[Federal Register: May 15, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 94)]
[Notices]
[Page 26298-26306]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Program Announcement 04001]
Grants for Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health;
Notice of Availability of Funds
Application Deadline: July 1, 2003.
[[Page 26299]]
A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
This program is authorized under section 670(a) of the Occupational
Safety and Health Act (29 U.S.C. 670 (a)). The Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance number is 93.263.
B. Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2004 funds for a grant program for
institutional training grants in occupational safety and health. This
program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus area of
Occupational Safety and Health.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
is mandated to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to
carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The
specific purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants to assist in providing an adequate supply of
qualified professional occupational safety and health personnel.
Projects are funded to support Occupational Safety and Health Education
and Research Center Training Grants (ERCs) and Training Project Grants
(TPGs).
ERCs are academic institutions that provide interdisciplinary
graduate training and continuing education in the industrial hygiene,
occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, occupational
safety, and closely related occupational safety and health fields. The
ERCs also serve as regional resource centers for industry, labor,
government, and the public. TPGs are academic institutions that
primarily provide single-discipline graduate training in the industrial
hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine,
occupational safety, and closely related occupational safety and health
fields. Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with
one or more of the following performance goals for the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Ensure safer and
healthier work environments for all Americans through information
dissemination, knowledge transfer, and training.
C. Eligible Applicants
Any public or private educational or training institution that has
demonstrated competency in the occupational safety and health field and
is located in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands, Wake Island, Outer Continental Shelf
lands defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Johnston
Island, and any other U.S. Territory or Trust Territory not named
herein are eligible to apply for an institutional training grant.
Applications may be submitted by:
[sbull] Universities.
[sbull] Colleges.
[sbull] Technical schools.
Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that
an organization described in section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue
Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive
Federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan.
D. Funding
Availability of Funds
Approximately $3,825,000 is anticipated in FY 2004 to fund
approximately 23 ERC and TPG awards, subject to availability of funds.
It is expected that the awards will begin on or about July 1, 2004 and
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up
to 5 years. Funding estimates may change. ERC individual program awards
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period not
to exceed that of the main ERC training grant.
Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports
and the availability of funds.
Use of Funds
At least 50 percent of the funds awarded for each grant must be
used for direct trainee expenses. Post-doctoral trainee support is
discouraged with the exception of occupational medicine residents.
Under this announcement, only one award will be made to any single
institution or organization.
Recipient Financial Participation
Matching funds are not required for this program.
Funding Preferences
Funding for ERCs: Approximately $2,640,000 of the total funds
available will be utilized as follows:
1. Approximately $2,400,000 is available to award four competing
continuation or new ERC grants. This includes a total of $160,000 to
augment the support of trainees in occupational medicine residency
programs. Awards will range from $400,000 to $800,000 with the average
award being $600,000.
2. Approximately $120,000 is available to award two competing
continuation or new training grants; one of the awards is planned for
$60,000 for a Hazardous Substance Academic Training (HSAT) Program and
one of the awards is planned for $60,000 for a Hazardous Substance
Training (HST) Program. The awards are to support the development and
presentation of continuing education and short courses (HST Programs),
and academic curricula (HSAT Programs) for trainees and professionals
engaged in the management of hazardous substances. Program support is
available for faculty and staff salaries, trainee costs, and other
costs to provide training and education for occupational safety and
health and other professional personnel engaged in the evaluation,
management, and handling of hazardous substances.
3. Approximately $120,000 is available to award two competing
continuation or new grants to support the enhancement of the ERC
research training mission through the support of pilot project research
training programs.
Funding for TPGs: Approximately $780,000 is available to fund
twelve competing continuation or new TPG grants. Awards will range from
$20,000 to $100,000, with the average award being $65,000. This
includes a total of $40,000 to augment the support of trainees in
occupational medicine residency programs. These awards will support
academic programs in the core disciplines (i.e., industrial hygiene,
occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational
safety and ergonomics) and relevant components (e.g., occupational
injury prevention, industrial toxicology, and ergonomics).
These awards are intended to augment the scope, enrollment, and
quality of training programs rather than to replace funds already
available for current operations.
Funding for ERCs and TPGs: Approximately $405,000 is available to
fund three competing continuation or new grants for occupational injury
prevention research training. Awards will range from $75,000 to
$150,000, with the average award being $135,000. This program is
intended to encourage new occupational injury prevention research
training programs and will only support doctoral-level training and
trainees. In institutions with existing NIOSH-funded occupational
safety/ergonomics and/or injury epidemiology programs, funding will be
considered for the addition of a doctoral-level program only if it is
not part of the existing NIOSH-funded program. For the purpose of this
announcement, only doctoral-level programs with a specific
concentration in occupational injury
[[Page 26300]]
prevention will be considered. The proposed program must be described
in detail, with objectives, competencies and how achieved in specified
courses, curricula, recruitment, faculty and other program features.
