RFA-RR-00-002: EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)

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EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS Release Date: December 15, 1999 RFA: RR-00-002 National Center for Research Resources Application Receipt Date: February 25, 2000. PURPOSE The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) is authorized under Public Law (PL) 103-43, Sections 481A and 481B of the Public Health Service Act (PHS), to "make grants to public and nonprofit private entities to expand, remodel, renovate or alter existing research facilities or construct new research facilities". The facilities will be used for basic and clinical biomedical and behavioral research and research training. This request for applications (RFA) will be issued yearly. The Fiscal Year 2000 appropriation for the NIH includes $75 million for the NCRR Research Facilities Improvement Program to award grants competitively. Special provisions are made for institutions of emerging excellence, designated under section 739 of the PHS Act as revised in PL 102-408. For this RFA, the needs of smaller and developing institutions will be given special consideration. The NCRR is issuing this RFA for support of construction and renovation of facilities for biomedical and behavioral research and research training. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 The 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 RFA, Extramural Research Facilities Construction Projects, is related to all priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Under Section 481A of the PHS Act, domestic, non-Federal, public and private non-profit institutions, organizations, and associations that conduct or support biomedical or behavioral research are eligible to apply, including, for example, allied health professional schools. Applications are encouraged from institutions of emerging excellence as defined in the PHS Act, Section 739 as amended by PL 102-408. For the purpose of this Announcement, "institutions of emerging excellence" are defined as those health professions schools that received a Fiscal Year 1999 grant award from the Centers of Excellence (COE) Program of the Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS. A list of the Centers of Excellence can be found at URL http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/bhpr/dda/coedig.htm. Further information about the COE Program is at URL http://www-sbp.bcm.tmc.edu/coe/about.html. The telephone number for the COE Program Office is 301-443-2100. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT This RFA will use the NIH research facilities construction grant mechanism (CO6). Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed 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 and no facilities and administrative (F&A) costs or continuation costs will be awarded. The initial budget period is usually 2 or 3 years in length, although extensions may be requested. All funds must be obligated within 5 years from the date of award. The anticipated award date is September 2000. Matching funds (a 1 to 1 match) will be required for the specific project awarded in Fiscal Year 2000. Matching funds must be non-Federal funds set aside for this project. Under Section 481A, up to 50 percent of the necessary and allowable costs of a project may be awarded. The maximum award amount will be $3.0 million for applications from Centers of Excellence under section 739 of the PHS Act as amended by PL 102-408, and $ 2.0 million for other applicant institutions. Regional Primate Research Centers (RPRCs) will be required to provide matching funds in a ratio of 1 to 4 ($1 for each $4 of Federal funds provided) for a maximum award of $ 2.0 million. A description of the sources of non-Federal funding for the project (both matching funds and funds needed to complete the total project) must be provided with the application. A letter committing matching funds must accompany the application and provide assurance of commitment from an appropriate institutional official authorized to commit funds at the institution. Applications proposing a Federal share of less than $500 thousand or more than the maximum Federal award amount specified above will not be accepted. Because the nature and scope of the activities proposed in response to this RFA may vary, it is anticipated that the size of an award will vary also. FUNDS AVAILABLE The Fiscal Year 2000 appropriation for the NIH includes $75 million for this initiative. Twenty-five percent of these funds will be targeted for institutions that have received Fiscal Year 1999 PHS Centers of Excellence Awards. It is anticipated that approximately 35 new awards at different levels will be made. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The principal objective of this program is to facilitate and enhance the conduct of PHS-supported biomedical and behavioral research by supporting the costs of designing and constructing non-Federal basic and clinical research facilities to meet the biomedical or behavioral research, research training, or research support needs of an institution or a research area at an institution. Facility construction that may be supported under this program includes construction of new facilities, additions to existing buildings, completion of uninhabitable "shell" space in new or existing buildings, and major alterations and renovations. NOTE: THE USE OF THESE FEDERAL FUNDS TO BUILD "SHELL" SPACE IS NOT ALLOWED. Support for instrumentation or equipment that usually would be requested as part of a research project grant will not be provided, and neither land acquisition nor off-site improvements will be supported. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applicants must use Standard Form 424, "Application for Federal Assistance". Application forms and special instructions for completing them may be requested from the program official listed under INQUIRIES or downloaded from our web site (www.ncrr.nih.gov/resinfra.htm). Interested individuals are advised to consult immediately with appropriate officials at their institution before completing the application forms. