It is critical that applicants follow the 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

Food and Drug Administration/ Center for Devices and Radiological (CDRH) is announcing its intention to accept and consider a single source application for the award of a cooperative agreement in fiscal year 2018 to Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. (CRCPD) in support of coordination of Federal and State actions to assure radiation protection of the American public. The cooperative agreement covered by this notice will be in furtherance of FDA's responsibilities under section 532 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360ii) to establish and carry out a comprehensive radiation control program. FDA's authority to enter into grants and cooperative agreements is set out in section 301 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241). FDA's research program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.103. Before entering into cooperative agreements, FDA carefully considers the benefits such agreements will provide to the public.

The Public Health Service (PHS) strongly encourages all award recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and to discourage the use of all tobacco products. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people. FDA is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of 'Healthy People 2010,' a national effort designed to reduce morbidity and mortality and to improve quality of life. The document is available at http://health.gov/healthypeople. Internet viewers should proceed to 'Publications.'

Since 1968, FDA has taken the lead in working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its predecessor organizations, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other agencies to provide financial support for a forum established to foster the exchange of ideas and information among the States and the Federal Government concerning radiation control. This forum has made it possible for State and Federal agencies to work together to study existing and potential radiological health problems of mutual interest and to apply their increasingly limited resources with maximum efficiency in seeking ways to address these problems, foster coordination and provide original views.

Three major mechanisms traditionally have been used to achieve this coordination between State and Federal agencies:

1. When certain radiation control issues warrant specific consideration, committees and other working groups comprised of representatives of State radiation control programs and liaison members from the concerned Federal agencies have been formed to evaluate these issues and recommend ways to address them. The recommendations of the committees are evaluated by a central management board and final recommended actions are relayed to the appropriate Federal and State agencies and Tribal organizations.

2. Annual meetings of Federal and State officials are convened to present and discuss the results of the studies conducted. The annual meetings also include workshops to more carefully define new problems and areas of mutual concern in radiation control, and clinics to demonstrate mutually beneficial radiological health techniques, procedures, and systems. The annual meeting lasts approximately 4 days, with an average attendance of 350 participants.

3. Additional educational activities have been provided for the benefit of members of State programs having radiation control responsibilities and the general public to acquaint them with radiation exposure problems and the proposed solutions. Methods used have included videotapes, publications, and training courses.

The objective of this cooperative agreement will be to coordinate Federal, State and Tribal activities to achieve effective solutions to present and future radiation control problems. CRCPD will be expected to obtain the States' cooperation and participation on committees and working groups established to deal with individual problems and also plan and facilitate an annual meeting, and develop and offer educational activities to demonstrate mutually beneficial techniques, procedures, and systems relevant to the mission of assuring radiation protection. CRCPD will be expected to establish committees to address, evaluate, and offer solutions for a wide range of radiation health and protection issues. Examples of relevant areas already identified to be of interest include, but are not limited to: (1) The application of x-rays to the healing arts; (2) the application of medical/non-medical ionizing radiation; and (3) the control and mitigation of radiation exposure from all sources. These areas are explained more fully in the following paragraphs.

A. Areas of Interest

1. Application of X-Rays to the Healing Arts

The activities related to x-rays in the healing arts should include issues related to general diagnostic radiology. Issues related to radiography, fluoroscopy, and computed tomography should be considered in terms of practice guidelines, quality assurance procedures, and patient exposure evaluation. In the area of patient exposure, the recipient will be responsible for conducting a survey of a representative sample of medical x-ray facilities conducting one specific diagnostic x-ray procedure (from a set of predefined procedures that will be the subject of the survey over time).

2. Application of Medical/Non-medical Ionizing Radiation

CRCPD will address issues in the non-medical applications of ionizing radiation as well as the medical and non-medical applications of non-ionizing radiation.

3. Control and Mitigation of Radiation Exposure

CRCPD will be responsible for developing criteria relevant to the control and mitigation of radiation exposure from all sources. Specific areas to be addressed include: Responding to radiation accidents or incidents; evaluating the adequacy of State radiation control programs, overseeing radiation laboratory capabilities, controlling residual radioactivity levels from decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, determining the propriety of delegating implementation authority for Federal standards for control of radionuclides as hazardous air pollutants, and implementing the Indoor Radon Abatement Act. Also be required to review and provide comments on issues related to radiological emergency preparedness and homeland security.

B. Suggested State Regulations for the Control of Radiation (SSRCR)

CRCPD will be expected to provide the leadership to refresh and update previously developed consensus guidance documents and SSRCR to provide States with up-to-date assistance in effective management of radiological hazards.

