- March 10, 2020 - Reminder: FORMS-F Grant Application Forms & Instructions Must be Used for Due Dates On or After May 25, 2020- New Grant Application Instructions Now Available. See Notice NOT-OD-20-077.
- October 09, 2019 - Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Use of Biological Information to Understand How the Interplay of Environmental Exposures and Genes Influences Cancer Risk. See Notice NOT-CA-20-002.
- August 23, 2019 - Clarifying Competing Application Instructions and Notice of Publication of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Regarding Proposed Human Fetal Tissue Research. See Notice NOT-OD-19-137.
- July 26, 2019 - Changes to NIH Requirements Regarding Proposed Human Fetal Tissue Research. See Notice NOT-OD-19-128.
- November 26, 2018 - NIH & AHRQ Announce Upcoming Updates to Application Instructions and Review Criteria for Research Grant Applications. See Notice NOT-OD-18-228.
See Notices of Special Interest associated with this funding opportunity
93.307, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399
This initiative will support exploratory and developmental multidisciplinary research to understand the underlying causal factors and mechanisms that result in lung cancer disparities in U.S. health disparity populations.
30 days prior to the application due date
March 4, 2019, March 4, 2020, March 4 , 2021, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
July 2019, July 2020, July 2021
October 2019, October 2020, October 2021
December 2019, December 2020, December 2021
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.
Purpose/Background:
The purpose of this initiative is to promote exploratory and developmental multidisciplinary research to understand the underlying causal factors and mechanisms that result in lung cancer disparities in U.S. health disparity populations.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among both men and women in the U.S. Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) are well known factors that influence lung cancer incidence and mortality patterns in the U.S. In 2014, among men, Black/African American men had the highest lung cancer incidence and mortality rates, followed by non-Hispanic Whites, American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs), Asians/Pacific Islanders (A/PI), and Latinos. Among women, non-Hispanic Whites had the highest lung cancer incidence, followed by Black, AI/ANs, A/PIs, and Latinas. African Americans (AA), have more advanced stages of cancer at the time of diagnosis, lower survival rates even with early stage of diagnosis, lower rates of access to timely care and higher mortality rates compared to Whites. In addition, lung cancer rates vary by SES levels, education levels, geographic regions within the US, and among immigrant racial/ethnic minorities and their country or origin.
The major risk factor for lung cancer is known to be cigarette smoking with an attributable risk of 85% in the U.S. However smoking rates do not entirely explain documented disparities in development of lung cancer. In 2014, the prevalence of smoking was highest among AI/ANs (29.2%) and multiracial adults (27.9%), with Whites (18.2%), Blacks (17.5%), Latinos (11.2%) and Asians (9.5%) being lower. However, the higher rates of lung cancer seen in Blacks/AAs occur even though they have lower smoking rates, smoke fewer cigarettes per day and are far less likely to be heavy smokers compared to Whites. The underlying causes of these population differences are not well understood.
In addition, the incidence of lung cancer among never-smokers is increasing, with an estimated 20% of lung cancer in U.S. women, especially among Asian and Latina women. Very few studies focus on understanding the causes and pathways of lung cancer disparities among never-smokers.
There is increased data on the contribution of genetic risk factors in lung cancer etiology. The prevalence and characteristics of the mutations (e.g. KRAS, EGFR) for lung cancer may differ among various racial/ethnic populations, which could play a role in these disparities. Genetic differences in nicotine metabolizing enzymes have been also reported among different racial/ethnic populations linked with genetic ancestry. A recent study on transcriptome analyses has provided molecular clues about differences in tumor biology between AAs and Whites with overexpression of genes related to stem cell and invasion pathways in AAs, and differences in composition of infiltrating immune cells from the lung tumor microenvironment. More research is needed on the molecular characterization of lung cancer subtypes among various U.S. health disparity populations to understand if there are differences and if they result in lung cancer disparities.
Other known risk factors include environmental exposures (e.g., pollution, combustion products, radon, asbestos), respiratory diseases (COPD, emphysema), and secondhand smoke exposure. Other potential risk factors, such as chronic stress, discrimination/racism, or neighborhood segregation, geographic residence remain unexplored. More research is needed to understand these complex underlying causes and mechanisms for lung cancer disparities.
