Full Text AG-97-001
 
MINORITY DISSERTATION RESEARCH GRANTS IN AGING
 
NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 28, August 16, 1996
 
RFA:  AG-97-001
 
P.T. 34, FF

Keywords: 
  Aging/Gerontology 
  Biomedical Research, Multidiscipl 

 
National Institute on Aging
 
Application Receipt Date:  December 10, 1996
 
PURPOSE
 
Small grants to support doctoral dissertation research will be
available for minority doctoral candidates.  Grant support is
designed to aid the research of new minority investigators and to
encourage minority individuals from a variety of academic disciplines
and programs to study problems in aging.
 
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000
 
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000,"
a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This Request
for Applications (RFA), Minority Dissertation Research Grants in
Aging, is related to several priority areas applicable to aging.
Potential candidates for the awards may obtain a copy of "Healthy
People 2000" (Full Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary
Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325
(telephone 202-512-1800).
 
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
For the purpose of this RFA, underrepresented minority students and
investigators are defined as individuals belonging to a particular
ethnic or racial group that has been determined by the grantee
institution to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral
research.  Awards will be limited to citizens or non-citizen
nationals of the United States or to individuals who have been
lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of an
Alien Registration Receipt Card) at the time of award.  In awarding
grants for dissertation support, the National Institute on Aging
(NIA) will give priority to projects involving African American
(Black), Hispanic American, Native American and Alaskan Natives, and
Pacific Islander or other ethnic or racial group members who have
been found to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral
research nationally.
 
The doctoral candidate must have a dissertation topic approved by the
named committee.  This information must be verified in a letter of
certification from the thesis chairperson and submitted with the
grant application (see APPLICATION PROCEDURES).  Research topics must
be on aging-related issues and fit within one or more of the areas
described below for each individual program (see RESEARCH
OBJECTIVES).
 
The applicant organization must be a domestic institution supporting
doctoral level training, such as a university or college.  The
performance site may be foreign or domestic.
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
The mechanism of support is the NIH small grant (R03).  Grants may be
made for up to two years.  Grants to support dissertation research
will provide no more than $30,000 in total direct costs, and no more
than $25,000 in direct costs in any one year.
 
FUNDS AVAILABLE
 
The NIA anticipates funding between 10 and 12 grants with a total
cost of up to $300,000.  These grants are not eligible for
competitive renewal.
 
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
This research initiative is to provide minority students assistance
to complete their dissertation research on an aging-related topic and
thereby increase the pool of minority researchers in aging.  The
description of the four extramural programs below is provided to help
potential applicants determine whether their topic may be appropriate
for this initiative.  Questions on the relevance of a particular
topic can be addressed to the program contact listed under INQUIRIES.
 
Biology of Aging Program
 
This program supports studies that focus on diseases associated with
increasing age and the basic mechanisms involved in aging processes.
The overall objectives of the program are related to understanding
normal functions and alterations in them that can be induced by
interaction with the environment and disease processes as aging
proceeds.  The program interests are in molecular and cellular
biology, genetics, immunology, basic nutrition, and endocrinology.
 
Behavioral and Social Research Program
 
This program supports research on social and psychological aging
processes and the place of older people in society and its social
institutions.  The emphasis is on promoting health, effective
functioning, productivity, and independence throughout the middle and
later years.  Areas of special interest include health and behavior;
cognitive functioning; long term care; work, retirement and
productivity; family and intergenerational relationships; aging
demographics; aging among minorities, women, oldest old, and rural
populations and the aging of adults who are retarded.
 
Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program
 
This program supports research on the structure and function of the
aging nervous system and the behavioral manifestations of the aging
brain.  Areas of special interest include age-related changes in the
nervous system, especially as these affect sensory processes,
learning, cognition, memory and sleep.  The study of Alzheimer's
disease and other disorders associated with the aging nervous system,
including the causes, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment and
management of such disorders is of special interest.
 
