Participating Organization(s)	National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Components of Participating Organizations	Fogarty International Center (FIC) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH/CDC)
Funding Opportunity Title	Limited Competition: Planning Grants for Hubs of Interdisciplinary Research and Training in Global Environmental and Occupational Health (GEOHealth) (P20)
Activity Code	P20 Exploratory Grants
Announcement Type	New
Related Notices	March 20, 2013 - See Notice NOT-TW-13-005. Notice of Deferment of the Global Environmental and Occupational Health (GEOHealth) Hub Program Competition.
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number	RFA-TW-12-001
Companion FOA	Not Applicable
Number of Applications	Only one application per institution is allowed, as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)	93.989, 93.262, 93.113
FOA Purpose	This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to support paired consortium exploratory awards led by one Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC) institution and one U.S. institution to plan research, research training, and curriculum development activities that address and inform priority national and regional environmental and occupational health policy issues. The ultimate goal of the FOA is to foster the planning for multidisciplinary Global Environmental and Occupational Health Hubs (GEOHealth Hubs), based in LMICs, that will lead collaborative research and training for focal environmental and occupational health issues in several core science areas, including fields such as epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, environmental science, industrial hygiene, systems science, toxicology, behavioral science, and implementation science. Focal environmental and occupational health areas, as well as core science areas, for each consortium will be selected by the applicants, building upon preexisting strengths within the proposed consortium and addressing priority public health needs in the region. These may include up to three focal areas including but not limited to: indoor and outdoor air quality, water quality, workplace safety, occupational health, agricultural health, and climate change. The FOA aims to enable LMIC researchers, in partnership with U.S. researchers, to conduct a needs and opportunities assessment, plan for policy-relevant research and training in environmental and occupational health, and foster partnerships that could be sustained in an anticipated full GEOHealth Hub program. The NIH anticipates the opportunity to compete for full grants to realize the results of this planning, with awards in 2014. This program is not intended to support research that can be conducted primarily in and/or by United States or other high income country institutions only.

Posted Date	December 16, 2011
Letter of Intent Due Date	February 7, 2012
Application Due Date(s)	March 7, 2012
AIDS Application Due Date(s)	Not Applicable
Scientific Merit Review	June/July 2012
Advisory Council Review	August 2012
Earliest Start Date(s)	September 2012
Expiration Date	March 8, 2012
Due Dates for E.O. 12372	Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. While some links are provided, applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Background

Diseases related to environmental and occupational exposures are a growing public health concern. These exposures to human-caused and naturally occurring chemical and biological contaminants in air, water, soil and food cause hundreds of thousands of illnesses each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that environmental risk factors contribute to 24% of the global burden of disease from all causes, and to 23% of deaths, emphasizing that this is likely a conservative estimate because for many diseases, the associations are poorly understood (Pr ss- st n and Corval n, 2006). The problem is particularly acute in low and middle income countries (LMICs), where indoor air pollution from cooking fuels, pesticide exposure, radiation, water pollution, mining-related injuries and exposures, and climate change are associated with significant disease burdens. In the developing world, workers often face unregulated and unprotected exposures hazards, both known and unknown, and there is generally poor understanding of these exposures and their specific effects. In addition, the rapidly growing burden of chronic diseases in developing countries may be associated with environmental and occupational exposures, but the causes and pathways are poorly understood for both chronic and disaster related vulnerabilites. Although developing countries suffer adverse and sometimes catastrophic health effects from environmental contamination and occupational hazards, in many cases they have inadequate capacities to study and mitigate these problems. Additionally, international research on environmental and occupational health is critical because it provides an opportunity to address variation in exposure levels (including often high exposures in some countries) and the inclusion of broader population genetic backgrounds, both of which inform not only local health needs but also broader U.S. and international environmental and occupational health needs. Addressing these challenges internationally requires a critical mass of first class scientists who are well versed in regional environmental and occupational health challenges, and who have the appropriate cultural and national understanding of the social and political context that influences the effectiveness of interventions. Research partnerships are key to enhancing resources and improving capacity for environmental and occupational health in LMICs. A partnership model of research, in which LMIC nationals lead research projects with any needed technical support from colleagues in more developed countries can lead to ownership, sustainability, the development of local and national research capacity (Costello and Zumla, 2000) and significant scientific and public health benefits to both partner nations.

