Department of Health and Human Services
Participating Organizations
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov/)
Components of Participating Organizations
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), (http://www.nida.nih.gov/)
Title: Drug Abuse Dissertation
Research: Epidemiology, Prevention, Treatment, Services, and Women and Sex/Gender
Differences (R36)
Announcement Type
This is a reissuance of PAR-06-446
which was previously released June 2, 2006.
Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:
NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT.
This FOA must be read in conjunction with the application guidelines included with this announcement in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereafter called Grants.gov/Apply).
A registration process is necessary before submission and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV.
Program Announcement (PA) Number:
PAR-06-476
Due Dates for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable
Additional Overview Content
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
Part I Overview
Information
Part II Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity
Description
1. Research Objectives
Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
2. Funds Available
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2.Cost Sharing or Matching
3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria
Section IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates and Times
A. Submission, Review and Anticipated
Start Dates
1. Letter of Intent
B. Submitting an Application Electronically
to the NIH
C. Application Processing
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements
Section V. Application Review
Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
A. Additional Review Criteria
B. Additional Review Considerations
C. Sharing Research Data
D. Sharing Research Resources
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Section VI. Award Administration
Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
3. Reporting
Section VII. Agency Contact(s)
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/ Grants Management Contact(s)
Section VIII. Other Information
- Required Federal Citations
Part II - Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives
Purpose of this FOA
This FOA replaces in its entirety PA-02-055, Drug Abuse Treatment and Services Dissertation Research, published in the NIH Guide February 5, 2002 at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-02-055.html.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announces the availability of NIH Dissertation Award grants (R36) to support drug abuse doctoral dissertation research in epidemiology, prevention, treatment, services, and women and sex/gender differences, areas in which there is a significant need for new investigators. Grant support is designed to encourage doctoral candidates from a variety of academic disciplines and programs to conduct research in these areas of interest to NIDA. It is hoped that this program will ultimately facilitate the entry of promising new investigators into the field of drug abuse research.
Special Program Considerations for Recruiting Minority Researchers
The primary objective of this FOA is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that can significantly impact the Nation's drug abuse research agenda. Within the framework of this program's commitment to excellence in research and projected need for investigators in drug abuse research, special attention will be given to recruiting individuals from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. The following groups have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research nationally: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Pacific Islanders. Use of the term "minority" in this announcement will refer to these groups.
Research Objectives
NIDA supports more than 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. Research supported by NIDA encompasses basic, behavioral, and applied sciences related to the underlying mechanisms and health effects of drugs of abuse. This FOA is to provide students with grant-in-aid support to perform drug abuse dissertation research on a topic related to the study of epidemiology, prevention, treatment, services, or women and sex/gender differences, and thereby increase the pool of highly talented drug abuse scientists who conduct research in these areas.
The descriptions below are examples of the research foci of this grant program and are provided to guide potential applicants to determine whether a given scientific topic may be appropriate for this initiative. These descriptions are not intended to be comprehensive. In addition, given the complexity of drug abuse research, it is permitted to conduct the proposed dissertation research in conjunction with an ongoing research study or to use extant data. Research studies focused on HIV/AIDS and Health Disparities are encouraged. Questions on the relevance of a particular research topic to NIDA's scientific mission and other questions about this FOA should be addressed to the program contact listed under INQUIRIES. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their application with the appropriate program contact.
Epidemiology:
Studies of multiple factors that influence drug use outcomes. That is, studies that examine genetic, neurological, biomedical, familial, environmental, social, cultural, developmental, psychopathological, psychological, their interactions, and mediating characteristics.
Studies of the underlying physiological and psychosocial mechanisms associated with the transition from lower to higher levels of drug involvement and from higher levels of drug involvement to dependence and addiction.
Development and improvement of techniques for studying drug abuse, including enhancements in measurement, development of improved sampling procedures, and refinement of analytic methods.
Development of innovative approaches to identify both physical (ecological) and social environmental/contextual characteristics of local communities that influence drug use, emerging drug use patterns, and adverse drug-related outcomes.
Delineation of the underlying dynamic causal mechanisms associated with drug use patterns and adverse drug-related outcomes by integrating individual and community level factors.
Studies of emerging trends (e.g., club drugs), including studies that relate these trends to influences such as changes in social attitudes, new drugs of abuse, new patterns of social interaction, new technologies, new drug trafficking patterns, and similar macro-level changes.