Institutions submitting proposed programs under this announcement that
also have existing NIOSH-funded programs in safety/ergonomics and/or
injury epidemiology must describe in detail how the proposed program
differs from the existing program. In some instances, it may be
necessary to replace the existing program funding with funding
available under this announcement.
E. Program Requirements
In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program,
the recipient will be responsible for the following activities that
define the ERC and TPG programs to be conducted:
1. All Applicants are required to provide Measures of Effectiveness
that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various objectives of
the grant. Measures must be objective/quantitative and must measure the
intended outcomes. These Measures of Effectiveness shall be submitted
with the application and shall be an element of evaluation.
2. ERC Applicants shall be an identifiable organizational unit
within the sponsoring organization. Applicants must meet the following
characteristics in order to be considered for an award. If the
characteristics are not met, the application will be considered non-
responsive and will be returned to the applicant without a review.
a. Cooperative arrangements with a medical school or teaching
hospital (with an established program in preventive or occupational
medicine), a school of nursing or its equivalent, a school of public
health or its equivalent, or a school of engineering or its equivalent.
It is expected that other schools or departments with relevant
disciplines and resources shall be represented and shall contribute as
appropriate to the conduct of the total program, e.g., epidemiology,
toxicology, biostatistics, environmental health, law, business
administration, and education. Specific mechanisms to implement the
cooperative arrangements between departments, schools/colleges,
universities, etc., shall be demonstrated in order to assure that the
intended interdisciplinary training and education will be engendered.
b. An ERC Director who possesses a demonstrated capacity for
sustained productivity and leadership in occupational health and safety
education and training. The Director shall oversee the general
operation of the ERC Program and shall, to the extent possible,
directly participate in training activities. A Deputy Director shall be
responsible for managing the daily administrative duties of the ERC and
to increase the ERC Director's availability to ERC staff and to the
public.
c. Program Directors who are full-time faculty and professional
staff representing various disciplines and qualifications relevant to
occupational safety and health who are capable of planning,
establishing, and carrying out or administering training projects
undertaken by the ERC. Each academic program, as well as the continuing
education and outreach program, shall have a Program Director.
d. Faculty and staff with demonstrated training and research
expertise, appropriate facilities and ongoing training and research
activities in occupational safety and health areas.
e. A program for conducting education and training for four core
disciplines: Occupational physicians, occupational health nurses,
industrial hygienists, and occupational safety personnel. ERC core
academic programs are intended to provide multi-level practitioner and
research training. Core academic programs should offer masters degrees
and, in research institutions, doctoral degrees. There shall be a
minimum of five full-time students or full-time equivalent students in
each of the core programs and a minimum of three full-time students or
full-time equivalent students in each of the component programs, with a
goal of a minimum of 30 full-time students (total in all of core and
component programs together). ERCs are encouraged to recruit and train
minority students to help address the under-representation of
minorities among the occupational safety and health professional
workforce. Although it is desirable for an ERC to have the full range
of core programs, an ERC with a minimum of three academic programs of
which two are in the core disciplines is eligible for support providing
it is demonstrated that students will be exposed to the principles and
issues of all four core disciplines. In order to maximize the unique
strengths and capabilities of institutions, consideration will be given
to the development of new and innovative academic component programs
that are relevant to the occupational safety and health field, e.g.,
ergonomics, industrial toxicology, occupational injury prevention,
occupational epidemiology, health services research, and agricultural
safety and health; and to innovative technological approaches to
training and education. ERCs must also document that the program covers
an occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets
a specific regional workforce need. Each core program curriculum shall
include courses from non-core categories as well as appropriate
clinical rotations and field experiences with public health and safety
agencies and with labor-management health and safety groups. Where
possible, field experience shall involve students representing other
disciplines in a manner similar to that used in team surveys and other
team approaches. ERCs should address the importance of providing
training and education content related to special populations at risk,
including minority workers and other sub-populations specified in the
National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) special populations at
risk category.
f. A specific plan describing how trainees in core and component
academic programs will be exposed to the principles of all other
occupational safety and health core and allied disciplines. ERCs that
apply as a consortium (contracting with other institutional partners)
generally have geographic, policy and other barriers to achieving this
ERC characteristic and, therefore, must give special, innovative,
attention to thoroughly describing the approach for fulfilling
interdisciplinary interaction between students.
