MBRS RESEARCH INITIATIVE FOR SCIENTIFIC ENHANCEMENT (RISE)

Release Date:  August 19, 1999

PA NUMBER:  PAR-99-151 (This PA has been reissued, see PAR-05-127)

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Receipt dates for all MBRS RISE applications, including supplemental and 
revised applications, are October 1, February 1, and June 1.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE)
Program is to enhance the research environment at minority-serving
institutions.  The overall goal is to increase the interest, skills, and
competitiveness of students and faculty in pursuit of biomedical research
careers.  The RISE Program provides flexibility in faculty and student
development activities, as well as provides an opportunity for development of
the institution"s research and research education capability.  In addition,
NIGMS recognizes that minority and minority-serving institutions are diverse
in institutional environment and mission.  Therefore, with respect to
evaluation of the efficacy of program activities, the RISE program requires
that each institution set its own goals and measurable objectives that are
based on its self assessment and that it identify anticipated milestones for
achievement.

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), MBRS
Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE), is related to one or
more of the priority areas.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of
"Healthy People 2000" at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The Institution

To be eligible for a grant under this program, an applicant must be located in
a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, or the successor States of the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, the Republic of Palau), and be one of the following:

* a public or private nonprofit university, two-year or four-year college, or
other institution offering undergraduate, graduate, or health-professional
degrees, with a traditionally high (more than fifty percent) underrepresented
minority student enrollment,

* a public or private nonprofit university, two-year or four-year college, or
other institution offering undergraduate, graduate, or health-professional
degrees with a student enrollment, a significant proportion of which (but not
necessarily more than fifty per cent) is derived from underrepresented
minorities, provided the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services determines that said institution has a demonstrated commitment to the
special encouragement of, and assistance to, underrepresented minority
faculty, students, and investigators, or

* a two or four-year college or health education entity  associated with or
run by an Indian tribe that has a recognized governing body and that performs
substantial governmental functions, or an Alaska Regional Corporation (ARC),
as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et
seq.).

Underrepresented minorities are individuals belonging to a particular ethnic
or racial group that has been determined by the grantee institution to be
underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research.  Historically,
individuals who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedical or
behavioral research include, but are not limited to, U.S. citizens who are
Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans (including Alaskan
natives) and natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to establish eligibility of all new and
competing renewal applications prior to submitting an application.  In order
to establish eligibility, a written statement containing the following
information should be sent to the Chief, MBRS branch, at the address listed
under INQUIRIES.

* the total student enrollment at the institution and percentages of various
underrepresented minorities in the total student population (i.e., Native
American, African American, Hispanic American, natives of the U.S. Pacific
Islands),

* number of underrepresented minority students in science departments,

* evidence of the institution"s commitment to the advancement of
underrepresented minority faculty and investigators, including numbers of
minority faculty in science departments, and number, rank, and percentage of
minority faculty members in participating departments.

* number of minority students graduating from participating departments over
the last four years.

* evidence that the institution"s mission includes involvement of faculty and
students in scholarly research activities.

* evidence of the institution"s commitment to establish, or maintain or
improve the research environment and infrastructure supporting biomedical or
health-related research.

Institutions supported by the Initiative for Minority Student Development (NIH
Guide, Vol. 25, No. 4, 1996) are not eligible for the RISE Program.  Each
institution may have only one active RISE program grant.

Students

It is the responsibility of the Grantee Institution to monitor the
qualifications of students prior to their MBRS participation.  A student
participating in the MBRS program must be a citizen or a non-citizen national
of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. 
(A non-citizen national is a person who, although not a citizen of the Unites
States, owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. They are generally persons born
in lands that are not States, but are under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or
administration, for example, American Samoa.  An individual lawfully admitted
for permanent residence must possess an alien registration receipt card (I-
151) or (I-551) prior to appointment on the grant.  Individuals on temporary
visas are not eligible for support from the MBRS program.)

In order to qualify for the MBRS program, a student must be enrolled as a
full-time student at the grantee institution.