Updating and maintaining the SSRCR will be an integral aspect of this cooperative agreement. These regulations will be disseminated to the States for the purpose of promoting uniformity between the States. The regulations will address issues relevant to controlling radiation exposure from all sources such as low-level waste, radioactive contamination, radioactive materials, radon, and x-rays in the healing arts.

Be required to develop a process to determine the need, priority and timing for regulation updates and development of new SSRCRs.

C. Committee Oversight and Management

CRCPD should anticipate oversight and management responsibilities for approximately 45 committees. In some instances, the recipient will be required to provide representatives to certain Federal radiation committees.

While official committee members are limited to State members, non-State and Federal representatives may be appointed as advisors to these committees and other working groups dealing with problems related to the agency mission. These representatives will participate in the discussions leading to any recommendations developed by the committees and working groups. They will be primarily responsible for assuring that such recommendations are in accordance with Federal policy and regulations. The representatives will also act as investigators, collaborators, or resource personnel, as appropriate.

D. Special Projects

CRCPD will occasionally implement special projects as determined by the participating State and Federal agencies. Areas for which groups may be needed include, but are not limited to, radioactive materials and radiation exposure problems in the environment, in the healing arts, in industry, and in, or related to, consumer products.

E. Annual Meeting/Training

CRCPD will be required to plan, conduct, and handle all administrative functions for an annual meeting. This meeting will offer an opportunity for member States and other interested parties to convene to exchange concerns and ideas for problem solving. Consult with stakeholders to determine priority agenda items and topics of interest. General Sessions of this annual meeting should include workshops to define new problems, and discussions and lectures on mutually beneficial radiological health techniques, procedures, and systems. Identified areas of mutual concern in radiation control should be considered for assignment to a task force or committee comprised of experts. Be expected to publish the meeting proceedings on the web site for limited dissemination to member States and relevant Federal personnel.

In conjunction with the annual meeting, the recipient will be required to hold training sessions. These sessions should demonstrate mutually beneficial techniques, procedures, and systems that have been developed by the sponsoring agencies or the recipient. May also be requested by FDA to provide instructors for Federal training courses with a radiological component held outside of the annual meeting.

F. Information Access

A Web site will be maintained by the recipient for the benefit of the States and other interested parties; the FDA Project Officer and other designated Federal personnel will be given complete and full access to all information posted on the site that is relevant to the work supported by FDA and other supporting agencies. The information and materials posted on the site should be reviewed and updated at regular intervals. Expertise in Web site maintenance and security is required to fulfill this task.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

HHS grants policies as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

- Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. (CRCPD)

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. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

• Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
• NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
• eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

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 FDA 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.

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The FDA will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time.  This means that the FDA will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.

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 instructions in the Research 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.

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed, with the following exceptions or additional requirements:

For this specific FOA, the Research Strategy section is limited to 30 pages

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.

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:

• Applications requesting multiple years of support must complete and submit a separate detailed budget breakdown and narrative justification for each year of financial support requested.
• If an applicant is requesting indirect costs as part of their budget, a copy of the most recent Federal indirect cost rate or F&A agreement must be provided as part of the application submission. This agreement should be attached to the RESEARCH & RELATED Other Project Information Component as line #12 'Other Attachments'.
• If the applicant organization has never established an indirect cost rate and/or does not have a negotiated Federal indirect cost rate agreement, a de minimis indirect cost rate of 10 percent (10%) of modified total direct costs (MTDC) will be allowed. MTDC means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and subaward and subcontracts up to the first $25,000 of each subaward or subcontract. MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward and subcontract in excess of $25,000.

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.

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:

• All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should address a Data Sharing Plan.

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.

The PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form replaces the Human Subjects section of the Research Plan form. FOAs that do not allow clinical trials use this form for human subjects.

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered "Yes" to the question "Are Human Subjects Involved?" on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

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.

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, FDA's electronic system for grants administration. eRA Commons 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. Late applications will not be accepted for this FOA.

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 FDA awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

Additional funding restrictions may be part of the Notice of Award.

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. 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 FDA. 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 assigned Grants Management Specialist and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, FDA. 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 NOT-OD-13-030.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit.

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 New Investigators, or 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? 

If the project involves human subjects and/or FDA-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?

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items, but will not give separate scores for these items and should not consider them in providing an overall score.

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 FDA-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.

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 Objective Review Committee using the stated review criteria.

As part of the objective review, all applications:

• Will receive a written critique.

Appeals of objective review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.

Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by objective review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

Successful applicants will be notified of additional information that may be required or other actions leading to an award. The decision not to award a grant, or to award a grant at a particular funding level, is discretionary and is not subject to appeal to any FDA or HHS official or board.

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 in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

All FDA grant and cooperative agreement awards include the HHS Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA.

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.

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), FDA 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 judgment 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 FDA grants and cooperative agreements.

