SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM FOR CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY

Release Date:  March 6, 1998

PA NUMBER:  PAR-98-023

P.T.

National Cancer Institute

Application Receipt Dates:  May 15, 1998; July 20, November 20,
March 20

PURPOSE

The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites Small Grant (R03)
applications relating to cancer epidemiology with a primary focus
on etiologic cancer research.  These are short-term awards intended
to provide support for pilot projects, testing of new techniques,
or development of innovative or high-risk projects that could
provide a basis for more extended research.

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 Program Announcement (PA), Small Grants Program for
Cancer Epidemiology, is related to the priority area of cancer and
chronic diseases.  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 and foreign, for-profit
and non-profit organizations, public and private, such as
universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State and
local governments, eligible agencies of Federal government, and
small businesses.  Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women and
persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal
investigators.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

Support of this PA will be through the small grants (R03) award
mechanism.  This is a revised announcement of a program that was
initiated in 1986.  The total budget may not exceed $100,000 in
direct costs for the entire project.  The direct costs in any one
year must not exceed $50,000.  The total project period for an
application submitted in response to this program announcement may
not exceed three years.  The NIH has adopted a policy that limits
the number of amendments to two.  The small grant is not renewable.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Investigators may apply for a small grant to support research on a
topic relevant to cancer etiology, which may lead to cancer
control/prevention.  Investigations may include:

--Planning a complex epidemiologic investigation;

--Developing or validating a laboratory or statistical procedure
that has the potential for improving the quality of cancer
epidemiologic research;

-- Obtaining support to study a question relevant to cancer
epidemiology in special situations, such as the availability of
special personnel for limited time periods, rapidly evolving
research or limited access to an important resource;

--Analyzing previously collected data for epidemiologic purposes,
such as combining data from several studies to examine consistency
or strength of observed associations;

--Resolving methodologic problems, such as documenting the accuracy
of a customary procedure in preparation for use in epidemiologic
research, or evaluating the effect of cancer diagnosis and/or
treatment on risk factor estimates derived from case-control
studies; or

--Obtaining funding for investigations of urgent or emergent issues
in cancer epidemiology.  Applications for support of dissertation
research may receive a small grant.  Applications for support of
purposes other than those stated will be returned to the proposed
Principal Investigator without undergoing committee review.

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  policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of
1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43).

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects
should read the "NIH Guidelines on the 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 in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Vol. 23,
No. 11, March 18, 1994.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 9/95).  The application receipt dates are July 20,
November 20, and March 20.  In addition, for 1998 ONLY,
applications will be accepted on May 15 (the final receipt date
under the previous program announcement).  Application kits are
available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and
may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and
Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701
Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone
301/710-0267, Email: [email protected].  The title and number of
the program announcement must be typed in Section 2 on the face
page of the application and the "Yes" box must be checked.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including
the checklist, and three exact 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)

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
6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 636, MSC-7407
Bethesda, MD  20892-7407
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service)

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.

Review Criteria

The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our
understanding of biological systems, improve the control of
disease, and enhance health.  The reviewers will comment on the
following aspects of the application in their written critiques 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 by the reviewers in
assigning the overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each
application.  Note that the application does not need to be strong
in all categories to be judged likely to have a 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.

1.  Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If
the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific
knowledge be advanced?  What will be the effect of these studies on
the concepts or methods that drive this field?

2.  Approach: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and
analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to
the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential
problem areas and consider alternative tactics?

3. Innovation: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches
or method?  Are the aims original and innovative?  Does the project
challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or
technologies?

4. Investigator: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well
suited to carry out this work?  Is the work proposed appropriate to
the experience level of the principal investigator and other
researchers (if any)?

5.  Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work
will be done contribute to the probability of success?  Do the
proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the
scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? 
Is there evidence of institutional support?

The initial review group will also examine: the appropriateness of
proposed project budget and duration; the adequacy of plans to
include both genders and minorities and their subgroups as
appropriate for the scientific goals of the research and plans for
the recruitment and retention of subjects; the provisions for the
protection of human and animal subjects; and the safety of the
research environment.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available funds with all other
approved applications assigned to the NCI.  The following will be
considered in making funding decisions: Quality of the proposed
project as determined by peer review, availability of funds, and
program priority.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any issues or
questions from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Dr. A. R. Patel
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Boulevard, Suite 535, MSC 7395
Bethesda, MD  20892-7395
Telephone:  (301) 496-9600
FAX:  (301) 402-4279
Email:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Mr. Bill Wells
Grants Management Branch
National Cancer Institute
6120 Executive Boulevard, Suite 243, MSC 7150
Bethesda, MD  20892-7150
Telephone:  (301) 496-7800, EXT 250
FAX:  (301) 496-8601
Email:  [email protected]

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 93.393, Cancer Cause and Prevention Research. 
Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service
Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law
990158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under HHS policies and
grant regulations.  This program is not subject to the
intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or
Health Systems Agency Review.

The Public Health Service (PHS) strongly encourages all grant
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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