Faculty

To be eligible to participate in the RISE program, a faculty member must have
a full time faculty appointment at the university.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

Awards under this program will use the institutional education project (R25)
grant mechanism.  Responsibility for the planning, direction, execution, and
tracking for evaluation of the proposed project will be solely that of the
applicant institutions.  The total project period for an application submitted
in response to this program announcement may not exceed four years and is
renewable. A budget for each year must be provided.  Facilities and
Administration (F&A) costs will be paid at 8% of the direct costs for faculty
and student development activities, minus appropriate exclusions.

OBJECTIVES

In the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, NIH was encouraged to increase the
number of underrepresented minorities participating in biomedical and
behavioral research.  To bring about that increase the RISE program seeks to
enhance the interest, skills, and competitiveness of students and faculty
pursuing biomedical research careers at MBRS eligible institutions.  The RISE
program supports faculty, student and institutional development activities at
both undergraduate and graduate institutions.  With respect to evaluation of
the efficacy of program activities, the RISE program requires that each
institution set its own goals and measurable objectives based on its self
assessment and that it identify anticipated milestones for achievements.

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 sub-populations 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 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 in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23,
No. 11, March 18, 1994 available on the web at the following URL address: 
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. 
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt
dates after October 1, 1998.

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" that was published in the NIH Guide for
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL
address: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies 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 using the grant application form PHS 398 
(rev.4/98). Applicants are strongly urged to contact MBRS program staff at an 
early stage to request the MBRS-specific supplemental instructions for Form 
PHS 398.  Application kits and supplemental instructions may be obtained from 
the MBRS program contact listed under INQUIRIES.  Application kits are also 
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 
application is also available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

An applicant planning to submit a new (Type 1) grant application requesting
$750,000 or more in direct costs for any year must contact the Chief, MBRS
Branch (see INQUIRIES) before submitting the application, i.e., as plans are
being developed.  Furthermore, the applicant must obtain agreement that NIGMS
will accept the application for consideration for award.  Finally, the
applicant must identify, in the cover letter that is sent with the
application, the staff member who agreed to accept assignment of the
application.

Supplemental applications may be submitted during the first 18-month period of
a four year grant, and may not extend beyond the project period of the parent
grant.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and three single-sided photocopies of the signed application in one
package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

At the time of submission, two additional single-sided photocopies of the
application must also be sent to:

Helen R. Sunshine, Ph.D.
Office of Scientific Review
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 1 AS.13, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
Telephone:  (301) 594-2881
FAX:  (301) 480-8506
Email:  [email protected]

Applicants are urged to contact MBRS program staff at an early stage for
assistance and guidance in developing an application.

UNIFIED PLAN

Institutions with active or pending Support for Continuous Research Excellence
(SCORE), Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) USTAR, Bridges to the
Doctoral Degree, Bridges to the Baccalaureate Degree, Research Infrastructure
in Minority Institutions (RIMI), Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs at
Minority Institutions (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html), Research
Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI)
(http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/resinfra/ri_rcmi.asp), and/or other minority
student/faculty support programs from private or public funding agencies may
also apply for the MBRS RISE Program grant.  However, the institution must
describe how the funds from the RISE program will complement these other
awards.  Institutions must describe/explain any overlap in research
aims/objectives.  In particular, describe how the research and research-
related activities (goals and objectives) supported by different programs will
complement each other.  Describe how administrative staff (secretarial
assistance, administrative assistance) will be shared between RISE and other
programs.

EVALUATION

The purpose of the MBRS RISE Program is to enhance the research environment at
minority-serving institutions.  The goal is to increase the interest, skills,
and competitiveness of students and faculty in pursuit of biomedical research
careers.  Applicants should note that evaluation of progress is a necessary
component of every MBRS program, this program requires that annually (in a
competitive or non-competing renewal application), each institution assess
progress made toward its own goals and measurable objectives including
milestones for accomplishment. Institutions are expected to identify the
goals, measurable objectives, and to set milestones appropriate to the
institution"s current research infrastructure and their current research
education capability.  The goals and objectives should relate to the overall
goals of the MBRS program and to the institution"s research development plans. 
Therefore, the emphasis of evaluation activities is on self-study and on
continual improvement of the institution"s research capabilities.

