ALCOHOL RESEARCH RESOURCE AWARDS (R24)

Release Date: September 2, 1999

PA NUMBER:  PAR-99-161

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued: 

March 12, 2009 - This PAR has been reissued as (PAR-09-128).

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

PURPOSE

In the pursuit of alcohol-related research, resources are occasionally
developed that are used by and benefit the broader alcohol research community
and are shared with scientists at both the resource developer"s home
institution and at external institutions.  While support for maintenance of
these resources is often provided through a Regular Research Project Grant
(R01) award or the core of an Alcohol Research Center (P50), situations may
arise in which continued support of the resource through any or all of these
instruments is not feasible.  For example, demand for the resource by
individuals from outside the home institution may exceed the capacity of
support available through an investigator"s R01 or an institution"s P50.  As
well, the developers of the resource may have a reduced need for the resource,
while other investigators continue to benefit from the resource.

The objective of this Program Announcement (PA) is to provide general support
of already established research resources that serve the alcohol research
community.  Under special circumstances, the mechanism may be used to support
development of a new resource.  It is anticipated that the request for
resource support through the research resource grant (R24) mechanism will
occur on an infrequent basis and only in circumstances where other mechanisms
of support from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
are not appropriate.  Applicants must demonstrate an interest in the resource
by investigators from at least three different institutions, one of which may
be their home institution.

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 is related to the priority area
of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of
"Healthy People 2000" at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000.

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, and eligible
agencies of the Federal government. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women,
and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as Principal
Investigators.  All applicants must document that alcohol researchers from at
least three different domestic institutions have need for the proposed
resource.  In addition to the core user group at three or more institutions,
the resource should be made available to additional users at the applicant
institution and should be opened to investigators at other institutions. 
Prior consultation with NIAAA and written approval is required before the
submission of an application.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research resource
grant (R24) mechanism.  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and
execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant.  The
total project period for an application submitted in response to this PA may
not exceed 5 years.  Competing renewal applications may be submitted for
additional years beyond the initial project period.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

It is anticipated that up to $750,000 in total costs will be available
annually for approximately three R24 awards, including both new and
continuation awards.  Because the nature and scope of the research resource
proposed in response to this PA, it is anticipated that the size of an award
will vary.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The following list is intended to provide examples of potential alcohol
research resources but is not intended to limit the range of potential
resources:

- Tissue and Data Resources -- Centralized facilities to provide human or
animal tissue, to improve access to otherwise unavailable specimens and/or
provide increased economy over existing resources.

- Maintenance and Distribution of Animal Models of High Relevance to Alcohol
Research -- Animal resources may include selected animal lines as well as
transgenics, knockouts, and related resources.

- Unique Database Resources Supporting Research Activities -- Costs may
include those for collection, storage, analysis, and quality control of
clinical and research data.  Applicants should clearly describe the issues
which the data resource will address and the importance of the resource to the
user community.

- Agent Development -- Resources to provide specific reagents, ligands or
drugs useful in alcohol-related research.

- Assay Support -- Operation of a laboratory providing non-commercially
available assays of interest in alcohol research.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Prior written approval from NIAAA staff is required before an application will
be accepted.  A copy of this approval must be included as an appendix to the
application.

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev.
4/98) and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated
in the application kit.  Applications 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: grantsinfo@nih.gov.  For those applicants with internet access,
the 398 kit may be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.  The PA title
and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form
and the YES box must be marked.  Page limits and limits on size of type are
strictly enforced.  Non-conforming applications will be returned without being
reviewed.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and five signed photocopies in one package to:

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

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Center for
Scientific Review.  Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant
without further consideration.

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an
appropriate peer review group convened by the National  Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism in accordance with the review criteria stated below.  As
part of the initial merit review, a process will be used by the initial review
group in which applications 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 the applications under review, will be discussed,
assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the National
Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

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
resource 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 the proposed resource address an important scientific
need?  Is that need adequately justified? Could the need have been easily
satisfied in other ways? Will the resource support progress in the field?

2.  Innovation: Does this application propose a resource not otherwise
available to the broader research community?

3. Approach: (Plans to oversee operation of the resource and organizational
plans for implementing them.)  Are the plans for the operation and maintenance
of the resource adequately developed?  Are appropriate plans in place for
assurance of quality control?  Are appropriate procedures in place for
handling requests for the resource, and for the adequate distribution of the
resource?

4. Investigators: Are the qualifications of the resource leader(s) and key
personnel well suited to organize and maintain the resource, maintain quality
control and equitable access, and manage record keeping?

5. Environment: Are the facilities and equipment for the resource adequate? 
As appropriate, is outside scientific expertise available to advise on
governance, management, and function of the resource?

The initial review group will also examine: the appropriateness of the
proposed project budget and duration, the provisions for the protection of
human and animal subjects, and the safety of the research resource
environment.

AWARD CRITERIA

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

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are strongly encouraged to determine the responsiveness of proposed
applications to the PA.  The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions
from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D.
Office of Scientific Affairs
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Room 409, MSC 7003
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Telephone:  (301) 443-4375
FAX:  (301) 443-6077
Email: Kwarren@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Judy Simons
Grants Management Office
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Room 504, MSC 7003
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Telephone:  (301) 443-2434
FAX:  (301) 443-3891
Email: Jsimons@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, No.
93.273.  Awards are made under the authorization of the Public Health Service
Act, Sections 301 and 464H, and administered under the NIH grants policies and
Federal Regulations at Title 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.  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 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

Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892