and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
Department of Health and Human Services
Participating Organizations
National
Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov)
Components of Participating Organizations
Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD) (http://www.nichd.nih.gov)
Title: Eunice
Kennedy Shriver NICHD Maternal Fetal
Medicine Units Network (U10)
Announcement Type
This
is a reissue of RFA-HD-04-023.
Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:
Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-HD-10-008
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s)
93.865
Key Dates
Release
Date: January 29, 2010
Letters
of Intent Receipt Date(s): May 1, 2010
Application Receipt Dates(s): June 1, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): October/November 2010
Council Review Date(s): January, 2011
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: April 1, 2011
Additional
Information to Be Available Date (Url Activation Date): Not applicable
Expiration Date: June 2, 2010
A workshop on this FOA will be held on February 3, 2010 in conjunction with the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine meeting in Chicago, IL. The presentation will be available online (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/RFA/HD-010-008/Workshop.htm).
Due Dates
for E.O. 12372
Not
Applicable
Additional
Overview Content
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
Part I
Overview Information
Part II Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives
Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism(s) of Support
2. Funds Available
Section III. Eligibility
Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2.Cost Sharing or Matching
3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria
Section IV. Application and
Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates and Times
A. Receipt, Review and
Anticipated Start Dates
1.
Letter of Intent
B. Sending an Application to
the NIH
C. Application Processing
D. Application Assignment
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements
Section V. Application Review
Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
A. Additional Review Criteria
B. Additional Review
Considerations
C. Resource Sharing Plan(s)
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Section VI. Award Administration
Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
A. Cooperative Agreement
Terms and Conditions of Award
1.
Principal Investigator Rights and Responsibilities
2.
NIH Responsibilities
3.
Collaborative Responsibilities
4.
Arbitration Process
3. Reporting
Section VII. Agency Contact(s)
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/ Grants Management Contact(s)
Section VIII. Other Information
- Required Federal Citations
Part II
- Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives
Purpose
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invites applications from investigators willing to participate with the NICHD under a cooperative agreement in an ongoing multicenter clinical program designed to investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, particularly those related to prevention of low birth weight, prematurity, and medical problems of pregnancy. The objective of this program is to facilitate resolution of these problems by establishing a network of academic centers that, by rigorous patient evaluation using common protocols, can study the required numbers of patients and can provide answers more rapidly than individual centers acting alone.
The infrastructure is set up for the ideal randomized double-blinded placebo controlled trial with the ability to follow short term (clinical effect) and long term (neurodevelopmental outcome) measures. The infrastructure is also set up for observational studies in perinatal medicine. This initiative will foster the conduct of multicenter trials in the perinatal population.
The NICHD program staff will assist the Principal Investigators of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Network Units (MFMUs) and the Advisory Board in identifying research topics of high priority and in designing and implementing protocols appropriate to the evaluation of optimum management in these areas.
It is anticipated that approximately 13 to 16 clinical centers will be involved in the program.
Background
Modern obstetrical management, especially the management of high-risk pregnancies, has in some instances adopted principles of care and at times employed pharmaceuticals and methodologies without rigorous use of the controlled observation necessary for their objective evaluation. Often, the development of this medical specialty (and others as well) has been marked by the enthusiastic adoption of concepts and procedures followed by their modification or replacement, sometimes decades later, after extensive experience has failed to support their usefulness or has shown unexpected consequences. Costs involved in instrument purchase and employment have often been large, and uncertainties embedded in such obstetrical practices have contributed at least partly to the rising incidence of cesarean delivery. Regional differences in practice have complicated the field.
In an attempt to respond to the need for well-designed clinical trials in maternal fetal medicine, NICHD established a Network of Maternal Fetal Medicine Units in 1986. Seven university units were selected from among respondents to an earlier FOA. The Network Steering Committee, which consists of representatives from each clinical center, NICHD staff, and data coordinating center staff, evaluated several controversial issues for study. It then selected certain priority areas in which to develop protocols for randomized clinical trials. Trials were carried out on questions of post-term pregnancy, management of preterm labor, and prevention of preeclampsia. A Data Monitoring and Safety Committee also advise NICHD on research design issues, data quality and analysis, and ethical and human subject protection aspects of protocols.
In the second grant period of the MFMU Network (1991-1996), clinical trials on stuck twins and varicella were performed. During the third funding period (1996-2001), clinical trials were initiated on fetal fibronectin as a predictor for premature delivery, cervical ultrasound during pregnancy, antenatal magnesium to prevent cerebral palsy, asthma during pregnancy, maternal and neonatal outcomes after cesarean section, and progesterone for the prevention of premature delivery. The fourth grant period (2001-2006) included clinical trials of fetal pulse oximetry, management of mild gestational diabetes, progesterone for the prevention of preterm delivery in multiple gestations and antioxidants to prevent preeclampsia. The fifth grant period (2006-2011) included trials of omega-3 fatty acids in preterm birth prevention and magnesium sulfate for prevention of cerebral palsy.