Purpose and Objectives

The NIH Fogarty International Center (FIC), in collaboration with the NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), invites applications from pairs of institutions (one LMIC institution and one U.S. institution) to conduct exploratory activities and plan for the development or expansion of unique, innovative, and multidisciplinary centers of Global Environmental and Occupational Health Hubs (GEOHealth Hubs). The NIH anticipates the opportunity to compete for full GEOHealth Hub grants to realize the results of this planning, with awards in 2014. The program vision is to develop and strengthen environmental and occupational health-related regional research collaborations, enhance infrastructure development, enhance research training, develop relevant curricula, mitigate the adverse consequences of environmental and occupational exposures, and support the science needed in order to inform nationally-relevant policy development in developing countries.

The objectives of this FOA are to (1) support planning and exploratory activities related to the development of world-class international centers for environmental and occupational health that can meet the challenges of a changing world, (2) support exploratory activities that strengthen environmental and occupational health research, training, curriculum development and policy support through the establishment of partnerships between LMIC institutions and U.S. institutions, and (3) enhance the ability of investigators to compete independently for sustained funding in environmental and occupational health in an anticipated full GEOHealth program, with awards in 2014. Responsive applications will develop a needs and opportunities assessment that identifies the priority environmental and occupational public health concerns in the LMIC, the scientific information required to support these public health needs, and the associated training and capacity building activities.

GEOHealth Hubs

A GEOHealth Hub is defined as a multidisciplinary research group of investigators and their institutions based in a LMIC, who, with their collaborators, focus on a core set of common research and training topics that address priority public health needs in the LMIC and/or the region. A GEOHealth Hub would serve as a focal point for all research, research capacity-building, training, and collaborative activities, and would be expected to form links (or "spokes") to other institutions in the country or region. Additional U.S. institutions and their partners may also be linked to the hub. For the purposes of this FOA, a pair of institutions (one LMIC institution and one U.S. institution) would form a consortium in coordination with appropriate partners, and this consortium would conduct the needs and opportunities assessment and other exploratory activities for the development of a full GEOHealth Hub in the future.

Scientific Areas

Focal environmental and occupational health-related areas will be selected by the applicants, building upon preexisting strengths within the proposed consortium and addressing priority public health needs in the country and/or region. Scientific areas may include, but are not limited to: indoor and outdoor air quality, water quality, workplace safety, agricultural health, and climate change related health science including disaster response. Relevant scientific disciplines include epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, environmental science, industrial hygiene, systems science, toxicology, behavioral science, and implementation science.

Program components and activities

Responsive applications will include plans to conduct the following activities:

• Needs and opportunities assessment Conduct an assessment of needs and opportunities that addresses the policy environment in the LMIC, and the public health and science needed to support relevant policy development.
• Hub development Organize the appropriate network of partners to address the public health and science needs identified in an assessment of needs and opportunities.
• Research planning Develop hypotheses and data requirements that address the focal research topics for the LMIC GEOHealth Hub.
• Capacity building planning Identify relevant activities that will build research capacity in the selected environmental and occupational health areas in the LMIC GEOHealth Hub.
• Evaluation - Describe an evaluation plan for the planning process.

Regions

Research must be conducted in World Bank designated LMICs in one of the following geographic regions:

• East Asia and the Pacific
• Europe and Central Asia
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Middle East and North Africa
• South Asia
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Although several exploratory grants (this FOA) may be awarded in each region, future full GEOHealth Hub grants will likely be limited and prioritized to ensure broad geographic coverage.

Partnerships

Although the program focuses on academic institutions, partnerships with appropriate LMIC governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGO) are encouraged and should be documented through letters of support. LMIC applicants are encouraged to explore the potential for future partnerships, particularly with national governments of upper-middle income and high income countries, and with other organizations, to cover local institutional costs and to increase prospects for sustainability.

