EXPIRED
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Limited Competition: NCI National Clinical Trials Network - Network Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center (U24)
U24 Resource-Related Research Projects Cooperative Agreements
Reissue of RFA-CA-12-014
RFA-CA-17-060
RFA-CA-17-056, U10 Cooperative Clinical Research Cooperative Agreements;
RFA-CA-17-057, U10 Cooperative Clinical Research Cooperative Agreements;
RFA-CA-17-058, U10 Cooperative Clinical Research Cooperative Agreements;
RFA-CA-17-059, UG1 Clinical Research Cooperative Agreements - Single Project;
RFA-CA-17-061, UG1 Clinical Research Cooperative Agreements - Single Project
Each applicant organization may submit only one application as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.
93.394; 93.395
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications to maintain a Network Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center for the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) that provides scientific and technical expertise for incorporating integrated quality assurance and image data management for applicable NCTN clinical trials that involve interventions with radiotherapy and/or imaging modalities. In addition, the Center will have the capacity to provide similar services for other approved NCI-supported clinical trials network programs (e.g., the NCI/DCTD early phase clinical trial network program and the NCI/DCP NCI Community Oncology Research Program).
October 20, 2017
December 19, 2017
December 19, 2017
January 19, 2018, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on this date.
No late applications will be accepted for this FOA.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
Not Applicable
May-June 2018
October 2018
March 2019
January 20, 2018
Not Applicable
It is critical that applicants follow the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission
Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is one of six FOAs that support the comprehensive effort by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to provide the infrastructure for the conduct of national clinical trials through the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The primary goal of the NCTN is the conduct of multi-center, late-phase, clinical treatment trials (i.e., randomized phase 2 and phase 3 trials) and advanced imaging trials across a broad range of cancers, modalities, and diverse patient populations as part of the NCI's overall clinical research program for adults, adolescents and young adults, and children with cancer. The NCTN also conducts, as necessary, preliminary studies needed for development of definitive trials, especially umbrella/basket trials and rare tumor trials, when an extensive, national patient catchment area is required.
The NCTN Program supports the following clinical trials infrastructure components through individual awards made under the respective FOAs indicated below:
NCTN - Network Group Operations Centers under RFA-CA-17-056 (U10)
NCTN - Network Group Statistics and Data Management Centers under RFA-CA-17-057 (U10)
NCTN - Canadian Collaborating Clinical Trials Network under RFA-CA-17-058 (U10)
NCTN - Network Lead Academic Participating Sites under RFA-CA-17-059 (UG1)
NCTN - Network Radiotherapy & Imaging Core Services Center under RFA-CA-17-060 (U24)- this FOA
NCTN - Network Group Integrated Translational Science Centers under RFA-CA-17-061 (UG1)
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) under the NCTN Program is to solicit applications to maintain a Network Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center for the Network. The goal of this Center is to provide scientific and technical expertise for incorporating integrated quality assurance and image data management for applicable NCTN trials involving interventions with radiotherapy and/or imaging modalities. In addition, the Center has the capacity to provide similar services for other approved NCI-supported clinical trials network programs (e.g., the NCI/Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) early phase clinical trial network program and the NCI/Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) NCI Community Oncology Research Program).
On March 1, 2014, after several years of extensive consultation and coordination with numerous stakeholders, the NCI transformed its longstanding Cooperative Group Clinical Trials infrastructure program into the new NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) for the conduct of large-scale, national, oncology treatment and advanced imaging clinical trials in an era of precision medicine.
Recent advances in deciphering the cancer genome, along with the emergence of successful immunotherapies, have fundamentally changed our approach to cancer treatment and have introduced new challenges to performing clinical trials. Due to the low incidence of certain molecular abnormalities, the development of targeted therapies often requires an infrastructure for the conduct of clinical trials that can screen large numbers of patients with the same or different cancer type to identify those patients whose tumors contain the distinct molecular targets of the therapies being tested. Immunotherapeutic approaches also present a similar challenge in that not all tumor types respond to this approach, and selecting the cancer types most likely to respond is critical for success.
