WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

Release Date:  January 9, 1998

RFA:  HD-98-004

P.T.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Office of Research on Women's Health

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  March 1, 1998
Application Receipt Date:  May 8, 1998

PURPOSE

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) invite institutional career award
applications for Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers,
hereafter termed "Centers."  Centers will support research career development of
obstetrician-gynecologists, to be known as Women's Reproductive Health Research
(WRHR) Scholars, who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training, and
who are commencing basic, translational and/or clinical research relevant to
women's health. The goal of this initiative is to promote the performance of
research and transfer of findings that will benefit the health of women.  The
Centers will accomplish this by bridging clinical training with research
independence,  increasing the number and skills of obstetrician-gynecologist
investigators at awardee institutions through a mentored research experience
leading to an independent scientific career addressing women's health concerns.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion
and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS-led national
activity for setting priority areas.  This Request for Applications (RFA),
Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers, is related to
the priority area of human resource development.  Potential applicants may obtain
a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or
Summary Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-
512-1800).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted on behalf of departments of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, as defined below, by domestic for-profit and non-profit, non-Federal
organizations, public or private, such as hospitals, medical schools or other
institutions of higher education.  An eligible institution will have a department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology (here understood to include a department providing
obstetrical and/or gynecologic care as its primary function, regardless of title)
that has as a primary teaching site either a hospital for women or an
obstetrics-gynecology program with an identifiable organizational structure
within a larger medical institution in the United States of America.  Applicant
institutions must have the clinical specialties and subspecialties and the
clinical and research facilities sufficient to meet the purposes of the Center
program, namely to bridge clinical training with a career in basic, translational
and/or clinical research relevant to women's reproductive health.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

Awards in response to this RFA will use the Mentored Clinical Scientist
Development Program Award (K12). The K12 awards will be for a period of five
years.  Because the nature and scope of the research proposed in response to this
RFA may vary, it is anticipated that the size of an award will also vary.  K12
awards will be for up to $400,000 total (direct plus indirect) costs per year,
and will support a minimum of three WRHR Scholars.  The number of awards will be
influenced by the amount of funds available to NICHD, by the overall merit of the
applications, and by their relevance to program goals stated in this RFA.  The
anticipated award date is September 30, 1998.

Planning, direction, and execution of each component of the research and career
development program will be the responsibility of the WRHR Scholar with the
guidance of his or her mentor.

This RFA is a one-time solicitation.  NICHD has not yet determined whether or how
this program will be continued beyond the commitments expressed in the present
RFA.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The estimated total costs awarded by NICHD and ORWH will be approximately $3.5
million for the first year of support of the entire program.  It is anticipated
that up to eight awards will be made.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

A need for expanded support for bridging clinical training with an independent
career in research addressing women's health concerns has been identified in a
number of sources.  These include the 1992 Institute of Medicine Report,
"Strengthening Research in Academic OB/Gyn Departments," the 1997 NICHD
Extramural Program 5-Year Plan Report: "A Research Agenda for the Reproductive
Sciences Branch," and report language in the Fiscal Year 1998 House
Appropriations Report (No. 105-205; July 25, 1997.)  Center grant awards from
this RFA will meet the specified need by providing departments of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, both developing and established, an opportunity to build national
capacity for junior investigators in women's health research.  Investigators with
established research programs covering a broad range of  basic and applied
biomedical and biobehavioral science in the Obstetrics-Gynecology and
collaborating departments form an intellectual and technical research base for
mentoring WRHR Scholars.  Although mentors from collaborating departments may
provide needed expertise and resources, the emphasis of WRHR Scholars' projects
should be on research ultimately relevant to obstetrics/gynecology and/or its
subspecialties: maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, and reproductive
endocrinology; and relevant emerging fields such as urogynecology and the
reproductive health of women with disabilities.

Characteristics of a Center

A.  Institutional Environment:  Applicant institutions should show commitment to
the Center's goals, and provide assurances that the institution intends the
Center and the supported WRHR Scholars to be an integral part of its research
program, including various forms of cost-sharing (c.f. Environment, under "Review
Considerations").  Research facilities and training opportunities (see B, below)
will be a critical part of the environment.  Applicant institutions should
provide a guarantee of 75 percent protected time for the WRHR Scholars for
research.