Research on drug use and drug-related consequences among ethnic/racial minority groups and other underserved populations. This includes studies that uncover the basis for racial/ethnic disparities in drug use and social, behavioral, and health outcomes related to drug use.
Research to assess the impact of mental health interventions in childhood on subsequent drug abuse.
Studies to assess the nature, scope, and consequences of drug-related crime including violent and nonviolent crime.
Research to assess the impact of drug use on adverse behavioral, social, and health consequences (e.g., violence, educational attainment, HIV) as well as the role of adverse consequences on further drug involvement.
Prevention:
Studies that use findings on cognitive strategies and functioning to improve or develop targeted prevention strategies.
Examination of the interactions between emotional and cognitive responses to prevention messages to construct messages more likely to elicit appropriate responses (e.g., triggering refusal behaviors when confronted with potential drug use situations).
Studies on the efficacy of drug abuse prevention program and strategies that are largely untested but widely used such as: case management, mentoring, job training, and challenge activities.
Developing and testing the efficacy of interventions for specific contexts such as primary care settings, college and/or personnel orientation programs, faith-based settings, and community recreational settings.
Tests for the effectiveness of proven prevention interventions for individuals at-risk for the combined problems of drug abuse, anti-social behavior, high-risk sexual and other health behaviors, and co-morbid psychiatric disorders.
Analyzing longitudinal data to determine the long-term effectiveness of drug abuse prevention programs and potential crossover effects on associated health problem behaviors, including HIV/AIDS and other STIs.
Studies of the initiation, development, and continuity of community coalitions to prevent drug abuse and their impact on selection and implementation of effective drug abuse prevention strategies.
Determination of the cost and cost-effectiveness of short-term drug abuse prevention programs that have been integrated into standard health, mental health and community settings.
The development and assessment of physiological and biochemical measures that may elucidate cognitive and affective factors associated with individual responsiveness to particular prevention interventions.
The development and use of real-time data collection strategies or other methods to strengthen, validate, or corroborate self-reported behaviors.
Treatment:
Behavioral and combined behavioral and pharmacological treatment research at NIDA is guided by a stage model of therapy development. For a detailed description of this model, as well as NIDA's therapy development and testing priorities, please see the Behavioral Therapies Development Program Announcement at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-126.html. Examples of behavioral treatment research appropriate for this announcement include, but are not limited to the following:
Research involving secondary analyses of existing behavioral treatment research data sets to identify predictors, moderators, or mediators of treatment outcome, or mechanisms of action of treatment.
Research on instrument development and/or psychometric analysis of tools for the clinical assessment of drug abuse and HIV risk.
Research to develop and test a therapy module to be added to an existing therapy to address targeted issues (e.g., adding an HIV risk reduction module to a family therapy for drug-abusing adolescents).
Research testing a principle of behavior change among drug-abusers in treatment (e.g., by adding more frequent or multi-method assessments to an existing study in order to track behavior change over time).
Services:
Studies to assess the impact of financing and organizational and managerial factors on access to and use, quality, efficiency, costs, and outcomes of prevention and treatment services.
Research to measure the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefits of drug abuse prevention and treatment services.
Drug abuse service delivery systems and models, such as continuity of care, development of therapeutic rapport, service linkages and integration models.
Studies that advance the adoption and implementation of evidence-based drug abuse prevention and treatment interventions into service delivery systems (e.g., specialty care, primary care, criminal justice, child welfare).
Drug abuse treatment and prevention services for HIV seropositive patients and for those at risk of HIV infection and other diseases that are a consequence of drug abuse.
Studies focusing on management strategies (e.g., work team models, quality management) aimed at improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of drug abuse treatment and prevention services.
Research focusing on the development or improvement of research methods---including but not limited to study design, measurement, data collection, and analytic procedures---for studying the societal impact of drug abuse and/or the delivery, quality, outcomes, and economics of drug abuse prevention or treatment services.
Women and Sex/Gender Differences:
Through this dissertation award program, NIDA seeks to foster research on females and sex/gender differences in all areas of drug abuse research. From basic cellular and genetics research to epidemiology, prevention, treatment, and services research, investigators are encouraged to explore the possible importance of sex/gender differences in their chosen area of study and to explore drug abuse issues specific to females. Examples of research areas include, but are not limited to the following:
Sex/Gender differences in the basic behavioral, biological, and genetic mechanisms underlying drug abuse and addiction; and laboratory (both human and animal), clinical, and epidemiological studies of sex/gender differences in the determinants of initiation, progression, and maintenance of drug use and addiction.
