and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
Department of Health and Human Services
Participating Organizations
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)
Components of Participating Organizations
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
(http://www.niaaa.nih.gov)
Title: Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA)(U01
and U24)
Announcement Type
New
Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:
Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AA-10-006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s)
93.273
Key Dates
Release Date: November 19, 2009
Letters
of Intent Receipt Date: January 2, 2010
Application Receipt Date: February 2, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): April-May, 2010
Council Review Date: August 2010
Earliest
Anticipated Start Date: September 1, 2010
Additional Information To Be Available Date (Url
Activation Date):
Expiration Date: February 3, 2010
Due Dates
for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable
Additional
Overview Content
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
Part
I Overview Information
Part
II Full Text of Announcement
Section
I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives
Section
II. Award Information
1. Mechanism(s) of Support
2. Funds Available
Section
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2.Cost Sharing or Matching
3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria
Section
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates and Times
A. Receipt, Review and
Anticipated Start Dates
1. Letter of
Intent
B. Sending an Application to
the NIH
C. Application Processing
D. Application Assignment
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements
Section
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
A. Additional Review Criteria
B. Additional Review
Considerations
C. Resource Sharing Plan(s)
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Section
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
A. Cooperative Agreement
Terms and Conditions of Award
1. Principal
Investigator Rights and Responsibilities
2. NIH
Responsibilities
3.
Collaborative Responsibilities
4. Arbitration
Process
3. Reporting
Section
VII. Agency Contact(s)
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/ Grants Management Contact(s)
Section
VIII. Other Information - Required Federal Citations
Part II
- Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives
Purpose
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) invites applications for a Consortium for the Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA). This initiative will support a consortium of highly integrated multidisciplinary research efforts across different research institutions to elucidate persistent changes in complex brain function-behavior relationships following adolescent alcohol exposure. This initiative is limited to animal studies only.
Background
Adolescent alcohol abuse is common, with hazardous drinking peaking among Americans at ages 19 to 25. Studies of several thousands of U.S. adolescents indicate that drinking greatly increases the lifelong risk of alcohol use disorder due to dysfunctional decision making secondary to poor cognitive function. Brain development during adolescence undergoes unique growth and remodeling that focuses responses and improves cognitive efficiency through changes in neurogenesis, synaptic remodeling, neurotransmitters, as well as major changes in hormones. Recent studies indicate that morphological changes in brain development during adolescence contribute to global intelligence (IQ), executive functions, including refinement of reasoning, goal and priority setting, attention-impulse control information processing efficiency, control over violence and responses to rewards. Adolescents have a unique neurobiology that has only recently been appreciated. Many phobias, compulsive and psychotic disorders start between 10-25 years of age, as do alcohol abuse disorders, underscoring the need for a more thorough understanding of the long-term neurobehavioral consequences of alcohol exposure during this period of brain maturation. During adolescence, high levels of neuroplasticity allow optimization of brain function through adaptation to training and other experiences. Critical periods of cortical development are defined by adaptive changes that can induce persistent changes in brain structure and function. Studies have found that adolescents have unique responses to alcohol, but few studies have investigated the consequences of repeated drinking during adolescence on brain maturation or adult abilities. Recent data suggest that adolescent development, like fetal development, may be uniquely susceptible to the detrimental neurobehavioral consequences of alcohol exposure. Determination of the long-term effects of alcohol exposure during adolescence on subsequent brain function and behavior is a high research priority for NIAAA.
Objective
Alcohol consumption during adolescence is highly prevalent, and yet very little is known about the possible long lasting consequences of drinking during this period of brain maturation. Among U.S. middle and high school students, 12% of 8th graders (13-14 years of age), 22% of 10th graders and 28% of 12th grade seniors reported heavy episodic drinking within the past 2 weeks. Binge drinking, defined as 5 drinks for males and 4 for females per drinking occasion, progressively increases with age from the early teens to early twenties. Among college students, 44% binge drink every two weeks and 19% are frequent binge drinkers, having more than 3 binge drinking episodes per week. The prevalence of past-year alcohol dependence is over 12% in 18-20 year olds. Further, adolescent drinking onset is associated with elevated risk for lifetime alcohol dependence. Although adolescent drinking is extreme and common, what is unknown is if the likelihood of alcohol-induced brain damage is higher during adolescence or if alcohol alters the trajectory of brain development in ways that would compromise subsequent cognitive or affective function. Attention deficit disorder, anti-social personality disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety and mood disorders also appear during adolescence. Some studies suggest that early drinking disrupts the normal course of social and intellectual development leading to an increased risk for a number of social and psychological pathologies including drug addictions. An alternate hypothesis suggests that drug addictions and psychopathology reflect an underlying condition. It is essential to better understand the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain, adolescent brain development, and subsequent neurological and cognitive function.