B.  Center Composition:  Applicants must describe or propose a multidisciplinary
career development program that will maximize the use of relevant research and
educational resources.  The Center must have a strong research base, comprising
the investigations of established scientists who will provide expertise,
resources, and mentoring to the WRHR Scholars.  The research base must be broad
and relevant to current areas of research interest and need in women's
reproductive health. The environment should be one which will stimulate and
increase the interactions between basic scientists and clinical investigators. 
There should be an adequate pool of junior investigators likely to benefit from
mentored research career development.  Of major importance, the Center must have
a scientifically sound and equitable procedure for selecting which WRHR Scholars
and projects are to be supported.  There must be documented evidence of an
institutional commitment to support the Center's human and tangible resources and
its goal of developing and retaining productive, independent investigators in
areas of women's health concerns.

C.  Principal Investigator:  The Principal Investigator of a Center must be the
Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, or equivalent.  He/she
should possess the scientific expertise, leadership and administrative
capabilities required to coordinate and supervise a multidisciplinary research
and development program of this scope.  As an option, the application may request
a coinvestigator to serve as Program Director, with responsibility for some or
all of the day-to-day operations of the center.

D.  Advisory Committee: The Advisory Committee will be a group of scientists from
the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and other departments or
institutions as appropriate, with interests relevant to the center's research
programs.  It may include mentors.  The two major functions of the committee are
to evaluate 1) applications from WRHR Scholar candidates, and 2) the overall
conduct of the Center.  Specifically, the committee  makes recommendations to the
Principal Investigator as to WRHR Scholar appointments, evaluates ongoing
research activities annually, makes recommendations regarding their continuation,
and makes recommendations to the Principal Investigator regarding priorities for
use of the Core laboratory, if applicable.  The committee may use institutional
or outside consultants if needed.  The committee is a formal part of the
structure of the center.  It should meet regularly, and keep written minutes
which may be reviewed as part of a competing or noncompeting application.

E.  Mentors:  Each WRHR Scholar appointed under the K12 award must have a primary
sponsor who is recognized as an independent investigator and is actively involved
in basic, translational and/or clinical research relevant to this initiative, and
who has a successful record of providing research training of a type expected in
this Center.  An assigned mentor will provide guidance for the development of
each WRHR Scholar assigned to the program.  The mentor must be committed to
continue this involvement throughout the WRHR Scholar's total period of
development under the award.

F.  Career Development Program:  The K12 award provides five years of funding for
the Center.  The Center will support WRHR Scholars for periods of two to five
years consisting of consecutive 12 month appointments.  The program may be
divided into two distinct phases if appropriate -- a basic and/or clinical
science training component and an intensive research experience under the general
guidance of a qualified mentor.  WRHR Scholars appointed under this program
should, as needed, receive formal didactic coursework to support their career
development, which may include, for example, biostatistics, epidemiology, and
clinical trials.  At least 75 percent of the WRHR Scholar's full-time
professional effort must be devoted to the K12 program per se.  The remainder of
the recipient WRHR Scholar's time may be devoted to developing other clinical
pursuits consonant with the objectives of the award.

G.  WRHR Scholars:  Candidates for support as WRHR Scholars must have an M.D.
degree or its equivalent, must have completed postgraduate residency in
obstetrics-gynecology, must identify a mentor with extensive research experience,
and must be willing to spend a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional
effort conducting research and research career development.  Completion of
clinical subspecialty training is not required.  In order to accommodate the
needs of those interested in participating in this program who may have had a
career hiatus because of family responsibilities, uniformed service, etc., there
is no limit on time elapsed since completion of clinical training.  Support is
in the form of a minimum of two consecutive 12-month appointments, renewable in
annual increments for up to five years total, and is contingent upon satisfactory
progress as reported to the Advisory Committee and to NICHD in the annual
progress report of the Center.  Centers are encouraged to recruit members of
underrepresented minorities, women, and candidates with disabilities.  Candidates
must be U.S. citizens or noncitizen nationals, or must have been lawfully
admitted for permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card
(I-151 or I-551) or some other verification of legal admission as a permanent
resident.  Noncitizen nationals, although not U.S.  citizens, owe permanent
allegiance to the U.S.  They are usually born in lands that are not states but
are under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or administration.  Individuals on
temporary or student visas are not eligible.