Scope
There are a number of controversial issues in maternal fetal medicine that might be clarified by multicenter collaborative research. Funded Principal Investigators will cooperate with the NICHD Program Coordinator in identifying research topics of high priority and in designing protocols appropriate to the evaluation of superior or even optimal management in these areas. The collaborative research may encompass any area of maternal fetal medicine. However, special interest is encouraged in developing strategies for the prevention of preterm birth, evaluation of the causes or treatments of medical complications during pregnancy, and in the evaluation of interventions used during pregnancy and childbirth. The participating maternal fetal medicine units (MFMUs), designated as "clinical centers," will recruit, assess, and treat the subjects in the clinical research of the Network, with each MFMU being supervised by its respective Principal Investigator. The data center (funded through a separate FOA) will have primary responsibility for data management and analysis for Network research in collaboration with the Steering Committee.
The NICHD expects that ongoing clinical trials dealing with progesterone for the prevention of preterm delivery in nulliparous women with a short cervix, follow-up of the women in the thyroid trials and the study of obstetrical quality measures will continue into the continuation grant period for existing centers. New protocols may be developed before the start of the continuation. Centers that join the Network in the next award period (beginning April 1, 2011) may participate in the protocols ongoing at that time.
The NICHD intends to enable the Network to
initiate new protocols within the first year of the next award period. The
topics of these protocols will be decided cooperatively by the Steering
Committee with advice from the Advisory Board. Areas of interest include:
techniques to reduce the risk of preterm labor and birth, and the evaluation of
interventions used in pregnancy and childbirth.
See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal
Citations, for policies
related to this announcement.
Section
II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
This funding
opportunity will use the NIH Cooperative Clinical Research (U10) award mechanism(s).
The Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.
This FOA uses Just-in-Time information concepts. It also uses non-modular budget formats described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html).
This funding opportunity will use a cooperative agreement award mechanism. In the cooperative agreement mechanism, the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) retains the primary responsibility and dominant role for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project, with NIH staff being substantially involved as a partner with the Principal Investigator, as described under the Section VI. 2. Administrative Requirements, "Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award". At this time, it is not known if this FOA will be reissued.
2. Funds Available
NICHD intends to commit approximately $5 million in total costs [Direct plus Facilities and Administrative (F & A) costs] in fiscal year 2011 in response to this FOA. Up to 16 new and/or competing continuation grants are anticipated to be funded. An applicant may request a project period of up to five years and a budget for direct costs up to $200,000 per year. Protocol related expenses will be allocated to the Clinical Sites by the Data Coordinating Center during the post award period.
Because the nature
and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application,
it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary.
Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide support for this program,
awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability
of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Facilities and
administrative costs requested by consortium participants are not included in
the direct cost limitation, see NOT-OD-05-004.
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.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
1.A. Eligible Institutions
The following
organizations/institutions are eligible to apply:
Organizations should have academically-oriented divisions of maternal fetal medicine and a minimum of 2,700 births per year with a minimum of 30 percent documented to be high risk pregnancies. A large majority of patients with obstetric complications who deliver in the MFMU must also receive prenatal care at the institution. The need for continuous and active communication among sites dictates that only institutions in the United States are eligible to apply.
1.B. Eligible Individuals
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the PD/PI is invited to work with his/her institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
This
program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria
Number of
Applications. Applicants may submit more than one application, provided they are
scientifically distinct.
Resubmissions. Resubmission applications are not permitted in response to this FOA.
Renewals. Renewal applications are permitted in response to this FOA.
The NICHD invites applications both from current members of the MFMU Network (competing renewal applications) and from prospective members (new applications). The items under Section IV.6 must be addressed satisfactorily for an applicant to be eligible for consideration as a Network site.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application
Information
The current PHS 398
application instructions are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. Applicants must use the currently approved version of
the PHS 398. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301)
710-0267, Email: [email protected].
Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY
301-451-5936.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Prepare all applications using the PHS 398
application forms in accordance with the PHS 398 Application
Guide (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html).
Applications must have a D&B Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The D&B number can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dnb.com/us/. The D&B number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form.
The title and number of this funding opportunity must be typed in item (box) 2 only of the face page of the application form and the YES box
must be checked.
3. Submission Dates and Times
See Section IV.3.A. for details.
3.A. Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates
Letters
of Intent Receipt Date: May 1, 2010
Application Receipt Date: June 1, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): October/November 2010
Council Review Date: January, 2011
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: April 1, 2011
3.A.1.
Letter of Intent
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
Although a letter of
intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a
subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to
estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed
in Section IV.3.A.
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Catherine Y. Spong, M.D.
Branch
Chief, Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch (PPB)
Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD)
6100
Executive Boulevard, Room 4B03E, MSC
7510
Bethesda, MD 20892
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service; non-USPS service)
Telephone:
301-496-5575
FAX:
301-496-3790
Email: [email protected]
3.B. Sending an
Application to the NIH
Applications must be
prepared using the forms found in the PHS 398 instructions for preparing a
research grant application. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the
application, including the checklist, and three signed photocopies in one
package to:
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710 (U.S. Postal Service Express
or regular mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service;
non-USPS service)
Personal deliveries of applications are no longer
permitted (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-040.html).