The applicant institution should assess the benefits of the RISE program"s
activities on specific, measurable outcomes identified by the applicant. Since
the goal is to increase the interest, skills, and competitiveness of students
and faculty in pursuit of biomedical research careers, it is expected that
institutions will implement various strategies for determining the success of
the initial and ongoing activities of their institution"s developmental
efforts.  Such strategies might include a self-study, which focuses on fact-
finding, program evaluation and recommendations for improvement in key areas.

In the progress report presented in each competitive renewal and non-competing
renewal application (reported in Form PHS 2590), the institution will assess
the overall progress realized as the result of the MBRS RISE award.  A central
aspect of the RISE grant application (that distinguishes it from previous MBRS
programs) is that each successful application has specific, MEASURABLE
objectives with anticipated milestones, and a plan to evaluate whether those
objectives have been met.

APPLICATION CONTENT

The MBRS RISE program is institutional in scope.  Its purpose is to enhance
the research environment at minority-serving institutions, with the overall
goal of increasing the interest, skills, and competitiveness of all students
and faculty in pursuit of biomedical research careers.  Therefore, the
application layout and organization should reflect the institutional nature of
the proposed development plan and should be presented as an integrated set of
developmental activities.  In general, the overall goals and specific
measurable objectives (including anticipated milestones) should reflect what
the institution expects to accomplish as a result of implementing the
developmental activities in the application. Secondly, the development plan
should support the overall goals and specific measurable objectives of the
institution.  Developmental activities should give an indication of how they
will support the institution"s overall goals and specific measurable
objectives.

Although the information that follows is presented as for separate activities,
the application should not be a compilation of separate, independent
activities working individually, but should reflect a development plan whose
integrated components, the developmental activities, work together to support
the overall goals and objectives of the proposed program.

Information Required for the Overall Application Includes:

o  The institution"s overall goal(s) and specific, measurable objectives
including anticipated milestones for the MBRS RISE program,
o  The institution"s plan to provide opportunities for faculty and students to
prepare for, and participate in, biomedical research and how these will
support the institution"s overall goals and measurable objectives.
o  Information on participating faculty, including off-campus research
mentors, if any,
o  Information on the student pool including ethnic composition and
distribution by participating departments,
o  Information on teaching and research education facilities and other
resources, and
o  Overall evaluation plan.

Development Plan: Information Required for the Faculty and/or Student
Developmental Activity:

o  description of the problem to be addressed by each proposed activity,
o  goal and specific measurable objectives and anticipated milestones for each
activity and how these will support the institution"s overall plan,
o  rationale for and feasibility of the approach chosen for each faculty and
student development activity,
o  detailed description of each component,
o  information on participating instructors or research mentors,
o  information on personnel and other resources,
o  description, if applicable, of specific arrangements for providing faculty
and students with on- or off-campus research experiences,
o  letters of commitment and other expressions of interest by on-campus or
off-campus scientists (laboratories and/or institutions), including the
qualifications of the scientists to mentor and train students and faculty, and
their current research support, and
o  evaluation plan.

Examples of Faculty and/or Student Developmental Activities

As mentioned previously, the faculty and student developmental activities
should be presented as an integrated program whose component parts, the
developmental activities, work together to support the overall goals and
objectives of the proposed program.  In this context, applicants are
encouraged to develop activities that address their own particular needs,
strengths, and collaborative opportunities.  Some examples of potential
activities may include an interdisciplinary biomedical seminar series for
faculty and students, on-campus or off-campus workshops, specialty courses,
etc., for faculty and/or students on biomedical research techniques or
methodologies  (the objective of this activity is to provide an opportunity
for faculty and/or students to enhance their research skills).  Other
possibilities are travel to scientific meetings for both faculty and students,
off-campus research experiences for science faculty during the academic year
and/or during the summer (this allows faculty to engage in biomedical research
in established laboratories of research intensive universities, government and
industry).  In addition, there is support available for students to engage in
on-campus research experiences in established laboratories during the academic
year, as well as off-campus laboratories of other research intensive
universities, government and industry, and support for students to engage in
off-campus research experiences during the summer (these last two activities
allow students to engage in biomedical research in established laboratories of
research intensive universities.