Basic studies have shown that the adolescent brain is undergoing significant molecular, cellular, physiological and morphological remodeling of brain regions that regulate emotional as well as analytical and executive functions including impulse inhibition. These brain development changes are associated with adolescent acquisition of adult cognitive and emotional repertoires. The emergence of impulse control and other executive functions appear to track the development of frontal cortex. Several behavioral abnormalities in fetal alcohol syndrome, early onset schizophrenia and genetic developmental disorders indicate a relationship between brain structural changes during development and cognitive and behavioral changes. Studies have shown that certain cortical regions of the human brain continue to mature up to age 30, with morphological changes in some regions during adolescence related to intellectual ability. Brain imaging studies in human adolescents have suggested deficits in binge drinkers, although human studies are complicated by variations in family environment, diet, exercise, pubertal stage of development and other factors that diversify adolescence. Although it is difficult to determine in studies of human adolescents, it is essential to distinguish alcohol induced dysfunction from other developmental changes. Animal studies have recently indicated that adolescent development has considerable commonality across species. However, despite these advances, there are still substantial gaps in our understanding of whether heavy adolescent drinking interferes with normal brain development at the cellular and molecular level, and if so, how these changes may translate into patterns of brain connectivity that result in the emergence of alcohol use disorders Thus, it is important to create an opportunity to directly address questions regarding persistent changes in complex brain function-behavior relationships following adolescent alcohol exposure.
NIAAA recognizes the innovation, synergy, and conceptual advances that arise from interactions across scientific disciplines, methodologies, and levels of analysis. It is anticipated that with the incorporation of groups of scientists into a research consortium focused on the persistent brain and behavioral functional changes following adolescent alcohol exposure and the neurobiology underlying these changes, much knowledge will be generated and integrated from different levels of analysis using state-of-the-art techniques at each level. This initiative would foster such integration and significantly speed up the translation of such critical information to the human condition.
Areas of research appropriate to this announcement include, but are not limited to:
Organization
The following structure of NADIA is envisioned. This initiative is limited to animal studies only. The NADIA Consortium will consist of a cluster of integrated cooperative agreement research applications (U01s) and distributed core facilities (U24s), if necessary, and will be led by a Consortium Coordinator (CC). A highly integrated multidisciplinary research consortium will thus be formed from groups of investigators (within and across institutions) whose scientific and technical expertise will enable them to interactively study the effects of ethanol on the developing brain and its long term consequences into adulthood from the molecular through the cellular, neural network and behavioral level. The approaches used will reflect the blend of experience and creativity of the NADIA components and will be originated by these investigators. Through formation of NADIA, the integrated research project component groups will have access through the administrative core facility to resources, information, technologies, ideas, and expertise that are beyond the scope of any single research team.
The Consortium Coordinator or lead Principal Investigator is the scientist who assembles the integrated and collaborative research consortium and is responsible for submission of the cluster of applications in response to this FOA and for performance of the project. The consortium coordinator must be recognized in the area of alcohol research, especially in one of the three interactive research areas or domains of NADIA described below. Because a substantial level of effort will be necessary to manage a project of this magnitude, the Consortium Coordinator is expected to make a major commitment to directing, managing and executing the goals and collaborative nature of this project.
The Consortium Coordinator’s application will be the lead application of the consortium and should include the Administrative Coordinating Core, together with the Administrative Management Plan, Plan for Data Sharing and Intellectual Property. This lead application should discuss the theme and goals of the consortium and should include a scientific rationale for the various research project components and resource core applications (if any) that make up the consortium. It should further describe the benefits of the proposed integration between projects and how the individual applications complement each other to enhance the scientific goals of the consortium. The lead application should also include a composite budget of the whole consortium in addition to its own individual budget. It is acceptable for the Consortium Coordinator to submit a research project component or a resource core application in addition to the lead application. While each application (U01 or U24) will originate from the principal investigator(s) research institution and awards will be made to individual institutions, it is the responsibility of the consortium coordinator to submit the cluster of applications of the consortium together with the appropriate cover letter as one package (See Application Procedures and Application Submission Section).
OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE INTEGRATED AND COLLABORATIVE PROJECT NADIA
Administrative and Project Management Plans:
The Consortium Coordinator’s lead application must include an Administrative Management Plan that outlines the policies and procedures for access of participating investigators to the collaborative project resources. The application should address the flow of information within the project, the integration among individual projects and plans for how the information will be integrated into the solution of the overall scientific theme or question being addressed. The application must include a Project Management Plan, including an ongoing evaluation plan, to ensure consistent forward progress of the project. The plan should also include proposed methods for information dissemination both within the collaborative project and to the scientific community. Furthermore, the application will include a mechanism to consider and respond to concerns of the scientific community directly affected by the operation and impact of the project. A discussion of scientific community views will be part of the agenda for annual meetings of the Steering Committee with the Scientific Advisory Panel.
In addition to the integration among the individual projects justified in the lead application, each individual U01 or U24 application should have a paragraph in the Approach Section stating their individual interactions with various other projects of the consortium.
