Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information

Participating Organization(s)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

Fogarty International Center (FIC)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Funding Opportunity Title
Interventions for Stigma Reduction to Improve HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Activity Code

R01 Research Project Grant

Announcement Type
New
Related Notices

    See Notices of Special Interest associated with this funding opportunity

  • May 10, 2023 - This PAR has been reissued as PAR-23-190
  • NOT-OD-23-012 Reminder: FORMS-H Grant Application Forms and Instructions Must be Used for Due Dates On or After January 25, 2023 - New Grant Application Instructions Now Available
  • NOT-OD-22-190 - Adjustments to NIH and AHRQ Grant Application Due Dates Between September 22 and September 30, 2022
  • October 28, 2021 - Reminder: FORMS-G Grant Application Forms & Instructions Must be Used for Due Dates On or After January 25, 2022 - New Grant Application Instructions Now Available. See Notice NOT-OD-22-018.
  • September 13, 2021 - Updates to the Non-Discrimination Legal Requirements for NIH Recipients. See Notice NOT-OD-21-181.
  • August 5, 2021 - New NIH "FORMS-G" Grant Application Forms and Instructions Coming for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2022. See Notice NOT-OD-21-169
  • August 5, 2021 - Update: Notification of Upcoming Change in Federal-wide Unique Entity Identifier Requirements. See Notice NOT-OD-21-170
  • April 20, 2021 - Expanding Requirement for eRA Commons IDs to All Senior/Key Personnel. See Notice NOT-OD-21-109
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number
PAR-21-344
Companion Funding Opportunity
None
Assistance Listing Number(s)
93.989, 93.865, 93.279, 93.242, 93.396, 93.393
Funding Opportunity Purpose

The purpose of this FOA is to solicit Research Project Grant (R01) applications for up to 3 years of support to develop and test interventions to reduce the impact of HIV-associated stigma on the prevention and treatment of HIV infection and/or AIDS, and on the quality of life of People Living with HIV and/or AIDS (PLWH). The FOA will also support interventions to address the multiple intersecting stigmas and measurement of the stigmas at individual levels.

Specifically, this initiative will support intervention research on a) novel stigma reduction strategies that link to increase in care-seeking behavior and/or decrease in transmission, b) reducing the impact of stigma on adolescent and/or youth health, c) strategies to cope with the complex burden of stigmatization due to HIV and one or more comorbidities/coinfections, d) reducing the effects of stigma on, and/or by, family members or care givers of PLWH and e) development of innovative and improved stigma measurement in the context of implementation of a stigma-reduction intervention. The overall goals are to understand how to reduce stigma as a factor in HIV transmission, to eliminate or mitigate the aspects of stigma that limit beneficial health outcomes for the infected and at-risk individuals and communities, and to conduct exploratory studies to determine the feasibility of stigma-reduction interventions related to HIV prevention, treatment and/or care in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Key Dates

Posted Date
September 29, 2021
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)
November 19, 2021
Letter of Intent Due Date(s)

November 20, 2021; November 20, 2022

Application Due Dates Review and Award Cycles
New Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) AIDS Scientific Merit Review Advisory Council Review Earliest Start Date
Not Applicable Not Applicable December 20, 2021 March 2022 May 2022 July 2022
Not Applicable Not Applicable December 20, 2022 March 2023 May 2023 July 2023

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

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.

Expiration Date
December 21, 2022
Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide,except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ).

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.

Table of Contents

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) seeks to support research to develop and pilot test interventions to reduce the impact of HIV-associated stigma on the prevention and treatment of HIV and/or AIDS, and on the quality of life of People Living with HIV and/or AIDS (PLWH). The FOA will also support interventions to address the multiple intersecting stigmas due to co-occurring diseases and/or conditions faced by PLWH. Specifically, this initiative will support work to be done in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to stimulate new and impactful research on a) novel stigma-reduction and/or resilience building interventional strategies that link to increase in care-seeking behavior and/or promote decrease in transmission, b) reducing the impact of stigma on adolescent and/or youth health, c) strategies to address the syndemics of intersecting stigmas due to one or more co-morbidities/co-infections/socio-structural environment affecting PLWH, d) reducing the effects of stigma on, and/or by, family members or caregivers of PLWH and e) development of innovative and improved stigma measurement in the context of intervention development or implementation of the proposed intervention. The small R01 grant mechanism is intended to provide more money and time than a traditional R21 mechanism but with similar goal to encourage exploratory/developmental research by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of project development. While preliminary data or prior research collaborations between investigators are not expected, a strong premise must provide the rationale for the study including complementary expertise of the co-investigators.