g. Demonstrated impact of the ERC on the curriculum taught by
relevant medical specialties, including family practice, internal
medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, pathology, radiology, neurology,
perinatal medicine, psychiatry, etc., and on the curriculum of
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education of primary core
disciplines as well as relevant medical specialties and the curriculum
of other schools such as engineering, business, and law.
h. An outreach program to interact with and help other institutions
or agencies located within the region. Programs shall be designed to
address regional needs and implement innovative strategies for meeting
those needs. Partnerships and collaborative relationships shall be
encouraged between ERCs and TPGs. Programs to address the under-
representation of minorities among occupational safety and health
professionals shall be encouraged. Specific efforts should be made to
conduct outreach activities to develop collaborative training programs
with academic institutions serving minority and other special
populations, such as Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically
Black Colleges and
[[Page 26301]]
Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Examples of outreach
activities might include: Interaction with other colleges and schools
within the ERC and with other universities or institutions in the
region to integrate occupational safety and health principles and
concepts within existing curricula (e.g., Colleges of Business
Administration, Engineering, Architecture, Law, and Arts and Sciences);
exchange of occupational safety and health faculty among regional
educational institutions; providing curriculum materials and
consultation for curriculum/course development in other institutions;
use of a visiting faculty program to involve labor and management
leaders; cooperative and collaborative arrangements with professional
societies, scientific associations, and boards of accreditation,
certification, or licensure; and presentation of awareness seminars to
undergraduate and secondary educational institutions (e.g., high school
science fairs and career days) as well as to labor, management and
community associations.
i. A specific plan for preparing, distributing and conducting
courses, seminars and workshops to provide short-term and continuing
education training courses for physicians, nurses, industrial
hygienists, safety engineers and other occupational safety and health
professionals, paraprofessionals and technicians, including personnel
from labor-management health and safety committees, in the geographical
region in which the ERC is located. The goal shall be that the training
be made available to a minimum of 400 trainees per year representing
all of the above categories of personnel, on an approximate
proportional basis with emphasis given to providing occupational safety
and health training to physicians in family practice, as well as
industrial practice, industrial nurses, and safety engineers. Priority
shall be given to establishing new and innovative training
technologies, including distance learning programs and to short-term
programs designed to prepare a cadre of practitioners in occupational
safety and health. Where appropriate, it shall be professionally
acceptable that Continuing Education Units (as approved by appropriate
professional associations) may be awarded. These courses should be
structured so that higher educational institutions, public health and
safety agencies, professional societies or other appropriate agencies
can utilize them to provide training at the local level to occupational
health and safety personnel working in the workplace. Further, the ERC
shall conduct periodic training needs assessments, shall develop a
specific plan to meet these needs, and shall have demonstrated
capability for implementing such training directly and through other
institutions or agencies in the region. The ERC should establish and
maintain cooperative efforts with labor unions, government agencies,
and industry trade associations, where appropriate, thus serving as a
regional resource for addressing the problems of occupational safety
and health that are faced by State and local governments, labor and
management.
j. A Board of Advisors or Consultants representing the user and
affected population, including representatives of labor, industry,
government agencies, academic institutions and professional
associations, shall be established by the ERC. The Board should meet at
least annually to advise an ERC Executive Committee and to provide
periodic evaluation of ERC activities. The Executive Committee shall be
composed of the ERC Director and Deputy Director, academic Program
Directors, the Director for Continuing Education and Outreach and
others whom the ERC Director may appoint to assist in governing the
internal affairs of the ERC.
k. A plan to incorporate research training into all aspects of
training and, in research institutions, as documented by on-going
funded research and faculty publications, a defined research training
plan for training doctoral-level researchers in the occupational safety
and health field. The plan will include how the ERC intends to
strengthen existing research training efforts, how it will integrate
research training activities into the curriculum, field and clinical
experiences, how it will expand these research activities to have an
impact on other primarily clinically-oriented disciplines, such as
nursing and medicine, and how it will build on and utilize existing
research opportunities in the institution. Each ERC is required to
identify or develop a minimum of one, preferably more, areas of
research focus related to work environment problems. Consideration
should be given to the CDC/NIOSH priority research areas identified in
the National Occupational Health Research Agenda (NORA). Further
information regarding NORA may be found at the CDC/NIOSH Internet
address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/norhmpg.html. The research training
plan will address how students will be instructed and instilled with
critical research perspectives and skills. This training will emphasize
the importance of developing and working on interdisciplinary teams
appropriate for addressing a research issue. It should also prepare
students with the skill necessary for developing research protocols,
pilot studies, outreach efforts to transfer research findings into
practice, and successful research proposals. Such components of
research training will require the ERCs to strive toward developing the
faculty composition and administrative infrastructure essential to
being Centers of Excellence in Occupational Safety and Health Research
Training that are required to train research leaders of the future. The
plan should address the incremental growth of such elements and
evaluation of the plan commensurate with funds available. In addition
to the research training components, the plan will also include such
items as specific strategies for obtaining student and faculty funding,
plans for acquiring equipment, if appropriate, and a plan for
developing research-oriented faculty.
