Full Text PAR-95-091

CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL RESEARCH SMALL GRANT PROGRAM

NIH GUIDE, Volume 24, Number 33, September 22, 1995

PA NUMBER:  PAR-95-091

P.T. 34

Keywords: 
  Cancer/Carcinogenesis 
  Disease Prevention+ 
  Disease Control+ 
  Behavioral/Social Studies/Service 


National Cancer Institute

PURPOSE

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for small
research grants (R03) in cancer prevention and control.  This program
is designed to aid and facilitate the growth of a nationwide cohort
of scientists with a high level of research expertise in the field of
human cancer control intervention research.

New, as well as experienced, investigators in relevant fields and
disciplines (e.g., disease prevention and control, medicine, public
health, health promotion, epidemiology, social work, nursing
research, nutrition, health policy, health services research, and
behavioral sciences, such as psychology, health education, sociology,
and community organization) may apply for small grants to test ideas
or do pilot studies.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000,"
a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This PA,
Cancer Prevention and Control Research Small Grant Program, is
related to the priority areas of cancer, nutrition, and tobacco.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full
Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report:  Stock No.
017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone (202) 512-
1800).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic, for-profit and non-profit
organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges,
hospitals, laboratories, units of State and local governments and
eligible agencies of the Federal government. Foreign organizations,
as well as domestic institutions with a foreign component are
ineligible to apply.  Eligible applicants include established
researchers, new investigators, and predoctoral investigators
currently enrolled in an accredited doctoral degree program who have
not previously been a Principal Investigator (PI) on an NCI-funded
Cancer Control grant or a recipient of a Division of Cancer
Prevention and Control (DCPC) Small Research (R03) grant.  Applicants
should identify a mentor or sponsor from whom they will receive
guidance regarding the proposed research.  Small research grants may
NOT be used to supplement research projects currently supported by
Federal or non-Federal funds or to provide interim support of
research project applications under review by the Public Health
Service.  Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with
disabilities are encouraged to apply as PIs.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

Support of this program will be through the National Institute of
Health (NIH) small research grant (R03) mechanism.  The total project
period may not exceed two years.  The total budget may not exceed
$50,000 in direct costs for the entire project period (even if the
research is to be conducted over a period of two years).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

This program is designed to encourage investigators from a variety of
academic, scientific, and public health disciplines to apply their
skills to scientific investigations in the field of human cancer
control intervention research.  The research may occur in a variety
of settings, such as universities, cancer centers, communities,
schools, health departments, and worksites.

Investigators may choose any of the full range of scientific
approaches to their work.  Many studies and research designs may
contribute to the design, implementation, or evaluation of future
phase III through V studies, e.g., descriptive baseline surveys,
testing, modification and validation of surveys or program materials
for use in the proposed population groups, testing of recruitment or
compliance procedures for participants, etc.  Applications should
include justification of study design, methods, and sample size,
including any relevant theoretical concepts that underlie the
research, as well as clearly indicate the significance of the
research and where it will lead.

The following cancer control program areas are appropriate for HUMAN
INTERVENTION research grant applications:

o  Prevention - chemoprevention, diet and nutrition intervention
studies.

o  Screening and early detection - interventions to improve
utilization of current technologies.  In the area of breast screening
and detection, studies of breast self-examination as a single
modality will not be accepted.

o  Cancer control sciences - studies to change current behaviors
and/or institute new behaviors or health promotion interventions
effective in reducing incidence, morbidity, or mortality from cancer.

o  Tobacco prevention and cessation - pilot studies targeted at
improving utilization of current technologies in target populations
or organizations are encouraged.  Minor enhancements of existing
technology are not encouraged.

o  Applications research - in modifying, feasibility testing, and
adopting proven state-of-the-art intervention programs and strategies
from other research projects (e.g., screening, smoking prevention)
for use in special populations, state and local health agencies, or
other organizational and community setting.

o  Surveillance - health services research and information data base
linkage studies to monitor progress toward cancer control.

In addition, planning, epidemiologic, and survey studies aimed at
developing cancer control operations research and evaluation studies
are appropriate for human intervention research grant applications.

o  Community oncology - improving the application of patient
management, pain and symptom management, rehabilitation and
continuing care research advances into community settings.

o  Applied epidemiology studies - using epidemiologic methods to
determine the association between exposure to an intervention and its
impact on disease.

Although the specific study proposed may attempt only to obtain
preliminary data and/or conduct pilot studies in support of a future,
more detailed Phase III through V study, it is important that a
long-term human cancer control hypothesis and supporting scientific
justification be presented.

Applications not fitting one of the program areas stated above will
be returned to the proposed Principal Investigator without undergoing
committee review.

Exclusions

Studies to determine the efficacy of chemotherapy, surgery,
radiotherapy and other primary treatment interventions are not
considered cancer control research under this PA.  Laboratory animal
studies are not considered responsive to this PA.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN
SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups
and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported
biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects,
unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided
that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the
subjects or the purpose of the research.  This new policy results
form the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law
103-43) and supersedes and strengthens the previous policies
(Concerning the Inclusion of Women in Study Populations, and
Concerning the Inclusion of Minorities in Study Populations), which
have been in effect since 1990.  The new policy contains some
provisions that are substantially different from the 1990 policies.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should
read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as
Subjects in Clinical research," which have been published in the
Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and reprinted
in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, Number 11,
March 18, 1994.

Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program
staff listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide
additional relevant information concerning the policy.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 5/95) and will be accepted at the standard application
deadlines as indicated in the application kit.  Application kits are
available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may
be obtained from the Office of Grants Information, Division of
Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive,
Room 3032, MSC 7762, Bethesda, MD 20892-7762, telephone (301)
710-0267, email: girg@drgpo.drg.nih.gov.  The title and number of the
program announcement must be typed in Section 2 on the face page of
the application.

Following the research plan, include the discussion of Human Subjects
and the literature cited.  Appendices are acceptable and should
include a letter of support from the investigator's mentor or sponsor
outlining specific plans for providing guidance to the candidate with
respect to development and execution of the research plan.  The
sponsor should be an experienced investigator in cancer prevention
and control who is willing to devote time and effort to ensure that
acceptable standards for the research are met.  The page limitations
in the PHS-398 Application Instructions must be observed or the
application will not be accepted.

Applications responding to this PA should include one round trip,
two-day meeting to Bethesda, MD in the budget.

The completed original application and three copies must be sent or
delivered to:

DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

In addition, in order to expedite the review of the application,
submit two additional exact photocopies of the application to:

Referral Officer
Division of Extramural Activities
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Room 636 - MSC 7405
6130 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD  20892-7405

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications that are complete will be evaluated for scientific and
technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the
NCI.  As part of the initial merit review, all applications will
receive a written critique and undergo a process in which only those
applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally
the top half of applications under review, will be discussed and
assigned a priority score.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available funds with all other approved
applications assigned to the National Cancer Institute.  Funding
decisions will be based upon quality of the proposed project as
determined by peer review, availability of funds, and program balance
among research areas of the program announcement.

INQUIRIES

Written and telephone inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to
clarify any issues or question from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Helen I. Meissner, Sc.M.
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Room 330
6130 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7346
Bethesda, MD  20892-7346
Telephone:  (301) 496-8520
Email:  meissneh@dcpceps.nci.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Barbara Fisher
Grants Administration Branch
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza South, Room 243
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-7800, ext. 229

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 93.399.  Awards are made under authorization of the
Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as
amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered
under PHS grant policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR
Part 74.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review
requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency
review.

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

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