At the time support begins, WRHR Scholars may not have served as the principal
investigator or equivalent on an NIH research project (R01), Mentored Clinical
Scientist Development Award or its equivalent (K08), a subproject of a program
project (P01) or center grant (P50), or equivalent PHS research grant awards. 
WRHR Scholars may not accept or hold any other PHS award that duplicates the
provisions of this career award.

During the period of this award, WRHR Scholars are encouraged to apply for, and
may accept and hold, independent research grant support.

H.  Core laboratory: With strong justification, a scientific Core laboratory may
be requested as part of the center, within the total budget.  Such a Core would
provide skilled technical services to complement and extend the capabilities of
the mentors to promote the career development of the WRHR Scholars.  Such a Core
might provide scientific services such as, but not limited to, assays, molecular
biology or cell culture.  Requests for a Core must be justified in terms of cost-
effective enhancement of the research resources that will serve at least three
WRHR Scholars' projects.  The award may support professional direction of the
Core lab, up to 50 percent effort, as well as technical assistance, supplies,
equipment, and appropriate costs of operation.  Institutional commitment to the
Core lab must be demonstrated, and may take the form of providing or renovating
space, purchase of required equipment, and/or support of personnel.

I.  Allowable Costs:

1.  The Center structure may have these elements:

a)  Administration: Salary and fringe benefits for the Program Director, up to
10 percent effort, as well as a part-time secretary, may be requested.  No
compensation may be requested for the Principal Investigator.  Travel to an
annual Center Directors' meeting for the Principal Investigator or the Program
Director must be requested.

b)  Core Laboratory: Budgets may include salaries and fringe benefits for a Core
director (up to 50 percent), other technical staff, supplies, animals, equipment
purchase and maintenance.  The sum of the budgets for Administration and a Core
laboratory may not exceed $100,000.

c)  Indirect costs: Indirect costs will be reimbursed at 8 percent of modified
total direct costs.

2.  As part of the Center budget, an application must request a minimum of three
WRHR Scholar positions.  Support for each WRHR Scholar position may not exceed
$100,000 total costs per year.

a) Salary:  The institution may supplement the NIH salary contribution up to a
level that is consistent with the institution's salary scale; however,
supplementation may not be from Federal funds unless specifically authorized by
the Federal program from which such funds are derived.  In no case, may PHS funds
be used for salary supplementation.  Institutional supplementation of salary must
not require extra duties or responsibilities that would interfere with the
purpose of the Center.

The total salary requested for each WRHR Scholar must be based on a full-time,
12-month staff appointment.  It must be consistent both with the established
salary structure at the institution and with salaries actually provided by the
institution from its own funds to other staff members of equivalent
qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in the department concerned.  If
full-time, 12-month salaries are not currently paid to comparable staff members,
the salary proposed must be appropriately related to the existing salary
structure.

b) Research Development Support: Within each WRHR Scholar's total award, grant
funds may be used toward the following expenses:  (a) salary as above, (b)
tuition, fees, and books related to career development; (c) research expenses,
such as supplies, equipment and technical personnel; (d) travel to one training
or scientific meeting per year; (e) statistical services including personnel and
computer time.

Grant funds may not be expended on the following: compensation for the Principal
Investigator or mentors, direct support of the mentors' laboratories;
compensation of administrative personnel normally paid from institutional
overhead charges, administrative activities such as public relations, or health
or educational services; travel of the Principal Investigator, Program Director
or mentors to scientific meetings; costs of clinical care; alterations and
renovations.