FDA considers the sharing of research resources developed through FDA-sponsored research an important means to enhance the value and further the advancement of research. When research resources have been developed with FDA funds and the associated research findings published, those findings must be made readily available to the scientific community.

Upon acceptance for publication, scientific researchers must submit the author's final manuscript of the peer-reviewed scientific publication resulting from research supported in whole or in part with FDA funds to the NIH National Library of Medicine's (NLM) PubMed Central (PMC). FDA defines the author's final manuscript as the final version accepted for journal publication, which includes all modifications from the publishing peer review process. The PMC archive is the designated repository for these manuscripts for use by the public, health care providers, educators, scientists, and FDA. Please see the FDA Public Access Policy.

Additional terms and conditions regarding FDA regulatory and CDRH programmatic requirements may be part of the Notice of Award.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AWARD

A. Two copies of the Directory of Personnel Responsible for Radiological Health Programs and a non-copyright electronic version will be provided to all contributing Federal agencies at no cost.

B. Under the direction of the FDA Project Officer and/or FDA Technical Liaison, the CRCPD will accomplish the following on behalf of the NRC:

(a) Provide 40 copies of the Directory of Personnel Responsible for Radiological Health Programs at no cost to the NRC Federal Liaison.

(b) Pre-decisional information provided to the recipient by the NRC will be limited to use by Agreement and non-Agreement State radiation control program directors, their staff, recipient staff, and Federal resources representatives. This information will not be disclosed to the public and non-State members of committees or task forces unless NRC, through the FDA Project Officer, gives permission.

Delineation of Substantive Involvement:

1. Priorities on issues to be addressed will be jointly agreed to by the CRCPD and FDA in coordination with the Federal liaisons and agencies. The FDA Project Officer will be invited to all planning meeting of the central management board or committee of the CRCPD. These meetings must be held on normal business days during normal business hours. The Project Officer will participate in the making of decisions with respect to the annual meeting including the topics to be discussed and meeting site selection, committee organization and mission, and other activities under this award.

2. Senior Federal liaisons from all contributing Federal agencies will also be named and will regularly attend the planning meeting of the central management board or committee, and will communicate with the other liaisons from their agency who are members of the task forces and related committees. These Senior Federal Liaisons will also regularly attend the annual meeting. Through the FDA Project Officer, the CRCPD will communicate with agencies on major policy and regulatory issues relevant to the work of FDA and the supporting agencies.

3. FDA will collaborate with the recipient on data analysis, interpretation of findings, and where appropriate, co-author publications.

4. Quarterly program monitoring will be conducted and may be in the form of telephone conversations between the Principal Investigator and the FDA Project Officer/Grants Management Specialist. Program monitoring may also be in the form of site visits.

5. All formal correspondence/reports regarding the grant should be co-signed by an authorized institutional official and the Principal Investigator and should be sent to the attention of the Grants Management Specialist with a copy to the Project Officer. Electronic documents will be accepted. The organization signing official must be copied on all electronic communication.

Failure to comply with the above Terms and conditions identified as both Standard and Special could result in the suspension or termination of this Cooperative Agreement.

Direct inquiries regarding scientific programmatic issues and fiscal and/or administrative matters to Staff Contact listed at the end of this document.

The administrative and funding mechanism used for this program is a Cooperative Agreement, and "assistance" mechanism in which substantial FDA programmatic involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities.

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT TERMS:

Under the Cooperative Agreement, FDA's purpose is to support and stimulate the CRCPD activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the CRCPD 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 CRCPD for the project, although specific tasks and activities may be shared as defined below:

(a) The CRCPD is required to participate in a cooperative manner with the FDA.

(b) The CRCPD will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and FDA policies.

(c) The FDA Program Official or the Center Program Director will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice. FDA stewardship role in awards as described below.

Principal Investigator(s) (PI)/Program Director (PD) will have primary responsibility for the following:

1. The PI/PD will have responsibility for the scientific, technical, and programmatic aspects of the grant and for day-to-day management of the project or program. The PI/PD will maintain general oversight for ensuring compliance with the financial and administrative aspects of the award, as well as ensuring that all staff has sufficient clearance and/or background checks to work on this project or program. These individuals will work closely with designated officials within the CRCPD to prepare justifications; appropriately acknowledge Federal support in publications, announcements, news programs, and other media; and ensure compliance with other Federal and organizational requirements.

2. The CRCPD will be responsible for submitting interim progress reports (e.g. at specified intervals), when requested, to the FDA Project Officer (PO) and the Grants Management Specialist (listed as contacts on the Notice of Grant Award), including summary data on progress and expenses to date.

3. The CRCPD is encouraged to publish and publicly release and disseminate results, data and other products of the study, concordant with the study protocol and governance and the approved plan for making data and materials available to the scientific community and FDA. CRCPD will work with the appropriate FDA staff to develop and implement an appropriate rapid data release policy.

