NHLBI SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR MINORITY STUDENTS PROGRAM (T35)

RELEASE DATE:  March 17, 2003 

RFA:  HL-03-014 (See replacement, RFA-HL-05-018)
                (see Notice of Additional Receipt Date, NOT-HL-04-015)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
 (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/)

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBERS:
93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839

LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE:  May 22, 2003

APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE:  June 23, 2003 (see NOT-HL-04-015)

THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support
o Funds Available
o Eligible Institutions
o Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o Trainee Eligibility Requirements
o Special Requirements
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Letter of Intent
o Submitting an Application
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations

PURPOSE OF THIS RFA

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Short-Term Training for 
Minority Students Program is a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service 
Award (NRSA) designed to provide short-term research support to 
underrepresented minority undergraduate and graduate students and students in 
health professional schools to provide them with career opportunities in 
cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic and sleep disorders research.  
Underrepresented minority and ethnic groups include African Americans/Blacks, 
Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and non-Asian Pacific Islanders 
and other racial and ethnic groups determined by the institutions to be 
underrepresented in the health-related sciences.  The grant provides two to 
three consecutive months of research training with experienced investigators 
and exposes talented students to experiences that will help them pursue a 
biomedical or behavioral research career.  In addition to the research 
experience, institutions provide enrichment activities such as research 
forums, guest lectures, student presentations, special courses, and social 
activities.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

This RFA is designed to offer research training opportunities for minority 
students in an effort to encourage them to participate in cardiovascular, 
pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep disorders research.

The NHLBI Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program is intended to:

o Provide minority undergraduate and graduate students and students in health 
professional schools with opportunities to participate in activities leading 
to research careers in areas relevant to cardiovascular, pulmonary, 
hematologic, and sleep disorders.

o Attract qualified minority students into biomedical and behavioral research 
careers. 

o Increase the short supply of qualified minority investigators.

Although the number of underrepresented minority individuals  (Blacks, 
Hispanics, Native Americans) pursuing advanced degrees in the biomedical and 
behavioral sciences increased over the past 20 years, their representation in 
these fields remains below their representation in the U.S. population.  
During that time, both the number and percentage of science doctorates earned 
by underrepresented minorities have increased twofold.  In 1997, however, the 
total of science doctoral degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities in 
these fields accounted for only 5.9 percent of the total degrees received 
(National Research Council, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2000).  Furthermore, 
in 1996, U.S. medical schools graduated more underrepresented minorities than 
ever and the number of minorities applying to medical school reached a new 
record high.  A total of 5,259 minority students applied to the nation=s 
medical schools, representing 11 percent of all applicants (Association of 
American Medical Colleges, 1997).  Yet, only 3.5 percent of all U.S. medical 
school faculty holding Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical and behavioral 
sciences, and only 3.6 percent of those with combined M.D./Ph.D. degrees are 
members of underrepresented minority groups.  There are existing programs at 
the NIH that are designed to increase the number of minorities in biomedical 
and behavioral research.  These include the NHLBI Minority Institutional 
Research Training Program, the NHLBI Mentored Minority Faculty Development 
Award, and the NHLBI Minority Institution Research Scientist Development 
Award.  Even though these programs appear successful in meeting their specific 
objectives and career development goals, more needs to be done to attract 
minorities to biomedical and behavioral research careers.
 
Although there is strong interest in the scientific community in attracting 
minority students into research careers, few minority students opt for science 
degrees and research careers, and few minority graduates of health 
professional schools go on to scientific research careers.  The shortage of 
qualified minority investigators in academic research positions may even 
exacerbate the situation due to a lack of visible role models for students.  
One method of addressing this problem is by attracting minority students to 
research opportunities and by providing them with research training to develop 
their research capabilities in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and 
sleep disorders.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Short-Term Research Training 
Grant (T35) award mechanism.  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and 
execution of the proposed training project will be solely that of the 
applicant.  The total project period for an application submitted in response 
to this RFA may not exceed five years.  Funding beyond the first year of the 
grant is contingent upon satisfactory progress during the preceding year and 
availability of funds.  The anticipated award date is April 1, 2004.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The estimated funds (total costs) available for the first year of support for 
the entire program is expected to be $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2004 (October 1, 
2003-September 30, 2004).  The actual amount may vary, depending on the 
response to the RFA and availability of funds.  Eight new awards are 
anticipated.

Facilities and Administrative Costs   The Notice of Grant Award will provide 
facilities and administrative costs based on 8% of total direct costs.

ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS

Only domestic; for-profit and non-profit organizations; public or private 
institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories; 
units of State and local governments; and eligible agencies of the Federal 
government may apply for grants to support research training programs.  The 
applicant institution must have a strong research program in the area(s) 
proposed for research training and must have the requisite staff and 
facilities to carry out the proposed program.

Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.

INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS/PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to organize 
and implement a high quality research training program is invited to work with 
their institution as the director of the research training program in order 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 programs.  The research training program director 
at the institution will be responsible for the selection and appointment of 
trainees to the NRSA research training grant and for the overall direction, 
management, and administration of the program.

TRAINEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Trainees must have successfully completed at least one undergraduate year at 
an accredited school or university (including baccalaureate schools of 
nursing) or have successfully completed one semester at a school of medicine, 
optometry, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, or public 
health, or an institution with an accredited graduate program, prior to 
participating in the program.  Institutions must adhere strictly to these 
requirements when selecting trainees.  These grants are intended to introduce 
students to research that would not otherwise be available through their 
regular course of studies.  For graduate students, this may include graduate 
students in programs, such as mathematics and computer science, where they 
would not normally be exposed to biomedical research or minority graduate 
students who may need a specialized research experience to supplement their 
normal graduate education.

Trainees appointed to this program must be citizens or non-citizen nationals 
of the United States or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent 
residence (i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt 
Card I-551, or some other legal verification of such status). Noncitizen 
nationals are generally persons born in possessions of the United States 
(i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island).  Individuals on temporary or student 
visas and individuals holding Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M. or equivalent doctoral 
degrees in the health sciences are not eligible.

Trainees appointed to the program need not be from the applicant institution, 
but may include a number of underrepresented minority students from other 
institutions, schools, colleges, or universities.  The program can be designed 
to include research experiences for minority individuals at the applicant 
institution but applicants are strongly encouraged to propose a program that 
includes a number of individuals from other institutions, schools, colleges or 
universities.  The only requirement for student selection is that the trainees 
fulfill the above referenced eligibility requirements.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Provisions of the Award

Institutions may request support for at least 4 but not more than 24 trainees 
per budget period, based on a full-time three-month appointment.  A trainee 
may be appointed for a minimum of two months and a maximum of three months 
during a budget period; however, institutions are encouraged to appoint a 
trainee for more than one budget period, i.e., two or more successive summer 
research experiences.  A student may be appointed, in special circumstances, 
to more than one 3-month period during a budget period, provided prior 
approval is obtained from the staff of the NHLBI.  All research training must 
be full-time during the specific training sequence.  It is expected that most 
programs will be designed to provide a summer research experience but other 
innovative program designs and time schedules will be considered.  The 
requested number of short-term trainees must be justified in the application.

Only one application per health professional school may be submitted for a 
given receipt date.  Although a university may have more than one NHLBI Short-
Term Training for Minority Students Program, they may not be in the same 
school.  The applicant institution must have the available research 
facilities, personnel, and support for the program in the areas of 
cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, or sleep disorders.  Minority 
institutions with adequate staff and resources in these areas are encouraged 
to apply.  These grants will support short-term research training experiences 
of consecutive two to three months' duration for minority undergraduate 
students, minority students in health professional schools, and minority 
graduate students.  The grantee institution will determine which racial and 
ethnic groups are underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research and 
will be responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees. 

Funds may be requested for:

o Stipends - The current stipend level for trainees is $1,664 per month, and 
$54.71 per day.  Stipends may be supplemented from non-Federal funds.

o Training-related Expenses - Up to $183 per month per trainee may be 
requested yearly; and may be used for faculty, laboratory, and secretarial 
assistance; supplies and equipment; consultant costs; and tuition and fees.

o Travel Expenses - The institution may request up to $500 per year per 
trainee to cover the cost of travel to and from the training institution.  
Institutions may request up to $750 per trainee if they expect that the 
majority of their trainees will be coming long distances (e.g., trainees 
coming from Puerto Rico and other distant sites), but must submit a strong 
justification for this need.  The request will be subject to the Initial 
Review Group (IRG) and NHLBI review.  Applicants may share travel costs among 
trainees so that the $500 allotted for a local trainee may be reprogrammed, 
without the NHLBI permission, to trainees needing higher cost reimbursement.  
The institution may also request up to $400 per month per trainee per diem or 
subsistence allowances while at the training site.

o Facilities and Administrative Costs - The Notice of Grant Award will provide 
facilities and administrative costs based on 8% of total direct costs, 
exclusive of tuition, and fees.
 
A Statement of Appointment form (PHS 2271, rev. 5/01) must be submitted at the 
start of each trainee appointment and reappointment.  This form is available 
at the following URL address: http://grants.nih.gov/training/phs2271.pdf.  
Individuals supported under this program are not required to sign an NRSA 
Payback Agreement but must submit an NRSA Termination Notice.  