In accord with directives derived from H.R. 2264 and S. 1061 and (Sec. 513) and
included in the Labor, HHS, and Education Fiscal Year 1998 Appropriations Bill
enacted into law (Public Law 105-78) on November 13, 1997, funds provided for the
awards made from this RFA must only be used in compliance with the following
directive:

"Sec. 513.  (a) None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for--
     (1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or
     (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded,
or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for
research on fetuses in utero under 45 CAR 46.208(a)(2) and section 498 (b) of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289g (b)).
            (b) For purposes of this section, the term "human embryo or embryos"
includes any organism, not protected as a human subject under 45 CAR 46 as of the
date of the enactment of this Act, that is derived by fertilization,
parthenogenesis, cloning, or any other means from one or more human gametes or
human diploid cells."

Per NIH policy, publications resulting from work supported by the award must cite
the grant number in a footnote.  The citation must include a disclaimer that no
federal funds were used for the performance of IVF-ET, if any such activities may
have been reported in the publication.

J. Evaluation:  In carrying out its stewardship of human resource related
programs, the NIH may begin requesting information essential to an assessment of
the effectiveness of this program.  Accordingly, awardee institutions are hereby
notified that WRHR Scholars may be contacted after the completion of their career
development experiences for periodic updates on various aspects of their
employment history, publications, support from research grants or contracts,
honors and awards, professional activities, and other information helpful in
evaluating the impact of the program.

K.  Other Income: Fees resulting from clinical practice, professional
consultation, or other comparable activities required by the research and
research-related activities of this award may not be retained by the candidate. 
Such fees must be assigned to the grantee institution for disposition by any of
the following methods:

The funds may be expended by the grantee institution in accordance with the NIH
policy on supplementation of career award salaries and to provide fringe benefits
in proportion to such supplementation.  Such salary supplementation and fringe
benefit payments must be within the established policies of the grantee
institution.

The funds may be used for health-related research purposes.

The funds may be paid to miscellaneous receipts of the U.S. Treasury.  Checks
should be made payable to the Department of Health and Human Services, NIH and
forwarded to the Director, Division of Financial Management, NIH, Bethesda,
Maryland 20892.  Checks must identify the relevant award account and reason for
the payment.

Center personnel supported by the K12 award may retain royalties and fees for
activities such as scholarly writing, service on advisory groups, or honoraria
from other institutions for lectures or seminars, provided these activities
remain incidental and provided that the retention of such pay is consistent with
the policies and practices of the grantee institution.

Usually, funds budgeted in an NIH institute-supported research or training grant
for the salaries or fringe benefits of individuals, but freed as a result of a
career award, may not be rebudgeted.  An institute will give consideration to
approval for use of released funds only under unusual circumstances.  Any
proposed retention of funds released as a result of an NIH career award must
receive prior written approval of the institute awarding component.

L.  Special Leave: Candidates appointed to this program career award may engage
in research experiences at another institution, including a foreign laboratory,
if directly related to the purpose of the award.  Only local, institutional
approval is required if such leave does not exceed three months.  For longer
periods, prior written approval of the NIH awarding institute is required.  To
obtain prior approval, the Principal Investigator must submit a letter describing
the plan, countersigned by the appropriate institutional official, to the NICHD. 
A copy of a letter or other evidence from the performing institution where the
leave is to be taken must be submitted to assure that satisfactory arrangements
have been made.  Support from the career award will continue during such leave.

Leave without award support may not exceed 12 months.  Such leave requires the
prior written approval of the NIH funding component and will be granted only in
an unusual situation.  Support from other sources is permissible during the
period of leave.  Such leave does not reduce the total number of months of
program support for which an individual is eligible.  Parental leave will be
granted consistent with the policies of the NIH and the grantee institution.

M.  Termination:  The Director of the NIH may discontinue a Center award upon
determination that the purpose or terms of the award are not being fulfilled. 
In the event an award is terminated, the Director of the NIH shall notify the
grantee institution in writing of this determination, the reasons, the effective
date, and the right to appeal the decision.