Plan for Data Sharing and Intellectual Property:
NIH requires applicants who respond to this FOA to develop and propose specific plans for sharing the data and materials generated through the large-scale collaborative project. This requirement addresses the interests of the Government in the availability of, and access to, the results of publicly funded research. The initial review group will comment on the proposed plans. In addition, as one of the criteria for award, NIAAA staff will also consider the adequacy of the plans. Because dissemination is a critical and important aspect of this FOA, the proposed sharing and data release plans, after negotiation with the applicant when necessary, will be made a condition of the award. The members of the consortium should disclose to the Steering Committee their ties to profit-making organizations to aid the project in avoiding conflict of interest situations. Applicants are also reminded that the grantee institution is required to disclose each subject invention to NIAAA within two months after the inventor discloses it in writing to grantee institution personnel responsible for patent matters.
The Role of NIAAA
The NIAAA staff role in these cooperative agreements will extend the level normally required for stewardships of a grant because of the need for coordination across sites. An NIAAA Program Official will be assigned to effect management decisions required during the course of the project. In addition, an NIAAA Project Collaborator(s) will have substantial scientific input, in collaboration with award recipients, in both the planning and conduct of the study. The primary purpose of participation by the Project Collaborator(s) is to facilitate the coordination necessary to perform this complex collaborative project. The NIAAA Project Collaborator(s) will participate in monitoring the progress of the ongoing study, perform quality control, data analysis, and interpretation, and possibly assist in the preparation of publications. To assist in fostering the collaborative nature of this project and to monitor its progress, NIAAA will sponsor an annual meeting at which each site will present the major findings of its activities and plan collaborative efforts to analyze, interpret and disseminate findings based on the common items included across sites. Applicants should include cost for this meeting in their budgets.
See Section
VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations, for policies
related to this announcement.
Section
II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
This funding
opportunity will use the U01 and U24 award mechanism(s).
The Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.
This FOA uses Just-in-Time information concepts. It also uses non-modular budget formats described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html).
This funding opportunity will use a cooperative agreement award mechanism. In the cooperative agreement mechanism, the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) retains the primary responsibility and dominant role for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project, with NIH staff being substantially involved as a partner with the Principal Investigator, as described under the Section VI. 2. Administrative Requirements, "Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award". There is intention to continue this consortium beyond 5 years subject to progress and availability of funds. A subsequent FOA will be re-issued for such a continuation.
2. Funds Available
The estimated amount of funds available for support of one consortium awarded as a result of this announcement is $4 million for fiscal year 2010. Future year amounts will depend on annual appropriations.
Because the nature
and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application,
it is anticipated that the size and duration of each U01 and U24 award will
also vary. Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide support for this
program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the
availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious
applications.
Facilities and
administrative costs requested by consortium participants are not included in
the direct cost limitation, see NOT-OD-05-004.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
The following organizations/institutions are eligible to apply:
1.B. Eligible Individuals
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the PD/PI is invited to work with his/her institution 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.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
This
program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy
Statement.
3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria
Number of
Applications. Applicants may submit more than one application, provided they are
scientifically distinct.
Resubmissions. Resubmission applications are not permitted in response to this FOA.
Renewals. Renewal applications are not permitted in response to this FOA.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to
Request Application Information
The current PHS 398
application instructions are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format.
Applicants must use the currently approved version of the PHS 398. For further
assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: [email protected].
Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY
301-451-5936.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Applications must be
prepared using the current PHS 398 research grant application instructions and
forms. Applications must have a D&B Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
number as the universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or
cooperative agreements. The D&B number can be obtained by calling (866)
705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dnb.com/us/. The D&B number should
be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form.
The title and
number of this funding opportunity must be typed in item (box) 2 only of the
face page of the application form and the YES box must be checked.
3. Submission Dates and Times
Applications must be
received on or before the receipt date described below (Section
IV.3.A). Submission times N/A.
3.A. Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates
Letters
of Intent Receipt Date: January
2, 2010
Application Receipt
Date: February 2, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): April-May 2010
Council Review Date: August 2010.
Earliest
Anticipated Start Date:September 1, 2010
3.A.1.
Letter of Intent
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
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.
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed
in Section IV.3.A.
The
letter of intent should be sent to:
Ranga V Srinivas, Ph.D.
Chief, Extramural Project Review Branch
Office of Extramural Activities
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
5635 Fishers Lane,
Room 2085
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 451 2067
FAX: (301) 443-6077
Email: [email protected]
3.B.
Sending an Application to the NIH
Applications must be
prepared using the forms found in the PHS 398 instructions for preparing a
research grant application. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the
application, including the checklist, and three signed photocopies in one package to:
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710 (U.S. Postal Service Express
or regular mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service;
non-USPS service)
Personal
deliveries of applications are no longer permitted (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-040.html).
At
the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and all
copies of the appendix material must be sent to:
Ranga V Srinivas, Ph.D.