The NCTN's integrated and collaborative network infrastructure has allowed the Program to meet the challenges of evaluating emerging therapies within its broad investigator base drawn from NCI-designated Cancer Centers, the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), Minority/Underserved NCORPs, and other academic and community hospitals and private practitioners across the U.S. and internationally. The primary focus of the NCTN is the conduct of multi-center, late-phase, clinical treatment trials (i.e., randomized phase 2 and phase 3 trials) and investigation of new advanced imaging techniques; however, appropriate preliminary studies needed for development of potential definitive trials, especially umbrella/basket trials and rare tumor trials oriented to discovery, are also conducted when an extensive, national patient catchment area is required. With its state-of-the-art clinical trials infrastructure, the NCTN implements and completes trials far more rapidly than in the past. The NCTN has streamlined trial registration, data management, and tumor banking processes. It has a Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU) to provide online access to all materials and a Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB) to make ethics review easier and less redundant across the country. The NCTN also has appeal for industry partners as evidenced by the large number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies that collaborate on NCTN precision medicine trials harnessing next generation DNA and RNA sequencing methods to inform treatment choices. NCTN's resources are ideal for screening large numbers of patients to identify patients whose tumors exhibit the molecular features that may be responsive to new, targeted treatments and/or immunotherapy approaches. In addition, biospecimens collected from patients on NCTN trials are available to help determine the underlying biological reasons for response and resistance to therapy
The NCTN has also continued to promote the evaluation of multi-modality treatments, including surgery and radiotherapy in combination with novel agents, and has maintained a commitment to the conduct of trials in special populations (e.g., children, adolescents, young adults, and underserved populations) and involving patient with rare tumors. This focus allows the NCTN Program to complement, rather than duplicate, research conducted by the private sector. Annual accrual to NCTN trials has remained in the 17,500 to 22,000 patient range in mostly large phase 2 and phase 3 trials, but with a larger number of patients now screened on study to determine whether they might benefit from the therapy under evaluation.
Each of the key components of the NCTN Program is described briefly below.
Interactions with Other NCI-supported Programs. In addition to the six key components of the NCTN that are described above that are directly funded by the NCTN Program, other NCI grant and contract-supported Programs and their awardees as well as NCI Advisory Committees have important supporting roles in carrying out the research objectives of the NCTN Program. Thus the NCTN awardees are expected to interact as appropriate with such entities/programs as the NCI Clinical Trials Tumor Banks, the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) and Minority/Underserved NCORPs, the NCI Cancer Trials Support Unit, the pediatric and adult NCI Central Institutional Review Boards, and NCI Advisory and Scientific Committees, including the NCI Scientific Steering Committees.
The Network Group Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center application must include the following 3 functional components:
See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.
Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NIH scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities. See Section VI.2 for additional information about the substantial involvement for this FOA.
Renewal
The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.
NCI intends to commit $8 million in FY 2019 to fund one award.
The requested budget must not exceed $7,400,000 in direct costs per year.
The total project period requested may not exceed 6 years.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
[Only the current Network Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center awardees, supported under RFA-CA-12-014, are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are
not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible
to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in
the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Applicant Organizations
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
The named PDs/PIs for applications for NCTN Network Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center cannot be named as PDs/PIs on applications for:
However, an individual who is designated as a PD/PI on the application for the NCTN Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center can, if appropriate, be listed as key personnel on applications for the NCTN Network Lead Academic Participating Sites, but not on applications for the other RFAs listed above.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Each organization may submit only 1 application in response to this FOA.
The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:
Buttons to access the online ASSIST system or to download application forms are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.
It is critical that applicants follow the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Meg Mooney, M.D.
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: 240-276-6086
Email: NCINCTNRFA@mail.nih.gov
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed with the specific term of this FOA.
The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Facilities and Other Resources: In addition to standard aspects, provide a detailed description of the special facilities and equipment used for radiotherapy and imaging services.
Other Attachments: Applicants must provide the following additional materials specified below in support of their application. Each attachment should be uploaded as a separate PDF using the indicated filenames (which will serve as application bookmarks).
Attachment 1. Summary of NCTN Clinical Trials Using RT Core Services (use filename RTCore).
In this attachment, provide documentation of RT Core services previously and currently being provided on NCTN clinical trials. Two tables should be provided detailing the NCTN clinical trials for which the applicant has provided RT Core Services - one table for all active trials that are still open to accrual (or only temporarily closed to accrual) for which the applicant is providing RT Core Services and one table for all trials closed to accrual for which the applicant is currently providing RT Core Services. The column headings for each table should include trial phase, major disease category (e.g., "breast cancer"), NCTN Group leading the trial, trial #, trial name, trial status (e.g., active, temporarily closed to accrual), # patients accrued to date on the trial, and a brief description of type of service (e.g., "RT Quality Assurance"). The table should be sorted in the order listed: by trial phase and then by major disease category, Lead NCTN Group, and trial #. The timeframe for the period of services should be provided as a sub-heading for each table (e.g., March 1, 2014 through August 31, 2017).