A final progress report, invention statement, and Financial Status Report are
required upon termination or relinquishment of an award.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN
SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their
subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral
research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling
rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with
respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research.  This
policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public
Law 103-43). All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should
read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in
Clinical Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March
28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513), and in the NIH GUIDE FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS of
March 18, 1994, Volume 23, Number 11.

Investigators may obtain copies from these sources or from the program staff
contact listed below.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant
information concerning the policy.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by March 1, 1998, a letter of intent
that includes a descriptive title of the proposed Center, the name, address, and
telephone number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of other key
personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title of the RFA in
response to which the application may be submitted.  Although a letter of intent
is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of subsequent
applications, the information that it contains allows NICHD staff to estimate the
potential review workload and to avoid conflict of interest in the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Donna L. Vogel at the address listed
under INQUIRIES.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

It is suggested that prospective applicants contact program staff at the address
listed under INQUIRIES early in the planning phase, to ensure that applications
are responsive to the goals of this initiative.

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) is to be used in applying
for these grants.  Applications kits are available at most institutional offices
of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of Extramural
Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge
Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/710-0267, email: 
[email protected].  The RFA label available in the PHS 398 application form must
be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.  Failure to use
this label could result in delayed processing of the application such that it may
not reach the review committee in time for review.  In addition, the RFA title
and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and
the YES box must be marked.

The application must address the following issues:

(1) Provide information establishing the commitment of the applicant institution,
the principal investigator and program director, if any, and the faculty mentors
to providing developmental experiences that lead to independence in biomedical,
behavioral, and/or clinical research relevant to women's health.

(2) Summarize the immediate and long-term objectives of the Center, explaining
how the Center will contribute to their attainment.

(3) Describe the career development plans for prospective candidates. 
Considering the Center goals and the likely goals of prospective candidates,
describe a plan to provide the necessary research background and experiences,
considering the expected range of prior research training in the applicant pool. 
For example, candidates with little previous research experience may require a
phased developmental period in which the first phase of support under this
program award is comprised largely of didactic training in basic and/or clinical
research sciences.  For these candidates, a second phase would be an intensive,
supervised research experience to complete a longer developmental program.  More
experienced candidates may benefit from entering immediately into a mentored
research experience of at least two years supported by this Center award.  The
application should contain a description of how the career development plan will
be tailored to the needs of the prospective candidates.

(4) Describe the pool of potential candidates including information about the
types of prior clinical and research training.  Also, describe how the
appointments will be made to the Center.  Describe the composition of the
Advisory committee and the criteria to be used for candidate evaluation for
selection as WRHR Scholars.  Describe plans to recruit candidates from racial or
ethnic groups that are currently underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, or
clinical sciences.

(5) For each faculty member proposed as a potential mentor, provide a paragraph
on his or her research relevant to the goals expressed in this RFA, that may be
the foundation of a WRHR Scholar's research experience in the Center.  The
research experiences may include basic, translational, and/or clinical science
approaches to biomedical or behavioral problems in women's health.  List up to
five current or former students or fellows the faculty member has trained.

(6) Instruction in the responsible conduct of research. Applications must include
plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research, including the
rationale, subject matter, appropriateness, format, frequency and duration of
instruction; and the amount and nature of faculty participation.  No award will
be made if an application lacks this component.

(7) Budget requests must be provided according to the instructions in form PHS
398.  The request for tuition and fees, books, travel, research development
expenses, etc., must be justified and specified by category.

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 7910
BETHESDA MD  20892-7910
BETHESDA MD  20817 (for express/courier delivery)

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

Susan Streufert, Ph.D.
Division of Scientific Review
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 5E01 - MSC 7510
BETHESDA MD  20892-7510
ROCKVILLE MD 20852 (for express/courier delivery)

Applications must be received by May 8, 1998.  If an application is received
after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Center for
Scientific Review (CSR) and responsiveness by the NICHD.  Incomplete or
nonresponsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further
consideration.  Applications that are complete and responsive to the requirements
stated in this RFA will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an
appropriate peer review group convened by the NICHD in accordance with the review
criteria stated below.  As part of the initial merit review, a process may be
used by the review group in which applications will be determined to be
competitive or non-competitive based on their scientific merit relative to other
applications received in response to the RFA.  Applications judged to be
competitive will be discussed and assigned a priority score.  Applications
determined to be non-competitive will be withdrawn from further consideration. 
A summary statement will be prepared and the Principal Investigator and the
official signing for the applicant organization will be notified.

