Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Diabetes is a common chronic disease that imposes considerable demands on the individual as well as the U.S. healthcare system. People with diabetes have a higher rate of cardiovascular disease than those without diabetes and are at increased risk for kidney failure, lower limb amputation, and blindness. Diabetes currently affects an estimated 29.1 million people in the United States. Another 86 million Americans are estimated to be at greatly increased risk of developing diabetes. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes in youth are also on the rise. Obesity in both children and adults is a major risk factor for chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Overweight, obesity, and/or excessive weight gain during pregnancy are also contributing to rising rates of gestational diabetes mellitus which in turn increases risk of future type 2 diabetes in the mother and child. The CDC estimates that one in three American children born in 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in their lives. Although diabetes occurs in all populations in the U.S., many minority racial and ethnic groups and individuals in underserved areas are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and its complications. The estimated current annual cost of diabetes in the U.S. is $245 billion dollars per year, with $176 billion in direct medical costs and the remainder related to reduced productivity.

Large clinical trials clearly demonstrate that glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factor modification can reduce the risk of complications in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Although there have been considerable improvements in diabetes treatment options and in risk-factor control over the past three decades, research demonstrates that many individuals with diabetes (youth and adults) do not meet the recommended goals for diabetes care. There is a need to test innovative and practical approaches to close this gap in care, including improvement in treatment intensification by the healthcare team and/or better adherence to the medications and treatment regimen on the part of the individual with diabetes.

It is also well established that behavioral lifestyle interventions, with modest (5-7%) weight loss, can prevent or delay development of type 2 diabetes in individuals at high risk for the disorder and, in individuals who already have type 2 diabetes, can decrease sleep apnea, reduce the need for diabetes medications, help maintain physical mobility, and improve quality of life. Although intensive lifestyle interventions, delivered by trained interventionists with highly motivated participants, lead to clinically meaningful weight loss, there is a need to develop and test approaches to weight loss that are implementable and sustainable in primary care settings and applicable to diverse populations. Governmental and non-governmental organizations have proposed prevention and intervention strategies to be carried out in such settings for adults (e.g., the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and children (e.g., the American Academy of Pediatrics); however, these strategies have not been widely tested for feasibility and effectiveness in routine clinical care.

To address the growing problems of diabetes and obesity in the nation and improve the longevity and quality of life for Americans, we must find efficient ways to translate outcomes achieved in clinical trials so that these outcomes are also achieved in routine healthcare practice.

This FOA seeks research to develop and pilot test the effectiveness of implementable and potentially scalable and sustainable strategies for healthcare delivery to prevent type 2 diabetes in at-risk individuals, improve care for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and reduce associated long term complications, or to test the effectiveness of obesity prevention and treatment strategies that can be implemented in primary care settings. The goal is that, if the pilot study shows promise, the data from the R34 will be used to support a full scale trial focused on improving routine healthcare practice and informing healthcare policy for the prevention or management of diabetes and obesity.

This funding announcement strongly encourages pragmatic research designs. Pragmatic research evaluates the effectiveness of interventions or therapeutic approaches in research designed to maximize applicability of the trial’s results to routine healthcare conditions. As such, the research should leverage staff and facilities in routine and representative healthcare settings. This supports the practicality of the intervention and, if effective, approaches tested under routine conditions will have greater potential to be adopted by similar healthcare providers and systems. Obesity prevention and treatment strategies likely to be effective in primary care settings may require some differing approaches and resources from those useful in diabetes care (e.g., more linkages with trained interventionists or programs outside of the clinical practice). However, the goal of testing pragmatic approaches that are well integrated into routine care is similar for studies focused on diabetes and/or obesity prevention and treatment.

Applications proposing healthcare research may include approaches focused on the patient, provider, healthcare team, and/or healthcare system. Pilot studies that focus on providers may target physicians as well as non-physician healthcare professionals or staff within the healthcare system being studied or, for obesity prevention and treatment, may include linkage with providers or programs outside of the clinical settings. Areas of research focus should have the potential to generalize to other settings and types of payment and clinical practice situations. Trials that include community resources to augment healthcare are encouraged but the community resources should be well integrated into healthcare delivery. Referral to community programs or to providers outside of the clinical setting by the healthcare system or staff is not, in itself, an adequate linkage. For applications that include referral to or partnership with community programs, there should also be some evidence that the community program or policy is directly linked to healthcare delivery through reimbursement and/or regular communication about patient progress and outcomes.

Pilot studies including low income/resource and diverse populations at disproportionate risk of obesity, diabetes, and diabetes complications are encouraged.

Research examples include, but are not limited to:

• Studies of innovative models of healthcare delivery including Patient Centered Medical Homes, shared medical appointment/group visits, team care approaches, care coordination, integrated care, shared decision making, pharmacy/pharmacist based initiatives, or use of eHealth, mHealth, or health information technology;
• Studies of incentives to improve diabetes prevention, treatment, and/or outcomes. Examples include physician incentives to follow clinical care guidelines, provide weight loss therapy/intervention, and achieve target clinical outcomes in their enrolled patient panels or patient incentives to adhere to prescribed medications or follow prevention and treatment recommendations;
• Studies to improve patient adherence to efficacious self-management and treatments, such as medications, blood glucose monitoring, lifestyle change, or other aspects of diabetes care or prevention. Such interventions could target patient, provider, and/or healthcare system provider or some combination;
• Redesign of workflow in physicians offices to improve screening, initial counseling, and follow-up of patients with diabetes or at risk for diabetes to enhance adherence to guidelines, promote weight loss, or improve glycemic control;
• Studies to test the effectiveness of implementing recommended strategies (e.g., Prevention Plus ) for obesity prevention or treatment in children and adolescents within primary care settings; and
• Studies to test strategies for integrating non-primary care provider delivered lifestyle intervention (e.g., interventions delivered remotely by lifestyle coaches or low-cost commercial weight loss programs) with primary healthcare delivery, including bi-directional communication of relevant information to improve patient outcomes.

