and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
Department
of Health and Human Services
Participating
Organizations
National
Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)
Components
of Participating Organizations
National Cancer Institute (NCI), (http://www.nci.nih.gov)
Title: Novel Technologies For In Vivo Imaging (R33)
Announcement Type
This is a reissue
of PA-04-095, which was
previously released May 5, 2004, and is now divided into
separate FOAs for R33 and R21/R33 funding
mechanisms.
NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this FOA for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT.
This FOA must be read in conjunction with the application guidelines included with this announcement in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereafter called Grants.gov/Apply).
A registration process is necessary before submission and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least 4 weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV.
Program Announcement (PA)
Number: PA-06-399
Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance Number(s)
93.394
Key Dates
Release/Posted Date: May 9, 2006
Opening Date: May 9, 2006 (earliest date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov).
NOTE: On time submission
requires that applications be successfully submitted to Grants.gov no later
than 5:00 p.m. local time (of applicant institution/organization).
Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): Not applicable.
Application Submission Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
AIDS Application Receipt Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#AIDS.
Peer Review Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward.
Council Review Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward.
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward.
Additional Information To Be Available Date (URL
Activation Date): Not applicable.
Expiration Date: November
2, 2006 (unless
reissued).
Due
Dates for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable.
Additional
Overview Content
Executive Summary
Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) solicits R33 (Phase II, Developmental) grant applications from applicant organizations that propose the development and delivery of novel image acquisition or enhancement technologies and methods for biomedical imaging and image-guided interventions and therapy, and which may incorporate limited pilot or clinical feasibility evaluations using either pre-clinical models or clinical studies. This FOA is primarily intended to facilitate the development and delivery of novel imaging technologies for early detection, screening, diagnosis, image-guided interventions, and/or treatment of various diseases.
Table of Contents
Part I Overview
Information
Part II Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity
Description
1. Research Objectives
Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
2. Funds Available
Section III. Eligibility
Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible
Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria
Section IV. Application and
Submission Information
1. Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates and Times
A. Submission, Review, and
Anticipated Start Dates
1. Letter of Intent
B. Sending an
Application to the NIH
C. Application
Processing
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements
Section V. Application Review
Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
A. Additional Review Criteria
B. Additional Review Considerations
C. Sharing Research Data
D. Sharing Research Resources
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Section VI. Award Administration
Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
3. Reporting
Section VII. Agency Contact(s)
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)
Section VIII. Other Information
- Required Federal Citations
Part II - Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives
Background
Significant advances in medical imaging technologies have been made over the past 25 years in such areas as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and optical imaging. These advances largely focused on structural or anatomical imaging at the organ or tissue level. Now there is an opportunity to stimulate the development and integration of novel imaging technologies that exploit our current knowledge of the genetic and molecular bases of various diseases. Molecular biological discoveries have great implications for prevention, detection, and targeted therapy. Imaging technologies able to provide similar kinds of cellular and molecular information (i.e., in vivo molecular imaging) similar to that currently available from histological or micro-array techniques used for in vitro studies would be very useful.
The need to encourage and support biomedical imaging and imaging technology development by academic and industrial researchers was stressed by participants at several NIH- and NCI-supported forums over the past few years. The needs include: (a) promoting the development of novel, high-risk, high-gain technologies; (b) supporting those technologies to maturation, dissemination, and full exploitation; (c) integrating new technologies into commercially available imaging systems for targeted applications; (d) harmonizing imaging methods across versions of a single platform or across multiple platforms to permit similar image-based surrogate outcome metrics as required for multi-site pre-clinical and clinical investigations; (e) funding a small number of copies of integrated system prototypes for placement, as required, for off-site research and clinical feasibility studies; and (f) improving technology transfer, delivery, and dissemination by promoting early-stage partnerships between academia and industry to encourage sharing of research resources and validation studies necessary to meet Federal regulatory requirements. Therefore, the aims of this initiative and the support mechanism (Phased Innovation R21/R33 Awards) are also directed at encouraging the development and delivery of imaging "tools" and related resources to support biomedical imaging in general for applications in oncology and other diseases.
