Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information

Participating Organization(s)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Funding Opportunity Title
Limited Competition for Continuation of the Integrated Islet Distribution Program (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Activity Code

U24 Resource-Related Research Projects – Cooperative Agreements

Announcement Type

Reissue of RFA-DK-16-023 - Human Islet Distribution Coordinating Center (UC4)

Related Notices

None

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number
RFA-DK-20-509
Companion Funding Opportunity

None

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)

93.847

Funding Opportunity Purpose

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites one application from the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) of the current Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) to renew the program and maintain support for its continuing mission to provide the scientific community with important islet resources for diabetes research. The IIDP facilitates the distribution of human islets to biomedical researchers by establishing partnerships with qualified islet isolation facilities to prepare and distribute human islets. The program manages an application process to establish investigator eligibility to receive islet shipments, informs investigators of islet availability, manages a cost recovery system through fees collected from islet recipients, and oversees standardized phenotypic and genotypic analyses of islet preparations distributed throughout the IIDP network. Human islets remain an essential resource for diabetes research to advance our understanding of human islet cell biology, and to promote the development of new therapies for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Key Dates

Posted Date
September 22, 2020
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)
January 09, 2021
Letter of Intent Due Date(s)

January 9, 2021

Application Due Date(s)

February 9, 2021

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on the listed date(s).

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not Applicable

 

 

Scientific Merit Review

June/July 2021

Advisory Council Review

October 2021

Earliest Start Date

December 2021

Expiration Date
February 10, 2021
Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide,except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. 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.

Table of Contents

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Objective

The Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) facilitates the distribution of human islets for biomedical research. By fostering the use of human islets in scientific exploration, IIDP resources promote advances in human islet biology and support the development of new therapies for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Background

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports an array of programs that are designed to accelerate diabetes research, including numerous investigator-initiated projects and multi-disciplinary consortia. Dependable access to high quality human islets has become a necessity for many of these programs. In recognition of this need, NIH has provided support for the procurement, processing, and distribution of human islets to the research community for nearly twenty years. As part of these efforts, the NIDDK Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) has distributed more than 150 million human islet equivalents to over 300 investigators since 2009. Many key advances in human islet biology have been made as a result of the availability of IIDP resources, and documented differences between human and murine islets underscore the need for continuing to support access to human tissue to advance research in this challenging field.

The IIDP currently serves a national research base of over 150 researchers, and functions as an organizing intermediary between investigators and the islet isolation centers that procure and prepare islets for research purposes. To receive research islets through the IIDP, investigators must have ongoing, peer reviewed grant funding or approval from an IIDP-empaneled scientific review committee. Electronic application materials and other program information are made available through online web services. When a donor pancreas is recovered and the processed islets are directed for research use, an electronic system matches the characteristics of islets being offered with requirements specified by investigators and notifies the researcher of islet availability.

Unlike rodent islet processing, the preparation of human islets requires expertise that is available in relatively few laboratories. In addition, providing islets for research at regular predictable intervals is costly. Procurement of human pancreata for research purposes can exceed $5000 per organ, and islet processing can cost from $11,000 to as much as $20,000 per isolation. Rigorous characterization of the islet preparations being shipped to researchers adds further expense. IIDP-affiliated investigators currently pay $0.12 per islet equivalent plus shipping costs, and islet production facilities are reimbursed per islet equivalent shipped. In addition, as part of its ongoing mission to serve the diabetes research community, the IIDP has expanded procurement and distribution of human islets from donors with a history of Type 2 diabetes. Future activities may include facilitating the procurement of organs from prediabetic donors or providing islets from donors with other forms of diabetes mellitus. The IIDP program manages all of these transactions.

Scope of Activities

The IIDP will continue to oversee the distribution of human islets from islet isolation centers to researchers, ensuring that the process is timely and equitable. In addition, the IIDP will continue to be responsible for maintaining quality control across the multiple procurement and isolation centers, for providing rigorous and reproducible analyses of islet preparations, and for fostering and promoting information exchange among investigators engaged in human islet research.