4. Manuscripts shall be submitted to FDA PO within two weeks of submission for publication. Publications or oral presentations of work performed under this Cooperative Agreement will require appropriate acknowledgement of FDA support. Timely publication of major findings is encouraged.

5. The CRCPD will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and FDA policies.

6. The CRCPD is responsible for obtaining approval for the development and design of FDA projects prior to execution.

FDA Project Officer (PO) will have primary responsibility for the following:

1. An FDA PO with scientific/technical experts and other members of the FDA staff will have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

(a) The responsibilities of the PO include involvement during conduct of the activity through technical assistance, advice, coordination, and /or other assistance activities.

(b) As appropriate, the PO will participate in the definition of objectives and approaches, and in planning, conducting, analyzing, and publishing results, interpretations, and conclusions of their studies. However, the dominant role and prime responsibility for the activity reside with the CRCPD for the project.

(c) The FDA through the PO will have access to data generated under this Cooperative Agreement and may periodically review the data and progress reports. The FDA PO may use information obtained from the data for the preparation of internal reports on the activities of the study. However, CRCPD will retain custody of and have primary rights to all data developed under these awards or as stated in the terms and conditions of award.

2. Retain the right to have prior approval on the appointment of all key personnel substantially supported by the grant.

3. Be directly involved in the guidance and development of the program and the collaborative structure of the program.

4. Participate with the CRCPD in determining and carrying out the methodological approaches to be used. Collaboration will also include data analysis, interpretation of findings and where appropriate, co-authorship of publications.

5. Arrange to have professional scientific and administrative/clerical personnel working in collaboration with the CRCPD as required.

Collaborative Responsibilities:

1. As relevant, the PI(s)/PD in collaboration with the PO will work collaboratively in evaluating the most appropriate research methods, data quality control strategies, safety issues, study design and implementation, data analysis and interpretation, publication and dissemination of study results. Projects require FDA approval prior to implementation/initiation.

2. During performance of the award, the PO, with assistance from other scientific program staff, designated based on their relevant expertise, may provide appropriate assistance, advice and guidance. The role of the PO will be to facilitate and not to direct the activities. It is anticipated that decisions in all activities will be reached by consensus between the PD/PI(s) and the PO and that the FDA programmatic staff will be given the opportunity to offer input into this process. The PO will facilitate liaison activity for partnerships, and provide assistance with access to FDA supported resources and services.

3. The FDA will work collaboratively to identify and coordinate training, professional development and training-related scientific exchange opportunities.

COPYRIGHT

Except as provided in the conditions of the award, when a publication or similar copyrightable material is developed from work supported by HHS, the author is free to arrange for copyright without approval of the FDA. Such copyrighted materials are subject to a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to the Federal government to reproduce them, translate them, publish them, and use and dispose of them, and to authorize others to do so for Federal government purposes.

DATA

Except as otherwise noted in the Notice of Grant Award, any publications, data, or other copyrightable works developed under an HHS grant may be copyrighted without FDA prior approval. Rights in data also extend to students, fellows, or trainees under awards whose primary purpose is educational, with the authors free to copyright works without FDA approval.

In all cases, whether HHS funded all or part of the project or program resulting in the data, the Federal government must be given a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license for the Federal government to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the material and to authorize others to do so for Federal purposes, e.g., to make it available in government-sponsored databases for use by other researchers. Data developed by a sub recipient also are subject to this policy.

DATA SHARING

In addition to sharing data and research resources with the research community, upon request of the FDA, the CRCPD also must provide a copy of documents or a sample of any material developed under an HHS grant award. The CRCPD may charge a nominal fee to cover shipping costs for providing this material. Income earned from these charges must be treated as program income.

Organizations that believe they will be unable to comply with these requirements should promptly contact the Grants Management Specialist to discuss the circumstances, obtain information that might enable compliance, and reach an understanding in advance of an award.

All formal correspondence/reports regarding the grant should be signed by an authorized institutional official and the PI and should be sent to the attention of the Grants Management Specialist, unless otherwise explicitly directed.

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 Notice of Award.

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 HHS 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 FDA 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.

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

Web ticketing system: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx
Email: support@grants.gov

Donald Miller
Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH)
Telephone: 301-796-3299
Email: Donald.Miller@fda.hhs.gov

Kiara Fowler
Office of Acquisitions & Grants Services (OAGS)
Food and Drug Administration
Telephone: 240-402-3099
Email: Kiara.Fowler@fda.hhs.gov

Kiara Fowler
Office of Acquisitions & Grants Services (OAGS)
Food and Drug Administration
Telephone: 240-402-3099
Email: Kiara.Fowler@fda.hhs.gov

All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS 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.