Chief, Extramural Project Review Branch
Office of Extramural Activities
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
5635 Fishers Lane,
Room 2085
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 451 2067
FAX: (301) 443-6077
Email: [email protected]
3.C. Application
Processing
Applications must be received
on or before the application receipt date) described above (Section
IV.3.A.). If
an application is received after that date, the application may be delayed in
the review process or not reviewed. Upon receipt, applications will be
evaluated for completeness by the CSR and for responsiveness by the reviewing
Institute. Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications will not be reviewed.
The NIH will not accept any application in response to this funding opportunity that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. However, when a previously unfunded application, originally submitted as an investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to a funding opportunity, it is to be prepared as a NEW application. That is, the application for the funding opportunity must not include an Introduction describing the changes and improvements made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes from the previous unfunded version of the application.
Information on the status of an application should be checked by the Principal Investigator in the eRA Commons at: https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/.
4. Intergovernmental Review
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental
review.
5. Funding Restrictions
ll NIH awards are
subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations
described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The Grants Policy Statement can
be found at NIH Grants Policy
Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable. A grantee may, at its
own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations and expenditures to
cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget
period of a new award if such costs: 1) are necessary to conduct the project,
and 2) would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior
approval. If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the
grantee must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval
is required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning
date of the initial budget period of a new award.
The incurrence
of pre-award costs in anticipation of a competing or non-competing award
imposes no obligation on NIH either to make the award or to increase the amount
of the approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated
and is inadequate to cover the pre-award costs incurred. NIH expects the
grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs result in borrowing against
future support and that such borrowing must not impair the grantee's ability to
accomplish the project objectives in the approved time frame or in any way
adversely affect the conduct of the project (see NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part6.htm.)
6. Other Submission Requirements
Application Research Strategy Length. For both U01 and U24 mechanisms, this FOA, follows guidance on new application structure and length established by NOT-OD-09-149. The application’s Research Strategy section of the PHS398 (Items 3-5; now known as the Research Strategy section) may not exceed 12 pages (see NOT-OD-09-149 for guidance), including tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts. The new Research Strategy section will be subdivided into three parts: Significance; Innovation; and Approach.
For cooperative agreements, awardees must agree to the "Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award" in Section VI.2.A "Award Administration Information".
Administrative and Project Management Plans: The Consortium Coordinator must include an Administrative Management Plan that outlines the policies and procedures for access of participating investigators to the collaborative project resources. The application should address the flow of information within the project, the integration among individual projects and plans for how the information will be integrated into the solution of the overall scientific theme or question being addressed. The application must include a Project Management Plan, including an ongoing evaluation plan, to ensure consistent forward progress of the project. The plan should also include proposed methods for information dissemination both within the collaborative project and to the scientific community. Furthermore, the application will include a mechanism to consider and respond to concerns of the scientific community directly affected by the operation and impact of the project. A discussion of scientific community views will be part of the agenda for annual meetings of the Steering Committee with the Scientific Advisory Panel.
In addition to the integration among the individual projects justified in the lead application, each individual U01 or U24 application should have a paragraph in the Approach Section stating their individual interactions with various other projects of the consortium.
Appendix Materials
All paper PHS 398 applications submitted must provide appendix material on CDs only. Include five identical CDs in the same package with the application. See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-031.html.
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent the page limitations. An application that does not observe the required page limitations may be delayed in the review process.
Resource Sharing Plan(s)NIH considers the sharing of unique research resources developed through NIH-sponsored research an important means to enhance the value of, and advance research. When resources have been developed with NIH funds and the associated research findings published or provided to NIH, it is important that they be made readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community. If the final data/resources are not amenable to sharing, this must be explained in Resource Sharing section of the application. See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_faqs.htm.
(a) Data Sharing Plan: Regardless of the amount requested, investigators are expected to include a brief 1-paragraph description of how final research data will be shared, or explain why data-sharing is not possible. Applicants are encouraged to discuss data-sharing plans with their NIH program contact. See Data-Sharing Policy or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html.
(b) Sharing Model Organisms: Regardless of the amount requested, all applications where the development of model organisms is anticipated are expected to include a description of a specific plan for sharing and distributing unique model organisms and related resources, or state appropriate reasons why such sharing is restricted or not possible. See Sharing Model Organisms Policy, and NIH Guide NOT-OD-04-042.
(c) Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS): Regardless of the amount requested, applicants seeking funding for a genome-wide association study are expected to provide a plan for submission of GWAS data to the NIH-designated GWAS data repository, or provide an appropriate explanation why submission to the repository is not possible. A genome-wide association study is defined as any study of genetic variation across the entire genome that is designed to identify genetic associations with observable traits (such as blood pressure or weight) or the presence or absence of a disease or condition. For further information see Policy for Sharing of Data Obtained in NIH Supported or Conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies, NIH Guide NOT-OD-07-088, and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/gwas/.