Citation

Costello, A. and A. Zumla. 2000. Moving to research partnerships in developing countries. BMJ 321: 827-829. http://www.bmj.com/content/321/7264/827.extract

Pr ss- st n, A. and C. Corval n. 2006. Preventing disease through healthy environments: Towards an estimate of the environmental burden of disease. World Health Organization. ISBN 92 4 159382 2. http://www.who.int/entity/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/preventingdisease.pdf.

Funding Instrument	Grant
Application Types Allowed	New The OER Glossary and the PHS398 Application Guide provide details on these application types.
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards	Fogarty International Center (FIC) and its partner components intend to commit an estimated total of $1,300,000.
Award Budget	A paired grant process will be used in which the pair of applicants (one LMIC-based and one U.S.-based institution) will submit two separate but tethered applications with separate budgets specific to each institution. The combined budget for each pair of applications is limited to $100,000 per year in total costs. This amount is to be divided between the budgets of the two applicant institutions as determined by the applicants, with at least half ($50,000) going to the LMIC institution.
Award Project Period	The maximum project period is two (2) years.

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.

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

Governments

• State Governments

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the PHS398 Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

• Central Contractor Registration (CCR) must maintain an active registration, to be renewed at least annually
• eRA Commons

All Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the applicant organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least4-6 weeks prior to the application due date.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PD(s)/PI(s), visit the Multiple Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the PHS398 Application Guide.

The PD(s)/PI(s) at the U.S.-based institution should have expertise in the area of environmental and/or occupational health, demonstrated administrative experience managing international partnerships, and a track record in developing and successfully conducting research and training in this area. The PD(s)/PI(s) at the foreign LMIC institution should have the expertise and track record that demonstrate scientific and administrative leadership abilities to conduct the research, training and mentoring "in country", and should have demonstrated experience managing international partnerships.

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

One LMIC institution and one U.S. institution must submit an application as a bi-national paired consortium. Each institutional partner (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) can only submit one application as primary (i.e. the two lead institutions that comprise the pair and that would receive the award). However, institutions may also participate as partners in up to two additional consortia through applications submitted by other institutions.

NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed.

Applicants are required to prepare applications according to the current PHS 398 application forms in accordance with the PHS 398 Application Guide.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes a list of all the collaborative applications that includes the following information for each application:

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

• Unique descriptive title of proposed research
• Name, address, and telephone number of the PD(s)/PI(s)
• Applicant Institution for each application
• Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Josh Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Acting Deputy Director
Office of the Director
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Building 31, B2C03
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: 301-496-1415
FAX: 301-402-0779
Email (preferred): [email protected]

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application forms and 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)

At the time of submission, two additional paper copies of the application and all copies of the Appendix files must be sent to:

Sally Eckert-Tilotta, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, MSC K3-03
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: 919-541-1446
FAX: (301) 451-5715
Email: [email protected]

All page limitations described in the PHS398 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed, with the following exception:

• Research Strategy section is limited to 12 pages.

All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• The text in this section should be identical for both paired applications and should refer to the expected activities at all participating institutions and how they relate to each other.

Resource Sharing Plan

Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as provided in the PHS398 Application Guide, with the following modification:.

• Generally, Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and GWAS Sharing Plan) are expected, but they are not applicable for this FOA.

Appendix

Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix (please note all format requirements) as described in the PHS398 Application Guide.

Foreign (non-US) Institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the PHS398 Application Guide.

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates.

Information on the process of receipt and determining if your application is considered on-time is described in detail in the PHS398 Application Guide.

Applicants may track the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration.

See: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-11-090.html.

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

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

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

Applications must be received on or before the due dates in Part I. Overview Information. If an application is received after that date, it will not be reviewed.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

The Face Page of the application should clearly identify that this is a paired application by using the following format in the title field: [1/2-Common title]: - [name of Country submitting].

A Cover Letter is required for each of the paired applications. The cover letters must contain an identical list of both applications. The list must include the following for each application: the names of the PD(s)/PI(s), the Title, and the Applicant Institution.

Please note that the two applications should be identical except for the Face Page, The Budget and the Budget Justification.

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the consortium to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the consortium proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific 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 consortium that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Significance

Does the consortium address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the consortium 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? How will the consortium be transformative and sustainable in addressing priority environmental and occupational public health needs of the LMIC? Does the application demonstrate in-depth knowledge of environmental and occupational health priorities in the geographic region of focus?