Geriatrics Program
 
This program supports research on clinical issues and problems that
occur predominantly among middle-aged and older persons or that are
associated with increased morbidity and mortality in older people.
Areas of interest include cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases,
infectious diseases, osteoporosis, digestive diseases,
rehabilitation, menopause and physical function and performance in
older persons.
 
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
 
Additional Material. In addition to the completed PHS 398 form
described under APPLICATION PROCEDURES, applicants must also submit:
 
o  A letter from the faculty committee or university official
directly responsible for supervising the development and progress of
the dissertation research.  The letter must be countersigned by a
representative of the graduate school of the sponsoring institution.
The letter must:  (a) fully identify the members of the committee and
certify their approval of the dissertation topic, (b) certify that
the candidate is a member of an ethnic minority group
underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral science (see ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS) (c) certify that the author of the letter has read the
application and that it reflects the work to be completed in the
dissertation, and (d) note that the university official or faculty
committee expects the doctoral candidate to proceed with the approved
project proposal with or without NIA support.
 
o  A transcript of the investigator's graduate school record
 
o  Biography of mentor, limited to 2 pages (use the Biographical
Sketch page in form PHS 398)
 
o  Statement of the investigator's career goals to be placed under
"Background" (see the Research Plan instructions in PHS 398)
 
Although not required, identification of the investigator's
particular minority group would be helpful so that NIA may continue
to monitor and improve the effectiveness of this program.
 
Grant Conditions.  The following conditions apply to dissertation
grants:
 
o  The doctoral candidate must be the designated Principal
Investigator on the grant and the doctoral candidate must be the only
individual on the grant for whom salary support is requested.
 
o  The principal investigator's salary may not exceed $12,000 per
twelve months.
 
o  Work on the funded project must be initiated within three months
after the date of the award.
 
o  An awardee may be invited to participate in a meeting or
presentation with other NIA dissertation awardees.
 
o  The dissertation constitutes the final report of the grant. Two
copies of the dissertation must be submitted.  The dissertation must
be officially accepted by the faculty committee or university
official responsible for the candidate's dissertation and must be
signed by the responsible officials.
 
o  Investigators may request support for up to 24 months.  An
application that requests support beyond this time will be returned.
 
o  Grantees who are approved for two years of support must submit a
satisfactory progress report no later than 10 months after the start
of the first year of the grant.  This report should contain a brief
summary of the work completed to date together with copies of any
publications supported wholly or in part by the dissertation grant.
 
An applicant who receives support for dissertation research under a
grant from the NIA may not at the same time receive support under a
predoctoral or fellowship grant awarded by any other Federal agency,
nor be supported under any other research project grant.
 
Allowable Costs.  Expenses usually allowed under PHS research grants
will be covered by the NIA dissertation research grants, but may not
exceed $30,000 for the project.  Allowable costs include the
investigator's salary (not to exceed $12,000 per 12 months); direct
research project expenses such as travel to one scientific meeting
per year (limited to $1000 per year), data processing, supplies, and
dissertation costs.  Any level of effort that is less than full time
by the candidate must be fully justified.  No tuition is allowed.  It
is expected that most equipment needed for the research will be
available at the site or laboratory in which the dissertation is to
be performed.  Therefore, any requests for equipment must be
specially justified.  Indirect costs are limited to eight percent of
requested direct costs, less equipment.
 
INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN
SUBJECTS
 
It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups
and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported
biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects,
unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided
that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the
subjects or the purpose of the research.  This new policy results
from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law
103-43) and supersedes and strengthens the previous policies
(Concerning the Inclusion of Women in Study Populations, and
Concerning the Inclusion of Minorities in Study Populations), which
have been in effect since 1990.  The new policy contains some
provisions that are substantially different from the 1990 policies.
 All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should
read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as
Subjects in Clinical Research," which have been published in the
Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and reprinted
in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, Number 11,
March 18, 1994.
 
Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program
staff listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide
additional relevant information concerning the policy.
 
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
 
The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) is to be used
in applying for these grants.  Applications kits are available at
most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained
from the Grants Information Office, Office of Extramural Outreach and
Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge
Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/710-0267,
email:  ASKNIH@odrockm1.od.nih.gov.
 