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR):  The application must 
include a description of plans to provide instruction in the responsible 
conduct of research.  The Public Health Service policy on RCR 
(http://ori.hhs.gov/policies/RCR_Policy.shtml#rcr) describes nine core 
instructional areas that comprise RCR:  data acquisition, management, sharing, 
and ownership; mentor/trainee responsibilities; publication practices and 
responsible authorship; peer review; collaborative science; human subjects; 
research involving animals; research misconduct; and conflict of interest and 
commitment.  Plans for RCR training must describe the proposed subject matter, 
format, frequency and duration of instruction.  No award will be made if an 
application lacks this component. See the NIH website 
http://www.nih.gov/sigs/bioethics for resources and information on this topic.

WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES

We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity to 
answer questions from potential applicants.  Inquiries may fall into three 
areas:  programmatic, review and financial or grants management issues:

o Direct your questions about programmatic issues to:

Michael Commarato, Ph.D.
Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases (responding for all NHLBI programmatic 
Divisions)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7940
Bethesda, MD 20892-7940
Telephone: (301) 435-0530
FAX: (301) 480-1330
Email:  [email protected] 

o Direct your questions about review issues to:

Anne Clark, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Two Rockledge Center, Room 7214
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7924
Bethesda, MD  20892-7924
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express mail)
Telephone:  (301) 435-0270
FAX:  (301) 480-0730
Email:  [email protected] 

o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:

Beckie Chamberlin
Grants Management Specialist
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 7144, MSC 7926
Bethesda, MD 20892-7926
Telephone:  (301) 435-0174
FAX:  (301) 480-1948
Email:  [email protected]

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes 
the following information:

o A descriptive title of the proposed research
o Name, address, and telephone number of the Program Director
o Names of other key personnel
o Participating institutions
o Number and title of this RFA 

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 NHLBI staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan 
for the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Anne Clark at the address listed 
under WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES by May 22, 2003.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application 
instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001).  The PHS 398 is available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive 
format.  Refer to T section.  For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, 
Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email:  [email protected].

USING THE RFA LABEL:  The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) 
application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the 
application.  Type the RFA number on the label.  Failure to use this label 
could result in delayed processing of the application such that it may not 
reach the review committee in time for review.  In addition, the RFA title 
(NHLBI SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR MINORITY STUDENTS PROGRAM) and number (HL-03-
014) must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the 
YES box must be marked.  The RFA label is also available at:  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.

SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH:  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
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)

All grant applications submitted to the Center For Scientific Review (CSR) 
must come via United States Postal Service or a recognized delivery/courier 
service.  Individuals may not personally deliver packages to the building on 
Rockledge Drive.  For further information please see 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-012.html.

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and all 
five collated sets of the appendix material must be sent to Dr. Anne Clark at 
the address listed under WHERE TO SENDINQUIRIES.  

APPLICATION PROCESSING:  Applications must be received by June 23, 2003.  If 
an application is received after that date, it will be returned to the 
applicant without review.  

Although there is no immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of an 
application, applicants are generally notified of the review and funding 
assignment within 8 weeks.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in 
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending 
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.  
However, when a previously unfunded application, originally submitted as an 
investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to an RFA, 
it is to be proposed as a NEW application.  That is the application for the 
RFA must not include an Introduction describing the changes and improvements 
made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes.  While the 
investigator may still benefit from the previous review, the RFA application 
is not to state explicitly how.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and 
responsiveness by the NHLBI.  Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications 
will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. 

Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated for 
scientific and technical merit by a Special Emphasis Panel in the Division of 
Extramural Affairs, NHLBI, in accordance with the review criteria stated 
below.  As part of the initial merit review, all applications will:

o Receive a written critique 
o Undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the 
highest scientific merit, generally the top half of the applications under 
review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score
o Receive a second level review by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Advisory Council.

Review Considerations

The application should provide a summary of the training program including its 
objectives, the types of research activities available, the faculty who will 
participate, the geographical area to be included in the recruitment, a 
mentoring plan, and any special activities or experiences to be provided to 
the trainees.  It should also describe the administrative structure of the 
program and the distribution of responsibilities within it, plans for 
recruiting, selecting, and assigning trainees to research activities, duration 
of training and months in which it will occur, description of a typical 
student program including percent time to be spent in various activities, and 
additional support or services to be provided by the applicant institution.  
All applications must include a description of formal or informal activities 
or instruction related to the responsible conduct of research that will be 
incorporated into the proposed research training program.

Applicants for competitive renewal applications will be required to provide 
information concerning past trainees in the program, the accomplishments of 
the program, trainee publications, and whether students supported by the 
program have pursued research careers. This information should also be 
included in the noncompeting renewal application.  Therefore, it is important 
that the applicant includes plans for tracking students who participated in 
the program.