At
the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and all
copies of the appendix material must be sent to:
Director, Division of Scientific Review
Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD)
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
6100
Executive Boulevard, Room 5B01, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD 20892-7510
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service; non-USPS service)
Telephone:
301-496-1485
FAX:
301-402-4104
3.C. Application
Processing
Applications must be received on or before the
application receipt date described above (Section
IV.3.A.). If an application is received after that date, the application
may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed. Upon receipt,
applications will be evaluated for completeness by the CSR and for
responsiveness by the reviewing Institute. Incomplete and/or non-responsive
applications will not be reviewed.
The NIH will not accept any application in response to this funding opportunity that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. However, when a previously unfunded application, originally submitted as an investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to a funding opportunity, it is to be prepared as a NEW application. That is, the application for the funding opportunity must not include an Introduction describing the changes and improvements made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes from the previous unfunded version of the application.
Information on the status of an application should be checked by the Principal Investigator in the eRA Commons at: https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/.
4. Intergovernmental Review
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental
review.
5. Funding Restrictions
All NIH awards are
subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations
described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The Grants Policy Statement can
be found at NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable. A grantee may, at its
own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations and expenditures to
cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget
period of a new or renewal award if such costs: 1) are necessary to conduct the
project, and 2) would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH
prior approval. If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval,
the grantee must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior
approval is required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the
beginning date of the initial budget period of a new or renewal award.
The incurrence
of pre-award costs in anticipation of a competing or non-competing award
imposes no obligation on NIH either to make the award or to increase the amount
of the approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated
and is inadequate to cover the pre-award costs incurred. NIH expects the
grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs result in borrowing against
future support and that such borrowing must not impair the grantee's ability to
accomplish the project objectives in the approved time frame or in any way
adversely affect the conduct of the project (see NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part6.htm.)
6. Other Submission Requirements
In addition to the information under III. Eligibility Information 3. Other-Special eligibility Criteria, applicants must include the following in the application:
PHS398 Research Plan Component Sections
All application instructions outlined in the PHS 398 Application Guide are to be followed, with the following additional requirements:
Academic Productivity
Provide evidence of research productivity by the clinical center in previous or ongoing clinical trials, especially those of a cooperative or multicenter design. Contributions in key areas of research development and design, patient recruitment, retention and study completion, data collection and analysis, and track record of publications should be included in the application.
Applicants who are current Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network members should describe their participation and contribution to the network in detail including patient enrollment in studies, involvement in trials and their particular contribution to the trials (principal investigator at site, trial subcommittee), standing subcommittee activities and publications.
New applicants must describe their recent experience and participation in randomized clinical trials, preferably of a multicenter nature. Specific roles (principal investigator, participating site, steering committee, writing committee, trial design and development) should be described for each study. Publications should be listed that resulted from participation in the studies.
Maternal Fetal Staffing
There must be at least three full-time, board-certified in ob/gyn and maternal fetal medicine, academically oriented maternal fetal medicine subspecialists. A complete description of the staff's training and qualifications in clinical care and research is required. Specifically, the academic status and academic career development pathways should be described as well as their experience in research design and implementation of collaborative clinical research (especially randomized clinical trials). Participation in clinical trials and clinical research should be highlighted. For each subspecialist, the approximate percentage of time protected for research by the academic department should be specified.
The principal investigator should be a practicing maternal fetal medicine specialist and should describe his/her clinical, research, administrative and academic commitments. Due to the demands and nature of the MFMU, the identified Principal Investigator should not have extensive departmental duties (e.g., as Department Chairman); rather, he/she should be able to devote the required time to the development and implementation of the MFMU center.
One maternal fetal medicine specialist must be designated as an alternate Principal Investigator who is able to serve in the absence of the PI. Appropriate biographical sketches should be submitted with the application for the alternate PI and site maternal fetal medicine specialists. Sites with staff at more than one clinical center must provide evidence of collaboration on recent trials including publications resulting from these studies.
Population Available for Clinical Trials
Applicant clinical centers must have academically-oriented divisions of maternal fetal medicine and a minimum of 2,700 births per year with a minimum of 30 percent documented to be high risk pregnancies. A large majority of patients with obstetric complications who deliver in the MFMU must also receive prenatal care at the institution.
In order to provide peer reviewers with the specific perinatal population available for study at the clinical site(s), include information regarding admissions for each year over the designated two-year period (2008-2009) in tabular format. For sites with more than one clinical center, please include each site's information in a separate column:
In addition, the patient population served by the MFMU must be characterized by demographics, obstetric parameters, and payment status. Indications must be given of the proportions of various subgroups, including minorities, that have been eligible and actually have been randomized in previous or current clinical trials (see also section on Inclusion of Women and Minorities). In addition, centers with ongoing clinical trials should report those patients eligible for MFMU studies.