The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) application form
must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.
Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the
application such that it may not reach the review committee in time
for review.  In addition, the RFA title and number (Minority
Dissertation Research Grants in Aging, AG-97-001) must be typed on
line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must
be marked.
 
Instructions for completing the applications are found in the PHS 398
form.  These instructions must be followed except that under C.
Specific Instructions - Research Plan, no more than 10 pages may be
used for items 1 to 4 (instead of 25 pages as stated in the standard
instructions).  Applications that exceed the 10 page limit for this
section will be returned.
 
Submit a signed original of the application (with the supporting
letter and graduate school transcript), including the Checklist, and
three signed photocopies, in one package to:
 
DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for courier/overnight service)
 
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application
(with the supporting letter and the graduate school transcript) must
be sent to:
 
Chief,
Scientific Review Office
National Institute on Aging
Gateway Building, Suite 2C212
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9205
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205
ATTN:  Minority Dissertation
 
Complete applications must be received by December 10, 1996.  If an
application is received after that date, it will be returned to the
applicant without review.  The Division of Research Grants (DRG) will
not accept any application in response to this RFA that is
essentially the same as one currently pending initial review, unless
the applicant withdraws the pending application.  The DRG will not
accept any application that is essentially the same as one already
reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of substantial
revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications
must include an introduction addressing the previous critique.
 
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
 
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be
evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer
review group convened by the NIA in accordance with the standard NIH
peer review procedures.  As part of the initial merit review, all
applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in
which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific
merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be
discussed and assigned a priority score.
 
Review Criteria
 
o  scientific, technical, or medical significance and originality of
the proposed research;
 
o  appropriateness and adequacy of the literature review,
experimental approach and methodology proposed to carry out the
research;
 
o  qualifications and research experience of the Principal
Investigator (the student);
 
o  qualifications, research and training experience of the mentor,
particularly, but not exclusively, in the proposed area of research;
 
o  quality and availability of research resources needed to complete
the dissertation;
 
o appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to
the proposed research;
 
o  Adequacy of plans to include both genders and minorities and their
subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research.
Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be
evaluated.
 
The initial review group will also examine the provisions for the
protection of human and animal subjects and the safety of the
research environment.
 
AWARD CRITERIA
 
The anticipated date of award is March, 1997.  Final funding
decisions are based on the recommendations of the reviewers, the
relevance of the project to NIA priorities, and the availability of
funds.
 
INQUIRIES
 
Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.  The opportunity to
clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome.
Interested investigators are strongly encouraged to contact program
staff who can provide clarifying information about material described
in this RFA.  The investigator will then be referred to the relevant
program to discuss the suitability of the research topic.
 
Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:
 
Dr. Robin A. Barr
Office of Extramural Affairs
National Institute on Aging
Gateway Building, Suite 2C218
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9205
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205
Telephone:  (301) 496-9322
FAX:  (301) 402-2945
Email:  rb42h@nih.gov
 
Direct inquiries relating to fiscal matters to:
 
Mr. Joseph Ellis
Grants and Contracts Management Office
National Institute on Aging
Gateway Building, Suite 2N212
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9205
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205
Telephone:  (301) 496-1472
FAX:  (301) 402-3672
Email:  EllisJ@gw.nia.nih.gov
 
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
 
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 93.366.  Awards are made under authorization of the
Public Health Service Act Title IV, Part A (Public Law 79-410, as
amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 DSC 241 and 285) and administered
under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45
CFR Part 74.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental
review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency
review.
 
The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to
provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco
products.  In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of
1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any
portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education,
library, day care, health care or early childhood development
services are provided to children.  This is consistent with the PHS
mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the
American people.
 
.

Return to RFAs Index

Return to NIH Guide Main Index


Office of Extramural Research (OER) - Home Page Office of Extramural
Research (OER)
  National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Home Page National Institutes of Health (NIH)
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
  Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - Home Page Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
  USA.gov - Government Made Easy


Note: For help accessing PDF, RTF, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Audio or Video files, see Help Downloading Files.