Developments of novel imaging technologies usually require multidisciplinary approaches and teams with broad expertise in a variety of research areas. Such varied expertise might include imaging physics, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, signal and image processing, computer vision, informatics and biostatistics, and clinical sciences. The coordination and collaboration of investigators with the necessary variety of disciplines to demonstrate the utility and applicability of new imaging methods is encouraged.
The interests of NCI focus on imaging in vivo for cancer pre-conditions, cancer screening, diagnosis, progression, treatment monitoring, recurrence, and image-based surrogate end points. NCI’s interests include development and delivery of imaging technologies that are cancer-specific, and optimization and validation of imaging technologies for cancer applications. The scope of this FOA includes system integration, contrast agents, pre- and post-processing algorithms and software for imaging, image understanding, and related informatics that are cancer-specific.
Research Objectives
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites grant applications for the development and delivery of novel image acquisition or enhancement technologies and methods for biomedical imaging and image-guided interventions and therapy, and which may incorporate limited pilot or clinical feasibility evaluations using either pre-clinical models or clinical studies. This initiative is primarily intended to facilitate the development and delivery of novel imaging technologies for early detection, screening, diagnosis, image-guided interventions, and treatment of various diseases, and, secondarily, to facilitate limited evaluation studies to show functionality of the development.
The overarching Research Objectives of this FOA are to stimulate development, optimization, and delivery of novel in vivo imaging technologies and methods to capture, process, validate, present, interpret, and/or understand in vivo imaging data that support the mission of the NCI.
This FOA is therefore directed toward the development, optimization, and delivery of innovative image acquisition and enhancement methods, including high-risk/high-gain research on technologies, such as: (a) novel single and multimodality molecular imaging systems, methods, agents, and related software and informatics, including the integration of these technologies with emerging biomedical imaging methods for more effective health care delivery for cancer and other diseases; and (b) novel single and multimodality anatomical and functional imaging systems, methods, agents, and related software and informatics for more effective health care delivery for cancer and other diseases. In addition, research partnerships among investigators in both academia and device and drug industries are encouraged to more rapidly translate and deliver completed imaging system developments.
The advances in molecular methods pose new requirements for the performance of conventional biomedical imaging systems. For example, molecular imaging systems may need to be optimized for a molecular probe or probes as well as anatomical imaging. The integration of molecular imaging methods into multi-modality systems will affect data acquisition, processing, reduction, display, and archiving. Therefore, there is a need to support advances in methods for both molecular and conventional anatomical and functional imaging.
Clinical trials for clinical validation of emerging imaging technologies are beyond the scope of this initiative; in other words, applications (submitted in response to this FOA) that propose such studies will be considered not responsive to this FOA and will be returned to applicants without being peer reviewed.
Studies with pre-clinical models and clinical studies to demonstrate the feasibility of developments are encouraged, including multi-site evaluations, where appropriate. Methods that establish "ground truth" are required at appropriate levels of resolution to validate these emerging imaging methods, e.g., imaging excised tissue using protocols similar to those used in vivo, or correlation of molecular imaging results with micro-array library analyses. Development of molecular probes or targeted contrast agents are considered important approaches to detection of molecular changes in vivo to take better advantage of many technologies with potential for molecular imaging.
The following topics would make appropriate proposed projects. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive.
Use of the NIH R33 (Phase II, Developmental) Grant Mechanism
This solicitation utilizes the separate R33 (Phase II Developmental) grant mechanism, and runs in parallel with another FOA of nearly identical scope and intent, PA-06-398 that utilizes the NIH Phased Innovation (R21 [Phase I, Exploratory]/R33 [Phase II, Developmental]) grant mechanism. For the latter FOA, the Phased Innovation Awards benefit from expedited evaluation of progress following the Phase I exploratory/feasibility study for expedited decision on transition to Phase II funding for expanded developmental work. For this FOA, the applications for Phase II (R33) support must provide sufficient evidence of the proof-of-principle and feasibility of the proposed in vivo imaging technology or technologies for further cancer-relevant clinical development and use.
