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 of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), (http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/)
Title: Non-Antibiotic Selectable Markers for Biodefense (R21)
Announcement Type
New
NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT.
This FOA must be read in conjunction with the application guidelines included with this announcement in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereafter called Grants.gov/Apply).
A registration process is necessary before submission and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV.
Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AI-06-021
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s)
93.856
Key Dates
Release/Posted Date: April
10, 2006
Opening Date: July 11, 2006 (Earliest date an application may be
submitted to Grants.gov)
Letters of Intent
Receipt Date(s): August 11, 2006
NOTE: On time submission requires that
applications be successfully submitted to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m.
local time (of applicant institution/organization).
Application Submission Date(s): September 12, 2006
Peer Review Date(s): January, 2007
Council Review Date(s): May, 2007
Earliest Anticipated
Start Date(s): July, 2007
Additional Information To Be Available Date (Activation
Date): Not Applicable
Expiration Date: September 13, 2006
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 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. Request
Application Information
2. Content and
Form of Application Submission
3. Submission
Dates and Times
A.
Submission, Review and Anticipated Start Dates
1. Letter of Intent
B.
Sending an Application to the NIH
C.
Application Processing
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.
Sharing Research Data
D.
Sharing Research Resources
3. Anticipated
Announcement and Award Dates
Section
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award
Notices
2.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
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
Background
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports extramural research focused on understanding, controlling and preventing diseases caused by virtually all medically significant bacteria. In response to growing concerns about bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases, the NIAID Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) has expanded basic and translational research programs to facilitate development of countermeasures for NIAID Category A, B and C bacterial pathogens (http://www2.niaid.nih.gov/Biodefense/bandc_priority.htm), most of which are designated Select Agents (http://www.cdc.gov/od/sap/docs/salist.pdf) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The availability of annotated genome sequences for many NIAID Category A, B, and C bacterial pathogens greatly facilitates genetic approaches to define mechanisms of pathogenesis, examine host responses, and identify potential vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic targets. Standard genetic manipulation of bacteria requires the ability to introduce into targeted cells a selectable marker in the form of a gene that confers resistance to a specific antibiotic or antibiotic class. However, introduction of an antibiotic resistance trait into a pathogen that is not known to acquire the trait naturally, if such resistance could compromise therapeutic uses of the antibiotic, must be avoided. Accordingly, experiments involving the introduction of an antibiotic resistance trait into a pathogen are subject to compliance with NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules, and for Select Agents, require prior review and approval by CDC. For many NIAID Category A, B, and C bacterial pathogens, particularly those lacking an available vaccine, the use of most common antibiotic resistance derivatives is prohibited due to clinical use of the targeted antibiotic to control the corresponding disease. Consequently, researchers are limited to very few choices of selectable markers for genetic manipulation of these bacterial pathogens, compromising essential genetic experimentation.
Research Goals and Objectives
The purpose of this FOA is to support research that will lead to development of non-antibiotic selectable genetic markers for NIAID Category A, B, or C bacterial agents. Responsive research projects will focus on development of non-antibiotic selectable markers suitable for standard bacterial genetic manipulations such as transformation, recombination, conjugation and mutagenesis. The research plan must include validation of candidate non-antibiotic selectable markers in one or more virulent NIAID Category A, B, or C bacterial pathogens. Priority will be given to projects leading to development of non-antibiotic selectable markers for those NIAID Category A, B, or C bacterial pathogens lacking readily available vaccines and/or subject to few selectable marker options (e.g. Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, Brucella spp., Burkholderia pseudomallei, Burkholderia mallei, Rickettsia sp., and Coxiella burnetii).
Non-antibiotic selectable markers have been developed for plants (e.g. genes that confer resistance to herbicides, biocides, or metabolic inhibitors) as well as some pathogenic fungi. It is anticipated that similar and/or new approaches will be amenable for bacterial pathogens.
NOTE: Applications proposing the development of non-antibiotic selectable markers that do not focus on one or more Category A, B, or C bacterial pathogens will be deemed unresponsive and will not be reviewed.
NOTE: Applications lacking a defined research component to validate candidate non-antibiotic selectable markers in one or more virulent NIAID Category A, B, or C bacterial pathogens will be deemed unresponsive and will not be reviewed.
1. Mechanism of Support
This FOA will use the NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21) award mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.