Toward these goals, the IIDP will engage in two interrelated functions:

Administrative Functions  

Administrative activities of the IIDP will consist of initiating subcontracts with qualified islet isolation centers and providing the needed infrastructural support to maintain efficient and cost-effective oversight of resources and data that are distributed via the IIDP network of centers and investigators.

IIDP Administrative Functions include:

  • Receiving online islet request applications, qualifying investigator recipients, and processing these data to maintain a complete and continuously updated electronic roster of approved investigator users and their projected needs;
  • Soliciting and qualifying potential islet production centers, assuring quality performance standards of prepared islets, providing training for standardized shipping/distribution protocols, subcontracting to appropriate laboratories to provide islets and adjusting these subcontracts as warranted;
  • Implementing, maintaining and continuously improving the electronic notification system;
  • Providing an electronic financial database documenting payment records;
  • Maintaining accurate records of islet shipments from production sites to islet recipients including quantities and batch release test characteristics, analyzing trends in demand for islets and projecting future islet requirements, ensuring timely submission of quality control data to the IIDP website;
  • Collecting information on user satisfaction and analyzing these data for quality improvements;
  • Maintaining and enhancing the IIDP public and password protected website to foster communication and information exchange between islet investigators, islet isolation centers, and the research community, implementing procedures to achieve NIH goals of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reproducibility for IIDP data and resources (FAIR principles);
  • Tracking scientific progress directly attributable to IIDP resources as shown by publications and other tangible results;
  • Overseeing a robust and competitive opportunity pool program. The IIDP Opportunity Pool will be deployed with the primary goal of enhancing the use of human islets in fundamental research. Among other uses, pilot funds may be used to subsidize the distribution of islets to early stage investigators and/or to researchers new to the field of human islet research. The IIDP-Opportunity Pool may also be used to enhance the availability of islets from diseased or rare patient populations, including patients with a history of diabetes. Small feasibility studies designed to address key questions related to islet procurement, production or delivery may also be supported by the IIDP opportunity pool. The IIDP will be responsible for providing the technical support needed to enable electronic submission, review and progress reporting, as well as financial tracking of any opportunity pool awards; and
  • Coordinating and providing statistical, technical, administrative, and logistical support for the activities of IIDP External Scientific Consultants and any other committees that may be empaneled to assist with the overall scientific direction, management, and direction of the IIDP. These responsibilities include preparation of rosters, scheduling of meetings and conference calls, preparation of materials, arranging travel and meeting logistics, and preparation of meeting summaries.

Centralized Phenotyping and Genotyping of IIDP islets  

Phenotyping and genotyping assays to be pursued by the program are a key element of IIDP's efforts to ensure that rigorous and reproducible analyses of human islet preparations and associated data are provided to the investigator community. Data obtained via IIDP's phenotyping and genotyping pipelines will be essential for developing recommendations for standardizing procedures at islet production centers (where feasible) and for providing a systematic assessment of samples being distributed throughout the network. Through the continuing implementation of these standardized protocols and procedures, the IIDP ensures that key features of each islet batch shipped to investigators are independently analyzed and verified. Genotyping and phenotyping data should be acquired and uploaded directly to the IIDP website, and be provided in readily accessible forms/formats that can be linked to information provided by the Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), including donor data obtained from medical charts.