The purpose of this FOA is to improve the care and health outcomes of individuals with diabetes or at risk for diabetes and/or with or at risk for overweight or obesity by improving healthcare delivery.

Interventions testing new or unapproved drugs, or interventions designed with a placebo comparison are not appropriate for this FOA.

The focus of this FOA is on research in humans. Animal studies are not consistent with the intent of this FOA.

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.

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

• Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
• eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) 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.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

While most research requires some infrastructure support and staffing, grant expenditures for these functions should be minimized to the extent possible.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy: The research strategy must include a discussion of how integration into the existing clinical setting will be accomplished, as well as the potential scalability and sustainability beyond the research funding period. This discussion should include, where applicable, issues related to cost, potential for reimbursement, personnel, and other necessary resources for implementation and maintenance. Research that evaluates effectiveness using existing healthcare staff or resources to deliver an intervention or make system changes is encouraged. If grant funding will be used to support intervention staff, the applicant must make a strong justification that, if the study achieves its aims, these personnel and their associated costs have the potential to be sustained in the healthcare setting beyond the research funding period. For obesity prevention and treatment studies, investigators may include linkage to interventionists or programs outside of the healthcare setting, if such linkage is likely to be feasible and sustainable in routine clinical care settings (e.g., 3rd party reimbursement for dietitians or lifestyle coaches or linkage to low-cost community-based or commercial weight management programs), although referral to such programs alone is not appropriate for this announcement.

Some research funding can also go toward enhancement activities such as adapting or enhancing electronic resources or training personnel but, again, the sustainability of these investments beyond the research period should be justified. A full cost effectiveness analysis is not required but research funded implementation costs should be measured and considered in the study analyses.

Researchers are encouraged, where possible, to use registries and electronic medical records to identify potential participants and ascertain study outcomes. Study endpoints must be diabetes- or obesity-related outcomes that are relevant to key stakeholders such as patients, clinicians, caregivers, health systems, and health policy makers (e.g., HbA1c, weight/BMI change, diabetes risk factor control, screening and prescribing appropriate medication, patient adherence to effective therapies, hospitalizations, ER visits, healthcare utilization, and healthcare cost). Patient-centered outcomes are encouraged as additional primary outcomes or secondary outcomes (http://www.pcori.org/research-we-support/pcor/). If using more than one primary outcome, applicants should apply appropriate analytical adjustments required for multiple comparisons. Investigators are also encouraged to include an evaluation of acceptability by clinical staff and patients.

Since this FOA is designed to support pilot and feasibility, an efficacy based power analysis is not necessary. However, applicants must detail their plan for determining feasibility and evaluating whether the approach is successful enough to warrant moving to a full scale trial. Also, the sample size needed to pilot the proposed approach, including the assumptions used when estimating the sample size, should be detailed in relation to the analysis plan.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Appendix: Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Planned Enrollment Reports as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Cumulative Inclusion Enrollment Report as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

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 only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Guidelines for Applicants Experiencing System Issues.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete or non-compliant will not be reviewed.

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.

Important Update: See NOT-OD-16-006 and NOT-OD-16-011 for updated review language for applications for due dates on or after January 25, 2016.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field? If successful, will the proposed research design, methods, and measures provide the necessary data to support a full scale trial? Will the research question and design meaningfully inform healthcare practice or policy? Does the research setting generalize to other healthcare settings?

Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, or in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? Has the investigator demonstrated appropriate partnerships with the key decision makers and staff in the healthcare setting to justify that the proposed research is feasible? Have the researchers justified the sustainability and dissemination potential of the approach beyond the research period, including appropriate partnerships and consideration of cost and resources such as personnel and infrastructure? If so, was the plan for sustainability compelling--i.e., if successful, would these research findings be likely to improve patient outcomes in routine care settings? Is there a sufficient evaluation of the implementation costs and implementation process to meaningfully inform scalability and sustainability? This evaluation should include, where applicable, issues related to cost, reimbursement, personnel, and other resources.

If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.

When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.

For Resubmissions, the committee will evaluate the application as now presented, taking into consideration the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group and changes made to the project.

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Not Applicable

Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genomic Wide Association Studies (GWAS) /Genomic Data Sharing Plan.

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the NIDDK in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

• May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.
• Will receive a written critique.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

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 eRA Commons.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. 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.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

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. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

Not Applicable

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Finding Help Online: https://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html
Email: commons@od.nih.gov

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages)
Contact CenterTelephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573

Andrew A. Bremer, M.D., Ph.D (for adult medical diabetes research
National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-827-2555
Email: Andrew.bremer@nih.gov

Christine Hunter, Ph.D (for behavioral diabetes research)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-4728
Email: hunterchristine@niddk.nih.gov

Robert Kuczmarski, Ph.D. (for obesity)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-451-8351
Email: KuczmarskiR@EXTRA.NIDDK.NIH.GOV

Barbara Linder, M.D., Ph.D. (for pediatric medical diabetes research)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-0021
Email: bl99n@nih.gov

Michele L. Barnard, Ph.D.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-8898
Email: mb316j@nih.gov

Craig Bagdon
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-594-2115
Email: bagdonc@niddk.nih.gov

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

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 Part 75.