and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
MINORITY ACCESS TO RESEARCH CAREERS (MARC) ANCILLARY TRAINING ACTIVITIES GRANTS RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2002 PA NUMBER: PAR-03-026 (Reissued as PAR-08-118) (see NOT-GM-04-105) EXPIRATION DATE: October 31, 2005, unless reissued. National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (http://www.nigms.nih.gov) THIS PA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION o Purpose of the PA o Program Objectives o Mechanism of Support o Eligible Institutions o Special Requirements o Allowable and Unallowable Costs 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 overall mission of the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Branch of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) is to significantly increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities that participate in biomedical research. To facilitate the research training and development of students, faculty, and/or underrepresented minority biomedical researchers, the MARC Branch will provide support for program-related scientific meetings, conferences, technical assistance workshops, and other ancillary training activities that further the MARC mission. For purposes of this PA, underrepresented minority individuals are defined as persons belonging to a particular ethnic or racial group that has been determined by the grantee to be underrepresented in biomedical research. Nationally, individuals who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedical research include but are not limited to US citizens who are African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and citizens of the US Pacific Islands. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES The MARC Branch of NIGMS provides research training opportunities for students and faculty from minority groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences relevant to biomedicine, including mathematics and engineering. As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of students, faculty, minority, and/or minority-serving institutions and underrepresented minority biomedical researchers, the MARC Branch will provide support for ancillary training activities that are harmonious with its overall objective of increasing the number of underrepresented minorities who participate fully in the biomedical enterprise of this country. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT This PA will use the NIH T36 grant mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project. This PA does not use the just-in-time concepts. It also does not use the modular budget format. The facilities and administration costs will be provided at a rate of 8% minus exclusions. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this PA may not exceed 5 years. Grants made under the program may submit competing renewals at the appropriate time. Because the nature and scope of the scientific or program related meeting, conference, workshop or other ancillary training activity proposed in response to this program announcement may vary, it is anticipated that the size of each award will vary also. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution is a domestic one and has any of the following characteristics: o For-profit or non-profit organizations such as professional or scientific societies; o Public or private institutions, such as colleges and universities. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Attendance and participation of underrepresented minority individuals in program-related scientific workshops, meetings, conferences, and other ancillary training activities that provide knowledge, skills, and/or networking capabilities empower them to succeed in the pursuit of a research career. Thus, one of the objectives of the MARC Branch is to provide support for such activities. Because the scope, purpose, and objectives of the proposals are anticipated to be very diverse, each applicant organization will be required to clearly state its own specific goals and measurable objectives and to provide an evaluation plan that explains how the applicant organization will assess that the objectives have been met. Examples of scientific- or program-related meetings, conferences, workshops or ancillary training activities that could support the overall goals of the MARC Branch are listed below. This list is not intended to be comprehensive or directive. o Meetings or conferences to facilitate communication between MARC program directors and NIGMS staff; o Research symposia/conferences; o Workshops to provide technical assistance in areas identified as critical by MARC program directors and NIGMS program staff; o Conferences/workshops on graduate school survival skills that target MARC predoctoral fellows at either of two critical stages in their graduate careers, i.e., first year fellows and those nearing completion of their graduate studies; o Summer workshops or workshops in conjunction with annual meetings of scientific societies on research techniques (MARC faculty or students) or teaching/pedagogical techniques (MARC faculty); and/or o Summer workshops or workshops in conjunction with annual meetings of scientific societies for program directors on strategies and methods to evaluate their program; o Travel of MARC students/faculty to major scientific meetings or research symposia/conferences. In the Activity Plan section of the application, the relevance of the proposed meeting, conference, workshop, or other activity to the MARC program goals should be explained. This section should also be used to provide a detailed description of the goals and objectives, plans, and logistics of the meeting, conference, and/workshop, a description of the methodology proposed to obtain the desired outcomes (i.e., lectures, presentations, seminars, poster sessions, etc.) and indicate any other pertinent information that contributes to a clear description of the training activity, such as qualifications and previous experience of the activity coordinators, and characteristics of the targeted participants. A plan for evaluating the proposed activity and the extent to which the proposed goals and objectives are being accomplished should also be included in this section, as well as samples of the instruments to be used the different activities, if applicable. Additionally, applicants submitting competing renewals should describe in detail the progress accomplished to date and results of the evaluation performed to determine if the originally proposed goals and objectives have been accomplished. ALLOWABLE COSTS Allowable expenditures and the applicable policies are listed below. Any costs not listed below must be either approved at the time of award or, if after the award, have received prior written approval from the NIGMS staff. Salaries: Funds may be used to provide salaries, including fringe benefits, of professional personnel, clerical assistants, editorial assistants, and other support staff in proportion to the time or effort spent directly on the meeting, workshop or other activities within the scope of the proposed project. Equipment: Although funds may not be used for the purchase of equipment, they may be used for the rental of necessary equipment such as projection and public address systems, exhibits, or telephone. Supplies: The costs of supplies, such as stationery, programs, notices, badges, signs, postage, distribution and mailing fees may be requested provided they are necessary for the proposed activity. Travel Expenses: Funds may be requested for the travel of staff and attendees if identified in the