This notice has expired. Check the NIH Guide for active opportunities and notices.

EXPIRED


PLANNING GRANTS: IN VIVO CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR IMAGING CENTERS (PRE-ICMICs)

Release Date:  May 1, 2000

RFA:  CA-01-010

National Cancer Institute

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 14, 2000
Application Receipt Date:       August 18, 2000

This Request for Applications (RFA) is a reissue of RFA CA-99-002 "Planning 
Grants: In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Centers (PRE-ICMICs)" which was 
released in the NIH Guide on March 30, 1999.

PURPOSE

The Biomedical Imaging Program, Division of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment of 
the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for P20 planning 
grants that lead to the establishment of In Vivo Cellular and Molecular 
Imaging Centers.  This Request for Applications (RFA) invites applications for 
P20 Planning Grants.  Applicants should note that NCI anticipates the 
reissuance of an RFA 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-99-004.html) to invite 
applications for P50 Center grants.  While the NCI plans to proceed with 
this initiative, its publication and timing is not certain and depends on 
sufficient funds being available.

This initiative is designed to capitalize on the extraordinary opportunity for 
studying cancer non-invasively in the living organism (animal or human), and 
in many cases, quantitatively due to recent advances in molecular imaging 
modalities, molecular and cellular biology.  It will facilitate the 
interaction of scientists from a variety of fields such as, but not limited 
to: imaging sciences, chemistry, radiopharmaceutical chemistry, cell and 
molecular biology, pharmacology, computer science, biomedical engineering, 
immunology and neuroscience, and provide resources to conduct 
multidisciplinary research.

This RFA describes the three-year, P20 Planning Grant for Pre-In Vivo Cellular 
and Molecular Imaging Centers (Pre-ICMICs).  There are Institutions that have 
most of the separate scientific components necessary for productive 
interaction but have no track-record of performing multidisciplinary 
scientific research.  The P20 will provide time and funds for these 
investigators to accomplish two phases of activity.  Phase I will be designed 
for the formal establishment of an organizational and operational structure of 
the Pre-ICMIC.  Phase II will provide the time and funds for the initiation of 
multidisciplinary Development projects, and for these newly-formed groups to 
complete recruitment efforts necessary for bringing in critical expertise. 

A related RFA is proposed for reissuance in the summer of 2000 and will make 
available 5-year P50 grants that will directly fund In Vivo Cellular and 
Molecular Imaging Centers (ICMIC).  The previous RFA is located at the 
following URL: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-99-004.html. 

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

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 RFA, Planning Grants: In Vivo 
Cellular and Molecular Imaging Centers (PRE-ICMICs), is related to the 
priority area of cancer.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of  "Healthy 
People 2010," at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications for P20 Pre-ICMIC grants may be submitted by domestic non-profit 
and for-profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, 
colleges, hospitals and laboratories.  Applications from foreign institutions 
will not be accepted.  Foreign components of applications from domestic 
organizations will be accepted with adequate justification. Racial/ethnic 
minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to 
apply as Principal Investigators.

No more than one Pre-ICMIC application will be accepted from any given 
Institution, nor will Institutions be allowed to submit a P20 application in 
response to this RFA and a P50 application in response to the ICMIC (see 
 PURPOSE  section above).  Each Institution must determine in advance whether 
it will submit a P20 or a P50 grant.  The Pre-ICMIC (P20) and the ICMIC (P50) 
will each require two distinct levels of existing resources.  Each Institution 
must evaluate its existing research programs, and determine whether it will 
require a planning phase, or whether it has sufficient resources to support a 
P50 ICMIC.  If an Institution submits an application for a P20 Planning Grant, 
an application from that same Institution for a P50 Center grant will not be 
accepted.

Each of the lead investigators on both the P20 and P50 applications must be 
the principal investigator of a major, peer-reviewed, research project, such 
as an R01, a P01, or their equivalent from another funding agency. Applicants 
must therefore clearly define the scientific areas to be represented within 
the Pre-ICMIC, and for each scientific area, one or more investigators must be 
identified as assuming a leadership role.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

Support of this program will be through the National Institutes of Health 
(NIH) P20 Exploratory Grant Mechanism.  These exploratory studies may lead to 
specialized or comprehensive centers (P50 - In Vivo Cellular and Molecular 
Imaging Centers).  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution 
of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant.  The total 
project period for a P20 application submitted in response to this RFA may not 
exceed 3 years.  The anticipated award date is March 1, 2001.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