IIDP Phenotyping and Genotyping Responsibilities include:

  • Devising, standardizing and implementing a human islet phenotyping pipeline. This IIDP phenotyping pipeline will perform a defined set of assays that will assess the quantity, quality, and function of each islet shipment provided by IIDP-affiliated islet isolation centers. Tests should be designed to be cost-effective, and to maximize the information obtained from the smallest number of islet equivalents. Protocols to be used should be designed to subject islet preparations to multiple tests in parallel and/or in sequence to maximize information obtained from each islet preparation. Reproducibility, sensitivity and accuracy of any proposed tests should be provided. The battery of tests to be performed should include histopathological analyses as well as assays specifically designed to mirror tests performed at islet isolation centers. Additional assays that can be justified as particularly informative and cost-effective may be incorporated into the IIDP Phenotyping and Genotyping pipeline;
  • Deploying a standardized genotyping pipeline that uses state of the art techniques and community standards to perform a comprehensive assessment of common and low frequency genetic variation in islet samples distributed through the IIDP network. The workflow and analysis should be performed using methods that will ensure any data obtained is interoperable with other similar genotyping programs, and allow for integration of donor genotypes with molecular, cellular and functional phenotypes being generated both by the IIDP project team and by the islet users;
  • Regular monitoring to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of data generation in IIDP phenotyping and genotyping pipelines. The pipelines will be required to return data expeditiously to investigators for approximately 120 islet shipments annually, assayed at the rate of approximately 10 islet shipments/month; and
  • Developing strategies to seamlessly report and upload data to the IIDP website. The intent is to provide IIDP customers and affiliated islet isolation centers with timely, useful and standardized quality assessments as measured following receipt of islet preparations from the islet isolation centers. In addition, IIDP will be responsible for extracting and uploading to the IIDP web services any appropriate data elements that need to be linked to the genotyping and phenotyping data records. 

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

Funding Instrument

Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NIH scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities. See Section VI.2 for additional information about the substantial involvement for this FOA.

Application Types Allowed
Renewal

The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this FOA.

Clinical Trial?
Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

NIDDK intends to commit $3,000,000 in FY 2021 to fund ONE award.

Award Budget

The requested budget may not exceed $2,000,000 direct costs per year exclusive of any consortium or subcontract Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs.

Award Project Period

The maximum project period is 5 years.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Organizations

Only the current awardee under RFA-DK-16-023 is eligible to apply to this FOA.

Federal Governments

  • Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
  • U.S. Territory or Possession
Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. 

Required Registrations

Applicant organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

  • Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
  • System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number to register in eRA Commons. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration, but all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
  • Grants.gov – Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.  PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

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 PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The PD/PI should be a senior established investigator with expertise in providing oversight and financial management of complex programs that provide resources to the diabetes research community. It is further expected that the PD/PI will have a depth of expertise and track record in human islet biology research with a strong record of providing high quality human islets. If the PD/PI is not an expert in human islet biology and islet quality control, a senior independent investigator with expertise in human islets must be included as a part of the leadership team for the IIDP.

2. Cost Sharing

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

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number of NIH IPF number) is allowed.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time.  This means that the NIH will not accept:

  • A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
  • A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
  • An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) 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.

Letter of Intent

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

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

  • Descriptive title of proposed activity
  • Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
  • Names of other key personnel
  • Participating institution(s)
  • Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

John F. Connaughton, Ph.D.
Chief, Scientific Review Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Telephone:  301-594-7797
Email: NIDDKletterofintent@mail.nih.gov

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

R&R Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Annual budgets are limited to $750,000 direct costs per year to support IIDP Administrative Functions, with a minimum of 50% of overall personnel costs to be directed to support database programmers and web developers, as well as needed bioinformatics and statistical expertise. The remaining administrative budget should be constructed to support shipping, meeting expenses, supplies, and travel; up to $620,000 direct costs per year to support the IIDP phenotyping pipeline inclusive of F&A required by any subcontracted institutions; up to $250,000 direct costs per year to support IIDP genotyping assays inclusive of any F&A required by subcontracted institutions; $150,000 to support the procurement of islets to be assayed through the IIDP phenotyping and genotyping pipelines; and $300,000 direct costs to fund a restricted opportunity pool to support pilot awards and incentive programs. All opportunity pool award costs are inclusive of pilot award F&A and any consortium F&A.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy

The applicant should:

  • Explain how the project as designed will address the needs of the research community and how the planned activities are designed to meet future research needs. Explain how successful completion of the aims will bring about unique advantages or capabilities to the field.
  • Explain how the track records of the PD(s)/PI(s) provide evidence of their ability to provide services to the diabetes research community, and to provide effective financial oversight of core activities and facilities as well as expertise in human islet biology.
  • Explain any novel strategies that will be used to coordinate activities, and identify any novel concepts, strategies, instrumentation or management strategies that will be employed.
  • Provide an appropriate plan for work-flow and a well-established timeline for providing services in a timely and efficient manner.
  • Verify that resources are available within the scientific environment to support all aspects of the center activity, including electronic information handling. 
  • Describe how the center will provide the administrative support required to support steering committee meetings, subcontracting to islet distribution sites, oversight of quality control activities, curation of website and intranet sites, and continued improvements in associated databases to enhance interoperability between the IIDP and other related programs.
  • Provide plans for developing and maintaining IIDP Phenotyping and Genotyping services, and for how these services will be assessed periodically for utility and quality.
  • Explain how the opportunity pool program will be managed, including plans for submission, review, and award.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The following modifications also apply:

  • All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should address a Data Sharing Plan.
  • Applicants are expected to register resources supported by this FOA with the NIDDK Information Network (dkNET) at https://dknet.org/ and use Research Resource Identifiers (RRID) assigned through dkNET in any publication supported by this FOA.
Appendix:

Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered “Yes” to the question “Are Human Subjects Involved?” on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time.  If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

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.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.  Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NIDDK, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Use of Common Data Elements in NIH-funded Research

Many NIH ICs encourage the use of common data elements (CDEs) in basic, clinical, and applied research, patient registries, and other human subject research to facilitate broader and more effective use of data and advance research across studies. CDEs are data elements that have been identified and defined for use in multiple data sets across different studies. Use of CDEs can facilitate data sharing and standardization to improve data quality and enable data integration from multiple studies and sources, including electronic health records. NIH ICs have identified CDEs for many clinical domains (e.g., neurological disease), types of studies (e.g. genome-wide association studies (GWAS)), types of outcomes (e.g., patient-reported outcomes), and patient registries (e.g., the Global Rare Diseases Patient Registry and Data Repository). NIH has established a “Common Data Element (CDE) Resource Portal" (http://cde.nih.gov/) to assist investigators in identifying NIH-supported CDEs when developing protocols, case report forms, and other instruments for data collection. The Portal provides guidance about and access to NIH-supported CDE initiatives and other tools and resources for the appropriate use of CDEs and data standards in NIH-funded research. Investigators are encouraged to consult the Portal and describe in their applications any use they will make of NIH-supported CDEs in their projects.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy. Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.  Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Overall Impact

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

Scored Review Criteria

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 project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Significance

Does the proposed program address the needs of the research community that it will serve? Is the scope of activities proposed appropriate to meet those needs? Will successful completion of the aims bring unique advantages or capabilities to the research community?

Investigator(s)

Are the PD(s)/PI(s) and other personnel well suited to their roles? Do they have appropriate experience and training, and have they demonstrated experience and an ongoing record of accomplishments in managing islet research resources? Do the investigators demonstrate significant experience with coordinating collaborative research? If the Center is multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise and skills; are their leadership approach, plans for conflict resolution, and organizational structure appropriate? Does the applicant have experience overseeing selection and management of subawards, if needed?

Innovation

Does the application propose novel organizational concepts or management strategies in coordinating the use of resources for investigators the program will serve? Are the concepts or strategies to be employed novel to one type of research program or applicable in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of management strategies proposed?

Approach

Are the overall strategy, operational plan, and organizational structure well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the goals of the research resource and investigators the program will serve? Will the investigators promote strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased scientific approach across the program, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the resource is in the early stages of operation, does the proposed strategy adequately establish feasibility and manage the risks associated with the activities of the program? Are an appropriate plan for work-flow and a well-established timeline proposed? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to ensure consideration of relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies of vertebrate animals or human subjects?