Health care factors could also play a role in disparities in the outcome of diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Screening using low-dose computed tomography (CT) represents an exciting development that decreased lung cancer mortality by 20% in a randomized clinical trial. However, uptake of lung cancer screening has been slow even after being endorsed by the US Preventive Task Force and being covered by Medicare/Medicaid. Concerns about the adverse effects of evaluating the detected CT abnormalities and the selection of high-risk patients (30 pack-years, quit less than 15 years prior) has limited acceptance of screening by clinicians. The screening rates among racial/ethnic minorities and low SES populations have been very low as many racial/ethnic minority smokers do not meet the screening threshold of more than 30 pack-years exposure. Numerous studies have shown that AAs, and other minorities are less likely to receive surgical resection than Whites for operable cancer and have lower survival for even early-stage lung cancer. Individual patient level, clinician level or system level factors may affect the utilization of cancer screening/treatment programs. More efforts are needed to examine the role of various contextual and system level factors among health disparity populations.
The R21 activity code is intended to encourage new exploratory and developmental research projects. For example, such projects could assess the feasibility of a novel area of investigation or a new methodology that has the potential to enhance health-related research. Another example could include the unique and innovative use of an existing methodology to explore a new scientific area. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.
Applications for R21 awards should describe projects distinct from those supported through the traditional R01 activity code. For example, long-term projects, or projects designed to increase knowledge in a well-established area, will not be considered for R21 awards. Applications submitted to this FOA should be exploratory and novel. These studies should break new ground or extend previous discoveries toward new directions or applications.
The overall objective of this initiative is to support exploratory and developmental research to 1) understand the complex etiological factors (social, cultural, environmental, behavioral or biological) contributing to lung cancer disparities and 2) how health care factors affect morbidity and mortality outcomes among lung cancer patients from health disparity populations.
NIMHD has a specific interest in projects that will focus on health disparities pathways, explaining lung cancer disparities by examining the impact of different determinants (biological, behavioral, socio-cultural, environmental, physical environment, health system) at multiple levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community, societal) on health outcomes in health disparity populations (see the NIMHD Research Framework, https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/research-framework.html, for examples of health determinants of interest). Studies for this initiative may include multi-disciplinary translational, behavioral, or epidemiological, or health services projects. In addition, projects can involve primary and/or secondary data collection and analysis. Because the goal of this initiative is to better understand the mechanisms of documented lung cancer disparities, studies whose sole purpose is to assess the incidence/prevalence of lung cancer or smoking behavior in specific populations or subpopulations are not targeted for support under this FOA.
Multidisciplinary projects that propose to understand the underlying mechanisms of lung cancer disparities are expected to propose human studies on one or more health disparity populations. The NIH-designated health disparity populations in the US, include Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, sexual and gender minorities and underserved rural populations. Projects are expected to focus only on human studies; those that focus only on animal studies will not be considered for support under this FOA.
Projects are encouraged to involve collaborations among relevant stakeholders in U.S. health disparity population groups, such as researchers, community organizations, healthcare organizations, clinicians, public health organizations, consumer advocacy groups, and faith-based organizations. As appropriate for the research questions posed, inclusion of key community members in the conceptualization, planning and implementation of the research is encouraged (but not required) to generate better-informed hypotheses and enhance the translation of the research results into practice.
Specific Areas of Research Interest
Specific areas of interest related to health disparity populations include but are not limited to:
- Influence of biological risk factors (genetic, epigenetic, microbiome, metabolome) in different health disparity population that may explain higher burden or poorer outcome of lung cancer despite lower rates of cigarette smoking. Gene-environment interactions that contribute to lung cancer disparities.
- Protective factors that explain lower lung cancer incidence and mortality in Latino/Asian sub-populations.
- Differences in lung tumor biology, biological subtypes and underlying mechanisms, that may explain the more aggressive forms of lung cancer in AAs, AI/ANs and other high-risk health disparity populations.
- Differences in metabolism and clearance of carcinogens that may explain the lung cancer disparities among various health disparity populations.
- Risk factors such as social stressors (discrimination/racism), environmental and occupational exposures to combustion products and pollutants/toxins, diet, exercise, that could influence the disease burden and outcomes for lung cancer. Consider multiple levels of influence- individual, neighborhood, system level.
- Etiology of lung cancer among never smokers in various racial/ethnic minority sub-populations, especially women.
- Causes of disparities related to stage of diagnosis and treatment management of lung cancer among sexual gender minorities, low SES, rural and racial/ethnic minority populations.
- Influence of patient (attitudes, beliefs, stigma), clinician (biases, communication and shared decision making), and system/policy-level factors (care coordination, access to specialty care, reimbursement policies) that may affect the utilization of cancer screening, diagnostic evaluation tests and referral for treatment options.
- Role of healthcare access and quality in explaining disparities in lung cancer mortality among health disparity populations.
- Access to care insurance, affordability, location of services, distance, transportation, rurality
- Quality of care- prevention, screening, treatment, follow-up
See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.
Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.
Resubmission
Revision
The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.
Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?
The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
The combined budget for direct costs for the two-year project period may not exceed $275,000. No more than $200,000 may be requested in any single year.
1. Eligible Applicants
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)
- U.S. Territory or Possession
- 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 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.
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.
2. Cost Sharing
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
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)
1. Requesting an Application Package
Buttons to access the online ASSIST system or to download application forms are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide 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.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institution(s)
- Number and title of this funding opportunity
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Rina Das, PhD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-496-3996
Fax: 301-480-4049
Email: [email protected]
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Describe how the project will contribute to the understanding of etiologic factors and mechanisms that explain lung cancer disparities. Describe how the project will contribute to the understanding of differential outcomes in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment among health disparity populations.
Identify the health disparity populations included in the study and provide a rationale for this population focus. Describe the documented lung cancer disparities experienced by the target HD populations.
Describe how the project uses a multidisciplinary approach, including integration of the disciplines and expertise of the research team, to understand the complex factors that underlie lung cancer disparities.
If there are foreign component(s), describe how the proposed activities at foreign sites will improve minority health and/or help to reduce or eliminate health disparities in the United States.
The following modifications also apply:
- All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should address a Data Sharing Plan.
If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.
Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov
4. Submission Dates and Times
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. 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. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday , the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.
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 and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.
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.
5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
6. Funding Restrictions
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.
7. Other Submission Requirements and Information
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. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.
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.
Section V. Application Review Information
Important Update: See NOT-OD-18-228 for updated review language
for due dates on or after January 25, 2019.
1. Criteria
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
The R21 exploratory/developmental grant supports investigation of novel scientific ideas or new model systems, tools, or technologies that have the potential for significant impact on biomedical or biobehavioral research. An R21 grant application need not have extensive background material or preliminary information. Accordingly, reviewers will emphasize the conceptual framework, the level of innovation, and the potential to significantly advance our knowledge or understanding. Appropriate justification for the proposed work can be provided through literature citations, data from other sources, or, when available, from investigator-generated data. Preliminary data are not required for R21 applications; however, they may be included if available.
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project rigorous? 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?
In addition, specific to the FOA, to what extent can the project contribute on the understanding of the etiology and/or mechanisms of lung cancer disparities in U.S. health disparity populations?
Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or those 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?
In addition, specific to the FOA, does the composition of the research team have appropriate breadth and inclusiveness of expertise and disciplines (such as for social science, or public health or health disparities or lung cancer research expertise) to conduct multidisciplinary research?
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? Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? 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? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?
In addition, specific to the FOA, to what extent does the project include health disparity population/s and address the causes of health disparity for lung cancer in that population/s?
To what extent does the project integrate relevant strategies and approaches from various disciplines in a meaningful and appropriate way to study disparities in lung cancer?
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 individuals or all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?
If there are foreign component(s), has the applicant stated how the proposed activities at foreign sites will improve minority health and/or help to reduce or eliminate health disparities in the United States?
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?
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the 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 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 individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) 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 criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. 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
For Revisions, the committee will consider the appropriateness of the proposed expansion of the scope of the project. If the Revision application relates to a specific line of investigation presented in the original application that was not recommended for approval by the committee, then the committee will consider whether the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group are adequate and whether substantial changes are clearly evident.
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 Data Sharing Plan (GDS).
For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
2. Review and Selection Process
- 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.
- 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.
- Distribution of target health disparity populations
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
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. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
1. Award Notices
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.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
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.Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person’s race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/laws/revisedlep.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html; and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/about/rgn-hqaddresses.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.
3. Reporting
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.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.
In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
General Grants Information (Questions regarding application processes and NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573
Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: [email protected]
Rina Das, PhD
Program Director
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-496-3996
Email: [email protected]
Anil Wali, PhD
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6183
Email: [email protected]
For inquires related to NCI’s Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) contact
Anu Sharman, MS
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6209
Email: [email protected]
For inquires related to NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Studies (DCCPS) contact
Danielle Carrick, PhD, MHS
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6749
Email: [email protected]
For inquires related to NCI’s Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) contact
Peter Ujhazy, M.D., PhD
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-5730
Email: [email protected]
For inquires related to NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) contact
Karl Krueger, PhD
National Cancer Institute
Phone: 240-276-7026
Email: [email protected]
Dela Olufokunbi Sam, PhD.
Scientific Review Officer
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Telephone: 301-613-6206
Email: [email protected]
Priscilla Grant, JD
Chief Grants Management Officer
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-8412
Email: [email protected]
Crystal Wolfrey
Director, Office of Grants Administration
National Cancer Institute
Phone: 240-276-6277
Email: [email protected]