Laboratory (both human and animal), field, and clinical research aimed at: (1) identifying sex/gender differences in the consequences of drug use, abuse, and addiction following acute use, chronic use, as well as residual effects following prolonged abstinence, and (2) examining drug-related consequences that are unique to females.
The application of sex/gender-specific theories and empirical research on the origins, pathways, and risk and protective factors related to drug use, progression/transition, and maintenance, to the design, development, and testing of gender-sensitive prevention strategies and interventions to determine effectiveness and efficacy.
The development and testing of theoretically-based drug treatment approaches (including behavioral treatment and pharmacotherapies) that address sex/gender-specific issues and the examination of sex/gender-specific issues related to the effective and efficient delivery of drug abuse treatment services.
The development and evaluation of sex/gender-specific interventions directed at preventing HIV infection and treating HIV/AIDS among drug using populations.
For additional background and research areas of interest dealing with women and sex/gender differences, see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-139.html.
See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations,
for policies related to this announcement.
Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
This funding opportunity announcement will use the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) Dissertation Award (R36) mechanism. The predoctoral student is
the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) of the application. As
an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and
executing the proposed project under the supervision, and with the approval,
of a university-approved and appointed doctoral committee. The student-PD/PI
must have an appointment at the applicant institution (e.g., research assistant).
These awards support research activities related to preparation of a dissertation and do not support study leading to the M.D., D.O., or D.D.S., or similar professional degrees unless they are part of a combined degree program (see: Individual Pre-doctoral National Research Award for M.D./Ph.D. Fellowships - PA-99-089, which may be obtained from: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-99-089.html.
This funding opportunity uses the just-in-time budget concepts. It also uses the non-modular budget format. This budget is found in the SF424 (R&R) Budget Component described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Package and Instructions Guide."
Dissertation awards are not renewable nor may they be transferred to another PD/PI. Applicants may submit up to two resubmissions in response to this FOA.
2. Funds Available
The National Institute on Drug Abuse will consider funding NIH Dissertation projects throughout the life of this funding opportunity announcement, depending upon the scientific merit of the applications, availability of funds, and programmatic priorities.
Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. However, the total project period for an application submitted in response to this FOA may not exceed two years and may be extended without additional funds for up to 12 months. Grants to support dissertation research will provide no more than $50,000 in direct costs per year.
Allowable Costs: Expenses usually allowed under PHS research grants will be covered by the NIDA dissertation research grant, but may not exceed $50,000 per year in direct costs. An application that requests more than $50,000 per year in direct costs will be returned to the applicant. Allowable costs include the investigator's salary (not to exceed NIH's current salary for predoctoral fellows for 12 months full-time effort). In developing the non-modular budget, applicants may also include costs for research assistants' salaries, and direct research project expenses, such as data processing, payments to subjects, supplies, consultants, and dissertation costs (e.g., printing and binding of the dissertation). No tuition, alteration/renovations, contracting costs, faculty salary, or space rental are allowed on dissertation research grants. Indirect costs are limited to eight percent of requested direct costs, less equipment.
Any level of effort by the investigator that is less than full time (40 hours per week) must be fully justified, and the investigator's salary must be prorated accordingly.
Facilities and administrative costs
requested by consortium participants are not included in the direct cost limitation,
see NOT-OD-05-004.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
1.A. Eligible Institutions
You may submit (an) application(s) if your organization
has any of the following characteristics:
Eligible applicant institutions are those that are domestic public or private non-profit universities, colleges, or professional schools with accredited doctoral degree granting programs. Institutions must have staff and facilities available on site to provide a suitable environment for performing high-quality research.
1.B. Eligible Individuals
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution 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.
The PD/PI for a dissertation research grant must be enrolled in an accredited doctoral degree program in the behavioral, biomedical, or social sciences and must propose to conduct research in one of the areas specified in this funding opportunity announcement. The PD/PI must be a registered doctoral student in good standing.
The PD/PI doctoral student must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or an individual who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of an Alien Registration Receipt Card) at the time of application.
A doctoral student who receives
support for dissertation research under a grant from NIDA may not hold concurrently
another federally sponsored fellowship or similar Federal award, such as a
National Research Service Award (NRSA) that provides a stipend or otherwise
duplicates provisions of this grant program. A NIDA dissertation grant recipient
may, however, accept concurrent educational remuneration from the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) and loans from Federal funds. Receipt of non-Federal
funds during the grant period is also allowable if it is in accordance with
the sponsoring institution's policy and does not detract from or prolong the
approved doctoral training program.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
This program does not require cost sharing as defined
in the current NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria
A doctoral candidate may submit only one application
in response to this announcement. Projects funded through the NIH Dissertation
Award mechanism must support research activities related to preparation of
a dissertation.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
To download a SF424 (R&R) Application Package and SF424
(R&R) Application Guide for completing the SF424 (R&R) forms for this
FOA, link to http://www.grants.gov/Apply/ and follow
the directions provided on that Web site.