1. Evidence in obtaining support from other sources, including
other Federal grants, support from States and other public agencies,
and support from the private sector including grants from foundations
and corporate endowments, chairs, and gifts.
3. TPG Applicants must document that the program covers an
occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets a
specific regional workforce need. There shall be a minimum of three
full-time students or full-time equivalent students in each academic
program. Applicants should address the importance of providing training
and education content related to special populations at risk, including
minority and disadvantaged workers. The types of training currently
eligible for support are:
a. Graduate training for practice, teaching, and research careers
in occupational safety and health. Priority will be given to programs
producing graduates in areas of greatest occupational safety and health
need. Strong consideration will be given to the establishment of
innovative training technologies including distance learning programs.
b. Undergraduate and other pre-baccalaureate training providing
trainees with capabilities for positions in occupational safety and
health professions.
c. Special technical or other programs for long-term training of
occupational safety and health technicians or specialists.
[[Page 26302]]
F. Content
Applications
The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the
application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program
plan. The narrative should be no more than fifteen pages per program,
single-spaced, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and
unreduced 12-point font. The print must be clear and legible. Use
standard size, black letters that can be clearly copied. Do not use
photo reduction. Prepare all graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts in
black ink. The application must contain only material that can be
photocopied. Do not include course catalogue and course brochures. When
additional space is needed to complete any of the items, use plain
white paper (8.5 x 11 inches), leave one inch margins on each side,
identify each item by its title, and type the name of the program
director and the grant number (if the application is a competitive
renewal) in the upper right corner of each page. All pages, including
Appendices should be numbered consecutively at least one-half inch from
the bottom edge.
Please consult the detailed Recommended Outline for Preparation of
Competing New/Renewal Training Grant Applications (CDC 2.145 A)
available at the Internet address listed in section J.
G. Submission and Deadline
Application Forms
Submit the signed original and two copies of CDC 2.145 A-ERC or TPG
(OMB Number 0920-0261). Applications should be clearly identified as an
application for an ERC Training Grant or TPG Training Grant. Forms are
available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm
.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section
(PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.
Submission Date, Time, and Address
The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time July 1,
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management--
PA04001, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine
Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
Applications may not be submitted electronically.
CDC Acknowledgement of Application Receipt
A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has
received your application.
Deadline
Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they
are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Any
applicant who sends their application by the United States Postal
Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier
will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing
date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1)
carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee
for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather
delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper
documentation, consider the application as having been received by the
deadline.
Any application that does not meet the above criteria will not be
eligible for competition, and will be discarded. The applicant will be
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.
H. Evaluation Criteria
Application
Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that
will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified
objectives of the grant. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the
performance goals stated in the purpose section of this announcement.
Measures must be objective and quantitative and must measure the
intended outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be submitted
with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC/NIOSH for
completeness. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant
without further consideration. Those applications judged to be
competitive will be further evaluated individually against the
following criteria and the extent to which they have been met. The
initial peer review will be conducted by means of a panel meeting or
site visit. The purpose of the initial review is to obtain basic
information regarding elements of the proposed training grant program
and to provide a technical report as input to the Special Emphasis
Panel. Site visits will be made for new ERC and TPG applications,
competing continuation ERC applications, and competing continuation TPG
applications that have undergone major program changes during the
previous project period. Since the site visits are not assured and
depend on the availability of funds, the application is considered a
complete document for review purposes. All other competing continuation
applications will be initially reviewed by a panel. This panel review
includes telephone communication with the proposed Program Directors
and serves to clarify elements of the application and answer reviewer
questions. Site visitors and panel members are extramural peer
reviewers with education and expertise in specific occupational safety
and health disciplines.
The final official peer review will be conducted by a Special
Emphasis Panel (SEP) appointed by CDC. SEP members are extramural peer
reviewers with occupational safety and health expertise in the program
areas under review, and include selected members of initial site visit
and panel review teams. Each of the following criteria will be
addressed and considered by the peer reviewers in assigning the overall
priority score weighting them as appropriate for each application. If
an application is deemed responsive and of significant merit, a
priority score will be assigned using the 100-500 range representing
adjectival equivalents from outstanding (100) to acceptable (500). Note
that applications do not need to be strong in all categories to be
judged likely to have a major scientific impact and thus deserve a good
priority score. The NIOSH Training Grants Council provides an internal
programmatic review and provides funding recommendations to the
Director of NIOSH based programmatic relevance of competing
applications to the NIOSH goals and objectives.