Investigator(s)

Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the consortium? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, or in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD(s)/PI(s), do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project? How will the past collaborations of the investigators (and their institutions) contribute to the likelihood of success in the proposed consortium? Does the PD(s)/PI(s) have experience with international collaborations? Does the PD(s)/PI(s) have the qualifications to provide scientific and administrative leadership in developing the consortium, establishing thematic collaborative research efforts, and mentoring?

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? How will all participating entitites, both among components of the institution and within the consortium, contribute to the innovation goals of the consortium? How does the consortium propose innovative ways to integrate training and research to address priority policy needs? How will the consortium propose innovative ways to integrate training and research to address priority policy needs?

Approach

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the consortium? 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 consortium 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? How does the consortium take advantage of local health research expertise at the participating institution(s)? How do the other participating disciplines and/or institutions and their collaborations contribute to the likelihood of success? Is there appropriate logistical support to plan necessary meetings, site visits, and conference calls? Is the consortium being proposed, both transformative and sustainable, in addressing both priority environmental and occupational public health needs of LMICs, and demonstrating in-depth knowledge of environmental and occupational health priorities in the region of focus?

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?Does the applicant(s) propose a plan for sustainable development of a GEOHealth Research Hub including potential partnership investments from host country funding bodies (especially in Upper Middle Income Countries) for infrastructure and maintenance over the long term in the local institutions that comprise a hub? How will the consortium take advantage of local health research expertise at the participating institution(s), and clearly articulate how other participating disciplines and/or institutions contribute to the likelihood of success? How will the consortium demonstrate that appropriate logistical support is available to plan necessary meetings, site visits and conference calls or web-based conferences?

As applicable for the consortium proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact/priority score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

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. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

When the proposed 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. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.

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 on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

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.

Resubmissions

Not Applicable.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Revisions

Not Applicable.

As applicable for the consortium proposed, reviewers will consider 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.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Reviewers will assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or augment existing U.S. resources.

Select Agent 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; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).

Budget and Period of Support

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Review assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

• May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact/priority score.
• Will receive a written critique.

Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted response to this FOA.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center and will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the Fogarty International Advisory Board, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Council and NIOSH/CDC Secondary Review Committee. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

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

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD(s)/PI(s) will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.

Not Applicable.

When multiple years are involved, 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 the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone 301-710-0267
TTY 301-451-5936
Email: [email protected]

eRA Commons Help Desk(Questions regarding eRA Commons registration, tracking application status, post submission issues)
Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: [email protected]

Fogarty Interntional Center (FIC)

Josh Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Acting Deputy Director
Office of the Director
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Building 31, B2C03
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: 301-496-1415
FAX: 301-402-0779
Email (preferred): [email protected]

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Michael C. Humble, Ph.D.
Program Administrator
Cellular, Organs and Systems Pathobiology Branch
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
530 Davis Drive
Keystone Building, Room 3036
Mail Drop K3-15
Research Triangle Park, NC 27560
Telephone: (919) 316-4621
FAX: 919-541-0462
Email: [email protected]

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC

Lee M. Sanderson, Ph.D.
Scientific Program Official
Office of Extramural Programs
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE MS E-74
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
Telephone: 404-498-2546
FAX: 404-498-2571
Email: [email protected]

Sally Eckert-Tilotta, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, MSC K3-03
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: 919-541-1446
FAX: (301) 451-5715
Email: [email protected]

Fogarty Interntional Center (FIC)

Ms. Elizabeth Cleveland
Grants Management Specialist
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Building 31, B2C29
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: 301-451-6830
FAX 301-594-1211
Email: [email protected]

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

James R. Williams
Grants Management Specialist
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Division of Extramural Research and Training
Keystone Office Park
530 Davis Drive, Room 3059 (MD K3-11)
Research Triangle Park, NC 27713
Telephone: 919-541-1403
FAX: 919-541-2860
Email: [email protected]

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC

Larry E. Guess
Contract and Grants Management Officer
Acquisition and Assistance Field Branch
Telephone: 412-386-6826
FAX: 412-386-6429
Email: [email protected]

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.