A one-time registration is required for institutions/organizations at both:
PD/PIs should work with their institutions/organizations to make sure they are registered in the eRA Commons.
Several additional separate actions are required before an applicant institution/organization can submit an electronic application, as follows:
1) Organizational/Institutional Registration in Grants.gov/Get Started
3) Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the NIH eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.
Note that if a PD/PI is also an NIH peer-reviewer with an Individual DUNS and CCR registration, that particular DUNS number and CCR registration are for the individual reviewer only. These are different than any DUNS number and CCR registration used by an applicant organization. Individual DUNS and CCR registration should be used only for the purposes of personal reimbursement and should not be used on any grant applications submitted to the Federal Government.
Several of the steps of the registration process could take four weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should immediately check with their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is already registered in both Grants.gov and the Commons. The NIH will accept electronic applications only from organizations that have completed all necessary registrations.
1. Request
Application Information
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application
forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply.
Note: Only the forms package directly
attached to a specific FOA can be used. You will not be able to use any other
SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms from another FOA), although
some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than one
FOA.
For further assistance, contact GrantsInfo: Telephone
301-435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-0088.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Prepare all applications using the SF424 (R&R) application forms and in accordance with the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (MS Word or PDF).
The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is critical to submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. There are fields within the SF424 (R&R) application components that, although not marked as mandatory, are required by NIH (e.g., the “Credential” log-in field of the “Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile” component must contain the PD/PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID). Agency-specific instructions for such fields are clearly identified in the Application Guide. For additional information, see “Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission” on the front page of “Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.”
The SF424 (R&R) application is comprised of data arranged
in separate components. Some components are required, others are optional.
The forms package associated with this FOA in Grants.gov/APPLY
will include all applicable components, required and optional. A completed
application in response to this FOA will include the following components:
Required Components:
SF424 (R&R) (Cover component)
Research & Related Project/Performance Site Locations
Research & Related Other Project Information
Research & Related Senior/Key Person
Research & Related Budget
PHS398 Cover Page Supplement
PHS398 Research Plan
PHS398 Checklist
Optional Components:
PHS398 Cover Letter File
Research & Related Subaward Budget Attachment(s)
Form
3. Submission Dates and Times
See Section IV.3.A for
details.
3.A. Submission, Review and
Anticipated Start Dates
Opening Date: July 24, 2006 (Earliest date an application may be
submitted to Grants.gov)
Letter of Intent Submission/Receipt Date(s): ):
Standard dates apply, please see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
for details.
Application Submission/Receipt
Date(s): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
Peer Review Date(s): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
Council Review Date(s): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
3.A.1. Letter of Intent
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter
of intent that includes the following information:
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.
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed
in Section IV.3.A.
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Director- R36
Office of Extramural Affairs
National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIH/DHHS
6101 Executive Boulevard, Suite 220, MSC 8401
Bethesda, MD 20892-8401
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone: (301) 443-2755
FAX: (301) 443-0538
Email: tlevitin@mail.nih.gov
3.B. Submitting an Application
Electronically to the NIH
To submit an application in response to this FOA,
applicants should access this FOA via http://www.grants.gov/Apply
and follow steps 1-4. Note: Applications must only be submitted electronically
PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
3.C. Application
Processing
Applications may
be submitted on or after the opening date and must
be successfully received by Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m.
local time (of the applicant institution/organization) on the application submission/receipt date(s). (See Section IV.3.A. for all dates.) If an application
is not submitted by the receipt date(s) and time, the application may be delayed
in the review process or not reviewed.
Once an application package has been successfully submitted through Grants.gov, any errors have been addressed, and the assembled application has been created in the eRA Commons, the PD/PI and the Authorized Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) have two business days to view the application image.
Upon receipt, applications will
be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Incomplete
applications will not be reviewed.
There will be an acknowledgement of receipt of
applications from Grants.gov and the Commons. Information related to the assignment
of an application to a Scientific Review Group is also in the Commons.