application and approved at the time of the award. (No funds will be provided for federal employees' travel expenses.) Per Diem: Per diem costs for speakers and activity participants may be requested and will be limited to the days of attendance at the meeting, conference, workshop, or other activity planned plus the actual travel time to and from the meeting or conference location. Where meals and/or lodging are furnished without charge or at a nominal cost, such as part of the registration fee, an appropriate deduction must be made from the authorized per diem. Conference Services: Funds may be requested for necessary stenographic, typewritten and photographic recording of proceedings; editorial service; simultaneous translation; subsequent transcriptions; and rental or conference rooms and office space. Publication Costs: Funds to cover the costs of publishing the proceedings of a scientific symposium or abstract book or other meeting/workshop materials may be requested. Registration Fees: Registration fees to support participants and students may be requested. Speakers' Fees: Speakers' fees for the specific services rendered at the meeting or conference are allowable costs. UNALLOWABLE COSTS Grant funds may not be used for entertainment, tips, bar charges, personal telephone calls, personal Internet connection, or laundry charges of participants or guests. For local participants in a meeting or conference, grant funds may not be used to pay per diem, travel or expenses other than local mileage. Dues to organizations, federations, or professional societies, exclusive of registration fees, are not allowed as charges to the grant. Items to be given to the participants such as hats, shirts, key rings, etc., are considered gifts and not allowed costs to the grant. Grant funds may not be used to cover the costs of banquets, luncheons, coffee breaks, theater, or entertainment of any sort. Honoraria or other payments given for the purpose of conferring distinction on or to symbolize respect, esteem, or admiration may not be paid from grant funds. Transportation costs for attendees and participants at the conference may not exceed coach class fares. In all cases, U.S. flag carriers will be used where possible. 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/programmatic, peer review, and financial or grants management issues: Direct your questions about scientific/programmatic issues to: Hinda Zlotnik, Ph.D. MARC Program Director National Institutes of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 2AS.37 - MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594-3900 FAX: (301) 480-2573 Email: [email protected] Direct your questions about the peer review issues to: Richard Martinez, Ph.D. Office of Scientific Review National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 1 AS.19 - MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594-2781 Email: [email protected] Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to: Ms. Antoinette Holland Grants Management Officer National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 2AN.50B - MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 495-5132 FAX: (301) 480-3423 Email: [email protected] SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). 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]. APPLICATION RECEIPT DATES: Applications submitted in response to this program announcement will be accepted at the standard application deadlines, which are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/dates.htm. Application deadlines are also indicated in the PHS 398 application kit. 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 cover letter indicating that the MARC Branch Chief at NIGMS has agreed to accept assignment of the application. Applicants requesting more than $500,000 must carry out the following steps: 1) Contact the MARC Branch Chief at least 6 weeks before submitting the application, i.e., as you are developing plans for the study; 2) Obtain agreement from the MARC Branch Chief that NIGMS will accept your application for consideration for award; and 3) Identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, the name and title of the individual who agreed to accept assignment of the application to NIGMS. 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. SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, and three 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) At the same time, an additional two copies should be sent under separate cover to: Chief, Office of Scientific Review National Institute of General Medical Sciences Building 45, Room 1AS.19 - MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received by or mailed on or before the receipt dates described at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm. The 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. The CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of a substantial revision of an application already reviewed, but such application must include an Introduction addressing the previous critique. PEER REVIEW PROCESS Applications submitted for this PA will be assigned to NIGMS. The MARC review subcommittee 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: o Receive a written critique o Receive a second level of review by the NIGMS Advisory Council REVIEW CRITERIA The MARC Branch provides support for ancillary research training activities that are harmonious with its overall goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minorities who participate fully in the biomedical enterprise of this 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 activities will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of this goal: o The importance or benefits of the proposed scientific or program related meeting, conference, or workshop to the targeted community; o The adequacy of the goals and objectives, scope, and content of the proposed activity; o The qualifications of the proposed director/organizer and other activity coordinators; o The selection criteria (if any) and qualifications of the proposed participants; o The appropriateness of the proposed format for achieving the stated goals and objectives; o The adequacy of plans to disseminate the information generated by the activity; o The adequacy of the resources and appropriateness of the meeting site; o The validity and adequacy of the instruments to be used for evaluation of the activity; and o Past performance (where applicable) of the proposed activity as per analysis of evaluation results and evidence of accomplishment of the originally proposed goals and objectives. ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, your application will also be reviewed with respect to the following: 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 Merit of the proposed scientific or program-related meeting, conference or workshop as determined by peer review; o Relevance to MARC program goals and objectives; and o Availability of funds. REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS 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 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 No. 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.233, 39.272, 03.278.93.282, 93.862-93.867, 93.880, 93.894, and 93.929, and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. NRSA institutional awards are made under authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 288) and Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 66. NRSA institutional training awards must be 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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