Information Required for each Institutional Developmental Activity:

o  goal(s) and specific measurable objectives in terms of added value of the
renovation, remodeling, or equipment and how these support the overall goals
and objectives of the institution.
o  detailed description and justification of the renovation, remodeling
activity or equipment, including price quotations, and
o  plan to evaluate progress towards achieving the goal(s), i.e., the impact
of this activity on research education and opportunities at the institution.

Examples of Institutional Developmental Activities

An important objective of this program is the strengthening of the
institution"s capabilities to support research and research-related
activities.  Examples of the types of activities supported include remodeling
or renovating an existing teaching or research education facility (up to
$40,000) to provide space to carry out the proposed developmental activities. 
In addition, small pieces of equipment for classroom demonstration projects,
or other justifiable uses are allowable.

BUDGET PREPARATION

Since the MBRS RISE program is an integrated set of developmental activities,
presentation of the budget should also reflect the integrated nature of the
program.  Presentation of the budget must use Form PHS 398, pages 4-5 and its
instructions augmented by Supplemental Instructions for the RISE program, a
copy of which may be obtained from the Chief, MBRS branch (see INQUIRIES).

Personnel:  The personnel costs for the initial budget period should be
presented as four categories: (1) the Program Director (Principal
Investigator), (2) all personnel involved in the conduct/execution/delivery of
the developmental activities.  Each person should be listed and the duties
identified, (3) graduate students, and (4) undergraduate students.  Details
for each category, including a thorough justification, should be included in
the JUSTIFICATION section.

Consultant Costs: Consultant costs for the initial budget period should be
entered.  Details of the costs (e.g., costs for evaluation consultants,
extramural trainers, etc.) should be presented and justified in the
JUSTIFICATION section.

Supplies:  Supply costs for the initial budget period should be entered. 
Details of the costs (e.g., supplies costs for administration of the grant,
developmental activities, supply allotment for students in research projects,
etc.) should be given and justified in the JUSTIFICATION section.

Travel:  Travel  (e.g., for the Program Director to attend the Program
Director"s meeting, students and faculty to attend scientific meeting, etc)
should be detailed and justified in the JUSTIFICATION section.

Alterations and Renovations: A & R costs (e.g., A & R costs when essential to
carry out developmental activity, etc.) should be detailed and justified in
the JUSTIFICATION section.  A & R costs are limited to $40,000.

Other Expenses: Other expenses (e.g., tuition remission for graduate students)
should be detailed and justified in the JUSTIFICATION section.

Allowable Costs

Allowable administrative costs of the program, provided that adequate
justification is given, may include: salary support (up to 25 percent effort)
for the Program Director for that portion of time or effort specifically
employed in directing the MBRS RISE program, salary support for administrative
assistance (e.g., secretarial, clerical, administrative assistant, student
services officer) when directly related to support of the MBRS program, and
support for evaluation activities.

Allowable costs for developmental activities include salary support for
associated technical assistance, consultant fees, equipment, travel (when
benefits are provided to the program), supplies, alteration and renovation
costs (up to $40,000) when justified as essential for the activity, animal
maintenance, publication costs, computer charges, equipment maintenance,
service contracts, consortium arrangements, and contractual costs for support
services.

Support for faculty salaries as percent effort, with justification, is
allowable. The MBRS RISE program provides funds to cover that portion of the
academic-year salary that is proportionate to the time spent on administering
the MBRS developmental activities or involved in on- or off-campus research
activities, and that is consistent with the institution"s policy.

Summer salary support can be paid to the faculty engaged in research provided
the institution"s academic schedule permits such release and when the
institution approves.  When the investigator engages in research and research-
related activities at the agreed-upon level of participation during the
academic year, grant funds may not be used to increase or supplement faculty
academic year salaries.  The maximum summer-salary support provided by the
program cannot exceed the equivalent of two months at 100 percent effort, or
time specified by the institution as its policy.