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including appendices, and two signed photocopies, including appendices, 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 (express/courier) TELEPHONE: (301) 435-0715 At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application (with appendices, if any) must be sent under separate cover to: Dr. D.G. Patel Office of Review National Center for Research Resources 6705 Rockledge Drive, Room 6018 - MSC 7965 Bethesda, MD 20892-7965 Bethesda, MD 20817 (express/courier) Telephone: (301) 435-0824 Email: dgpatel@ncrr.nih.gov Applications must be received by February 25, 2000. An application must be received by the specified date or it will be returned to the applicant without review. However, an application received after the deadline may be acceptable if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing date assigned by the carrier and the proof-of-mailing date is not later than 1 week prior to the deadline date. The receipt date will be waived only in extenuating circumstances. To request a waiver, include an explanatory letter with the signed, completed application. No request for a waiver will be considered prior to receipt of the application, and there is no guarantee that the waiver will be granted. o Intergovernmental Review -- Executive Order 12372 Applicants are required to comply with Executive Order (E.O.) 12372 as implemented by 45 CFR Part 100, Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities. E.O. 12372 sets up a system for state and local government review of proposed Federal assistance applications. Applicants (other than federally recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact their State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as early as possible to alert them to the prospective applications and receive any necessary instructions on the state process. For proposed projects serving more than one state, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each affected state. A current list of SPOCs is included in the supplemental instructions (States without a SPOC do not participate in this process). The SPOC must be given 60 days to review a construction grant application. Applicants are to provide the SPOC with a copy of the application NOT LATER THAN the time the application is submitted to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH. Applications submitted to NIH in response to this solicitation must contain either SPOC comments or documentation indicating the date on which the application was submitted to the SPOC for review. The SPOC comment period ends 60 days after the application receipt date. The granting agency does not guarantee to "accommodate or explain" state process recommendations it receives after that date. All SPOC comments must be forwarded to both the applicant and to the NCRR contact given below. If comments are provided by the SPOC, the applicant may wish to submit to the NIH a statement of its reaction to the comments and any appropriate changes to its application. If no response is received from the SPOC by the end of the 60 days allotted for review of the application, the applicant must notify the NIH that no response was received. o Public Disclosure Applicants must make a public disclosure of the project by publication and describe its environmental impact at the time the SPOC is notified. It is suggested that the notice be published in a large-circulation newspaper in the area. This public disclosure is required by Section 102 of the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and by Federal Executive Order 11514. An example is provided in the Applicant Information and Supplemental Instructions . o Design Standards Design requirements serve to protect the health and safety of persons using the proposed facility, assure that the new facility is accessible to and useable by the physically handicapped, control the project"s impact on the natural environment, conserve energy resources, achieve economy in construction costs, and protect against natural disasters such as earthquake and flood. Specific Considerations in Writing and the Review of the CO6 Application The schematic line drawings should be part of the application and easy to read. Drawings should clearly indicate all construction and renovations. Safety aspects must be incorporated in the design. The facility location must be identified with regard to related research facilities. The drawings must indicate egress routes and the relationship of rooms. All related specialized facilities and the location of major equipment must be shown. Provide an organizational chart of the institution that defines the administrative authority. Indicate the official point of contact if an award is made. Fully justify the cost of the construction. Provide precise cost estimates and vendor quotes when available. Justify the space requirements for support staff. Clearly describe the impact of the proposed construction on PHS-funded research for both existing and future research projects. Provide a table for current and pending research grants indicating the principal investigator, source and amount of funding, grant number and start and end dates. Provide succinct description of specific research activities that will benefit from the proposed construction. Do not provide a description of global research activities at the institution. Provide biographical sketches (2 pages) of only primary investigators who will use the proposed facilities, the principal investigator and the program director. Limit appendices to specific additional information relevant to the proposed project. Do not submit general institutional reports. Additional Review Considerations Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and responsiveness by NCRR. Those applications judged to be unresponsive, incomplete, or ineligible will be returned to the applicant. Applications that are complete and responsive will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by the Scientific and Technical Review Board on Biomedical and Behavioral Research Facilities established for this purpose by the NCRR in accordance with the review criteria stated below. As part of the initial merit review, a process will be used by the initial review group in which applications receive a written critique and 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, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the National Advisory Research Resources Council. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of criteria intended to assess the following overall questions: (1) How will the proposed change in the research environment facilitate the applicant institution"s ability to conduct, expand, improve, or maintain biomedical/behavioral research? (2) How will the proposed project meet national unmet health needs for biomedical/behavioral research, research training and/or research support facilities? Reviewers will consider the following factors: o The impact of the proposed construction on existing and future PHS- supported biomedical and behavioral research, research training and/or research support activities. o The impact of the proposed construction on the planned advancement or expansion of the research and research training activities at institutions with limited PHS support. o Appropriateness and suitability of the proposed facilities, including safety and biohazard aspects, for the research to be conducted and/or research support and training to be provided. o Specific deficiencies in the existing research facilities that would be remedied and the impact of the proposed project on current and future research activities. o The appropriateness of the proposed