This FOA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the non-modular, detailed budget format. Full budget presentations and justifications are required. Applicants must follow the instructions for non-modular budget research grant applications. This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part2.htm.
Applicants are encouraged to include all information required for adequate evaluation for reviewers. However, in the event that a technology is not yet patent protected and the applicant does not wish to include complete details, the application should at a minimum provide a demonstration of the capabilities of the proposed approach.
The R33 phase of the study must be described in sufficient detail to permit reviewers to assess the significance and innovation of the proposed work and the strength of the experimental design.
Investigators may not apply for an R21 award alone or for an R21/R33 Phased Innovation Award under this FOA; however, applicants interested in the R21/R33 grant mechanism for support of related research should see [PA-06-398].
See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations for policies related to this announcement.
1.
Mechanism of Support
This FOA will use the NIH R33 (Phase II, Developmental)
grant award mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for
planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.
This FOA uses just-in-time concepts. It does not use the modular budget formats.
Competing renewal (formerly competing continuation ) applications will be accepted.
Up to two resubmissions (formerly revisions/amendments") of a previously reviewed exploratory/developmental grant application may be submitted. See NOT-OD-03-041, May 7, 2003.
2. Funds Available
Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from
application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of
each award will also vary. Although the financial plans of the NIH Institutes
and Centers (ICs) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this
funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission
of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
The total project period for an application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed 3 years. Although the R33 phase has no official budgetary limit, applications requesting $500,000 or more direct costs in any single year of the grant period require prior approval before submission (see Section IV.3.A.2 below).
Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs requested by consortium participants are not included in the direct cost limitation. See NOT-OD-05-004.
The award of R33 funds will be based on scientific merit (as determined by NIH staff in the context of peer review recommendations), proof-of-principle and feasibility of proposed technology or technologies, program priorities, and availability of funds.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
1.A. Eligible Institutions
You may submit an application(s) if your organization
has any of the following characteristics:
1.B. Eligible Individuals
Any individual with the skills,
knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the
Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her
organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from
underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with
disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
2. Cost Sharing or
Matching
Not applicable. This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the
current NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
3. Other-Special
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants may submit more than
one application, provided each application is scientifically distinct.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
To download a SF424 (R&R) Application Package and
SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for completing the SF424 (R&R) forms for
this FOA, link to http://www.grants.gov/Apply/ and follow the directions provided on that web site.
A one-time registration is required for institutions/organizations at both:
PDs/PIs should work with their institutions/organizations to make sure they are registered in the eRA Commons.
Several additional separate actions are required before an applicant institution/organization can submit an electronic application, as follows:
1) Organizational/Institutional Registration in Grants.gov/Get Started
2) Organizational/Institutional Registration in the eRA Commons
3) Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the NIH eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.
Note that if a PD/PI is also an NIH peer-reviewer with an Individual DUNS and CCR registration, that particular DUNS number and CCR registration are for the individual reviewer only. These are different than any DUNS number and CCR registration used by an applicant organization. Individual DUNS and CCR registration should be used only for the purposes of personal reimbursement and should not be used on any grant applications submitted to the Federal Government.
Several of the steps of the registration process could take 4 weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should immediately check with their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is already registered in both Grants.gov and the Commons. The NIH will accept electronic applications only from organizations that have completed all necessary registrations.
1. Request Application Information
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R)
application forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply.
Note: Only the forms package
directly attached to a specific FOA can be used. You will not be able to use
any other SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms from another FOA),
although some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than
one FOA.
For further assistance, contact GrantsInfo; Telephone:
301-710-0267, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY
301-451-5936.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Prepare all applications using the SF424 (R&R) application forms and in accordance with the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (MS Word or PDF).