Centers that propose to combine institutions or multiple sites must justify the proposed organization and provide a detailed logistical plan for cost-effective management. Multi-site center applications should have documentation of collaboration and demonstrative letters of support and collaboration. If they have a long standing, well-documented collaboration and interaction among institutions, this should be clearly stated in the application. Eligibility and enrollment in previous clinical trials should be included in the application. Management plans for centers with more than one clinical site including the investigator responsible at the collaborating site, supervision, training, in service, certification, data handling, quality assurance, cost effective management, and communication are required.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
The clinical center should be located in an institution with a neonatal intensive care unit. Neonatologists should be active in clinical research and a history of collaboration between neonatology and perinatology towards excellent clinical care, database accessibility, and research productivity should be included in the application. The application should include a letter of collaboration along with a biographical sketch of the neonatologist collaborator(s). Such individual(s) must commit to serve as a consultant and possible collaborator in Network research. The academic status and career development pathways of these individuals must be described. The application must include in tabular form the following information for each year from 2008-2009 detailing the neonatal population for potential perinatal studies. For sites with more than one clinical center, please include each site's information in a separate column:
Follow-up
The neonatal follow-up program should be described in detail. Many MFMU studies require follow-up through 18-24 months, and the Network strives for a 90 percent follow-up rate. Currently the MFMU has a protocol with school age follow-up (5 years). Information regarding longer term follow-up of infants enrolled in clinical trials should be provided in the application.The number of neonatal follow-up clinic visits in 2008 and 2009 need to be included in the application, as well as criteria for follow-up (e.g., LBW, ELBW, neurological issue, ECMO, etc.) and post conceptual age at which the children are seen in clinic visits. A designated facility for follow-up must be in place at the clinical center.
Applicants should describe in detail mechanisms in place to insure compliance and assistance with neonatal follow-up including procedures for maintaining contact with families, scheduling appointments, actions taken for missed appointments, home visit appointments including staff participating in home visits, and creative measures instituted at the site to insure excellence in follow-up rates and compliance with clinical research study protocols. There must be a follow-up coordinator designated in the application with an included Biographical Sketch. The follow-up portion of the clinical capabilities must include expertise in performing Bayley Developmental assessments, neurological examinations, and hearing and vision assessments. The current system of follow-up assessment including data collection, population demographics, compliance rates, schedule of follow-up visits, funding sources, policies and procedures for conducting research in the follow-up setting and appropriate specialist involvement in the follow-up program should be delineated in the application.
If the institution submits applications in response to both the Neonatal Research Network RFA (HD-10-003) and the Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit FOA, the applicant must describe how the two research programs will be integrated.
Perinatal Data System
An established electronic perinatal data system must be in place to collect and analyze patient information. A detailed description of variables collected, quality control, and management of the data system must be provided. An illustration of the use of the system for a recent clinical research application should be included in the application. All successful applications must provide complete, accurate and timely transmission of data to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network Data Coordinating Center, operated through a separate cooperative agreement solicited through another FOA. Applicants should describe their processes for responses to data entry edits and audits.
Research Staff
A full time research nurse coordinator must be designated for the coordinator position. Additional research staff should be available, as many protocols require patient recruitment at night and on weekends. The individual staff training, experience, qualifications, and prior involvement in clinical research should be described in the application.
Intent to Participate
There must be a clearly expressed intent to participate in a cooperative manner with other MFMU clinical centers, the NICHD and the data coordinating center in all aspect of research as outlined in this FOA. MFMU projects are given priority at awarded clinical sites; a statement that MFMU Protocols will be given priority must be included. The application must contain information describing the available population for the MFMU trials. If there are ongoing or pending studies/trials that will limit availability of patients for MFMU trials, these must be described for the review panel’s consideration at the time of review. Sites are expected to participate in all trials unless they describe trials that currently conflict with ongoing network trials as part of their application for this FOA. Steering committee meetings are held in the Washington DC metro area four times per year. The PI or designee and nurse coordinator are expected to attend the meetings in their entirety.
Departmental and Institutional Commitment
The departmental and institutional commitments to participate in MFMU research should be clearly documented with letters of support from appropriate individuals. Evidence of past support can also be cited. Support in areas of grants management, personnel management; space allocation, procurement, equipment as well as general support of the research should be described as well as evidence of past research support.
Acceptance of the Budgetary Mechanism (see also budget preparation below)
Assurance of cooperation with the policy for capitation of research costs for each individual protocol should be provided from the departmental and institutional offices of sponsored research programs. The appropriate Federal cost policies and regulations governing NIH grant programs will be applied (see NIH Grants Policy Statement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm).
Clinical Capabilities
The applicant clinical center is expected to have a full range of perinatal subspecialists, clinical capabilities and support staff, including an active research coordinator. A detailed description of the clinical attributes of the MFMU must be provided. This should include antenatal fetal testing, intrapartum diagnosis, laboratory testing, and perinatal pathology. Other institutional components related to the MFMU must also be described. In particular, the ambulatory facilities for prenatal and postpartum care and neonatal follow-up must be presented, including the established policies and procedures for conducting clinical research in these facilities, in both low risk and complicated pregnancies. Also, the availability of an institutional pharmacy capable of supporting clinical research must be documented. A description of whether, and how, policies and procedures may have been modified to support perinatal clinical research in the past must be provided.
A clinical research coordinator must be designated for a full time position.
Capabilities for patient recruitment on nights and weekends must be outlined in the application.