Background/Rationale:

Despite significant advances in biomedical approaches to prevent HIV transmission, acquisition of new infections has not abated, suggesting the need for further research into the possible causes of and new ways to mitigate the spread of the disease (1). While introduction of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) use for PLWH had significant effects on preventing HIV transmission to seronegative partners, along with other known prevention approaches such as condom use and medical male circumcision, several pockets of new infection have emerged globally (2). Similarly, protocols for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) have been very effective; however, women still bear the burden of increased infection globally, especially adolescent girls, who can potentially continue to transmit HIV to their newborns. These women may not be accessing health care services to obtain information about PMTCT due to stigma associated with their HIV status and/or pregnancy (3, 4). Professional health communities acknowledge that stigma is one of the many reasons for continued transmission of HIV (3, 4), and that stigma creates a barrier to getting tested, treated, and retained in care, especially in LMICs (4).

Stigma is a behavioral manifestation of self or societal disapproval of a condition affecting those who are stigmatized. Stigma affects all PLWH, including key populations such as sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people, prisoners, and men who have sex with men. Adolescents and youth are vulnerable and suffer from public- and/or self- stigma. Early awareness of stigma and its consequences, and exposure to resources that can prevent infection and transmission, may have a large impact during this crucial period, suggesting the importance of further work with this group. Because of their unique psychological and physiological makeup, the ability of adolescents to respond to stigma-related stress have not been well studied. Interventions that increase resiliency and/or provide coping mechanisms may be effective for better health outcomes in all of these groups.

People living with HIV (PLWH) often also suffer from other infections such as tuberculosis; and other non-communicable diseases such as mental health, metabolic and other neurological disorders, which are themselves subject to stigma. They also suffer stigma due to perceived lifestyle choices. The compounded effect of stigma associated with multiple conditions (layered or intersecting stigma) imposes an extra burden on these people. To develop effective interventions to improve the health outcomes in these groups, it will be important to understand and dissect out the major contributors to stigma and design appropriate interventions.

Another understudied population are exposed but uninfected people, especially children of parents living with HIV, and caregivers tending to the sick, who can themselves be targets of stigma that can affect their health in different ways. It is not clear how much of HIV/AIDS stigma-related stress in this group of people is the cause of prevention failures and breakdown in care, and what type of interventions may be optimal for providing resilience and motivation to this group of caregivers and family members.

There is a need for better stigma measures to assess the efficacy of stigma-reduction interventions at different stages of implementation, in different contexts and populations, and at different steps of the HIV/AIDS disease care continuum. This may be particularly necessary to dissecting out the relative contribution of layered or intersecting stigma either due to HIV/AIDS comorbidities and coinfections, or HIV compounded by other factors such as racism, sexism, religious intolerance, and sexual orientation among others.

Defintions:

For the purposes of this FOA:

  • HIV-related health outcomes include any measurable or identifiable positive change in the health status of the affected person, group or community that result from an intervention, including but not limited to: employing preventative methods for protection from infection, undergoing HIV testing, adhering to medications, and retention in and maintaining linkage to HIV care. Care-seeking behaviors can also be assessed by biological outcomes such as decrease in viral load, improved mental health, among others.
  • Interventions may employ biomedical, behavioral or structural approaches that are designed to produce a decrease in stigma. Processes that address individual (for example self-stigma), interpersonal, intersectional, or structural (for example cultural norms, institutional practices, and other) stigma for which an intervention can be developed would be considered an appropriate focus for the proposed research

Objectives:

The objective of this FOA is to lay the groundwork for, or pilot, stigma-reduction interventions to improve HIV health seeking behavior across the HIV prevention and care continuum and improve biological and mental health outcomes for PLWH or their caregivers. In the context of an intervention, the areas of focus may include but are not limited to:

  • Adapting, developing, validating or implementing stigma-reduction interventions in PLWH. Target populations may include adolescents and/or youth, caregivers, and other key populations such as sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people, prisoners, and men who have sex with men, among others.
  • Adapting, developing, or validating measurement instruments to assess the success of the intervention in reducing stigma and in improving health outcomes.
  • Formative research on novel stigma-reduction interventions to understand the obstacles to seeking care.
  • Formative research to assess the complexities in layered or intersecting stigma that might lead to strategies to address the synergistic burden.
  • Studies to assess stigma-reduction interventions in specific social groups (for example, unmarried pregnant women); or across multiple groups (for example PLWH and their health care workers) linking to a health outcome such as decrease in transmission.
  • Studies to assess the association of structural level stigma-reduction interventions with better health outcomes; for example, modifiable structural factors such as health policy and its impact on health outcomes.
  • Tools for addressing stigma awareness in HIV+ adolescents, youth, young children and orphans and increase their participation in care-seeking and prevention services.

In keeping with the suggested research topics above of interest to FIC, the following lists some specific focus areas of interest to the partner ICs that is within the scope of this FOA as described above.

  • The National Cancer Institute (NCI) encourages research on cancer-associated stigma in PLWH that contributes to existing barriers to get cancer diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and palliative care. Applicants interested on cancer related stigma in PLWH should propose research projects that expand the current understanding of the intersectionality between HIV- and cancer- associated stigma, its impact on cancer control and prevention that impact health outcomes for PLWH. The proposed studies must lead to the development of stigma-reduction interventions.
  • The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is interested in supporting pilot clinical trials of stigma-reduction interventions and formative work to support development of future interventions. Trials should address drug use-related stigmas, including self-stigma among people who use drugs (PWUD) and perceived, anticipated or enacted stigma experienced by PWUD, as well as stigma experienced by providers working with PWUD. The full range of drug use will be considered as long as it has demonstrated associations with HIV acquisition and/or issues related to viremia or ART adherence. NIDA recognizes that intersectional stigmas (e.g., gender, sexual minority, religion, ethnic/racial minority) including HIV-related stigmas also may need to be addressed in these projects. Outcomes should focus on the HIV prevention and care continuum. Interventions and related formative work at the individual, patient-provider, family, community, and system level are welcome (including multi-level intervention approaches), as are efforts to adapt evidence-based interventions that have demonstrated effectiveness among other populations or settings.
  • The National institue of Mental Health (NIMH) is interested in theoretically driven research grant applications that will: 1) advance measurements of HIV-related intersectional stigma (or intersectional discrimination) to examine the mechanisms and pathways by which they are a barrier to HIV prevention and HIV treatment; or 2) develop and test interventions to address their impact to improve HIV prevention and HIV treatment outcomes. Multilevel interventions targeting individuals, families, peers, providers, and structural or organizational factors are encouraged, as well as are studies that include mental illness stigma as a component of intersectional stigma. Applicants are strongly encouraged to utilize community-based participatory research approaches to meaningfully engage and collaborate with communities most impacted by HIV-related intersectional stigma or intersectional discrimination. Non-intervention research applications should clearly indicate how this is the first step in a planned program of research that would inform future interventions to reduce the impact of HIV-related intersectional stigma (or intersectional discrimination) on HIV prevention and treatment outcomes.

Additional Considerations:

  • Through this FOA, FIC seeks to support pilot studies to determine the feasibility of implementable and ultimately scalable approaches to understand and reduce stigma as a factor in HIV transmission. Applicants should assemble teams with the appropriate range of expertise required to accomplish the aims of the study, which may include a collaborative team with multi-disciplinary expertise. The proposed collaborative feasibility research is expected to help build the capacity for full research programs by improving the research environment and strengthening LMIC individual and institutional research capabilities in the proposed research areas. The proposed work and follow up research are expected to contribute to the long-term goals of building sustainable capacity for stigma research in LMICs.
  • One or more investigators from an academic or research institution in the U.S. and one or more investigators from an academic or research institution in an LMIC are strongly encouraged to collaborate as key personnel on the application. US investigators must have LMIC collaborators. Applicants should explicitly address the needs of collaborating LMIC institutions to develop capacity for carrying out research in this field, and plans for sustaining the research activity.