If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

Environment

Will the institutional environment in which the program will operate contribute to the probability of success in facilitating the research community it serves? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the program proposed? Will the program benefit from unique features of the institutional environment, infrastructure, or personnel? Are resources available within the scientific environment to support electronic information handling?

Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact 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 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 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 Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Individuals Across the Lifespan

When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.

Vertebrate Animals

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. 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

For Renewals, the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.

Revisions

Not Applicable

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the project 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 score.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Not Applicable

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)  Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS).

Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources:

For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.

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.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NIDDK, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

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

Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications 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 National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council (NDDKAC).

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.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

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

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

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 terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.  This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

Awardees are expected to share data, materials, models, methods, information and unique research resources that are generated by the projects in concordance with IIDP Consortium policies in order to facilitate progress, as appropriate and consistent with achieving the goals of the program.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

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.

Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, religion, conscience, and sex. This includes ensuring programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html.

HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA.

Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.” This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Part 75, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies. The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and the NIH as defined below.

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

  • Defining the objectives and approaches, planning, conduct, analysis, and publication of results, interpretations, and conclusions of studies conducted under the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement award.
  • The Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will assume responsibility and accountability to the applicant organization officials and to the NIH for the performance and proper conduct of the research supported under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in accordance with the terms and conditions of award, as well as all pertinent laws, regulations and policies.
  • Awardee(s) will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government policies regarding rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and NIH policies.
  • Awardees are responsible for their staff in maintaining confidentiality of the information as developed by the consortium, including, without limitation, study protocols, data analysis, conclusions, etc. per policies approved by the Steering Committee (SC) as well as any confidential information received by third party collaborators.
  • Awardees must analyze, publish and/or publicly release and disseminate results, data and other products of the study in a timely manner, concordant with the approved plan for making quality-assured data and materials available to the scientific community and the NIH, consistent with NIH policies and achieving the goals of the FOA.
  • Awardee(s) will be required to participate in a cooperative and interactive manner with members of the consortium including designated NIH staff (e.g., Program Official, Project Scientist).
  • Awardees must share data, materials, models, methods, information and unique research resources that are generated by the projects in concordance with IIDP Consortium policies in order to facilitate progress. When appropriate, and in accordance with NIH policies, as well as NIDDK policies, awardees will be expected to collaborate; share novel reagents, biomaterials, methods and models and resources; and share both positive and negative results that would help guide the research activities of IIDP research constituencies.
  • Awardee(s) agree to establish agreements amongst themselves that address the following issues: (1) procedures for data sharing among consortium members and data sharing with partners; (2) procedures for safeguarding confidential information, including without limitation, any data generated by the consortium as well as information and/or data received from external collaborators; (3) procedures for addressing ownership of intellectual property that result from aggregate multi-party data; (4) procedures for sharing bio-specimens under an overarching MTA amongst IIDP membership that operationalizes material transfer in an efficient and expeditious manner; (5) procedures for reviewing publications, determining authorship, and access to publications.
  • Any third-party (including industry, academia, and foundations) collaboration should be governed by a research collaboration agreement (e.g. Clinical Trial Agreement, Research Collaborative Agreement, etc.) or any third-party contract mechanism(s) with terms that ensure the collaboration is conducted in accordance with the Cooperative Agreement, applicable NIH/NIDDK policies and procedures, and with written approval from NIDDK Program staff. Any relevant proposed third-party agreements related to the network studies between grantee and third-party will be provided to the NIDDK Program staff and NIDDK Technology Advancement Office for review, comment, and approval to assure compliance with NIH/NIDDK policies and network policies. Further, at the request of the NIDDK Program staff, any other network-relevant third-party agreements must be shared with NIDDK. Failure to comply with this term may prompt action in accordance with NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 8.5 titled: “Special Award Conditions and Remedies for Noncompliance (Special Award Conditions and Enforcement Actions”, and Section 8.5.2, titled: “Remedies for Noncompliance or Enforcement Actions: Suspension, Termination, and Withholding Support”, noncompliance with the terms and conditions of award will be considered by the funding IC for future funding and support decisions and may result in termination of the award.”
  • Any involvement of a third-party (including industry, academia, and foundations) in the study and network activities that includes access to any network study data and biosamples, or study results that are not publicly available, or using the name of the network or study or the name of the NIH or NIDDK, is permitted only after written permission by the NIDDK Program staff who will consult with others at NIH and NIDDK Technology Advancement Office.
  • Awardees must agree to comply with the processes and goals as delineated within the FOA.
  • Upon completion or termination of the research project(s), the awardees are responsible for making all study materials and procedures broadly available (e.g., putting into the public domain) or making them accessible to the research community according to the NIH-approved plan submitted for each project, for making data and materials available to the scientific community and the NIH for the conduct of research. The data sharing plan should include a plan to accomplish this at the end of the study.
  • Awardee(s) agree to the governance of the study through a Steering Committee:
  • The PD/PI, or contact PD/PI in the case of multi-PD/PI awards, will serve as a voting member of the Steering Committee and will attend all meetings of the Steering Committee.
  • Each full member will have one vote.
  • The awardee will be responsible for accepting and implementing the goals, priorities, procedures, protocols, and policies agreed upon by the Steering Committee and Subcommittees.
  • Awardees must serve on subcommittees as needed. Subcommittees will report progress at Steering Committee Meetings and/or lead discussions at the Annual Investigator’s Retreat.
  • Awardees may be asked to scientifically review applications for special opportunity pool funds, as it is deemed appropriate.

NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

  • The NIDDK will designate program staff, including a Program Official and a Grants Management Specialist to provide normal program stewardship and administrative oversight of the cooperative agreement. The Program Official and Grants Management Specialist will be named in the Notice of Grant Award.
  • The NIDDK will invite External Consultants with relevant scientific expertise. The External Consultants will meet to review the progress of the research projects and to advise NIH staff of scientific developments and opportunities that may enhance the achievement of the study goals.
  • An NIH IC Project Scientist will be substantially involved in this project above and beyond the normal stewardship of an NIH IC Program Official as follows:
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) will coordinate and facilitate the research projects, attend and participate in all meetings of the Consortium, and act as (a) liaisons between the Awardee and the External Consultants.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) will be a member(s) of the Steering Committee and, as determined by that committee, and its Subcommittees as needed. Only one NIH Project Scientist will vote on the Steering Committee. Other designated NIH program staff attending the steering committee meetings will be an ex officio (non-voting) member(s).
  • The NIH Project Scientist, and other designated NIH program staff will help the Steering Committee develop and draft operating policies.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) and Program Official will review the scientific progress, cooperation in carrying out research, and maintenance of high quality research in each of the individual research project(s), and review the project(s) for compliance with operating policies developed by the Consortium, and may recommend to the NIH to continue funding; withhold support or restrict an award for lack of scientific progress or failure to adhere to policies established by the Consortium. Review of progress may include regular communications with the PD/PI and NIH staff, periodic site visits for discussions with awardee research teams, fiscal review, and other relevant matters. The NIH retains the option of periodic external review of progress.
  • The NIDDK reserves the right to terminate or curtail any study or any individual award in the event of (a) substantial shortfall in data collection or submission, quality control, or other major breach or a study protocol or Consortium policy and procedure, (b) substantive changes in a study protocol that are not in keeping with the objectives of the FOA, and/or a human subject ethical issues that may dictate a premature termination.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) and Program Official will review and approve applications of the Special Opportunity Funds to ensure that they are within the scope of Consortium research as described in the FOA and NIH guidelines.
  • The NIH will name additional scientific consultants as necessary from within the NIH whose function will be to assist the Project Scientist(s) and the Steering Committee in carrying out the goals and aims of the approved studies. The NIH will have one vote for any key committees, regardless of the number of NIH personnel involved.
  • The Project Scientist(s) will have substantial scientific programmatic involvement in quality control, preparation of publications, research coordination and performance monitoring. The Project Scientist(s) will have the same access and privileges to any data generated by the grantee. The dominant role and primary responsibility for these activities resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities in carrying out the studies will be shared among the awardees and the NIDDK Project Scientist(s).
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) serve as a resource with respect to other ongoing NIH activities that may be relevant to the studies to facilitate compatibility and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) or designee may coordinate activities among awardees by assisting in the design, development, and coordination of (a) common research protocol(s) and statistical evaluations of data and in the publication of results.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) may review procedures for assessing data quality and monitor study performance.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) may be (a) co-author(s) on study publications. In general, to warrant co-authorship, the NIH staff must have contributed to one or more of the following areas: (a) design of the concepts or experiments being tested; (b) performance of significant portions of the activity; (c) participation in analysis and interpretation of study results and (d) preparation and authorship of pertinent manuscripts.