The NIH will not accept any application in response
to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial
merit review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The NIH
will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already
reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of an application already
reviewed with substantial changes, but such application must include an “Introduction”
addressing the previous critique. Note such an application is considered a
"resubmission" for the SF424 (R&R).
4. Intergovernmental Review
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental
review.
5. 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. A grantee may, at its
own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations and expenditures
to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget
period of a new award if such costs: are necessary to conduct the project,
and would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior approval.
If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee
must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is
required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning
date of the initial budget period of a new award.
The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation
of a competing or non-competing award imposes no obligation on NIH either
to make the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award
is made for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the
pre-award costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award
costs result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must
not impair the grantee's ability to accomplish the project objectives in the
approved time frame or in any way adversely affect the conduct of the project.
See the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
6. Other Submission Requirements
Letter of Certification:
A letter from the faculty committee or university official directly responsible
for supervising the development and progress of the dissertation research
must be submitted with the application. The letter must: (a) fully identify
the members of the dissertation committee and certify their approval of the
dissertation proposal; (b) certify that all requirements for the doctoral
degree, except the dissertation and, if necessary, the clinical internship,
are completed or will be completed by the time the grant award starts; (c)
note that the university official or faculty committee expects the doctoral
candidate to proceed with the approved project proposal with or without NIDA
support; and (d) briefly describe the facilities and resources for the project
and certify that they are adequate to conduct the proposed research. This
should be placed in the Letters of Support attachment.
Official Transcript: A copy of an official transcript of the applicant's graduate school record should be included with the application. The transcript should be placed in the Appendix.
Information on the student's academic standing as well as a commitment from the school to implement the study as proposed must be included in the application. The student's advisor must submit with the grant application a letter of recommendation in support of the candidate and the proposed research dissertation.
Statement of Career Goals: Applicants must provide a statement of career goals, including reference to their interest in the specific areas of research designated in this FOA and a description of their intended career trajectory. This information will be used by NIDA program staff to determine how the proposed study addresses program priorities.
Mentor’s Biographical Sketch: The mentor is considered a key person on the proposed project and his/her profile must be included under the Senior/Key Person Profile(s) Component.
Project Description: The applicant must provide a narrative project description (not to exceed 10 pages in sections 2-5 of the Research Plan) that contains a detailed scientific and technical discussion of the following specific points:
a. A description of the research project and what it is intended to be accomplished.
b. A summary of related published research that addresses the identified problem(s).
c. The questions to be answered or the hypotheses to be tested by the project.
d. The methodological procedures to be followed and, whenever applicable, information on such matters as sampling procedures, including the size and composition of the population to be studied and the size and composition of the sample and control groups, as well as a description of the types and sources of data to be gathered, methodological problems to be encountered, specific statistical analyses to be used, and steps that will be taken to protect human subjects.
e. The management of the project including a schedule of the main steps of the proposed investigation.
The NIH requires the PD/PI to fill in his/her Commons User ID in the “PROFILE – Project Director/Principal Investigator” section, “Credential” log-in field of the “Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile” component. The applicant organization must include its DUNS number in its Organization Profile in the eRA Commons. This DUNS number must match the DUNS number provided at CCR registration with Grants.gov. For additional information, see “Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission” on the front page of “Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.”
Note: While each section of the Research Plan needs to be uploaded separately as a PDF attachment, applicants are encouraged to construct the Research Plan as a single document, separating sections into distinct PDF attachments just before uploading the files. This approach will enable applicants to better monitor formatting requirements such as page limits. All attachments must be provided to NIH in PDF format, filenames must be included with no spaces or special characters, and a .pdf extension must be used.
Applicants may submit up to two resubmissions in response to this FOA. The Introduction to the resubmission may be no more than one page.
Research Plan Component, Item 15, Appendix. The only materials allowed in the Appendix are:
Plan for Sharing Research Data
Not applicable.
Sharing Research Resources
NIH policy requires that grant awardee recipients
make unique research resources readily available for research purposes to
qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication (NIH
Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm
and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part7.htm#_Toc54600131).
Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a plan
for sharing research resources addressing how unique research resources will
be shared or explain why sharing is not possible.
The adequacy of the resources sharing plan and any
related data sharing plans will be considered by Program staff of the funding
organization when making recommendations about funding applications. The effectiveness
of the resource sharing will be evaluated as part of the administrative review
of each non-competing Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm).
See Section VI.3. Reporting.
Section V. Application Review
Information
1. Criteria
Only the review criteria described below will
be considered in the review process.