The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is critical to submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. There are fields within the SF424 (R&R) application components that, although not marked as mandatory, are required by NIH (e.g., the Credential log-in field of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile component must contain the PD/PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID). Agency-specific instructions for such fields are clearly identified in the Application Guide. For additional information, see Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission on the front page of Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
The SF424 (R&R) application is comprised of data arranged in separate components. Some components are required, others are optional. The forms package associated with this FOA in Grants.gov/APPLY will include all applicable components, required and optional. A completed application in response to this FOA will include the following components:
Required
Components:
SF424 (R&R) (Cover component)
Research & Related Project/Performance Site
Locations
Research & Related Other Project Information
Research & Related Senior/Key Person
Research & Related Budget
PHS398 Cover Page Supplement
PHS398 Research Plan
PHS398 Checklist
Optional Components:
PHS398 Cover Letter File
Research & Related (R&R) Subaward Budget
Attachment(s) Form
Foreign Organizations
Several special provisions apply to applications
submitted by foreign organizations:
Proposed research should provide special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions in other countries that are not readily available in the United States or that augment existing U.S. resources.
3. Submission Dates and
Times
See Section IV.3.A for details.
3.A. Submission, Review, and Anticipated Start Dates
Opening Date: May 9, 2006 (earliest date an application may be
submitted to Grants.gov).
Application Submission Date(s): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
AIDS Application Submission Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#AIDS
Peer Review Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
Council Review Date(s) http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
3.A.1. Letter of Intent
A letter of intent is not required for the funding opportunity.
3.A.2. Specific Instructions for Applications Requesting $500,000 or More per Year:
Applications requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year must include a PHS398 Cover Letter File identifying the NIH staff member (within one of the NIH Institutes or Centers [ICs]) who has agreed to accept assignment of the application.
Applicants requesting more than $500,000 must carry out the following steps:
This policy applies to all investigator-initiated new (type 1), competing continuation (type 2), competing supplement, or any amended or revised version of these grant application types. Additional information on this policy is available in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, October 19, 2001, at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-004.html.
3.B. Sending an Application to the NIH
To submit an application in response to this FOA, applicants should access this
FOA via http://www.grants.gov/Apply and follow steps 1-4. Note: Applications must only be submitted
electronically. PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
3.C. Application
Processing
Applications may be submitted on or after
the opening date and must be successfully received by Grants.gov no
later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization) on the application submission/receipt date(s). (See Section IV.3.A. for all dates.) If an
application is not submitted by the receipt date(s) and time, the application
may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed.
Once an application package has been successfully submitted through Grants.gov, any errors have been addressed, and the assembled application has been created in the eRA Commons, the PD/PI and the Authorized Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) have two business days to view the application image.
The NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial merit review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of an application already reviewed with substantial changes, but such application must include an Introduction addressing the previous critique. Note such an application is considered a "resubmission" for the SF424 (R&R).
4. Intergovernmental Review
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental
review.
5.
Funding Restrictions
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and
conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
Pre-Award Costs are allowable. A grantee may, at
its own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations and expenditures
to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget
period of a new award if such costs: are necessary to conduct the project, and
would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior approval. If
specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee must
obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is required
for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning date of the
initial budget period of a new award.
The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of a
competing or non-competing award imposes no obligation on NIH either to make
the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award is made
for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the pre-award
costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs
result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not
impair the grantee's ability to accomplish the project objectives in the
approved time frame or in any way adversely affect the conduct of the project.
See the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
6. Other Submission
Requirements
The NIH requires the PD/PI to fill in his/her
Commons User ID in the PROFILE Project Director/Principal Investigator
section, Credential log-in field of the Research & Related Senior/Key
Person Profile component. The applicant organization must include its DUNS
number in its Organization Profile in the eRA Commons. This DUNS number must
match the DUNS number provided at CCR registration with Grants.gov. For
additional information, see Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic
Submission on the front page of Electronic Submission of Grant
Applications.
Renewal (formerly competing continuation or Type 2 ) applications are permitted.