Attachment 2. Summary of NCTN Clinical Trials Using Imaging Core Services (use filename ImagingCore). In this attachment, provide documentation of Imaging Core services previously and currently being provided on NCTN clinical trials. Two tables should be provided detailing the NCTN clinical trials for which the applicant has provided Imaging Core Services - one table for all active trials that are still open to accrual (or only temporarily closed to accrual) for which the applicant is providing Imaging Core Services and one table for all trials closed to accrual for which the applicant is currently providing Imaging Core Services. The column headings for each table should include trial phase, major disease category (e.g., "breast cancer"), NCTN Group leading the trial, trial #, trial name, trial status (e.g., active, temporarily closed to accrual), # patients accrued to date on the trial, and a brief description of type of service (e.g., "RT Quality Assurance"). The table should be sorted in the order listed: by trial phase and then by major disease category, Lead NCTN Group, and trial #. The timeframe for the period of services should be provided as a sub-heading for each table (e.g., March 1, 2014 through August 31, 2017).
Attachment 3. Summary of Other Clinical Trials Using RT Core Services and/or Imaging Core Services (use filename OtherTrialsCore). In this attachment, provide documentation of RT Core Services and/or Imaging Core services previously and currently being provided on clinical trials from other approved NCI-supported clinical trials network programs (e.g., NCI/DCP NCI Community Oncology Research Program, NCI/DCTD early phase clinical trials network program) if such services were provided under this grant in the previous project period. This information can be provided in a table similar to the ones described above for NCTN trials or in narrative form.
Attachment 4. Key Standard Operating Procedures for RT and Imaging Quality Assurance, Imaging Data Management, and Credentialing (use filename QASOPs). In this attachment, provide updated key standard operating procedures (SOPs) for RT and Imaging Quality Assurance as well as the key SOPs for Image Management and Credentialing for both areas.
Attachment 5. Security and Confidentiality (use filename Security). In this attachment, provide documentation as to how the Center will ensure security and confidentiality of patient data.
Attachment 6. Conflict of Interest (use filename COIPolicy). In this attachment, provide documentation on the Conflict of Interest Policy for the Center to ensure that there is no reasonable expectation that any investigator or staff member at the Center involved in the design, conduct, or reporting of research conducted by the Network Group Operations Centers and their associated Network Group Statistical and Data Management Centers will be biased by any conflict of interest (using the definition of investigator provided in the NIH grants policy).
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed. The following additional instructions apply for this FOA.
a) Budget Breakdown. The application for this FOA consists of a single budget with the major budget categories (i.e., Personnel, Supplies, Travel, Other Expenses) showing the amounts for the entire application; however, a budget breakdown (general total amounts - not formal separate budgets) should be provided for the three main cores/activities of this application, including coordination activities, as this award will be made with restricted general budget allocations for each of these core activities.
(1) RT Core Services for NCTN Clinical Trials;
(2) Imaging Core Services for NCTN Clinical Trials; and
(3) RT and Imaging Core Services for Other NCI-supported Clinical Trials Network Programs (e.g., NCI/DCP NCI Community Oncology Research Program, NCI/DCTD early phase clinical network trial program).
b) PD/PI Effort Commitment. The minimal effort commitment for the Contact PD/PI must be 1.8 person-months per year. The effort commitment for the other PDs/PIs (if multiple) must be a minimum of 1.8 person-months per year. These effort commitments cannot be reduced in later years of the award.
c) Travel Expenses. Applicants must budget travel funds for two persons (two PDs/PIs or one PD/PI and an additional senior investigator) to attend one NCTN Leadership Management Committee in-person meeting per year in additional to other travel expenses.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Specific Aims: Outline the scope of the core radiotherapy and imaging services to be provided and their relevance/importance to the conduct of NCTN clinical treatment and advanced imaging trials (and oncology trials conducted by other NCI-supported clinical trials network programs).
Research Strategy: Organize the overall Research Strategy section with sub-sections in the specified order and using the instructions provided below. Start each sub-section with the appropriate sub-section heading: Sub-section A. Overview; Sub-section B. Radiotherapy (RT) Core Services Program; Sub-section C. Imaging Core Services; Sub-section D. Collaborations, Participation, in Collective Network Management, and Support for Other NCI-Supported Clinical Trials Network Programs; and Sub-section E. Progress Report.