2. Review and Selection Process
Applications submitted for this funding opportunity
will be assigned to the ICs on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines.
Appropriate scientific review groups convened in accordance
with the standard NIH peer review procedures (http://www.csr.nih.gov/refrev.htm)
will evaluate applications for scientific and technical merit.
Applications that are complete will be evaluated
for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate review group convened
by NIDA in accordance
with the review criteria stated below.
As part of the initial merit review, all applications
will:
Applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
The goals of NIH supported research are to advance
our understanding of biological systems, to improve the control of disease,
and to enhance health. In their written critiques, reviewers will be asked
to comment on each of the following criteria in order to judge the likelihood
that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of
these goals. The scientific review group will address and consider each of
these criteria in assigning the application’s overall score, weighting them
as appropriate for each application.
Note that an application does not
need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific
impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For example, an investigator
may propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not innovative
but is essential to move a field forward.
Significance: Does this study
address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved,
how will scientific knowledge or clinical practice be advanced? What will
be the effect of these studies on the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments,
services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
Approach: Are the conceptual
or clinical framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed,
well integrated, well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the project?
Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative
tactics?
Innovation: Is the project original
and innovative? For example: Does the project challenge existing paradigms
or clinical practice; address an innovative hypothesis or critical barrier
to progress in the field? Does the project develop or employ novel concepts,
approaches, methodologies, tools, or technologies for this area?
Investigators/Mentors: Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of
the doctoral candidate-investigator? Does the student show promise as a research
investigator in areas relevant to the proposal? Is the proposed research
project consistent with the long-term research interests of the applicant?
Are the faculty advisor/dissertation chair and other doctoral committee members
appropriately qualified to provide guidance as needed? Have the faculty
advisor/dissertation chair and any other participating members of the committee
indicated that they will provide sufficient time to allow completion of the
dissertation? Will the faculty advisor/dissertation chair provide the
necessary supervision and mentoring to the student?
Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done
contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed studies benefit
from unique features of the scientific environment, or subject populations,
or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional
support?
2.A. Additional Review Criteria:
In addition to the above criteria, the following
items will continue to be considered in the determination of scientific merit
and the priority score:
Protection of Human Subjects from Research Risk:
The involvement of human subjects and protections from research risk relating
to their participation in the proposed research will be assessed. See item
6 of the Research Plan component of the SF424 (R&R).
Inclusion of Women, Minorities and Children in Research: The
adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic
groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals
of the research will be assessed. Plans for the recruitment and retention
of subjects will also be evaluated. See item 7 of the Research Plan component
of the SF424 (R&R).
Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research: If
vertebrate animals are to be used in the project, the five items described
under item 11 of the Research Plan component of the SF424 (R&R) will be
assessed.
Biohazards: If materials or procedures are proposed that are potentially
hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, determine if the proposed
protection is adequate.
2.B. Additional Review Considerations
Budget and Period of Support: The reasonableness of the proposed budget
and the appropriateness of the requested period of support in relation to
the proposed research may be assessed by the reviewers.
2.C. Sharing Research Data
Not applicable.
2.D. Sharing Research Resources
NIH policy requires that grant awardee recipients
make unique research resources readily available for research purposes to
qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication (See
the NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/part_ii_5.htm#availofrr
and http://www.ott.nih.gov/policy/rt_guide_final.html).
Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a sharing
research resources plan addressing how unique research resources will be shared
or explain why sharing is not possible.
Program staff will be responsible for the administrative
review of the plan for sharing research resources.
The adequacy of the resources sharing plan will be
considered by Program staff of the funding organization when making recommendations
about funding applications. Program staff may negotiate modifications of the
data and resource sharing plans with the awardee before recommending funding
of an application. The final version of the data and resource sharing plans
negotiated by both will become a condition of the award of the grant. The
effectiveness of the resource sharing will be evaluated as part of the administrative
review of each non-competing Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590). See Section
VI.3. Reporting.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Not applicable.
Section VI. Award Administration
Information
1. Award Notices
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 NIH eRA
Commons.
If the application is under consideration
for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the
applicant. For details, applicants may refer to the NIH Grants
Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart
A: General (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_part4.htm).
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award
(NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. The NoA signed by the
grants management officer is the authorizing document. Once all administrative
and programmatic issues have been resolved, the NoA will be generated via
email notification from the awarding component to the grantee business official.
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. See Also Section IV.5.
Funding Restrictions.
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 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part4.htm)
and Part II Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and
Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_part9.htm).