This RFA is a one-time solicitation.  NCI anticipates making approximately six 
3-year awards, and plans to set aside $2.4 million total for the initial 
year"s funding.  Annual budgets of $400,000 are suggested - applications 
exceeding $500,000 total cost limit will be considered unresponsive to the RFA 
and will be returned without further consideration.  Funding in response to 
this RFA is dependent upon the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious 
applications.  Although this program is provided for in the financial plans of 
NCI, the award of grants pursuant to this RFA is contingent upon the 
anticipated availability of funds for this purpose.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background:

Imaging sciences are at a stage in which human, anatomic imaging can occur in 
vivo at submillimeter resolution, and significant advances have occurred in 
molecular imaging modalities, including the nuclear medicine techniques of 
SPECT and PET,  MR spectroscopy and optical imaging.  At the same time, a 
myriad of new cancer-related genes and proteins are being uncovered at an 
increasing pace by molecular and cellular biologists.  However, there remains 
a scientific gulf between basic scientists who discover new cancer genes and 
intracellular pathways, any of which could serve as a diagnostic or 
therapeutic target, and the imaging scientists who could transform those 
discoveries into non-invasive means for a greater understanding of neoplasia 
in humans.

Research Goals and Objectives:

The formation of multidisciplinary research teams will stimulate and 
streamline cancer imaging research from inception to use in patient care.  
Each Institution will define the structure and research objectives that create 
the most synergistic and creative scientific interactions.  An example of an 
ICMIC structure is described below.  This is just an example, and other 
multidisciplinary formats are acceptable.

Discovery, characterization and refinement of new genetic targets might occur 
in the molecular biology core with that information provided to a chemistry 
core where potential new imaging agents directed toward those targets will be 
designed. A computing/database core would support the chemistry core through 
molecular modeling and structure searches but would also obviously interface 
with the other cores such as in data analysis or image display. A biochemistry 
core might be responsible for aspects of agent development that encompass cell 
biology and pharmacology as well. Receptor and enzyme purification and in 
vitro assays would occur in this core, in addition to development of kinetic 
models for studying complex issues involving agent delivery and metabolism. 
Animal work from rodents to primates would occur in the imaging core, where 
the most promising potential agents would be tested.

Pre-ICMICs will provide Institutions with the resources to set in place all of 
the components that would make them eventually competitive for a P50 ICMIC 
grant.  The success of a Pre-ICMIC will ultimately be determined by the 
quality and dedication of the investigators involved in the project.  An 
appropriate Pre- ICMIC Director must be selected, as well as a 
multidisciplinary leadership team of investigators who are committed to the 
success of the Pre-ICMIC.  This group of investigators will be responsible for 
the definition of the research goals and objectives of the Pre-ICMIC, as well 
as ongoing activities.  The lead investigators must each represent a major 
scientific component that will be involved in the Pre-ICMIC, and each must 
have an independent, proven track record of scientific accomplishment, but 
they do not need to demonstrate prior interactive research amongst themselves.

During the course of the Pre-ICMIC award, the leadership team will be 
responsible for the design and implementation of two phases of activity.

Phase I:  Establishment of an Organizational Structure (no longer than 6 
months).

During the Phase I planning stage, the applicant group will define and 
implement a structure for a Pre-ICMIC.  Organizational activities must occur, 
during which the group will be expected to define:

1)  The organizational and operational structure of the Pre-ICMIC.  This will 
include the establishment of a Scientific Steering Committee, composed of 
internal senior investigators, who will be responsible for the overall 
scientific direction of the Program, as well as mechanisms for involving a 
dynamic groups of investigators at all levels of experience.  Individual Pre-
ICMIC groups may consider the establishment of an external advisory committee 
as well.  If this is the case, it is requested that this committee be 
described in the organizational section of the application, but that external 
candidates not be contacted prior to submission, or included by name in the 
application.  

2) A plan for interactive Pre-ICMIC activities that will occur regularly over 
the entire course of the award.  These interactions will be determined by the 
applicants, and emphasis will be placed on establishing creative, productive 
interactions.  One example would be to establish a regularly scheduled forum 
at which investigators present a potential research idea to the entire group.  
Colleagues with a wide range of expertise would provide the investigator with 
immediate feedback on the scientific content, which would in turn provide a 
valuable educational experience for the audience.  Meritorious ideas could be 
further refined by "revising and resubmitting" for a later forum.  Most 
importantly, the investigator would have an audience full of potential 
collaborators who could be involved in a project from its inception.