Sub-section A. Overview
Sub-section B. Radiotherapy (RT) Core Services Program
Sub-section C. Imaging Core Services Program
Sub-section D. Collaborations, Participation in Collective Network Management, and Support for Other NCI Supported Clinical Trials Network Programs
Sub-section E. Progress Report
This Progress Report should cover the period of March 1, 2014, through August 31, 2017 and should include a summary of the most significant achievements of the Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center in terms of providing harmonized services for standards and quality assurance for radiotherapy and advanced imaging techniques for applicable NCTN trials in a timely manner. This Progress Report should summarize how the Center's has provided real-time user support (e.g., "Help Desk") to collect feedback for continual improvement of functionality of the core services for sites participating in applicable NCTN trials. This Progress Report should also highlight the Center's major contributions to the collective management of the NCTN Program and any significant collaborations with other NCTN Groups and other NCI-sponsored programs.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modification:
The Data Sharing Plan and other resource plans (or rationale for not providing sharing certain resources) should be provided in the research application; however, prior to funding of an award, all resource sharing plans will also need to be reviewed and approved by NCI/DCTD program staff prior to any award in order to ensure that the plans are in compliance with the NIH/NCI regulations and Terms of Award for this key component of the NCTN Program.
Appendix:
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing PHS Inclusion Enrollment Report as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.
Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Guidelines for Applicants Experiencing System Issues. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.
Important reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
See more tips for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by the NCI, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy.
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is there a strong scientific premise for the project? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or those in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?
Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?
Specific for this FOA: Does the Center provide continued maintenance of robust physical hardware and information technology (IT) networks which ensure the operational integrity and security of the core services? Does the Center have procedures in place for data security and safeguards to protect medical/clinical trial information? How well does the Center provide basic interoperability between the radiotherapy and imaging service components as well as with other key components of the NCTN, including electronic exchange of digital planning data and images and web-based software tools to facilitate trial-specific digital data review by study chairs for NCTN trials?
If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?
Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?
Specific for this FOA: How adequately does the Center demonstrate the capacity for interoperability with the common data management system (CDMS) of the NCTN Program to collect clinical trial data and link information to clinical data collected by other key components of the NCTN Program such as Network Group Operations Centers and associated Network Group Statistics and Data Management Centers? How well does it appear that the Center will be able to work with the NCTN Program tools and services employed for regulatory support and patient enrollment (i.e., the Regulatory Support System (RSS) and the Oncology Patient Enrollment Network (OPEN) for all NCTN clinical trials?
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.
With respect to RT services:
With respect to Imaging services:
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Not applicable
For Renewals, the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period covering the period of March 1, 2014, through August 31, 2017.
Not applicable
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).
Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: (1) Data Sharing Plan; (2) Sharing Model Organisms; and (3) Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS).
For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NCI, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee's business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.
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. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person's race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator's scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.
For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/laws/revisedlep.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html; and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/about/rgn-hqaddresses.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 "Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants." This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
The following special terms of award are in addition to, and
not in lieu of, otherwise applicable OMB administrative guidelines, HHS grant
administration regulations at 45 CFR Part 75, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant
administration policies.
The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the
cooperative agreement - an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an
"acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic
involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the
activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH purpose is to support
and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise
working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to
assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the
activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime
responsibility resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although
specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and the NIH as
defined below.
The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibilities for:
NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:
Designated NCI Program Director(s) will have substantial involvement as a Project Scientist(s).
Additionally, an NCI Program Director, acting as Program Official will be responsible for the normal,
scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice. A
Program Official may also have substantial programmatic involvement (as a Project Scientist).
Areas of Joint Responsibility include:
Dispute Resolution
Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between award recipients and the NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of three members will be convened. It will have three members: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting; one NIH designee; and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two. In the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual awardee. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the awardee's right to appeal an adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulations 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and HHS regulations 45 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and HHS regulations 45 CFR Part 16.
When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity
and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons
registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system
problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Grants.gov
Customer Support (Questions
regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and
application packages)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov
GrantsInfo
(Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant
resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573
For general research programmatic and administrative information, contact:
Meg Mooney, M.D.
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: 240-276-6086
Email: NCINCTNRFA@mail.nih.gov
For inquiries specifically related to radiotherapy services information for this FOA, contact:
Bhadrasain Vikram, M.D.
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: 301-496-6111
Email: vikramb@mail.nih.gov
For inquiries specifically related to imaging services information for this FOA, contact:
Lalitha Shankar, M.D., Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: 301-451-9531
Email: Shankarl@mail.nih.gov
Referral Officer
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6390
Email: ncirefof@dea.nci.nih.gov
Crystal Wolfrey
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6277
Email: wolfreyc@mail.nih.gov
Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75.