3. Reporting
When multiple years are involved, awardees will be
required to submit the Non-Competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required
in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
Section VII. Agency Contacts
We encourage your inquiries concerning
this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from
potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three areas: scientific/research,
peer review, and financial or grants management issues:
1. Scientific/Research Contacts:
Melissa W. Racioppo. Ph.D.
Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Development,
and Behavioral Treatment
National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIH/DHHS
6001 Executive Boulevard,
Room 4230, MSC 9593
Bethesda, MD 20892-9593
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone: (301) 443-2261
FAX: (301) 443-6814
Email: mraciopp@nida.nih.gov
2. Peer Review Contacts:
Director- R36
Office of Extramural Affairs
National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIH/DHHS
6101 Executive Boulevard, Suite 220,
MSC 8401
Bethesda, MD 20892-8401
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone: (301) 443-2755
FAX: (301) 443-0538
Email: tlevitin@mail.nih.gov
3. Financial or Grants Management
Contacts:
Edith Davis
Grants Management Branch/OPRM
National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIH/DHHS
6101 Executive Boulevard,
Room 270
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 443-6710
FAX: (301) 594-6849
Email: edavis1@nida.nih.gov
Section VIII. Other Information
Required Federal Citations
Use of Animals in Research:
Recipients of PHS support for activities involving
live, vertebrate animals must comply with PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use
of Laboratory Animals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf)
as mandated by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm),
and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm)
as applicable.
Human Subjects Protection:
Federal regulations (45CFR46) require that applications
and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with reference to
the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against these risks,
the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and others, and the
importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained (http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm).
Data and Safety Monitoring Plan:
Data and safety monitoring is required for all types
of clinical trials, including physiologic toxicity and dose-finding studies
(Phase I); efficacy studies (Phase II); efficacy, effectiveness and comparative
trials (Phase III). Monitoring should be commensurate with risk. The establishment
of data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for multi-site clinical
trials involving interventions that entail potential risks to the participants
(NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts,
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).
Sharing Research Data:
Investigators submitting an NIH application seeking
$500,000 or more in direct costs in any single year are expected to include
a plan for data sharing or state why this is not possible (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing).
Investigators should seek guidance from their institutions
on issues related to institutional policies and local IRB rules, as well as
local, State and Federal laws and regulations, including the Privacy Rule.
Reviewers will consider the data sharing plan but will not factor the plan
into the determination of scientific merit or the priority score.
Access to Research Data through the Freedom of
Information Act:
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular
A-110 has been revised to provide access to research data through the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first
produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds
and (2) cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an
action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed
through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope
of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this funding opportunity
in a public archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage
the distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application
should include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and
include information about this in the budget justification section of the
application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure informed
consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the potential
for wider use of data collected under this award.
Sharing of Model Organisms:
NIH is committed to support efforts that encourage
sharing of important research resources including the sharing of model organisms
for biomedical research (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/model_organism/index.htm).
At the same time the NIH recognizes the rights of grantees and contractors
to elect and retain title to subject inventions developed with Federal funding
pursuant to the Bayh Dole Act (see the NIH Grants Policy Statement
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm).
All investigators submitting an NIH application or contract proposal, beginning
with the October 1, 2004 receipt date, are expected to include in the application/proposal
a description of a specific plan for sharing and distributing unique model
organism research resources generated using NIH funding or state why such
sharing is restricted or not possible. This will permit other researchers
to benefit from the resources developed with public funding. The inclusion
of a model organism sharing plan is not subject to a cost threshold in any
year and is expected to be included in all applications where the development
of model organisms is anticipated.
Inclusion of Women And Minorities in Clinical Research:
It is the policy of the NIH that women and members
of minority groups and their sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported
clinical research projects unless a clear and compelling justification is
provided indicating that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health
of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from the
NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). All investigators
proposing clinical research should read the "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion
of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html);
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.
The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical
research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new
OMB standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical
trials consistent with the SF424 (R&R); and updated roles and responsibilities
of NIH staff and the extramural community. The policy continues to require
for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that: a) all applications or
proposals and/or protocols must provide a description of plans to conduct
analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic
groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b) investigators must report
annual accrual and progress in conducting analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender
and/or racial/ethnic group differences.
Inclusion of Children as Participants in Clinical
Research:
The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals
under the age of 21) must be included in all clinical research, conducted
or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not
to include them.
All investigators proposing research involving human
subjects should read the "NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion
of children as participants in research involving human subjects (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm).