All application instructions outlined in the SF424 (R&R) application are to be followed, with the following requirements for R33 applications:
Note: While each section of the Research Plan needs to be uploaded separately as a PDF attachment, applicants are encouraged to construct the Research Plan as a single document, separating sections into distinct PDF attachments just before uploading the files. This approach will enable applicants to better monitor formatting requirements such as page limits. All attachments must be provided to NIH in PDF format, filenames must be included with no spaces or special characters, and a .pdf extension must be used.
Plan
for Sharing Research Data
The precise content of the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data
being collected and how the investigator is planning to share the data.
Applicants who are planning to share data may wish to describe briefly the
expected schedule for data sharing, the format of the final dataset, the
documentation to be provided, whether or not any analytic tools also will be
provided, whether or not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so,
a brief description of such an agreement (including the criteria for deciding
who can receive the data and whether or not any conditions will be placed on
their use), and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under their own auspices by
mailing a disk or posting data on their institutional or personal website, through
a data archive or enclave). Investigators choosing to share under their own
auspices may wish to enter into a data-sharing agreement. References to data
sharing may also be appropriate in other sections of the application.
Applicants requesting more than $500,000 in direct costs in any year of the
proposed research must include a plan for sharing research data in their
application. The funding organization will be responsible for monitoring the
data sharing policy (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing).
The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing
research data may be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not
factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific
merit or the priority score.
Plan for Sharing Research
Resources
NIH
policy requires that grant awardee recipients make unique research resources
readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the
scientific community after publication (see the NIH Grants Policy Statement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part7.htm#_Toc54600131).
Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a sharing
research resources plan addressing how unique research resources will be shared
or explain why sharing is not possible.
The adequacy of the resources sharing plan and
any related data sharing plans will be considered by Program staff of the
funding organization when making recommendations about funding applications.
The effectiveness of the resource sharing will be evaluated as part of the
administrative review of each Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590). See Section VI.3.,
Reporting.
1. Criteria
Only the review criteria described below will be
considered in the review process.
2. Review and
Selection Process
Applications submitted for this funding
opportunity will be assigned to the ICs on the basis of established U.S. Public
Health Service (PHS) referral guidelines.
Appropriate scientific review groups convened in
accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures (http://www.csr.nih.gov/refrev.htm)
will evaluate applications for scientific and technical merit.
As part of the initial merit review, all applications
will:
Applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
The goals of NIH supported research are to advance our understanding of biological systems, to improve the control of disease, and to enhance health. In their written critiques, reviewers will be asked to comment on each of the following criteria 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 an 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.
Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims
of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge or clinical
practice be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts,
methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that
drive this field?
Approach: Are the conceptual or clinical framework, design, methods,
and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, well reasoned, and
appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge
potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?
Innovation: Is the project original and innovative? For example: Does
the project challenge existing paradigms or clinical practice; address an
innovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in the field? Does the
project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or
technologies for this area?
Investigators: Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited
to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience
level of the PD/PI and other researchers? Does the investigative team bring
complementary and integrated expertise to the project (if applicable)?
Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be
done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed studies benefit
from unique features of the scientific environment, or subject populations, or
employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional
support?
2.A.
Additional Review Criteria
In addition to the above criteria, the following items
will continue to be considered in the determination of scientific merit and the
priority score:
Protection of Human Subjects from
Research Risk: The involvement of
human subjects and protections from research risk relating to their
participation in the proposed research will be assessed. See item 6 of the
Research Plan component of the SF424 (R&R).
Inclusion of Women, Minorities and
Children in Research: 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 will be assessed. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects
will also be evaluated. See item 7 of the Research Plan component of the SF424
(R&R).
Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in
Research: If vertebrate animals are to
be used in the project, the five items described under item 11 of the Research
Plan component of the SF424 (R&R) will be assessed.
Biohazards: If materials or procedures are proposed that are
potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, determine if
the proposed protection is adequate.
