research.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of 
subjects will also be evaluated.  (See Inclusion Criteria included in the 
section on Federal Citations, below.)

DATA SHARING:  The adequacy of the proposed plan to share data. 

BUDGET:  The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period 
of support in relation to the proposed research.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications submitted in response to this PA will compete for available 
funds with all other recommended applications.  The following will be 
considered in making funding decisions:

o  Scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review
o  Availability of funds
o  Relevance to FIC program priorities; priority will be given to meritorious 
applications with collaborations in developing countries
o  Relevance to any other NIH Institute's or Center's international AIDS 
program 
o  Participation/interest of other NIH Institute, Center or Office 

REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS

MONITORING PLAN AND DATA SAFETY AND MONITORING BOARD:  Research components 
involving Phase I and II clinical trials must include provisions for 
assessment of patient eligibility and status, rigorous data management, 
quality assurance, and auditing procedures.  In addition, it is NIH policy 
that all clinical trials require data and safety monitoring, with the method 
and degree of monitoring being commensurate with the risks (NIH Policy for 
Data Safety and Monitoring, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, June 12, 1998 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH:  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 clinical research projects unless a 
clear and compelling 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 clinical research should read the AMENDMENT "NIH 
Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical 
Research   Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and 
Contracts on October 9, 2001 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-
files/NOT-OD-02-001.html); a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are 
available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.
The amended policy incorporates:  the use of a NIH definition of clinical 
research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB 
standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical 
trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and 
responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural community.  The policy 
continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that:  a) 
all applications or proposals and/or protocols must 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) investigators must report annual accrual and progress in conducting 
analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group 
differences.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS:  
The NIH maintains a policy 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 is available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm.

REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS:  NIH 
policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants for 
all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research involving human 
subjects.  You will find this policy announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants 
and Contracts Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.

HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS (hESC):  Criteria for Federal funding of research 
on hESCs can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/stem_cells.htm and at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html.  Only 
research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic Stem 
Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (see http://escr.nih.gov/). 
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the official NIH 
identifier(s) for the hESC line(s) to be used in the proposed research.  
Applications that do not provide this information will be returned without 
review.  

PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT:  The 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to 
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) under some circumstances.  Data that are (1) first produced in a 
project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) 
cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action 
that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed 
through FOIA.  It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope 
of this amendment.  NIH has provided guidance at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.

Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public 
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the 
distribution for an indefinite period of time.  If so, the application should 
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include 
information about this in the budget justification section of the 
application.  In addition, applicants should think about how to structure 
informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the 
potential for wider use of data collected under this award.  

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 a 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.  Furthermore, 
we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they 
directly access an Internet site.

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 
PA, the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award for HIV-AIDS, 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/.

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 
93.989 and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of 
Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.  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 
described at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm and under Federal 
Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.  

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free 
workplace and discourage the 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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