3)  A description of the core facilities necessary to support the scientific 
goals of the Pre-Program.  Access to equipment and reagents is often a 
problem, especially for multi-disciplinary programs.  The establishment of 
core resources dedicated to Pre-ICMIC-related Development Projects will 
provide this access.  Initially, Pre-ICMIC core resources may simply be 
extensions of existing laboratories or facilities, and the definition of a 
core resource would vary considerably depending on the Development projects to 
be selected.

4) A model of the process for the selection, monitoring, funding and, if 
necessary, termination of Development Projects to be implemented in Phase II 
(see below).

Phase II: Development Projects

The organizational structure set in place during Phase I should be used to 
select two to three highly-interactive Developmental Projects to be 
accomplished in Phase II.  These projects will be geared toward determining 
project feasibility, proof of principle and acquisition of preliminary data.  
These pilot studies must demonstrate newly-established collaborative efforts 
between two or more groups of investigators.  The P20 application should 
contain no more than six three-page examples of possible Development projects.  
These projects will not be reviewed as traditional research projects.  Rather, 
the proposed Development projects will serve as an indication of the 
priorities to be focused on by the group, a reflection of the decision-making 
abilities of the scientific leadership, and the initial ability of the group 
to interact productively and scientifically.  The actual Development projects 
that are implemented may not necessarily be those that are submitted with the 
application, since the Phase I selection process may determine other projects 
to be more meritorious.  When the P20 groups submit their P50 application, it 
is expected that the Development projects will have generated sufficient data 
for meaningful interpretation. The results acquired during this phase will be 
a critical focus of the P50 review, since these results will be an important 
indication of how successfully the Pre-ICMIC group functioned to implement 
innovative research.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Funded Pre-ICMIC groups will be required to include in their first non-
competing renewal (annual reports) 1) a description of the  activities that 
occurred during Phase I,  2)  the organizational and operational structure 
that was implemented including a detailed description of the process for 
selecting Development projects, and decisions regarding the establishment of 
core facilities,  3) a description of each of the Development projects that 
have been initiated, and the progress made on each of those projects.  
Subsequent non-competing renewals will be required to include a detailed 
report of organizational and operational activities as well as a progress 
report for each of the ongoing Development projects.

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 sub populations 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 policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 
(Section 492B of Public Law 103-43).

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 in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, 
Number 11, March 18, 1994 and is available at the following URL address: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) 
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the 
NIH, unless there are clear and compelling scientific and ethical reasons not 
to include them.  This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications 
submitted for receipt dates after October 1, 1998.

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  that was published in the NIH Guide for 
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL 
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

Investigators may also obtain copies of the policy from the program staff 
listed under INQUIRIES.

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.  Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by July 14, 2000, a letter of 
intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed research, the name, 
address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of 
other key personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title 
of the RFA in response to which the application may be submitted.  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 
NCI staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Anne Menkens by the letter of intent 
receipt date listed.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) 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 
Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes 
of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 
301/710-0267, email: grantsinfo@nih.gov. Application kits are also available 
at the following URL:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF THE APPLICATION

All applications must be submitted on the form PHS-398 (rev.4/98).

Budget:

Applicants should submit two separate detailed budgets (Form Page 4-DD), and a 
single summary budget for the entire proposed period of support (Form Page 5-
EE).  The budgets should appear in the following order:

Budget 1 (use Form Page 4-DD) should include all of the costs required for 
Phase I.  The duration of Phase I may be determined by the applicants, but is 
not to exceed 6 months.  Examples of acceptable Phase I costs would be salary 
support for the Program Director and key personnel involved in organizing the 
Pre-ICMIC, and costs associated with planning meetings.

Budget 2 (use Form Page 4-DD) is to detail the costs associated with Phase II 
for the remainder of the first year.  Phase II  is specifically designed to 
implement the organizational structure of the Pre-ICMIC,  initiate and carry 
out the multidisciplinary Development projects that will be selected during 
Phase I of the award, and complete necessary recruitment efforts.  However, 
since the organizational structure and the final selection of the Development 
projects will not be completed until after the award has been made and Phase I 
has been completed, the budget for Phase II, by definition, will be projected 
rather than absolute.  Acceptable Phase II costs would be continued salary 
support for the Pre-ICMIC Director and other ongoing organizational costs.  In 
addition, it would be reasonable to select one or two Development projects as 
examples for estimated salary support for investigators involved in the 
Development projects, costs associated with equipment, supplies and core 
facilities designed to support the Development projects.