REVIEW CRITERIA

The following criteria will be considered when assessing the merits of the 
proposed NHLBI Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program.

o Design of the proposed training program;

o Qualifications, dedication, and previous training record of the program 
director and participating faculty, particularly with regard to prior 
experience with similar programs;

o Adequacy of facilities, environment, and resources for the proposed research 
training;

o Recruitment and selection plans for trainees, and the availability of high 
quality candidates;

o Methods for retaining promising students in the program and methods for 
tracking students;

o Commitment of the institution and participating faculty to the goals of the 
training program; and

o Procedures for evaluation of the effectiveness of the program and the impact 
of the program on the students involved.

ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, your 
application will also be reviewed with respect to the following:

PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS FROM RESEARCH RISK:  The involvement of human 
subjects and protections from research risk relating to their participation in 
the proposed research will be assessed.  (See criteria included in the section 
on Federal Citations, below).

INCLUSION OF WOMEN, MINORITIES AND CHILDREN IN RESEARCH:  The adequacy of 
plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and 
subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be 
evaluated.  (See Inclusion Criteria in the section on Federal Citations, 
below).

CARE AND USE OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS IN RESEARCH:  If vertebrate animals are to 
be used in the project, the five items described under Section f of the PHS 
398 research grant application instructions (rev. 5/2001) will be assessed.

o BUDGET:  The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period 
of support in relation to the proposed research.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research:  Every predoctoral and 
postdoctoral NRSA trainee supported by an institutional research training 
grant must receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research.  (For 
more information on this provision, see the NIH Guide for Grants and 
Contracts, Volume 21, Number 43, November 27, 1992, see 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not92-236.html.  Applications 
must include a description of a program to provide formal or informal 
instruction in scientific integrity or the responsible conduct of research.  
Applications without plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of 
research will be considered incomplete and will be returned to the applicant 
without review.

o Although the NIH does not establish specific curricula or formal 
requirements, all programs are encouraged to consider instruction in the 
following areas:  conflict of interest, responsible authorship, policies for 
handling misconduct, data management, data sharing, and policies regarding the 
use of human and animal subjects.  Within the context of training in 
scientific integrity, it is also beneficial to discuss the relationship and 
the specific responsibilities of the institution and the graduate students or 
postdoctorates appointed to the program.

o Plans must address the subject matter of the instruction, the format of the 
instruction, the degree of faculty participation, trainee attendance, and the 
frequency of instruction.

o The rationale for the proposed plan of instruction must be provided.

o Program reports on the type of instruction provided, topics covered, and 
other relevant information, such as attendance by trainees and faculty 
participation, must be included in future competing continuation and 
noncompeting applications.  The NIH encourages institutions to provide 
instruction in the responsible conduct of research to all graduate students, 
postdoctorates, and research staff regardless of their source of support.

NIH initial review groups will assess the applicant's plans on the basis of 
the appropriateness of topics, format, amount and nature of faculty 
participation, and the frequency and duration of instruction.

The plan will be discussed after the overall determination of merit, so that 
the review panel's evaluation of the plan will not be a factor in the 
determination of the priority score.  Plans will be judged as acceptable or 
unacceptable.  The acceptability of the plan will be described in an 
administrative note on the summary statement.   Regardless of the priority 
score, applications with unacceptable plans will not be funded until the 
applicant provides a revised, acceptable plan.  Staff within the NIH awarding 
component will judge the acceptability of the revised plan.  

Following initial review, the NHLBI Advisory Council provides a second level 
of review.  The Council will consider the assessment of the scientific and 
educational merit of the research training grant application as well the plan 
for instruction in the responsible conduct of research.

RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  May 22, 2003
Application Receipt Date:  June 23, 2003
Peer Review Date:  October/November 2003
Council Review:  February 2004
Earliest Anticipated Start Date:  April 1, 2004

AWARD CRITERIA

Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:

o Scientific and training merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.

REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS

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.

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 - 
Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts 
on October 9, 2001 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/
NOT-OD-02-001.html); a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are
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 RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS: 
The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 
21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by 
the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. 
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt 
dates after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
"NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as participants in 
research involving human subjects that is available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm.

PUBLIC 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 public 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 RFA 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.

URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and proposals
for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations.
Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs)
should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because
reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites.   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 RFA 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 No. 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, and 93.839 and is not subject 
to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or 
Health Systems Agency review.  Awards are made under authorization of Sections 
301, 487, and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241, 
288, and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies described at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm and under Federal Regulations 
42 CFR Parts 52 and 66 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. 

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.

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