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

Through the Awardee, Steering Committee and NIH staff, the consortium members will cooperatively develop and implement processes to submit information and data to the IIDP database, determine criteria and processes for quality control of information and data to be posted for the research community, refine scientific objectives, and implement research advances to facilitate the goals of the study, consistent with NIH policies and achieving the goals of the program as described in the FOA.

  • Steering Committee (SC)
  • The Steering Committee (SC) composed of each of the PD/PI(s) for the U24, or Contact PD/PI(s) in the case of multi-PD/PI grants, and the NIH Project Scientist(s) will be the main governing board of the consortium. Each full SC member will have one vote. All major scientific and policy decisions will be determined by voting policies as established by the SC at the initial meeting. This committee will operate to develop collaborative protocols, identify impediments to success and strategies to overcome them, develop shared tools for disseminating information about the projects, and identify opportunities for sharing techniques, materials, information and tools developed within each individual project. 
  • NIDDK staff, in concert with the SC, will have the option to redirect research activities within the U24 grant if it is considered beneficial to the overall program.
  • The SC may, as it deems necessary, invite additional, non-voting scientific consultants to meetings at which research priorities and opportunities are discussed. The NIH reserves the right to augment the expertise of the Steering Committee when necessary.
  • There will be an initial meeting and two Steering Committee meetings annually. These meetings will incorporate participation and recommendations of the External Consultants when deemed appropriate by NIH staff.
  • The SC, including the Project Scientist(s), is responsible for establishing and implementing processes and criteria for recommending special projects for consideration for special opportunity funds by NIH staff.
  • Each awardee agrees to the governance of the U24 through the SC.
  • The NIH Project Scientist(s) may work with awardees on issues coming before the Steering Committee and, as appropriate, other committees.
  • External Consultants
  • An independent panel of External Consultants will be established by the NIDDK. The External Consultants will review periodically interim progress of the U24 and report to NIDDK staff. Members of the panel of External Consultants may be asked, on an ad hoc basis, to participate in the peer review of applications for new research initiatives that utilize special “opportunity pool” funds.

Dispute Resolution:

Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters within the scope of the award between award recipients and the NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of three members will be convened. It will have three members: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual awardee. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the awardee's right to appeal an adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulation 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and DHHS regulation 45 CFR Part 16.

3. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final RPPR, 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.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period.  The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS).  This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313).  As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available.  Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 – Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

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

Application Submission Contacts

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Sheryl Sato, Ph.D
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone:  301-594-8811
Email: Sheryl.sato@nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Xiaodu Guo, M.D., Ph.D.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone:  301-594-4719
Email: guox@niddk.nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Craig Bagdon
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone:  301-594-2115
Email: craig.bagdon@nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

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.

Authority and Regulations

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 Part 75.

This FOA is supported under the authority of P.L. 116-94, Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020; Section 402. Diabetes Programs.


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