Concept Proposal
To provide peer reviewers and the NICHD an idea of capabilities of investigators, a concept proposal for a project for the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network submission should be described briefly (two to three pages maximum). A proposal including hypothesis, specific aim(s), background, methods, and data analysis (including a consideration of power) for potential conduct in the MFMU must be provided in the application. The proposed "concept" will serve as an indicator of the applicant's ability to participate in the development and design of cooperative protocols in the network. The "concept" needs to be appropriate for the MFMU in that it requires a multicenter design. The "concept" or another design on the same topic may or may not actually be performed in the network. It is anticipated that funded MFMU centers will be invited to submit the "concepts" included in their application to the Steering Committee.
The "concept" should also demonstrate use of the applicant's perinatal data system to estimate numbers of available patients eligible for the protocol at the institution. In addition, the protocol should address relevant ethical issues and the appropriate inclusion of minorities as subjects.
Special Strengths of the PI or Institution
Applicants are encouraged to describe special or unique strengths that may be relevant to MFMU network research. This can include state-of-the art scientific capabilities such as modern imaging techniques, proteomics, genomics, micro analysis, genetics, placental function, clinical pharmacology and so forth, which may be shared or may be available to develop and expand the scientific productivity of the MFMU.
In addition, special administrative strengths or experience as well as participation in administrative aspects of clinical research (institutional review board, data safety monitoring committee, advisory board for clinical research, clinical research committees and so forth) should be highlighted. Level and support of clinical trials can be described.
Applications from institutions that have a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funded by NIH or other funded perinatal research centers as resources for conducting the proposed research should provide a letter of agreement that identifies the level of support from the PI or the CTSA program director.
Budget Preparation
The instructions for the budget requests provided with the research grant application (PHS 398) should be followed. F&A costs will be awarded in the same manner as for research project grants. Budgets will be reviewed on the basis of appropriateness for the work proposed. Allowable costs and policies governing the research grants programs of the NIH will prevail. In planning the budget section of your application, each applicant should submit the base budget estimates for all years.
The first year budget at the time of application will be limited to a BASE BUDGET with maximum allowances as follows:
The base budget direct costs are limited to $200,000 for the first year.
The Data Coordinating Center will be responsible for issuing payments for the MFMU Network-approved protocol expenses. To receive reimbursements, a funded clinical site must set up an agreement with the DCC.
Participating sites will be required to accept protocol budgets for those studies underway in the Network. Clinical site researchers are encouraged to assist in the development of protocol budgets. The protocol budgets will consist of specific protocol-related allowances, capitated per subject enrolled in each study.
The clinical site Principal Investigator or designee will be required to help the DCC manage protocol costs. The PI or designee should propose estimates of recruitment efforts for each protocol to the DCC and update these at least annually.
The DCC may establish a recruitment limit. If a clinical site investigator believes that their site is able to exceed the limit then permission to do so must be obtained from the DCC.
Each MFMU clinical site will be awarded base costs (as listed above) from the NICHD.
The clinical sites F&A rates on the initial competitive awards will not be adjusted in future years due to changes in their negotiated rate agreements.
Total funding for clinical sites depends on the base awards and reimbursements for approved protocol-related expenses from the DCC. The overall provision of money for the MFMU Network is subject to the availability of NICHD funding.
Budget Component
This FOA uses non-modular budget formats described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html).
Appendix Materials
All paper PHS 398 applications submitted must provide appendix material on CDs only. Include five identical CDs in the same package with the application. See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-031.html.
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent the page limitations.. An application that does not observe the required page limitations may be delayed in the review process.
Resource Sharing Plan(s)NIH considers the sharing of unique research resources developed through NIH-sponsored research an important means to enhance the value of, and advance research. When resources have been developed with NIH funds and the associated research findings published or provided to NIH, it is important that they be made readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community. If the final data/resources are not amenable to sharing, this must be explained in Resource Sharing section of the application. See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_faqs.htm.
(a) Data Sharing Plan: Regardless of the amount requested, investigators are expected to include a brief 1-paragraph description of how final research data will be shared, or explain why data-sharing is not possible. Applicants are encouraged to discuss data-sharing plans with their NIH program contact. See Data-Sharing Policy or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html.
(b) Sharing Model Organisms: Regardless of the amount requested, all applications where the development of model organisms is anticipated are expected to include a description of a specific plan for sharing and distributing unique model organisms and related resources, or state appropriate reasons why such sharing is restricted or not possible. See Sharing Model Organisms Policy, and NIH Guide NOT-OD-04-042.
(c) Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS): Regardless of the amount requested, applicants seeking funding for a genome-wide association study are expected to provide a plan for submission of GWAS data to the NIH-designated GWAS data repository, or provide an appropriate explanation why submission to the repository is not possible. A genome-wide association study is defined as any study of genetic variation across the entire genome that is designed to identify genetic associations with observable traits (such as blood pressure or weight) or the presence or absence of a disease or condition. For further information see Policy for Sharing of Data Obtained in NIH Supported or Conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies, NIH Guide NOT-OD-07-088, and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/gwas/.
The data sharing plan should be in accordance with current MFMU Policies.
Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Only the review
criteria described below will be considered in the review process.
2. Review and Selection Process
Review Process
Applications that are complete and responsive to the FOA will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by NICHD and in accordance with NIH peer review procedures (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/peer/), using the review criteria stated below.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will:
The mission of the NIH is to support science in pursuit of knowledge about the biology and behavior of living systems and to apply that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. As part of this mission, applications submitted to the NIH for grants or cooperative agreements to support biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
Overall Impact
Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority 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 five core review criteria, and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Scored Review Criteria
Reviewers will consider each of the five review criteria below in the determination of scientific and technical 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.
Significance. Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? 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?
Investigator(s). Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, 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? How productive were the PI/PD and other investigators at the institution?
Innovation. 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?
Approach. Are
the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate
to accomplish the specific aims of the project? 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?
If the project involves clinical research, are the plans for 1) protection of human
subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members of
both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms of
the scientific goals and research strategy proposed? Are appropriate
populations available and is there evidence of commitment to prioritize MFMU studies/trials? Does the application demonstrate willingness to work and cooperate with other
MFMU sites and the NICHD in a manner summarized in this FOA?
Environment. 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? Are there additional administrative strengths, such as affiliations with other research units?
Additional Review Criteria
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider the following additional items in the determination of scientific and technical merit, but will not give separate scores for these items.
Qualifications and Commitment of Key Personnel
The scientific, administrative, clinical and academic qualifications of the principal investigator and the research team at the center, as well as the qualifications of the applicant institution and the institution's population to participate fully in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network
Knowledge and experience in areas relevant to the conduct of collaborative clinical research, especially randomized clinical trials, including experience in research design, in maternal fetal medicine.
Commitment of staff time for the satisfactory conduct of the studies.
Experience and qualifications of team members who would be responsible for data quality and management activities.
Protocols and Procedures
Quality of the unit's participation in a randomized clinical trial (new applicants) in the recent past or Network protocols during the current grant period (current Network members).
Facilities and Management
Adequacy of administrative, clinical, and data organizational management facilities as described in the requirements.
Institutional assurance to provide support to the study in such areas as fiscal administration, personnel management, space allocation, procurement, planning, and budgeting.
Scientific Review of Concept Proposal
Evaluation of the concept proposal for an interventional or observational study for potential implementation in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network in terms of the quality of proposed hypotheses, specific aim(s), background, methods, and data analysis (including a consideration of power).
Protections for Human Subjects. 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.
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children. When the proposed project involves clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for inclusion of minorities and members of both genders, as well as the inclusion of children.
Vertebrate Animals. The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information, see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/VASchecklist.pdf.
Biohazards. 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.
Renewal Applications. When reviewing a Renewal application (formerly called a competing continuation application), the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.
Revision Applications. When reviewing a Revision application (formerly called a competing supplement application), the committee will consider the appropriateness of the proposed expansion of the scope of the project. If the Revision application relates to a specific line of investigation presented in the original application that was not recommended for approval by the committee, then the committee will consider whether the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group are adequate and whether substantial changes are clearly evident.
Additional Review Considerations
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will address each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.
Select Agents Research. 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).
Resource Sharing Plans. 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 (http://grants.nih/gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_guidance.htm); 2) Sharing Model Organisms (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-04-042.html); and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-088.html).
Budget and Period Support. Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Selection Process
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
Applications recommended by the NACHHD will be considered for award based primarily on scientific and technical merit as determined by peer review of the relevant capabilities and experience to be used in executing the responsibilities of the clinical site as well as, although to a lesser extent, the evaluation of the concept proposal, which is used to demonstrate the site’s ability to formulate appropriate and timely scientific questions applicable to the network.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award
Dates
Not Applicable
Section
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
After the peer review
of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her
Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.
If the application is under consideration for funding,
NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant. For
details, applicants may refer to the NIH
Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart
A: General.
A
formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be
provided to the applicant organization. The NoA signed by the grants management
officer is the authorizing document. Once all administrative and programmatic
issues have been resolved, the Notice of Award will be generated via email
notification from the awarding component to the grantee business official.
Selection of an application for award is not an
authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the
NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the
extent considered allowable pre-award costs. See Also Section
IV.5. Funding Restrictions.
2. Administrative and National
Policy Requirements
All NIH grant and
cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of
the Notice of Award. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part4.htm)
and Part II Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and
Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_part9.htm).
The following Terms and Conditions will be incorporated into the award statement and will be provided to the Principal Investigator as well as to the appropriate institutional official, at the time of award.
2.A. 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 Parts
74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local Governments are eligible
to apply), 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.
2.
A.1. Principal Investigator Rights and Responsibilities
The Principal Investigator will have the primary responsibility for:
The Data Coordinating Center is funded through a separate solicitation as a cooperative agreement (U10).
All parties will agree to accept the coordinating role of the group and the participatory and cooperative nature of the group process.
The individual members will be required to project patient enrollment for a specific protocol during a specified time frame; continuation and level of funding will be based on actual recruitment.
The MFMU Steering Committee will retain custody and have primary rights to the data developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current HHS, PHS, and NIH policies.
Awardees 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
HHS, PHS, and NIH policies.