NIH requires applicants who respond to this FOA to develop and propose specific plans for sharing the data and materials generated through the large-scale collaborative project. This requirement addresses the interests of the Government in the availability of, and access to, the results of publicly funded research. The initial review group will comment on the proposed plans. In addition, as one of the criteria for award, NIAAA staff will also consider the adequacy of the plans. Because dissemination is a critical and important aspect of this FOA, the proposed sharing and data release plans, after negotiation with the applicant when necessary, will be made a condition of the award. The members of the consortium should disclose to the Steering Committee their ties to profit-making organizations to aid the project in avoiding conflict of interest situations. Applicants are also reminded that the grantee institution is required to disclose each subject invention to NIAAA within two months after the inventor discloses it in writing to grantee institution personnel responsible for patent matters.
Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Only the review
criteria described below will be considered in the review process.
2. Review and Selection Process
Review
Process
Applications that are complete and responsive to the FOA will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by NIAAA and in accordance with NIH peer review procedures (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/peer/), using the review criteria stated below.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will:
The mission of the NIH is to support science in pursuit of knowledge about the biology and behavior of living systems and to apply that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. As part of this mission, applications submitted to the NIH for grants or cooperative agreements to support biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
Overall Impact. Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority 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 five core review criteria, and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Core Review Criteria. Reviewers will consider each of the five review criteria below in the determination of scientific and technical 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.
Significance. Does this interactive multiproject address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? 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? Does this interactive multidisciplinary consortium project address a problem of overarching significance to biomedical science that would be difficult to address by separate grants?
Investigator(s). Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, 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, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project? Is the Consortium Coordinator well suited to the scientific and administrative leadership required to carry out this work? Is the level of effort proposed for the Consortium Coordinator appropriate?
Innovation. 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? Will the multidisciplinary consortium attack a problem in a significantly new way?
Approach. Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses
well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the
project? 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?
If the project involves clinical research, are the plans for 1) protection of
human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members
of both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms
of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed? Is the project
management plan in the consortium adequate? Is the administrative framework
appropriate? Do milestones articulate key indicators set for appropriate times
that will demonstrate significant forward progress for the consortium project?
Are the plans to monitor and evaluate progress of the consortium project
adequate? Are the plans to share the data and findings within the consortium
adequate?
Environment. 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? Are the requested core facilities critical to achieving the scientific goals of the multidisciplinary consortium, are they cost effective? Is access to the core facilities appropriate?
Additional Review Criteria
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider the following additional items in the determination of scientific and technical merit, but will not give separate scores for these items.
Protections for Human Subjects. For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six 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 six 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.
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children. When the proposed project involves clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for inclusion of minorities and members of both genders, as well as the inclusion of children.
Vertebrate Animals. The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia.
Biohazards. 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.
Additional Review Considerations
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will address each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.
Budget and Period Support. Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Select Agents Research. 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).
Resource Sharing Plans. 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 (http://grants.nih/gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_guidance.htm); 2) Sharing Model Organisms (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-04-042.html); and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-088.html).
Selection Process
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award
Dates
Not Applicable
Section
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
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.
If the application is under consideration for funding,
NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant. For
details, applicants may refer to the NIH Grants Policy
Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General.
A
formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be
provided to the applicant organization. The NoA signed by the grants management
officer is the authorizing document. Once all administrative and programmatic
issues have been resolved, the NoA will be generated via email notification
from the awarding component to the grantee business official.
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. See Also Section
IV.5. Funding Restrictions.
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 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part4.htm) and Part II Terms and
Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific
Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_part9.htm).
The following
Terms and Conditions will be incorporated into the award statement and will be
provided to the Principal Investigator as well as to the appropriate
institutional official, at the time of award.
2.A. Cooperative Agreement Terms
and Conditions of Award
The following special
terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable OMB
administrative guidelines, HHS grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Parts
74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local Governments are eligible
to apply), and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.
The administrative and
funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement an
"assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition"
mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the awardees
is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative
agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients'
activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award
recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime
responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this
concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardees
for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be
shared among the awardees and the NIH as defined below.
2.
A.1. Principal Investigator Rights and Responsibilities
Consortium Coordinator’s (PD/PI s) Responsibilities
The Consortium Coordinator (Project Director/Principal Investigator) will have the primary responsibility for coordinating project activities scientifically and administratively at the awardee institution. The Consortium Coordinator will have the overall responsibility for the scientific and technical direction and the administration and overall operation of the consortium. To assist the Consortium Coordinator wiith the governing of the project, a Steering Committee will be established from among the participating investigators and NIAAA staff. The Consortium Coordinator will chair the Steering Committee. As for all participating PD/PIs, they must abide by the operating rules and guidelines developed by the Steering Committee. The Consortium Coordinator will agree to accept participation of NIAAA staff in those aspects of management of the project described under "NIH Staff Responsibilities." The Consortium Coordinator will also ensure the timely dissemination of information generated by the consortium component projects to both the consortium project members and the scientific public.