Biographical Sketches and Other Support:

All applications should describe the scientific and administrative experience 
of key personnel and should include and follow the PHS-398 form instructions 
for Biographical Sketches and Other Support information.  In this case, key 
personnel includes the Pre-ICMIC Director, each of the investigators 
identified as a primary scientific leader, and each of the investigators 
involved with a submitted Development project.

Resources:

This section is to include a detailed description of the quality and variety 
of scientific resources available to accomplish the scientific goals of the 
Pre- ICMIC.

RESEARCH PLAN (not to exceed a total of 45 pages):

A) Major Research Objectives (8-10 pages).

This section should concisely describe the Pre-ICMICs major research 
objectives, and should include descriptions of each of the scientific areas to 
be involved in the Pre-ICMIC, how they will be integrated, and the unique 
scientific opportunities that will be addressed.  A description of the 
Director chosen to lead the Pre-ICMIC is to include his or her scientific 
qualifications and a demonstration of administrative and scientific leadership 
abilities.  For each major scientific subdivision, an experienced investigator 
that will assume responsibility within the Pre-ICMIC must be identified.  
Senior investigators must demonstrate a strong track record of scientific 
accomplishment, and a willingness to effectively collaborate, and the 
application should clearly define the role that each of these investigators 
will play in Pre-ICMIC activities.  For each participating investigator, a 
short description of his/her ongoing research and its potential relevance to 
the Pre-ICMIC is required.

B) Phase I:  Organizational Activities (8-10 pages)

This section should include an example (model) of an organizational structure 
for the Pre-ICMIC.  This model will not be a final structure, since that will 
be determined during Phase I.  Instead, applicants should provide a detailed 
description of the activities that will take place during the Phase I period, 
and examples of how each topic might be addressed in the Phase II.  Activities 
to be completed during Phase I include: a) finalization of an organizational 
structure of the Pre-ICMIC.  This structure will include the establishment of 
relevant committees, composed of both internal and external senior 
investigators, who will be responsible for the overall scientific direction of 
the Program. b) Establishment of ongoing, interactive, multidisciplinary 
activities, such as seminars, workshops, forums, etc. c) Determine the process 
for the selection, implementation, monitoring, and if necessary, termination 
of Development projects to be initiated in Phase II (see below). d) Definition 
of the core facilities necessary to support the scientific goals of the Pre-
ICMIC, how these core facilities will be maintained, how the decision to add 
or terminate a core facility will be made, and how resources will be allocated 
to the selected Development projects. e) Since the P20 Planning Grants are 
designed to support the organization of a multidisciplinary group, it is 
expected that the critical mass of investigators already exists at the 
Institution.  Recruitment of one or two investigators in defined scientific 
area(s) may be required.  If this is the case, applicants must identify the 
particular scientific area(s), and describe and justify recruitment plans in 
detail.

C) Phase II:  Development Projects (may not exceed 24 pages total)

When the P20 application is submitted, it must contain no more than six four-
page examples of possible Development projects to be implemented during Phase 
II.  These projects should be geared toward determining project feasibility, 
proof of principle and acquisition of preliminary data.  These Development 
studies must demonstrate collaborative efforts between two or more groups of 
investigators, with a focus on imaging technologies, and newly-established 
collaborations.  Each of these examples should include:

1) Title 
2) Investigator names, and areas of scientific expertise 
3) Hypothesis and Specific Aim(s) 
4) Background and Significance.  Included in this section should be a 
description of the unique scientific opportunity made possible by this 
collaboration. 
5) Research Design and Methods

D) Institutional commitment (1-2 pages)

Examples of Institutional support could be contribution to the support of 
salaries and/or equipment and reagent purchases required by investigators 
during the Phase II planning stage.  The Institution could also make a 
commitment to the Program to provide common laboratory and/or administrative 
space, both during the planning phase and in the event that a successful P50 
grant is awarded.  If recruitment of investigator(s) is necessary, the 
Institutions plans for this effort, and clear demonstration of its commitment 
must be included.

The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application form must be 
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. Type the RFA number 
on the label.  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 must be typed on line 2 of the 
face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.