Proposed studies must be consistent with the NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities (https://www.oar.nih.gov/hiv-policy-and-research/research-priorities; https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-018.html ).

Applications Not Responsive to this FOA

The following types of studies are not responsive to this FOA. Applications proposing such studies will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed or considered for funding.

  • Applications proposing studies that do not address, or are not relevant to the development of a stigma-reduction intervention strategy linked to measurement of a beneficial health outcome in PLWH.

References:

1. 2021 News Releases | Newsroom | NCHHSTP | CDC

2.The United Nations AIDS Update Report 2018 -Miles to go: closing gaps, breaking barriers, righting injustices - https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/miles-to-go_en.pdf

3. Women and HIV A spotlight on adolescent girls and young women (abu.edu.ng)

4. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/global-partnership-hiv-stigma-discrimination_en.pdf

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

Funding Instrument

Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.

Application Types Allowed
New
Resubmission

Resubmissions will not be allowed for the December 2021 submission date.

Resubmissions will be allowed for the December 2022 submission date.

The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this FOA.

Clinical Trial?

Optional: Accepting applications that either propose or do not propose clinical trial(s).

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Award Budget

The combined budget for direct costs for the three-year project period may not exceed $400,000. No more than $200,000 in direct costs may be requested in any single year. The budget request must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Award Project Period

Applicants may request a project period of up to three years.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Organizations

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)

Other

  • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)

Non-domestic entities are restricted to higher education and/or research institutions and other non-profit organizations in LMICs, which are defined by The World Bank as low-, lower-middle-, or upper-middle-income economies - http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups . Hong Kong-based institutions are not eligible as applicant or primary LMIC -partner institutions. If Hong Kong is included, a second institution in mainland China must be involved as the primary collaborating LMIC institution.

Non-U.S. High Income Country Institutions are not eligible as the primary partner for a LMIC Institution, but may be included as consultants, especially if they present special opportunities for the proposed research. LMIC-U.S. or LMIC-LMIC partnerships between institutions are eligible.

Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Required Registrations

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) 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.
  • eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number to register in eRA Commons. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration, but all registrations must be in place by time of submission. 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.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

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.

This FOA strongly encourages inclusion of women and individuals from groups underrepresented in clinical, biomedical, and socio-behavioral research (including individuals from racial, ethnic, and socially disadvantaged backgrounds and those living with disabilities) as principal investigators/program directors, faculty and scientific collaborators.

2. Cost Sharing

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. 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 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace 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.

Letter of Intent

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:

Geetha P. Bansal, Ph.D.
Fogarty International Center
Telephone: 301-496-1492
Email: geetha.bansal@nih.gov

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

R&R or Modular Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Applicant should budget funds for at least one PD/PI to attend the annual program network meeting in Bethesda, MD.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy: All applicants should incorporate the following elements while preparing the application:

  • Succinctly define the stigma-associated problem and describe the magnitude of, and factors involved in, the problem to be addressed in the LMIC population
  • Identify the needs of the affected group targeted for the appropriate stigma-reduction intervention
  • Clearly articulate research questions to be addressed and the methodological approach that will be used to answer the questions
  • Justify the relevance of the proposed research to the HIV-related health outcomes of people in the LMIC setting
  • Discuss briefly how the proposed research will prepare for or test an intervention to reduce stigma and increase the health of stigmatized individuals or populations
  • Describe the resources and research capabilities that will be needed to develop the intervention and how they will be acquired and used
  • Discuss the outcome measures that will be utilized to determine whether the intervention is successful in increasing the health of the target population, including biological and psychological endpoints in addition to potential behavioral changes; and any formative research required to develop these instruments, measures, and interventions
  • Integrate strategies for research capacity strengthening at the LMIC institution into the proposed research program
  • The small R01 mechanism is intended to support feasibility studies to test stigma reduction interventions by providing more time and funds than would have been possible with an R21 mechanism. Therefore preliminary data are not required. However, a strong premise and rationale for the proposed studies must be clearly stated.

Collaboration:

The purpose of this FOA is to foster the development of collaborative work focused on HIV-associated stigma relevant to LMICs; accordingly, investigators are not required to demonstrate in the application any history of prior collaboration. However, those factors in the investigators' background and/or institutional circumstances that will facilitate success in such collaboration, beyond the information stated on individual biosketches, should be clearly delineated. The role of each key personnel and institution and the plans for the coordination of the research activities should be described.