Participating PD/PI Responsibilities:
In addition to the Consortium Coordinator, there are PD/PIs of individual research project components and core facilities of the consortium. Each research project component will include a team of investigators who will contribute to and benefit from participation in the consortium. The PD/PIs of these individual component (U01/U24) grants of the consortium will be referred to collectively as participating investigators. They will receive separate awards and have control over their own operating budgets. The PD/PI of the individual research project award will be responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the project, as well as for following consortium policies and rules. Participating PD/PIs must also agree to abide by the policies and rules set up for the collaborative research consortium.
Awardees
will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software
developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent
with current HHS, PHS, and NIH policies.
2.
A.2. NIH Responsibilities
An NIAAA Project Collaborator will have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards. The NIAAA Project Collaborator will not attend peer review meetings of applications. If such participation is essential, this individual will seek NIAAA waiver. An NIAAA Program Official will handle the normal stewardship of the award, as described below.
NIAAA Staff Responsibilities
The two NIAAA Project Collaborators will have substantial scientific-programmatic involvement during conduct of this activity, through technical assistance, advice and coordination above and beyond normal program stewardship for grants, as described below. The dominant role and prime responsibility for the activity resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities in carrying out the studies will be shared among the awardees, the NIAAA Program Official, and the NIAAA Project Collaborators.
The two NIAAA Project Collaborators will have voting membership (one combined vote) on the Steering Committee and, as determined by that committee, its subcommittees.The NIAAA Project Collaborators will coordinate and facilitate the NADIA Consortium programs, will attend and participate as a voting member in all meetings of the NADIA Steering Committee, and will provide liaison between the Steering Committee, the NADIA Consortium, and the NIAAA.
The NIAAA Project Collaborators will assist the Steering Committee in developing and drafting operating policies and policies for dealing with recurring situations that require coordinated action.
The NIAAA Program Official will review the scientific progress of individual components, and review them for compliance with the operating policies developed by the Steering Committee, and may recommend withholding of support, suspension, or termination of an award for lack of scientific progress or failure to adhere to policies established by the Steering Committee.
The NIAAA Program Official will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice.
2.A.3. Collaborative Responsibilities
Scientific Advisory Panel
The NADIA project will include an external Scientific Advisory Panel whose purpose is to meet annually with the Consortium Coordinator and the Steering Committee to assess progress and provide feedback to the NADIA investigators and NIAAA on proposed goals for the next year of support. The members will be designated by the NIAAA in consultation with the Steering Committee, after the award has been made, and will be drawn from research scientists not
involved in the project. The NIAAA Project Collaborators will attend the meeting of the Scientific Advisory Panel as members of the Steering Committee, but will not be members of the Scientific Advisory Panel. The Scientific Advisory Panel will meet at least once a year immediately prior to the submission of the annual progress report.
Steering Committee
The NIAAA Project Collaborators and the awardees that comprise the NADIA will be responsible for forming a Steering Committee as defined below. The Steering Committee will be the main governing board of the NADIA. It will develop collaborative protocols, and function to set priorities, identify technological impediments to success and strategies to overcome them, and decide when resources should be made available to the research community for individual investigator-initiated projects.
The Steering Committee will be composed of the Consortium Coordinator, the PD/PIs of the research project components and core facilities, and the NIAAA Project Collaborators. The members of the Steering Committee will each have one vote, but the NIAAA Project Collaborators will have one combined vote. The Chairperson of the Steering Committee will be the Consortium Coordinator. NIAAA reserves the right to appoint additional members of NIAAA staff as nonvoting members of the NADIA Steering Committee and subcommittees.
The Steering Committee may, when deemed necessary, invite additional, non-voting scientific advisors to the meetings at which research priorities and opportunities are discussed. NIAAA reserves the right to augment the scientific or consumer expertise of the NADIA Steering Committee when necessary.
There will be two Steering Committee meetings initially (during the first two years of support), one in the Washington, D.C. area, and the other at a time and site agreed upon by the Steering Committee and the NIAAA. In years 3-5, the Steering Committee will meet once a year. The first meeting of NADIA will be a Planning Meeting, which will take place in the Washington, D.C. area
very shortly after award of the grants. At the Planning Meeting, the Committee will: a) determine the size of the Steering Committee based on the representation of individual research project and resource core awardees on the Steering Committee, b) draft a charter, the purpose of which is to define the administrative policies and procedures for oversight of the project, the process for monitoring compliance with those policies and procedures, and the process for recommending that the NIAAA act on evidence of non-compliance of any consortium component with Steering Committee policies, c) agree upon the terms of the charter, d) discuss approaches that were proposed in the individual component and core applications, any relevant new information, and set initial priorities, including new technologies to be developed. At subsequent meetings, the Steering Committee will refine the scientific objectives and characterization and validation strategies of NADIA, as necessary, consistent with progress in the NADIA consortium components.