The sample RFA label available at: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been modified to 
allow for this change. Please note this is in pdf format.

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 B
ETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must be 
sent to:

Ms. Toby Friedberg 
Division of Extramural Activities 
National Cancer Institute 
6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 636, MSC-7399 
Bethesda MD  20892-7399
Rockville, MD  20850 (for express/courier service)

Applications must be received by August 18, 2000.  If an application is 
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review.  
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) 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 
CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one 
already reviewed.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by CSR and 
responsiveness by the NCI.  Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications will 
be returned to the applicant without further consideration.  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 NCI in 
accordance with the review criteria stated below.  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 the applications under review, will be 
discussed, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the 
National Cancer Advisory Board.

Review Criteria

The five criteria to be used in the evaluation of grant applications are 
listed below.

The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of 
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health.  The 
reviewers will comment on the following aspects of the application in their 
written critiques 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 by the reviewers in assigning the 
overall score weighting them as appropriate for each application.

1.  Significance. - Does this application bring together sufficient expertise 
to address important scientific problems? - If the Pre-ICMIC is established, 
how will scientific knowledge be advanced? - What will be the effect of the 
Pre-ICMIC on the concepts or methods that drive this field?

2.  Approach. - Is the conceptual organizational and operational framework 
reasonable? - Is it well-integrated and appropriate to the aims of the 
project? - Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider 
alternative tactics? - Does the proposed approach support the possibility of 
the Pre-ICMIC being ready to compete for a P50 ICMIC Grant within the time 
frame of the proposed planning period?

3.  Innovation. - Does the Pre-ICMIC employ novel approaches or methods for 
facilitating scientific interaction? - Do the proposed Development projects 
establish new, multidisciplinary collaborations, and are the projects original 
and innovative? - Does the Pre-ICMIC group challenge existing paradigms or 
develop new methodologies or technologies?

4.  Investigators. - Is the Pre-ICMIC Director and lead investigators 
appropriately trained and well suited to the organizational and scientific 
responsibilities associated with this project? - If there are plans to recruit 
investigator(s), are those plans reasonable and necessary and can those 
efforts be completed in a timely manner, such that the recruited 
investigator(s) can make meaningful contributions to the Pre-ICMIC?

5.  Environment. - Is there evidence of significant commitment of the 
institution to fulfilling the objectives of the Pre-ICMIC? - Does the 
scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the 
probability of success? - If collaborative inter-institutional arrangements 
are proposed, is there a convincing demonstration that these interactions will 
be consistent enough to meet the needs of the Pre- ICMIC

The initial review group will also examine: the appropriateness of proposed 
project budget and duration, the adequacy of plans to include both genders and 
minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research and plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects, the adequacy 
of plans for including children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research, or justification for exclusion, the provisions for the protection of 
human and animal subjects, and the safety of the research environment.

AWARD CRITERIA

Pre-ICMIC awards will be based primarily on the basis of scientific merit as 
determined by peer review, availability of funds, and programmatic priorities.

Schedule

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 14, 2000
Application Receipt Date:       August 18, 2000
Peer Review:                    October/ November, 2000
Review by NCAB Advisory Board:  February 2001 
Anticipated Award Date:         March 1, 2001

INQUIRIES

Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any 
issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Anne E. Menkens, Ph.D. 
Biomedical Imaging Program
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD  20892 
Telephone:  (301) 496-9531 
FAX:  (301) 480-5785 
Email: am187k@nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding referral issues to:

Ms. Toby Friedberg 
Division of Extramural Activities 
National Cancer Institute 
6116 Executive Blvd., Room 8062, MSC 8239
Rockville, MD 20852 (express courier)
Bethesda MD 20892-8239
Telephone (301) 496-3428
Fax: (301) 402-0275
Email: tf12w@nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Eileen M. Natoli 
Grants Administration Branch 
National Cancer Institute 
6120 Executive Boulevard, Suite 243 
Bethesda, MD  20892-7340 
Rockville, MD  20852 (for express/courier service) 
Telephone:  (301) 496-8601 
Email:  natolie@gab.nci.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 
93.394, Cancer Detection and Diagnostic Research. Awards are made under 
authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as 
amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies and 
Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. 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 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.
 




Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices



NIH Office of Extramural Research Logo
  Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - Home Page Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
  USA.gov - Government Made Easy
NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health®