One or more investigators from an academic or research institution in the U.S. and one or more investigators from an academic or research institution in an LMIC are strongly encouraged to collaborate as key personnel on the application. Applicants should explicitly address the needs of collaborating LMIC institutions to develop capacity for carrying out research in this field, and the plans for sustaining the research activity.

Letters of Support: Letters of support should be provided by each collaborator and collaborating institution.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

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.

Appendix:

Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

  • No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

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.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Foreign Institutions

Foreign (non-U.S.) institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

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 How to Apply Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. 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.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness as outlined in Section I by the Fogarty International Center (FIC)/NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy. Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

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.

For this particular announcement, note the following:

The small R01 grant mechanism will support investigation of novel scientific ideas or new model systems, tools, or technologies that have the potential for significant impact on biomedical or biobehavioral research. The 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 of the identified scientific issues in the LMIC context. Appropriate justification for the proposed work can be provided through literature citations, data from other sources, or, when available, from investigator-generated data.

In addition, for applications involving clinical trials:

A proposed Clinical Trial application may include study design, methods, and intervention that are not by themselves innovative but address important questions or unmet needs. Additionally, the results of the clinical trial may indicate that further clinical development of the intervention is unwarranted or lead to new avenues of scientific investigation.

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Scored Review Criteria

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

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, for applications involving clinical trials

Are the scientific rationale and need for a clinical trial to test the proposed hypothesis or intervention well supported by preliminary data, clinical and/or preclinical studies, or information in the literature or knowledge of biological mechanisms? For trials focusing on clinical or public health endpoints, is this clinical trial necessary for testing the safety, efficacy or effectiveness of an intervention that could lead to a change in clinical practice, community behaviors or health care policy? For trials focusing on mechanistic, behavioral, physiological, biochemical, or other biomedical endpoints, is this trial needed to advance scientific understanding?

Specific to this FOA:

Does the proposed study address the relevance of stigma to the target population in the LMIC, and identify the HIV-related health outcome that would result from a successful intervention in the LMIC setting?

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, for applications involving clinical trials

With regard to the proposed leadership for the project, do the PD/PI(s) and key personnel have the expertise, experience, and ability to organize, manage and implement the proposed clinical trial and meet milestones and timelines? Do they have appropriate expertise in study coordination, data management and statistics? For a multicenter trial, is the organizational structure appropriate and does the application identify a core of potential center investigators and staffing for a coordinating center?

Specific to this FOA:

Do the PD(s)/PI(s) have the scientific background, expertise, and LMIC experience to provide strong leadership, direction, management, and administration of the proposed research? Based on the investigators' background and/or institutional circumstances, is there potential for successful collaboration within the research team?

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?

In addition, for applications involving clinical trials

Does the design/research plan include innovative elements, as appropriate, that enhance its sensitivity, potential for information or potential to advance scientific knowledge or clinical practice?

Specific to this FOA:

Will the proposed study have sufficient influence on strengthening and sustaining HIV-associated stigma research capabilities at the LMIC institution or build collaborations across LMIC institutions?

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?
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 of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

In addition, for applications involving clinical trials
Does the application adequately address the following, if applicable
Study Design
Is the study design justified and appropriate to address primary and secondary outcome variable(s)/endpoints that will be clear, informative and relevant to the hypothesis being tested? Is the scientific rationale/premise of the study based on previously well-designed preclinical and/or clinical research? Given the methods used to assign participants and deliver interventions, is the study design adequately powered to answer the research question(s), test the proposed hypothesis/hypotheses, and provide interpretable results? Is the trial appropriately designed to conduct the research efficiently? Are the study populations (size, gender, age, demographic group), proposed intervention arms/dose, and duration of the trial, appropriate and well justified?

Are potential ethical issues adequately addressed? Is the process for obtaining informed consent or assent appropriate? Is the eligible population available? Are the plans for recruitment outreach, enrollment, retention, handling dropouts, missed visits, and losses to follow-up appropriate to ensure robust data collection? Are the planned recruitment timelines feasible and is the plan to monitor accrual adequate? Has the need for randomization (or not), masking (if appropriate), controls, and inclusion/exclusion criteria been addressed? Are differences addressed, if applicable, in the intervention effect due to sex/gender and race/ethnicity?