Review Criteria

Overall program:  The probable impact of the Center award on enhancing the
capacity of the grantee institution to develop well-qualified new obstetrician-
gynecologist investigators, thus enhancing women's health research locally and
nationally.  This includes the experience of the Principal Investigator/Program
Director in preparing physician investigators for independent research careers.

Candidates:

o  Availability of an adequate pool of potential candidates,
o  Adequacy of plans to identify, recruit, and select candidates (including
minorities and women), with a commitment to research relevant to women's health,
and the potential to develop as independent researchers.

Career Development Plan

o  Likelihood that the career development plan will contribute significantly to
the scientific development of the candidates;
o  Appropriateness of the content, the phasing, and the proposed duration of the
career development plan for achieving scientific independence for the prospective
candidates;
o  Consistency of the career development plan with prospective candidates' career
goals; and
o  Quality of the proposed training in the responsible conduct of research.

Research Plan

o  Usefulness of the research plan as a vehicle for developing the research
skills as described in the career development plan;
o  Appropriateness of plans to comply with NIH policy on inclusion of women and
minorities.

Mentors

o  Appropriateness of the faculty mentors' qualifications in the areas of
research relevant to women's health;
o  Quality and extent of the mentors' proposed role in providing guidance and
advice to candidates; and
o  Previous experience of the mentors in fostering the development of
researchers.

Core laboratory, if applicable

o  Nature and quality of the optional Core laboratory: technical merit,
scientific justification, evidence of cost-effectiveness, procedures for quality
control, allocation of resources among multiple users, qualifications of the Core
laboratory director and technical staff, and probable utility to the research
projects of the WRHR Scholars.

Environment

o  Applicant institution's commitment to the Center's scientific development of
the WRHR Scholars, and assurances that the institution intends the program and
the supported WRHR Scholars to be an integral part of its research program,
including various forms of cost-sharing;
o  Adequacy of research facilities including availability of a General Clinical
Research Center, if applicable, and training opportunities, including
demonstration of the research base;
o  Quality of the environment for scientific and professional development,
including opportunities for faculty positions that emphasize research; and
o  Applicant institution's commitment to the appropriate balance of research and
clinical responsibilities, including guarantee of 75% protected time for
research.

Budget

o  Appropriateness of budget requests in relation to Center career development
goals and research aims.

Note:  Page limitations on research project grant applications, as stated in the
guidelines and instructions for PHS Form 398, do not apply to Center
applications, although applicants are encouraged to be concise.  Applicants
should ensure that all material directly applicable to the above review criteria
are included in the body of the application, not in an appendix.

AWARD CRITERIA

The anticipated date of award is September 30, 1998.  Second level review by the
NACHHD Council will be in September, 1998.  Funding decisions will be made based
on the merit score assigned by the initial review group, the need for research
personnel in specific program areas, and the availability of funds.

INQUIRIES

Written, email and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.  The
opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is
welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues and address the letter of intent
to:

Donna L. Vogel, M.D., Ph.D.
Center for Population Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8B01 - MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Telephone:  (301) 496-6515
FAX:  (301) 496-9062
Email:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Melinda Nelson
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8A17 - MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Telephone:  (301) 496-5481
FAX:  (301) 402-0915
Email:  [email protected]

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No.
93.121.  Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Program Awards are made under
authorization of Title III, Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act (Public
Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241).  The Code of Federal
Regulations, Title 42 Part 52, and Title 45 part 74, are applicable to this
program.  This program will be exempt from expanded Authorities and will be
managed in accordance with applicable PHS policy.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a
smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in
certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular
or routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood
development services are provided to children.  This is consistent with the PHS
mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American
people.

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