2.
A.2. NIH Responsibilities
NICHD Project Scientist
An NIH Project Scientist will have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below. The NICHD Project Scientist will provide technical assistance and participate as one voting member of the Steering Committee. Specifically, the NICHD project Scientist will:
NICHD Program Official
The NICHD will appoint a Program Official, apart from the project Scientist, who will:
2.A.3. Collaborative Responsibilities
(optional)
The management of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network includes committees with the following functions:
Steering Committee
A Steering Committee will be responsible for protocol development, assisted by the Advisory Board and the Data Safety and Monitoring Committee. The Steering Committee will have primary responsibility for the conduct of protocols and the preparation of publications. The Steering Committee will be composed of all Principal Investigators, one representative from the data center, and two NICHD staff. Participating NICHD staff will include the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch MFMU Program Scientist and a representative from the Epidemiology and Biometry Research Program. The MFMU Program Scientist will be the only voting NICHD staff member of the Steering Committee. A member of the NICHD Grants Management Branch advises the Steering Committee on funding matters. An outside chairperson, who is not participating as a Principal Investigator, will be selected by the NICHD.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board assists the Steering Committee in the identification and prioritization of topics for perinatal research. The advisory board is selected by the NICHD and consists of individuals with expertise in clinical trials, biostatistics, epidemiology, perinatology, and neonatology, along with the Chairperson of the Steering Committee, the data center Principal Investigator, and the MFMU Program Scientist. Additional members will participate based on the need for specific expertise.
Data Safety and Monitoring Committee
A Data Safety and Monitoring Committee (DSMC) monitors the safety of ongoing clinical trials. The DSMC is established by the NICHD and reports to the Director of NICHD. The DSMC is composed of individuals with expertise in clinical trial design and conduct, perinatology, neonatology, basic science, and ethics.
In addition, the NICHD
Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network has established policies and procedures
that govern its operations, including publications. These policies and
procedures can be amended by the Steering Committee and the NICHD.
Each full member will
have one vote. Awardee members of the Steering Committee will be required to
accept and implement policies approved by the Steering Committee.
2.A.4.
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 arbitration. 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 16.
3. Reporting
Awardees will be
required to submit the Non-Competing
Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial
statements as required in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
A final progress report, invention statement, and Financial Status Report are required when an award is relinquished when a recipient changes institutions or when an award is terminated.
We encourage your inquiries concerning this funding
opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential
applicants. Inquiries may fall into three areas: scientific/research, peer
review, and financial or grants management issues:
1. Scientific/Research Contacts:
Catherine Y. Spong, M.D.
Branch
Chief, Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch (PPB)
Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD)
6100
Executive Boulevard, Room 4B03E, MSC
7510
Bethesda, MD 20892
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service; non-USPS service)
Telephone:
301-496-5575
FAX:
301-496-3790
Email: [email protected]
2. Peer Review Contacts:
Director, Division of Scientific Review
Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD)
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
6100
Executive Boulevard, Room 5B01, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD 20892-7510
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service; non-USPS service)
Telephone:
301-496-1485
FAX: 301-402-4104
3. Financial or Grants Management Contacts:
Ted Williams
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8A01, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD 20892-7510
(Rockville, MD 20852 for express/courier service, non-USPS service)
Telephone: (301) 435-6996
FAX: (301) 402-0915
Email: [email protected]
Section VIII. Other Information
Required Federal Citations
Use of Animals in
Research:
Recipients of
PHS support for activities involving live, vertebrate animals must comply with
PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf)
as mandated by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm),
and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm)
as applicable.
Human
Subjects Protection:
Federal
regulations (45CFR46) require that applications and proposals involving human
subjects must be evaluated with reference to the risks to the subjects, the
adequacy of protection against these risks, the potential benefits of the
research to the subjects and others, and the importance of the knowledge gained
or to be gained (http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm).
Data and Safety Monitoring Plan:
Data and safety monitoring is required for all types
of clinical trials, including physiologic toxicity and dose-finding studies
(phase I); efficacy studies (Phase II); efficacy, effectiveness and comparative
trials (Phase III). Monitoring should be commensurate with risk. The
establishment of data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for
multi-site clinical trials involving interventions that entail potential risks
to the participants (NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).
Sharing Research Data:
Investigators submitting an NIH application seeking
$500,000 or more in direct costs in any single year are expected to include a
plan for data sharing or state why this is not possible (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing).
Investigators should seek guidance from their
institutions, on issues related to institutional policies and local IRB rules,
as well as local, State and Federal laws and regulations, including the Privacy
Rule.
Policy
for Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS):
NIH is interested in advancing genome-wide association
studies (GWAS) to identify common genetic factors that influence health and
disease through a centralized GWAS data repository. For the purposes of this
policy, a genome-wide association study is defined as any study of genetic
variation across the entire human genome that is designed to identify genetic
associations with observable traits (such as blood pressure or weight), or the
presence or absence of a disease or condition. All applications, regardless of
the amount requested, proposing a genome-wide association study are expected to
provide a plan for submission of GWAS data to the NIH-designated GWAS data
repository, or provide an appropriate explanation why submission to the
repository is not possible. Data repository management (submission and access)
is governed by the Policy for Sharing of Data Obtained in NIH Supported or
Conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies, NIH Guide NOT-OD-07-088.