2.B.
Additional Review Considerations
Budget and Period of Support: The reasonableness of the proposed budget
and the appropriateness of the requested period of support in relation to the
proposed research may be assessed by the reviewers. Is the percent effort
listed for the PD/PI appropriate for the work proposed? Is each budget category
realistic and justified in terms of the aims and methods?
As with any grant application, the initial review group has the option of recommending support for a shorter duration than that requested by the applicant and basing the final merit rating on the recommended portion of the application.
2.C.
Sharing Research Data
The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the
rationale for not sharing research data may be assessed by the reviewers.
However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the
determination of scientific merit or the priority score. The funding
organization will be responsible for monitoring the data sharing policy (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing). NIH
program staff will be responsible for administrative review of the plan for
sharing research data.
2.D. Sharing Research
Resources
NIH policy requires
that grant awardee recipients make unique research resources readily available
for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community
after publication (see the NIH Grants Policy Statement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part7.htm#_Toc54600131).
Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a sharing
research resources plan addressing how unique research resources will be shared
or explain why sharing is not possible.
Program staff will be responsible for the
administrative review of the plan for sharing research resources.
The adequacy of the resources sharing
plan and any related data sharing plans will be considered by Program staff of
the funding organization when making recommendations about funding
applications. The effectiveness of the resource sharing will be evaluated as
part of the administrative review of each Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590), See Section VI.3.,
Reporting.
Model Organism Sharing Plan: If applicable, reviewers are asked to assess the sharing plan in an administrative note. The sharing plan itself should be discussed after the application is scored. Whether a sharing plan is reasonable can be determined by the reviewers on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the organism, the timeline, the applicant's decision to distribute the resource or deposit it in a repository, and other relevant considerations.
3.
Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Not applicable.
Section VI. Award Administration Information
1.
Award Notices
After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able
to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the NIH eRA Commons.
If the application is under
consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time"
information from the applicant. For details, applicants may refer to the NIH
Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards,
Subpart A: General.
A formal notification in the form
of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. The
NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document. Once all
administrative and programmatic issues have been resolved, the NoA will be
generated via email notification from the awarding component to the grantee
business official.
Selection of an application for award is not an
authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the
NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the
extent considered allowable pre-award costs. See Section
IV.5., Funding Restrictions.
2.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards
include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these
terms of award, see the NIH
Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards,
Subpart A: General and Part
II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions
for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities.
3.
Reporting
When multiple years are involved, awardees will
be required to submit the Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in
the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
The NCI is developing a policy that will require Clinical Terms of Awards for clinical studies and trials when they are a component of the proposed research. The policy will require that studies be monitored commensurate with the degree of potential risk to study subjects and the complexity of the study. The new policy will be posted in the NIH Guide within a few weeks. All funded applicants will be expected to adhere to the new policy.
We encourage your inquiries
concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer
questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three areas:
scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants management issues:
1. Scientific/Research
Contacts:
Guoying Liu, Ph.D., Keyvan Farahani, Ph.D., James A. Deye, Ph.D., or Houston
Baker, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Plaza, EPN Room 6000, MSC 7412
Bethesda, MD 20892-7412 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier delivery)
Telephone: 301-496-9531 for
GL, KF, HB; 301-496-6111 for JAD
Fax: 301-480-3507
E-mails:
guoyingl@mail.nih.gov
farahank@mail.nih.gov
deyej@mail.nih.gov.
bakerhou@mail.nih.gov
2. Peer Review
Contacts:
Not applicable.
3.
Financial or Grants Management Contacts:
Shane Woodward
Office of Grants
Administration
National Cancer Institute
6120 Executive Boulevard, EPS Room 243, MSC 7150
Bethesda, MD 20892-7150 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone: 301-846-1017
Fax: 301-846-5720
E-mail: woodwars@mail.nih.gov
Section VIII. Other Information
Required Federal Citations
Use of Animals in Research:
Recipients of U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) support
for activities involving live, vertebrate animals must comply with PHS Policy
on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf)
as mandated by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm),
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Welfare Regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm)
as applicable.