Are the plans to standardize, assure quality of, and monitor adherence to, the trial protocol and data collection or distribution guidelines appropriate? Is there a plan to obtain required study agent(s)? Does the application propose to use existing available resources, as applicable?

Data Management and Statistical Analysis
Are planned analyses and statistical approach appropriate for the proposed study design and methods used to assign participants and deliver interventions? Are the procedures for data management and quality control of data adequate at clinical site(s) or at center laboratories, as applicable? Have the methods for standardization of procedures for data management to assess the effect of the intervention and quality control been addressed? Is there a plan to complete data analysis within the proposed period of the award?

Specific to this FOA:

Does the design/research plan include innovative elements, as appropriate, that enhance its sensitivity, reproducibility, rigor, potential for new information or potential to advance scientific knowledge or clinical practice? Can the approach taken be accomplished with the current resources available at the LMIC institution or through the collaborations established for the project?

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?

In addition, for applications involving clinical trials

If proposed, are the administrative, data coordinating, enrollment and laboratory/testing centers, appropriate for the trial proposed?

Does the application adequately address the capability and ability to conduct the trial at the proposed site(s) or centers? Are the plans to add or drop enrollment centers, as needed, appropriate?

If international site(s) is/are proposed, does the application adequately address the complexity of executing the clinical trial?

If multi-sites/centers, is there evidence of the ability of the individual site or center to: (1) enroll the proposed numbers; (2) adhere to the protocol; (3) collect and transmit data in an accurate and timely fashion; and, (4) operate within the proposed organizational structure?

Specific to this FOA:

Do the Institutional environment and commitment convey support for sustaining stigma research at the Institution(s) in the LMIC(s)?

Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Specific to applications involving clinical trials

Is the study timeline described in detail, taking into account start-up activities, the anticipated rate of enrollment, and planned follow-up assessment? Is the projected timeline feasible and well justified? Does the project incorporate efficiencies and utilize existing resources (e.g., CTSAs, practice-based research networks, electronic medical records, administrative database, or patient registries) to increase the efficiency of participant enrollment and data collection, as appropriate?
Are potential challenges and corresponding solutions discussed (e.g., strategies that can be implemented in the event of enrollment shortfalls)?

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.

Not Applicable.

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Reviewers will assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or augment existing U.S. resources.

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

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the Center for Scientific Review, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications 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.

Applications will be assigned to the Fogarty International Center (FIC). Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the FIC Advisory Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

  • 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.
  • Geographic balance of projects.
  • Scientific topics for programmatic balance.

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.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

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 recipient's business official.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. 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.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain applicable clinical trials on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

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, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:

If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, religion, conscience, and sex. This includes ensuring programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html.

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. 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.

Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.

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 and 2 CFR Part 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

Not Applicable

3. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. NIH FOAs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 45 CFR Part 75.301 and 2 CFR Part 200.301.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients 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 the threshold. 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 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200, 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 and 2 CFR Part 200 Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

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 instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-637-3015

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Geetha P. Bansal, Ph.D.
Fogarty International Center
Telephone: 301-496-1492
Email:geetha.bansal@nih.gov

Richard A Jenkins
National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: 301-443-6504
E-mail: jenkinsri@mail.nih.gov

Sonia Lee, PhD
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-594-4783
Email: LeeSonia@mail.nih.gov

Gregory Greenwood, PhD, MPH
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 240-669-5532
Email: gregory.greenwood@nih.gov

Geraldina Dominguez, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-781-3291
Email: domingug@mail.nih.gov
Peer Review Contact(s)

Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

Email: FOAReviewContact@csr.nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Mollie Shea
Fogarty International Center
Telephone: 301-451-6830
Email:mshea@mail.nih.gov

Pamela G Fleming
National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: 301-480-1159
E-mail: pfleming@mail.nih.gov

Margaret Young
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-642-4552
Email: margaret.young@nih.gov

Rita Sisco
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-2805
Email: siscor@mail.nih.gov

Shane Woodward
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6303
Email: woodwars@mail.nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Authority and Regulations

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200.


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