This FOA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the modular budget formats (see the Modular Applications and Awards section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Specifically, if you are submitting an application with direct costs in each year of $250,000 or less (excluding consortium Facilities and Administrative [F&A] costs), use the PHS398 Modular Budget component provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Package and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (see specifically Section 5.4, Modular Budget Component, of the Application Guide).
Exploratory/developmental
grant support is for new projects only; competing renewal (formerly competing
continuation ) applications will not be accepted.
2. Funds Available
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 award will also vary. Although the financial plans of the NIAID 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.
NIAID intends to commit approximately $3 million dollars in FY 2007 to fund 5-10 new grants in response to this RFA.
The total project period for an application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed 2 years. Although the size of award may vary with the scope of research proposed, it is expected that applications will stay within the budgetary guidelines for an exploratory/developmental project; direct costs are limited to $275,000 over an R21 two-year period, with no more than $200,000 in direct costs allowed in any single year. Applicants may request direct costs in $25,000 modules, up to the total direct costs limitation of $275,000 for the combined two-year award period. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this Program Announcement funding opportunity.
Facilities and
administrative costs requested by consortium participants are not included in
the direct cost limitation, see NOT-OD-05-004.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
1.A. Eligible
Institutions
You may submit an application(s) if your organization has
any of the following characteristics:
1.B. Eligible
Individuals
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal
Investigator (PD/PI) 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.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Not applicable. This
program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria
Applicants may submit more than one application, provided each
application is scientifically distinct.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
To download a SF424
(R&R) Application Package and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for
completing the SF424 (R&R) forms for this FOA, link to http://www.grants.gov/Apply/ and follow
the directions provided on that Web site.
A one-time registration is required for institutions/organizations at both:
PD/PIs should work with their institutions/organizations to make sure they are registered in the eRA Commons.
Several additional separate actions are required before an applicant institution/organization can submit an electronic application, as follows:
1) Organizational/Institutional Registration in Grants.gov/Get Started
2) Organizational/Institutional Registration in the eRA Commons
3) Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the NIH eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.
Note that if a PD/PI is also an NIH peer-reviewer with an Individual DUNS and CCR registration, that particular DUNS number and CCR registration are for the individual reviewer only. These are different than any DUNS number and CCR registration used by an applicant organization. Individual DUNS and CCR registration should be used only for the purposes of personal reimbursement and should not be used on any grant applications submitted to the Federal Government.
Several of the steps of the registration process could take four weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should immediately check with their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is already registered in both Grants.gov and the Commons. The NIH will accept electronic applications only from organizations that have completed all necessary registrations.
1. Request Application Information
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for
this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply.
Note:
Only the forms package directly attached to a specific FOA can be used. You will not be able to use any other SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms
from another FOA), although some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than one FOA.
For further
assistance, contact GrantsInfo: Telephone 301-710-0267, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
Telecommunications
for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-5936.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Prepare all applications using the SF424 (R&R) application forms and in accordance with the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (MS Word or PDF).
The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is critical to submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. There are fields within the SF424 (R&R) application components that, although not marked as mandatory, are required by NIH (e.g., the Credential log-in field of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile component must contain the PD/PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID). Agency-specific instructions for such fields are clearly identified in the Application Guide. For additional information, see Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission on the front page of Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
The SF424 (R&R) application is comprised of data arranged in separate components. Some components are required, others are optional. The forms package associated with this FOA in Grants.gov/APPLY will include all applicable components, required and optional. A completed application in response to this FOA will include the following components:
Required
Components:
SF424 (R&R) (Cover
component)
Research &
Related Project/Performance Site Locations
Research &
Related Other Project Information
Research &
Related Senior/Key Person
Research &
Related Budget
PHS398 Cover Page
Supplement
PHS398 Research Plan
PHS398 Checklist
PHS398 Modular Budget
Optional Components:
PHS398 Cover Letter
File
Research &
Related Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form
Note: While both budget components are included in the SF424 (R&R) forms package, the NIH R21 uses ONLY the PHS 398 Modular Budget. (Do not use the detailed Research & Related Budget.)
Foreign
Organizations
Several
special provisions apply to applications submitted by foreign organizations:
Proposed research should provide a unique research
opportunity not available in the United States.
3. Submission Dates and Times
Applications
must be submitted on or before the receipt date described below (Section IV.3.A).