The Steering Committee will plan one or more workshops a year to which non-NADIA participants will also be invited to enable the NADIA Consortium to explore scientific or technologic innovation that occurs during the course of the project. For the second and subsequent years of operation of the NADIA Consortium, the Steering Committee will plan a symposium to inform the research community of the progress made in different research areas. The NIAAA Program Official and other NIAAA staff will provide the Steering Committee with advice on participants for the workshops and symposia, and manage the logistics for these meetings.
The Steering Committee may establish subcommittees as it deems appropriate. The NIAAA Program Official and the other NIAAA/NIH staff who are Steering Committee members may serve on subcommittees.
Each
Steering Committee member will have one vote (with the NIAAA having one
combined vote). Awardee members of the Steering Committee will be required to
accept and implement policies approved by the Steering Committee.
2.A.4.
Arbitration Process
Any disagreements that
may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award)
between award recipients and the NIH may be brought to arbitration. An
Arbitration Panel composed of three members will be convened. It will have
three members: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff
voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant
area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement,
the first member may be chosen by the individual awardee. This special
arbitration procedure in no way affects the awardee's right to appeal an
adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulations
42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and HHS regulations 45 CFR Part 16.
3. Reporting
Awardees will be
required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS
2590) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
A final progress report, invention statement, and Financial Status Report are required when an award is relinquished when a recipient changes institutions or when an award is terminated.
We
encourage your inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the
opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall
into three areas: scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants
management issues:
1. Scientific/Research Contacts:
Antonio
Noronha, Ph.D.
Director,
Division of Neuroscience and Behavior
National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
5635
Fishers Lane, Room 2061 MSC 9304
Bethesda,
MD 20892-9304 (for USPS mail)
Rockville,
MD 20852 (for courier/overnight mail services
Telephone:
(301) 443-7722
FAX:
(301) 443-1650
Email:
[email protected]
Ellen Witt, Ph.D.
Deputy
Director, Division of Neuroscience and Behavior
National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
5635
Fishers Lane, Room 2055 MSC 9304
Bethesda,
MD 20892-9304 (for USPS mail)
Rockville,
MD 20852 (for courier/overnight mail services
Telephone:
(301) 443-6545
FAX:
(301) 443-1650
Email:
[email protected]
2. Peer Review Contacts:
Abraham
Bautista, Ph.D.
Director,
Office of Extramural Activities
National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
5635
Fishers Lane,
Room 2089
Rockville, MD 20892
Telephone:
(301) 443-9737
FAX: (301)
443-6077
Email:
[email protected]
3. Financial or Grants Management Contacts:
Judy
Fox
Chief,
Grants Management Branch
National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
5635
Fishers Lane, Room 3023, MSC 9304
Bethesda,
MD 20892-9304
Rockville, MD 20852 (for Express Mail)
Telephone:
(301) 443-4704
FAX:
301-443-3891
Email: [email protected]
Section VIII. Other Information
Required Federal Citations
Use of Animals in
Research:
Recipients of
PHS support for activities involving live, vertebrate animals must comply with
PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf) as mandated by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm), and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm) as applicable.
Human Subjects Protection:
Federal regulations (45CFR46) require that
applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with
reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against
these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and others,
and the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained (http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm).
Data and Safety Monitoring Plan:
Data and safety monitoring is required for all types
of clinical trials, including physiologic toxicity and dose-finding studies
(phase I); efficacy studies (Phase II); efficacy, effectiveness and comparative
trials (Phase III). Monitoring should be commensurate with risk. The
establishment of data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for
multi-site clinical trials involving interventions that entail potential risks
to the participants (NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide for
Grants and Contracts, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).
Sharing Research Data:
Investigators
submitting an NIH application seeking $500,000 or more in direct costs in any
single year are expected to include a plan for data sharing or state why this
is not possible (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing).
Investigators should seek guidance from their
institutions, on issues related to institutional policies and local IRB rules,
as well as local, State and Federal laws and regulations, including the Privacy
Rule.
Policy
for Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS):
NIH is interested in advancing genome-wide association
studies (GWAS) to identify common genetic factors that influence health and
disease through a centralized GWAS data repository. For the purposes of this
policy, a genome-wide association study is defined as any study of genetic
variation across the entire human genome that is designed to identify genetic
associations with observable traits (such as blood pressure or weight), or the
presence or absence of a disease or condition. All applications, regardless of
the amount requested, proposing a genome-wide association study are expected to
provide a plan for submission of GWAS data to the NIH-designated GWAS data
repository, or provide an appropriate explanation why submission to the repository
is not possible. Data repository management (submission and access) is governed
by the Policy for Sharing of Data Obtained in NIH Supported or Conducted
Genome-Wide Association Studies, NIH
Guide NOT-OD-07-088. For additional information,
see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/gwas/.
Access
to Research Data through the Freedom of Information Act:
The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to provide access
to research data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) under some
circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a project that is supported
in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by
a Federal agency in support of an action that has the force and effect of law
(i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. It is important for
applicants to understand the basic scope of this amendment. NIH has provided
guidance at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm. Applicants may wish to place data collected under this
funding opportunity in a public archive, which can provide protections for the
data and manage the distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the
application should include a description of the archiving plan in the study
design and include information about this in the budget justification section
of the application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure
informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the
potential for wider use of data collected under this award.