Human Subjects Protection:
Federal regulations (45 CFR 46) require that
applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with
reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against
these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and others,
and the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained (http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm).
Data and Safety Monitoring Plan:
Data and safety monitoring is required for all types
of clinical trials, including physiologic toxicity and dose-finding studies (Phase
I); efficacy studies (Phase II); and efficacy, effectiveness, and comparative
trials (Phase III). Monitoring should be commensurate with risk. The
establishment of data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for
multi-site clinical trials involving interventions that entail potential risks
to the participants ( NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide
for Grants and Contracts, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).
Sharing Research Data:
Investigators submitting an NIH application seeking
$500,000 or more in direct costs in any single year are expected to include a
plan for data sharing or state why this is not possible (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing).
Investigators should seek guidance from their
institutions, on issues related to institutional policies and local institutional
review board (IRB) rules, as well as local, State, and Federal laws and regulations,
including the Privacy Rule. Reviewers will consider the data sharing plan but
will not factor the plan into the determination of the scientific merit or the
priority score.
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 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 funding opportunity 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.
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 "NIH Guidelines
for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html);
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.
The amended policy incorporates: the use of an 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 SF424 (R&R) application; 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 Clinical
Research:
The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e.,
individuals under the age of 21) must be included in all clinical research,
conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical
reasons not to include them.
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 (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 applications
for research involving human subjects and individuals designated as key
personnel. The policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
NIH Public Access Policy:
NIH-funded investigators are requested to submit to
the NIH manuscript submission (NIHMS) system (http://www.nihms.nih.gov)
at PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of the author's final manuscript
upon acceptance for publication, resulting from research supported in whole or
in part with direct costs from NIH. The author's final manuscript is defined as
the final version accepted for journal publication, and includes all
modifications from the publishing peer review process.
NIH is requesting that authors submit manuscripts
resulting from: 1) currently funded NIH research projects; or 2) previously
supported NIH research projects if they are accepted for publication on or
after May 2, 2005. The NIH Public Access Policy applies to all research grant
and career development award mechanisms, cooperative agreements, contracts,
Institutional and Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards, as well as NIH intramural research studies. The Policy applies to
peer-reviewed, original research publications that have been supported in whole
or in part with direct costs from NIH, but it does not apply to book chapters,
editorials, reviews, or conference proceedings. Publications resulting from
non-NIH-supported research projects should not be submitted.
For more information about the Policy or the
submission process, please visit the NIH Public Access Policy web site at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/ and view
the Policy or other Resources and Tools, including the Authors' Manual.
Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable
Health Information:
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
issued final modification to the "Standards for Privacy of Individually
Identifiable Health Information," the "Privacy Rule," on August
14, 2002. The Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection
of individually identifiable health information, and is administered and
enforced by the DHHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Decisions about applicability and implementation of
the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR
website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides
information on the Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text and a set
of decision tools on "Am I a covered entity?" Information on the
impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review,
funding, and progress monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and
research contracts can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.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. 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 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 at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372
or Health Systems Agency review. Awards are made under the authorization of
Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and
45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions,
cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
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.
Loan Repayment Programs:
NIH encourages applications for educational loan
repayment from qualified health professionals who have made a commitment to
pursue a research career involving clinical, pediatric, contraception,
infertility, and health disparities related areas. The LRP is an important
component of NIH's efforts to recruit and retain the next generation of
researchers by providing the means for developing a research career unfettered
by the burden of student loan debt. Note that an NIH grant is not required for
eligibility and concurrent career award and LRP applications are encouraged.
The periods of career award and LRP award may overlap providing the LRP
recipient with the required commitment of time and effort, as LRP awardees must
commit at least 50% of their time (at least 20 hours per week based on a 40
hour week) for 2 years to the research. For further information, please see http://www.lrp.nih.gov.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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