Required Education on the Protection of Human Subject
Participants:
NIH policy requires education on the protection of
human subject participants for all investigators submitting NIH applications
for research involving human subjects and individuals designated as key personnel.
The policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC):
Criteria for federal funding of research on hESCs
can be found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp
and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html.
Only research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic
Stem Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (http://escr.nih.gov). It is the responsibility
of the applicant to provide in the project description and elsewhere in the
application as appropriate, the official NIH identifier(s) for the hESC line(s)to
be used in the proposed research. Applications that do not provide this information
will be returned without review.
NIH Public Access Policy:
NIH-funded investigators are requested to submit to
the NIH manuscript submission (NIHMS) system (http://www.nihms.nih.gov)
at PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of the author's final manuscript
upon acceptance for publication, resulting from research supported in whole
or in part with direct costs from NIH. The author's final manuscript is defined
as the final version accepted for journal publication, and includes all modifications
from the publishing peer review process.
NIH is requesting that authors submit manuscripts
resulting from 1) currently funded NIH research projects or 2) previously
supported NIH research projects if they are accepted for publication on or
after May 2, 2005. The NIH Public Access Policy applies to all research grant
and career development award mechanisms, cooperative agreements, contracts,
Institutional and Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards, as well as NIH intramural research studies. The Policy applies to
peer-reviewed, original research publications that have been supported in
whole or in part with direct costs from NIH, but it does not apply to book
chapters, editorials, reviews, or conference proceedings. Publications resulting
from non-NIH-supported research projects should not be submitted.
For more information about the Policy or the submission
process please visit the NIH Public Access Policy Web site at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/ and
view the Policy or other Resources and Tools including the Authors' Manual
(http://publicaccess.nih.gov/publicaccess_Manual.htm).
Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable
Health Information:
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
issued final modification to the "Standards for Privacy of Individually
Identifiable Health Information", the "Privacy Rule", on August
14, 2002. The Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection
of individually identifiable health information, and is administered and enforced
by the DHHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Decisions about applicability and implementation of
the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR
Website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides
information on the Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text and
a set of decision tools on "Am I a covered entity?" Information
on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review,
funding, and progress monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and research
contracts can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.
HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing Policy for the National Institute on Drug Abuse: Researchers funded by NIDA who are conducting research in community outreach settings, clinical, hospital settings, or clinical laboratories and have ongoing contact with clients at risk for HIV infection, are strongly encouraged to provide HIV risk reduction education and counseling. HIV counseling should include offering HIV testing available on-site or by referral to other HIV testing service for persons at risk for HIV infection including injecting drug users, crack cocaine users, and sexually active drug users and their sexual partners. For more information see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-DA-01-001.html.
National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse Recommended
Guidelines for the Administration of Drugs to Human Subjects: The National
Advisory Council on Drug Abuse recognizes the importance of research involving
the administration of drugs to human subjects and has developed guidelines
relevant to such research. Potential applicants are encouraged to obtain and
review these recommendations of Council before submitting an application that
will administer compounds to human subjects. The guidelines are available
on NIDA's Home Page at www.nida.nih.gov
under the Funding, or may be obtained by calling (301) 443-2755.
URLs in NIH Grant Applications or Appendices:
All applications and proposals for NIH funding must
be self-contained within specified page limitations. Unless otherwise specified
in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide
information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation
to view the Internet sites. Furthermore, we caution reviewers that their anonymity
may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.
Healthy People 2010:
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving
the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People
2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This PA
is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may
obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
Authority and Regulations:
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the
intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems
Agency review. 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 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject
to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described
in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH Grants Policy Statement
can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to
provide a smoke-free workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products.
In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking
in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early childhood
development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the
PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American
people.
Loan Repayment Programs:
NIH encourages applications for educational loan repayment
from qualified health professionals who have made a commitment to pursue a
research career involving clinical, pediatric, contraception, infertility,
and health disparities related areas. The LRP is an important component of
NIH's efforts to recruit and retain the next generation of researchers by
providing the means for developing a research career unfettered by the burden
of student loan debt. Note that an NIH grant is not required for eligibility
and concurrent career award and LRP applications are encouraged. The periods
of career award and LRP award may overlap providing the LRP recipient with
the required commitment of time and effort, as LRP awardees must commit at
least 50% of their time (at least 20 hours per week based on a 40 hour week)
for two years to the research. For further information, please see: http://www.lrp.nih.gov.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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