Students matriculated full-time at the institution and participating in MBRS
RISE student development activities are eligible to receive compensation. The
maximum amount of MBRS funds to be paid as salary to a student should not
exceed the salary levels normally paid to student employees doing comparable
work at the same institution.  Students who participate in research may also
be compensated for work-related activities such as workshops and other on-
campus developmental activities.  Graduate students are allowed tuition
remission as part of a compensation package.  When requesting support for a
graduate student, the applicant institution should provide in the budget
justification section of the application the basis for the compensation level.
NIGMS staff will review the requested compensation level and, if it is
reasonable, will award the actual amount requested, up to a maximum of $26,000
(NIH Guide Notice Not-98-168, December 2, 1998 or see
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html).

Unallowable Costs

Undergraduate tuition, housing, food, or recruitment expenses of any kind are
not allowable costs under this program.  Salary support for non-matriculated
students is not allowable.  Salary support solely for faculty mentoring is not
allowable.  Salary support for release time to write research applications is
not allowable.  Support for research projects is not allowable. Renovation
costs to provide office space, gathering rooms, and meeting facilities are not
allowable.  Renovation costs above $40,000 are not allowable.  Support for
textbooks, incentives, memberships, and Internet subscriptions are not
allowable.

Applicants are urged to contact program staff (see INQUIRIES) to resolve
questions concerning unallowable costs.

QUALIFICATIONS OF PROGRAM DIRECTOR

As leader of the MBRS RISE program, the Program Director is expected to
possess certain essential qualifications.  One is strong leadership skills,
including scientific leadership experience and a strong academic and
scientific background, as exemplified, ideally, by scientific publications, a
record of peer-reviewed scientific support, and teaching experience.  In
addition, the program director should have knowledge of NIH policies including
those governing the use of human subjects, animals and hazardous materials.

The MBRS Review Subcommittee reviews the qualifications of a proposed program
director when the grant is initially submitted and at each competitive
renewal.  When a change in program director is proposed by the institution
during the funding cycle, NIGMS staff perform the review and approve the
substitution, as outlined in policy (see section on The Program Director
below).

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS (New, Competitive Renewal, And Supplemental
Applications)

Upon receipt, NIH staff will administratively review applications. 
Applications that are incomplete and/or do not fall within the guidelines of
the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98), the RISE policy and/or supplemental instructions will
be returned to the applicant without further consideration.

All revised applications, whether competitive renewal or supplemental
applications, must include an Introduction that summarizes the substantial
additions, deletions, and changes, as well as responses to the criticisms and
issues raised in the scientific review summary statement.  The changes in the
development plan must be clearly marked by appropriate bracketing, indenting,
or changing of typography.  If changes are so extensive that they include most
of the text, explain this in the Introduction.

Supplemental applications must include an Introduction.  The Introduction to
the supplemental application should contain an overall description of the
nature of the supplement and how it will complement the current MBRS RISE
program.

After administrative review, applications will be evaluated in accordance with
the criteria stated below for scientific and technical merit by appropriate
peer review groups convened by the NIGMS.  The National Advisory General
Medical Sciences Council will provide the second level of review.

Review Of the Overall Program

In carrying out the scientific and technical merit review of the overall
application, the initial review group will take into account:
o  the feasibility and the likelihood of success of the proposal as defined by
the stated goals, measurable objectives, anticipated milestones and/or
outcomes, and the evaluation plan.
o  the degree to which the institution"s development plan may be expected to
meet the goals to enhance the research environment and increase the interest,
skills, and competitiveness of students and faculty in pursuit of biomedical
research careers,
o  how well the proposed student/faculty/institutional activities are
integrated to meet the overall goals of the program plan
o  the appropriateness of the plan for evaluating the impact of the program on
the institution and aptness of the criteria for evaluation of the individual
activities to meet the goals of the overall plan,
o  suitability of the Program Director and faculty to carry out the proposed
program,
o  availability of significant numbers of underrepresented minority students
in the participating science departments interested in advanced studies in
biomedical and health-related fields,
o  evidence of institutional commitment to promote the development of
underrepresented minority student graduates progressing to, and completing,
higher education in the biomedical sciences,
o  evidence of institutional commitment to promote development of
underrepresented minority faculty to become potential, competitive
participants in biomedical research,
o  appropriateness of the administrative plan for managing the proposed
program, including availability of space for all the proposed activities, the
budget and cost effectiveness of the program, including its appropriateness to
the scope of the program, benefit to the students or faculty or both, and 
number of students or faculty involved, benefit to the institution, and
reasonable personnel costs.