For additional information, see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/gwas/.
Access
to Research Data through the Freedom of Information Act:
The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to provide access
to research data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) under some
circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a project that is supported
in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by
a Federal agency in support of an action that has the force and effect of law
(i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. It is important for
applicants to understand the basic scope of this amendment. NIH has provided
guidance at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this funding opportunity in a
public archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include
information about this in the budget justification section of the application.
In addition, applicants should think about how to structure informed consent
statements and other human subjects procedures given the potential for wider
use of data collected under this award.
Sharing of
Model Organisms:
NIH is committed
to support efforts that encourage sharing of important research resources
including the sharing of model organisms for biomedical research (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/model_organism/index.htm).
At the same time the NIH recognizes the rights of grantees and contractors to
elect and retain title to subject inventions developed with Federal funding
pursuant to the Bayh Dole Act (see the NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm).
All investigators submitting an NIH application or contract proposal, beginning
with the October 1, 2004 receipt date, are expected to include in the
application/proposal a description of a specific plan for sharing and
distributing unique model organism research resources generated using NIH
funding or state why such sharing is restricted or not possible. This will
permit other researchers to benefit from the resources developed with public
funding. The inclusion of a model organism sharing plan is not subject to a
cost threshold in any year and is expected to be included in all applications
where the development of model organisms is anticipated.
Inclusion of
Women And Minorities in Clinical Research:
It is the policy
of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their sub-populations
must be included in all NIH-supported clinical research projects unless a clear
and compelling justification is provided indicating that inclusion is
inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the
research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section
492B of Public Law 103-43). All investigators proposing clinical research
should read the "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as
Subjects in Clinical Research (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html);
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.
The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical
research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB
standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical
trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and
responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural community. The policy
continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that: a) all
applications or proposals and/or protocols must provide a description of plans
to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender
and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b)
investigators must report annual accrual and progress in conducting analyses,
as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.
Inclusion of
Children as Participants in Clinical Research:
The NIH
maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) must
be included in all clinical research, conducted or supported by the NIH, unless
there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.
All
investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as
participants in research involving human subjects (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm).
Required
Education on the Protection of Human Subject Participants:
NIH policy requires
education on the protection of human subject participants for all investigators
submitting NIH applications for research involving human subjects and
individuals designated as key personnel. The policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
Human
Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC):
Criteria for
federal funding of research on hESCs can be found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-116.html.
Only research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic
Stem Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (http://escr.nih.gov). It is the responsibility
of the applicant to provide in the project description and elsewhere in the
application as appropriate, the official NIH identifier(s) for the hESC line(s)
to be used in the proposed research.
NIH Public Access Policy Requirement:
In accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html)
investigators must submit or have submitted for them their final, peer-reviewed
manuscripts that arise from NIH funds and are accepted for publication as of
April 7, 2008 to PubMed Central (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/), to be made publicly
available no later than 12 months after publication. As of May 27, 2008, investigators
must include the PubMed Central reference number when citing an article in NIH
applications, proposals, and progress reports that fall under the policy, and
was authored or co-authored by the investigator or arose from the
investigator’s NIH award. For more information, see the Public
Access webpage at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/.
Standards
for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information:
The Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued final modification to the
"Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health
Information", the "Privacy Rule", on August 14, 2002. The
Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection of individually
identifiable health information, and is administered and enforced by the DHHS
Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Decisions about applicability and implementation of
the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR
website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/)
provides information on the Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text
and a set of decision tools on "Am I a covered entity?" Information
on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review,
funding, and progress monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and
research contracts can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.
URLs in NIH
Grant Applications or Appendices:
All
applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within
specified page limitations. For publications listed in the appendix and/or
Progress report, internet addresses (URLs) must be used for publicly accessible on-line journal articles. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide
any other information necessary for the review because reviewers are
under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Furthermore, we caution
reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an
Internet site.
Healthy
People 2010:
The Public Health
Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national
activity for setting priority areas. This FOA is related to one or more of the
priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People
2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
Authority and Regulations:
This
program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372.
Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public
Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal
Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the
terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in
the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH
Grants Policy Statement can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to
provide a smoke-free workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products.
In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits
smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in
which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early
childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.
Loan
Repayment Programs:
NIH encourages
applications for educational loan repayment from qualified health professionals
who have made a commitment to pursue a research career involving clinical,
pediatric, contraception, infertility, and health disparities related areas.
The LRP is an important component of NIH's efforts to recruit and retain the
next generation of researchers by providing the means for developing a research
career unfettered by the burden of student loan debt. Note that an NIH grant is
not required for eligibility and concurrent career award and LRP applications
are encouraged. The periods of career award and LRP award may overlap providing
the LRP recipient with the required commitment of time and effort, as LRP
awardees must commit at least 50% of their time (at least 20 hours per week
based on a 40 hour week) for two years to the research. For further
information, please see: http://www.lrp.nih.gov.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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