3.A. Submission, Review and Anticipated Start Dates
Opening
Date: July 11, 2006 (Earliest date an application may be submitted to
Grants.gov)
Letters of Intent
Receipt Date(s): August 11, 2006
Application
Submission Date(s): September 12, 2006
Peer Review Date(s): January, 2007
Council Review Date(s): May, 2007
Earliest Anticipated
Start Date(s): July, 2007
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:
Dr. Gregory Jarosik
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Room 3134, MSC 7616
6700-B Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-7616 (U.S. Postal
Service or regular mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service;
non-USPS service)
Phone: (301)496-0695 or (301)496-2550
Fax: (301)480-2408
email: gjarosik@niaid.nih.gov
3.B. Sending an
Application to the NIH
To
submit an application in response to this FOA, applicants should access this
FOA via http://www.grants.gov/Apply and follow steps 1-4. Note: Applications must only be submitted electronically. PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED.
3.C. Application Processing
Applications may be submitted on or after the opening date and must be successfully received by Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization) on the application submission/receipt date. (See Section IV.3.A. for all dates.) If an application is not submitted by the receipt date(s) and time, the application may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed.
Once an application package has been successfully submitted through Grants.gov, any errors have been addressed, and the assembled application has been created in the eRA Commons, the PD/PI and AOR/SO have two business days to view the application image.
Upon receipt
applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific
Review (CSR), NIH. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
There will be
an acknowledgement of receipt of applications from Grants.gov and the Commons. Information related to the
assignment of an application to a Scientific Review Group is also in the Commons.
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
4. Intergovernmental Review
This
initiative is not subject to intergovernmental
review.
5. 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. 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: are necessary to conduct
the project, and 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 the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
6. Other
Submission Requirements
Applicants must address issues related to
physical or facility security and biocontainment and biosafety (http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/biosfty/bmbl4/bmbl4toc.htm)
pertinent to the specific pathogens of interest in a section entitled
Biosafety and Biocontainment in the application (may not exceed 1 page).
Guidelines for Institutional Biosafety Committees are available at: http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/IBC/IBCindexpg.htm.
The Biosafety and Biocontainment section should follow the Research Plan
section of the application and does not count towards the page limits for the
Research Plan.
The NIH requires the PD/PI to fill in his/her Commons User ID in the PROFILE Project Director/Principal Investigator section, Credential log-in field of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile component. The applicant organization must include its DUNS number in its Organization Profile in the eRA Commons. This DUNS number must match the DUNS number provided at CCR registration with Grants.gov. For additional information, see Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission on the front page of Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
Renewal (formerly competing continuation or Type 2 ) applications are not permitted.
All application instructions outlined in the SF424 (R&R) application are to be followed, with the following requirements for R21 applications:
Note: While each section of the Research Plan needs to be uploaded separately as a PDF attachment, applicants are encouraged to construct the Research Plan as a single document, separating sections into distinct PDF attachments just before uploading the files. This approach will enable applicants to better monitor formatting requirements such as page limits. All attachments must be provided to NIH in PDF format, filenames must be included with no spaces or special characters, and a .pdf extension must be used.
Plan
for Sharing Research Data
The
precise content of the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data being
collected and how the investigator is planning to share the data. Applicants
who are planning to share data may wish to describe briefly the expected
schedule for data sharing, the format of the final dataset, the documentation
to be provided, whether or not any analytic tools also will be provided,
whether or not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so, a brief
description of such an agreement (including the criteria for deciding who can
receive the data and whether or not any conditions will be placed on their use), and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under their own auspices by mailing a disk or posting
data on their institutional or personal website, through a data archive or
enclave). Investigators choosing to share under their own auspices may wish to enter into a data-sharing agreement. References to data sharing may also be
appropriate in other sections of the application.
All
applicants must include a plan for sharing research data in their application.
The data sharing policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing.
All investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a
description of how final research data will be shared, or explain why data
sharing is not possible.
The
reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing
research data will be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not
factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific
merit or the priority score.
Sharing Research
Resources
NIH
policy requires that grant awardee recipients make unique research resources
readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the
scientific community after publication (See the NIH Grants Policy
Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part7.htm#_Toc54600131).
Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a plan for
sharing research resources addressing how unique research resources will be
shared or explain why sharing is not possible.
The
adequacy of the resources sharing plan and any related data sharing plans will
be considered by Program staff of the funding organization when making
recommendations about funding applications. The effectiveness of the resource
sharing will be evaluated as part of the administrative review of each Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590). See Section VI.3., Reporting.