physical location and layout of the new facility and the reasonableness of the proposed time-course, cost and sequence for the construction. o Adequacy of the proposed administrative arrangements with respect to institutional commitment to use the space for biomedical/behavioral research, research training and/or research support and the capabilities of the Principal Investigator and staff for scientific and fiscal administration of the facility. Special considerations for an animal facility should include: o A detailed description of any biohazard issues. o A description of the veterinary support. o The training and continued education programs for veterinary staff. o A detailed animal census. o A description of which animals are used for each project. o A description of the composition and procedures of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). o A description of appropriate procedures to ensure that the facility will be used as intended. Facility design considerations: Architectural o Conformance to NIH Guidelines, National Life Safety Code and local codes o Occupancy category o Site adjacency and National Fire Protection Agency compliance o Building zoning/adjacency such as public, semi private, private o Functional adjacency o Proposed conceptual layout o Net and gross square feet of proposed layout o Biological Safety Level Category o List of containment devices in each room o Traffic pattern (users, material, animal, patients) o Hazardous waste management o Waste management o Pest management control o Coordination between all disciplines Mechanical: o Proposed HVAC system (equipment, distribution) o Proposed Hydronic system (equipment, distribution) o Proposed room by room pressurization control o Proposed vibration and noise control criteria o Proposed room by room temperature and humidity control o Proposed HVAC system operation during normal and emergency cycle o Scientific program standard operating procedures (SOP) during HVAC system failure Plumbing: o Proposed specialty systems (water purification, animal water feed, special liquid or gases) o Proposed potable and non-potable water systems Fire Protection: o Proposed fire protection barriers o Proposed sprinkler system o Proposed fire alarm system Electrical: o Conformance to National Electrical Code o Proposed electrical distribution system (normal, emergency, UPS) o Proposed room lighting o Proposed security system o Proposed telephone/data/LAN distribution system o Proposed equipment monitoring system List of references for the design of facilities supported through the Research Facilities Improvement Program: NIH Design and Policy Guidelines, http://des.od.nih.gov Primary Containment for Biohazards: Selection, Installation and Use of Biological Safety Cabinets, CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, CDC/NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 1996 AWARD CRITERIA Factors considered in making awards include the merit of the proposal, the needs of the institution, with special consideration for small institutions as well as institutions designated as Centers of Excellence, the commitment by the institution of funds needed to complete the project, the availability of appropriated funds, prior receipt of a construction award from this program, and geographic distribution. Award Conditions The grantee will begin a process of design approval with the NIH Division of Engineering Services (DES) after acknowledging receipt of the Notice of Grant Award. This consists of three stages of submission of design documents. Two sets each of Schematic Design, Design Development and Final Construction Design Documents will be submitted at Stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The documents will include detailed cost estimates and are required for final review and approval by the DES and NCRR before bids and proposals can be solicited by the grantee for the construction contract. Advertisement for construction bids and construction may be initiated only after receipt of the construction grant award and subsequent approval of the working drawings and specifications by NCRR staff. Early in the design process, applicants are encouraged to review the "NIH Grants Policy Statement," which is available on-line at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/policy_stmt.htm. The sections related to public policy requirements and construction (i.e. Part III) are particularly relevant. NO REQUESTS TO INITIATE CONSTRUCTION, CONSISTENT WITH NIH POLICY, WILL BE ENTERTAINED PRIOR TO RECEIPT OF A CONSTRUCTION GRANT AWARD FROM NIH AND SUBSEQUENT APPROVAL OF WORKING DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS BY NCRR STAFF. The Principal Investigator should be a highly placed institutional official, at the level of Dean or equivalent, who has the responsibility for allocation of space for the biomedical or behavioral research and research training addressed in the submitted application. The facility must be utilized for biomedical or behavioral research purposes for which it was constructed for at least 20 years beginning 90 days following completion of the construction project. Any lease agreement must cover a time period sufficient for the usage requirement. The NIH staff will evaluate use of the facility periodically to assure its continued use for the approved purposes. Failure to comply with the 20-year utilization requirement will result in recovery of the Federal share of the value of the facility in accordance with Federal Regulations at 45 CFR 74.32. INQUIRIES Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues, requests for application Standard Form 424, application supplemental instructions, and SPOC comments, if any, to: Dr. W. Fred Taylor Research Infrastructure National Center for Research Resources 6705 Rockledge Drive, Room 6142 - MSC 7965 Bethesda, MD 20892-7965 Telephone: (301) 435-0766 FAX: (301) 480-3770 Email: taylorf@ncrr.nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding technical programmatic issues (engineering and architectural) to: Mr. Esmail Torkashvan, P.E. Research Infrastructure National Center for Research Resources 6705 Rockledge Drive, Room 6144 - MSC 7965 Bethesda, MD 20892-7965 Telephone: (301) 435-0766 FAX: (301) 480-3770 Email: torkashvane@ncrr.nih.gov Questions regarding fiscal matters may be directed to: Mr. Paul Karadbil Office of Grants Management National Center for Research Resources 6705 Rockledge Drive, Room 6086, MSC 7965 Bethesda, MD 20892-7965 Telephone: (301) 435-0844 Email: paulk@ncrr.nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.389. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. Applicants are required to comply with Executive Order 12372 as supplemented by 45 CFR Part 100, Intergovernmental Review of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities. 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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