Sharing of Model
Organisms:
NIH is committed to
support efforts that encourage sharing of important research resources
including the sharing of model organisms for biomedical research (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/model_organism/index.htm). At the same time the NIH recognizes the rights of
grantees and contractors to elect and retain title to subject inventions
developed with Federal funding pursuant to the Bayh Dole Act (see the NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm). All investigators submitting an NIH application or
contract proposal, beginning with the October 1, 2004 receipt date, are
expected to include in the application/proposal a description of a specific
plan for sharing and distributing unique model organism research resources
generated using NIH funding or state why such sharing is restricted or not possible.
This will permit other researchers to benefit from the resources developed with
public funding. The inclusion of a model organism sharing plan is not subject
to a cost threshold in any year and is expected to be included in all
applications where the development of model organisms is anticipated.
Inclusion of Women
And Minorities in Clinical Research:
It is the policy of the
NIH that women and members of minority groups and their sub-populations must be
included in all NIH-supported clinical research projects unless a clear and
compelling justification is provided indicating that inclusion is inappropriate
with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This
policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public
Law 103-43). All investigators proposing clinical research should read the
"NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in
Clinical Research (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html); a complete copy of the
updated Guidelines is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm. The amended policy
incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical research; updated racial
and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB standards; clarification
of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials consistent with the
new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and responsibilities of NIH staff and the
extramural community. The policy continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase
III clinical trials that: a) all applications or proposals and/or protocols
must provide a description of plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to
address differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including
subgroups if applicable; and b) investigators must report annual accrual and
progress in conducting analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or
racial/ethnic group differences.
Inclusion of
Children as Participants in Clinical Research:
The NIH maintains a
policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) must be included
in all clinical research, conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are
scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.
All investigators
proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Policy
and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as participants in research
involving human subjects (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm).
Required Education
on the Protection of Human Subject Participants:
NIH policy requires
education on the protection of human subject participants for all investigators
submitting NIH applications for research involving human subjects and
individuals designated as key personnel. The policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
Human Embryonic Stem
Cells (hESC):
Criteria for federal
funding of research on hESCs can be found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-116.html. Only research using hESC lines that are registered in the
NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (http://escr.nih.gov).
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide in the project description
and elsewhere in the application as appropriate, the official NIH identifier(s)
for the hESC line(s) to be used in the proposed research.
NIH Public Access Policy Requirement:
In
accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html)
investigators must submit or have submitted for them their final, peer-reviewed
manuscripts that arise from NIH funds and are accepted for publication as of
April 7, 2008 to PubMed Central (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/), to be
made publicly available no later than 12 months after publication. As of May
27, 2008, investigators must include the PubMed Central reference number when
citing an article in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports that
fall under the policy, and was authored or co-authored by the investigator or
arose from the investigator’s NIH award. For more information, see the Public
Access webpage at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/.
Standards
for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information:
The Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued final modification to the
"Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health
Information", the "Privacy Rule", on August 14, 2002. The
Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection of individually
identifiable health information, and is administered and enforced by the DHHS
Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Decisions about applicability and implementation of
the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR
website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides information on the
Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text and a set of decision tools
on "Am I a covered entity?" Information on the impact of the HIPAA
Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review, funding, and progress
monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts can be
found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.
URLs in NIH
Grant Applications or Appendices:
All
applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within
specified page limitations. For publications listed in the appendix and/or
Progress report, internet addresses (URLs) must be used for publicly accessible on-line journal articles. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide
any other information necessary for the review because reviewers are
under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Furthermore, we caution
reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an
Internet site.
Healthy People
2010:
The Public
Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national
activity for setting priority areas. This FOA is related to one or more of the
priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People
2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
Authority and
Regulations:
This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372.
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 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the
terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in
the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH
Grants Policy Statement can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm.
The PHS strongly
encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and
discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227,
the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in
some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education,
library, day care, health care, or early childhood development services are
provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and
advance the physical and mental health of the American people.
Loan
Repayment Programs:
NIH encourages
applications for educational loan repayment from qualified health professionals
who have made a commitment to pursue a research career involving clinical,
pediatric, contraception, infertility, and health disparities related areas.
The LRP is an important component of NIH's efforts to recruit and retain the
next generation of researchers by providing the means for developing a research
career unfettered by the burden of student loan debt. Note that an NIH grant is
not required for eligibility and concurrent career award and LRP applications
are encouraged. The periods of career award and LRP award may overlap providing
the LRP recipient with the required commitment of time and effort, as LRP
awardees must commit at least 50% of their time (at least 20 hours per week
based on a 40 hour week) for two years to the research. For further
information, please see: http://www.lrp.nih.gov.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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