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
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 NIAID in accordance with the review criteria stated below.
As part of the initial merit review, all applications will:
Applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
The NIH R21 exploratory/developmental grant is a mechanism for supporting novel scientific ideas or new model systems, tools, or technologies that have the potential to significantly advance our knowledge or the status of health-related research. Because the Research Plan is limited to 15 pages, an exploratory/developmental grant application need not have extensive background material or preliminary information as one might normally expect in an R01 application. Accordingly, reviewers will focus their evaluation on the conceptual framework, the level of innovation, and the potential to significantly advance our knowledge or understanding. Reviewers will place less emphasis on methodological details and certain indicators traditionally used in evaluating the scientific merit of R01 applications, including supportive preliminary data. Appropriate justification for the proposed work can be provided through literature citations, data from other sources, or, when available, from investigator-generated data. Preliminary data are not required for R21 applications; however, they may be included if available.
The goals of NIH supported research are to advance our
understanding of biological systems, to improve the control of disease, and to
enhance health. In their written critiques, reviewers will be asked to comment
on each of the following criteria in order to judge the likelihood that the
proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals.
Each of these criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the
overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each application. Note that an
application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to
have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For
example, an investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its
nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field forward.
Note that an application does not need to be strong in all categories
to be judged likely to have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high
priority score. For example, an investigator may propose to carry out important
work that by its nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field
forward.
Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge or clinical practice be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
Approach: Are the
conceptual or clinical framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately
developed, well integrated, well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the
project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider
alternative tactics?
Innovation: Is the
project original and innovative? For example: Does the project challenge
existing paradigms or clinical practice; address an innovative hypothesis or
critical barrier to progress in the field? Does the project develop or employ
novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or technologies for this
area?
Investigators: Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers? Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the project (if applicable)?
Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed studies benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, or subject populations, or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
2.A.
Additional Review Criteria:
In
addition to the above criteria, the following items will continue to be considered
in the determination of scientific merit and the priority score:
Protection of Human Subjects from
Research Risk: The involvement of human subjects and protections
from research risk relating to their participation in the proposed research
will be assessed. See item 6 of the Research Plan component of the SF424
(R&R).
Inclusion of Women, Minorities and
Children in Research: The adequacy of plans to include subjects from both
genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate
for the scientific goals of the research will be assessed. Plans for the
recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. See item 7 of
the Research Plan component of the SF424 (R&R).
Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in
Research: If vertebrate animals are to be used in the project, the five items
described under item 11 of the Research Plan component of the SF 424 (R&R)
will be assessed.
Biohazards: If materials or
procedures are proposed that are potentially hazardous to research personnel
and/or the environment, determine if the proposed protection is adequate.
2.B. Additional
Review Considerations
Budget and Period of Support: The reasonableness of the proposed budget
and the appropriateness of the requested period of support in relation to the
proposed research may be assessed by the reviewers. Is the percent effort
listed for the PD/PI appropriate for the work proposed? Is each budget category
realistic and justified in terms of the aims and methods?
2.C.
Sharing Research Data
Data Sharing
Plan: The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing
research data may be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not
factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit
or the priority score. The funding organization will be responsible for
monitoring the data sharing policy. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing.
2.D. Sharing
Research Resources
NIH policy requires
that grant awardee recipients make unique research resources readily available
for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community
after publication (See the NIH Grants
Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part7.htm#_Toc54600131). Investigators
responding to this funding opportunity should include a sharing research
resources plan addressing how unique research resources will be shared or
explain why sharing is not possible.
Program staff will
be responsible for the administrative review of the plan for sharing research
resources.
The adequacy of the
resources sharing plan will be considered by Program staff of the funding
organization when making recommendations about funding applications. Program
staff may negotiate modifications of the data and resource sharing plans with
the awardee before recommending funding of an application. The final version of
the data and resource sharing plans negotiated by both will become a condition
of the award of the grant. The effectiveness of the resource sharing will be
evaluated as part of the administrative review of each Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590). See Section VI.3., Reporting.
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 NIH 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 Section IV.5., Funding
Restrictions.
2. Administrative and
National Policy Requirements
Select
Agents
All U.S. awardees must be in compliance with the U.S. Select Agent Regulations (http://www.cdc.gov/od/sap/) and NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/rac/guidelines/guidelines.html).