Although different faculty, student and institutional development activities
are viewed as component parts of the overall development plan, they will be
reviewed using the following criteria.

Review Criteria for Student and Faculty Developmental Activities:
o  adequacy of the description of institutional deficiency to be addressed by
the activity,
o  how well the activity supports the institution"s overall goals and
objectives,
o  adequacy of the rationale for and feasibility of the approach chosen for
each faculty and student development activity,
o  inclusion of goals and specific, measurable objectives derived from
baseline data ,
o  adequacy of the plans to provide opportunities for faculty to upgrade their
research skills and to initiate collaborative research with scientists at
major biomedical research laboratories,
o  adequacy of the plan(s) to provide opportunities for students to become
prepared for, acquainted with, and engaged in biomedical research,
o  inclusion of letters of commitment and other expressions of interest by on-
campus or off-campus scientists and/or institutions, including the
qualifications of the scientists to mentor and train students and their
current research support, and
o  adequacy of evaluation plans for faculty and student development
activities.

Review Criteria for Institutional Developmental Activities
o  adequacy of description of institutional deficiency to be addressed by the
activity,
o how well the activity supports the institution"s overall goals and
objectives,
o the adequacy of plans to develop the institution"s research capability,
o inclusion of a plan that manages access to, monitors use of and provides for
maintenance of any requested equipment, and
o  inclusion of, and adequacy of a plan to evaluate the impact of the
alteration, renovation, or equipment.

AWARD CRITERIA

The purpose of the MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE)
Program is to enhance the research environment at minority-serving
institutions.  The overall goal is to increase the interest, skills, and
competitiveness of students and faculty in pursuit of biomedical research
careers.  Towards this end, the goal of the MBRS program is to strengthen the
biomedical research capability of institutions with significant
underrepresented minority enrollments.  Priorities for funding will be based
on the technical merit of the application, and the likelihood that the
applicant institution can further the goals of the MBRS program. Awards will
be made only to institutions with financial management systems and management
capabilities that are acceptable under PHS policy.  Awards will be
administered under the PHS Grants Policy Statement.

INQUIRIES

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

Questions on the program and its policies may be directed to:

Ernest D. Marquez, Ph.D.
Minority Biomedical Research Support Branch
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Suite 2AS.37, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
Telephone:  (301) 594-3900
FAX: (301) 480-2753
Email:  [email protected]

Questions on the review of applications may be directed to:

Helen R. Sunshine, Ph.D.
Office of Scientific Review
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 1 AS.13, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
Telephone:  (301) 594-2881
FAX:  (301) 480-8506
Email:  [email protected]

Questions on grants management and fiscal matters may be directed to:

Antoinette Holland
Grants Management Office
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 2AN.50, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
Telephone:  (301) 594-5132
FAX:  (301) 480-2554
Email:  [email protected]

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No.
93-375.  Awards are authorized by sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health
Service Act, as amended, and administered under PHS grants policies and
Federal Regulations 42 CFR part 52c, 45 CFR part 74, and 45 CFR part 92.  See
also Senate Appropriations Committee Report, No. 92-316, July 29, 1971,
Executive Order 12900, Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans February
22, 1994, and Executive Order 12876, Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, November 1, 1993, and Executive Order 13021, October 21, 1996
and Outline of Work Plan, August 18, 1998, White House Initiative on Tribal
Colleges and Universities.  Applications are 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.

Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)