Award to a U.S. Institution: Before using NIH funds, the awardee must complete registration with CDC (or USDA, depending on the agent). No funds can be used for research involving Select Agents if the final registration certificate is denied.
Award to a Foreign Institution: Before using NIH funds for any work directly involving the Select Agents, the awardee must provide information to the NIAID that a process equivalent to that described in 42 CFR 73 for U.S. institutions is in place and will be administered on behalf of all Select Agent work sponsored by these funds. All foreign laboratories are inspected to determine if the site has minimum biosafety and biosecurity procedures in place for working with Select Agents. During inspections the awardee must be willing to address the following key elements appropriate for their institutions: safety, security, training, procedures for ensuring that only approved/appropriate individuals have access to the Select Agents. If available, the awardee will be asked to provide copies of any applicable laws, regulations and policies equivalent to 42 CFR 73.
Award to U.S. Institution with
Foreign Institution Participation: Before using NIH funds for any work directly
involving the Select Agent at the US institution, the awardee must complete registration with CDC (or USDA, depending on the agent). No funds can be used for research involving Select Agents if the final registration certificate is denied.
Before using NIH funds for any work directly involving the Select Agents at the
foreign institution, the US awardee must provide information from the foreign
institution to the NIAID that a process equivalent to that described in 42 CFR
73 for US institutions is in place and will be administered on behalf of all
Select Agent work sponsored by these funds. All foreign laboratories are
inspected to determine if the site has minimum biosafety and biosecurity
procedures in place for working with Select Agents. During inspections the
awardee must be willing to address the following key elements appropriate for
the foreign institution: safety, security, training, procedures for ensuring
that only approved/appropriate individuals have access to the Select Agents, If
available, the awardee will be asked to provide copies of any applicable laws,
regulations and policies equivalent to 42 CFR 73.
All NIH grant and
cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as
part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH
Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards,
Subpart A: General and Part
II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions
for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities.
3. Reporting
When multiple years
are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in
the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
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:
Dr. Michael Schaefer
Division
of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Room
4066, MSC-6604
6610
Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-6604
Telephone:
(301) 451-3758
Fax:
(301) 402-2508
E-Mail: mschaefer@niaid.nih.gov
2. Peer Review Contacts:
Dr.
Gregory Jarosik
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Room 3134, MSC 7616
6700-B Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-7616 (U.S. Postal
Service or regular mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service;
non-USPS service)
Phone: (301)496-0695 or
(301)496-2550
Fax: (301)480-2408
email: gjarosik@niaid.nih.gov
3. Financial or Grants Management Contacts:
Ms. Ann Devine
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Room 2114, MSC-7614
6700-B Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-7614
Telephone: (301) 402-5601
FAX: (301) 480-3780
Email: adevine@niaid.nih.gov
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. Reviewers will consider the data
sharing plan but will not factor the plan into the determination of scientific
merit or the priority score.
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). 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 SF424 (R&R); 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-02-005.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. Applications that do not provide
this information will be returned without review.
NIH Public Access
Policy:
NIH-funded
investigators are requested to submit to the NIH manuscript submission (NIHMS)
system (http://www.nihms.nih.gov) at
PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of the author's final manuscript upon acceptance for publication, resulting from research supported in whole or in part
with direct costs from NIH. The author's final manuscript is defined as the
final version accepted for journal publication, and includes all modifications
from the publishing peer review process.
NIH is requesting
that authors submit manuscripts resulting from 1) currently funded NIH research
projects or 2) previously supported NIH research projects if they are accepted
for publication on or after May 2, 2005. The NIH Public Access Policy applies
to all research grant and career development award mechanisms, cooperative
agreements, contracts, Institutional and Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein
National Research Service Awards, as well as NIH intramural research studies.
The Policy applies to peer-reviewed, original research publications that have
been supported in whole or in part with direct costs from NIH, but it does not
apply to book chapters, editorials, reviews, or conference proceedings.
Publications resulting from non-NIH-supported research projects should not be
submitted.
For more information
about the Policy or the submission process please visit the NIH Public Access
Policy Web site at http://PublicAccess.nih.gov/ and view the Policy or other Resources and Tools including the Authors' Manual.
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. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet
addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to 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 PA 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/ in
the following citation: 93.856, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research, and is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372
or Health Systems Agency review. 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 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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