The Special Emphasis Panel will evaluate each application against
the following criteria:
1. ERC comprehensive evaluation criteria are as follows:
a. Plans to satisfy the regional needs for training in the areas
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and current workforce populations. Special consideration
should be given to the development of programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities among occupational safety and health
professionals. Indicators of regional need should include measures
utilized by the ERC such as previous record of training and placement
of graduates.
[[Page 26303]]
The need for supporting students in allied disciplines must be
specifically justified in terms of user community requirements.
b. Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management,
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to
effectively achieve the Characteristics of an Education and Research
Center (see E.2).
c. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific
regional workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed programs,
consideration should be given to the developing nature of the program
and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such workforce
needs.
d. Extent to which curriculum content and design includes
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve
degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional related
courses open to occupational safety and health students, time devoted
to lecture, laboratory and field experience, and the nature of specific
field and clinical experiences including their relationships with
didactic programs in the educational process.
e. Academic training including the number of full-time and part-
time students and graduates for each core and component program, the
placement of graduates, employment history, and their current location
by type of institution (academic, industry, labor, etc.). Previous
continuing education training in each discipline and outreach activity
and assistance to groups within the ERC region.
f. Methods in use or proposed methods for evaluating the
effectiveness of training and outreach including the use of placement
services and feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers,
innovative strategies for meeting regional needs, critiques from
continuing education courses, and reports from consultations and
cooperative activities with other universities, professional
associations, and other outside agencies.
g. Competence, experience and training of the ERC Director, the
Deputy ERC Director, the Program Directors and other professional staff
in relation to the type and scope of training and education involved.
h. Institutional commitment to ERC goals. An example of
institutional commitment to the long-term stability of ERC programs is
the commitment of tenured or tenure-track faculty positions to each
participating academic program.
i. Academic and physical environment in which the training will be
conducted, including access to appropriate occupational settings.
j. Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds. This includes a
separate budget for the academic staff's time and effort in continuing
education and outreach.
k. Evidence of the integration of research experience into the
curriculum, and field and clinical experiences. In institutions seeking
funds for doctoral and post-doctoral (physician training) level
research training, evidence of a plan describing the research and
research training the ERC proposes. This should include goals, elements
of the program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
l. Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement
the ERC grant funds including other Federal grants, support from States
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and
gifts.
m. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the ERC and
its programs have had on the region served by the Center. Examples
could include a continuing education needs assessment and action plan,
a workforce needs survey and action plan, consultation and research
programs provided to address regional occupational safety and health
problems, the impact on primary care practice and training, a program
graduate data base to track the employment history and contributions of
graduates to the occupational safety and health field, and the cost
effectiveness of the program.
n. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Peer Review Summary Statement and the grant application Progress
Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
2. ERC specialty program evaluation criteria are as follows:
a. Hazardous Substance Training Program in Education and Research
Centers:
(1) Relevance of the proposed project to each element of the
characteristics of a hazardous substance training program.
(2) Comprehensiveness and soundness of the training plan developed
to carry out the proposed activities. This is based on a documented
need for the training and evidence to support the approach used to
provide the required training. It includes descriptions of the scope
and magnitude of the hazardous substance problem in the region served
by the ERC and current activities and training efforts.
(3) Education and experience of the Project Director, faculty, and
staff assigned to this project with respect to handling, managing or
evaluating hazardous substance sites and to the training of
professionals in this field.
(4) Creativity and innovation of the project leadership with
respect to marketing the courses, structure in attracting trainees and/
or providing incentives for training.
(5) Extent to which the applicant considered the work of relevant
agencies involved in hazardous substance activities, including EPA, and
cooperated with these agencies in developing and implementing this
training program.
(6) Suitability of facilities and equipment available for this
project.
(7) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
b. Agricultural Safety and Health Education Programs in Education
and Research Centers:
(1) Evidence of a needs assessment directed to the overall
contribution of the training program toward meeting the job market,
especially within the applicant's region, for qualified personnel to
carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970. The needs assessment should consider the regional requirements
for outreach, continuing education, information dissemination and
special industrial or community training needs that may be peculiar to
the region.
(2) Evidence of a plan to satisfy the regional needs for training
in the areas outlined by the application, including projected
enrollment, recruitment and current workforce populations. The need for
supporting students in allied disciplines must be specifically
justified in terms of user community requirements.
(3) The extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management,
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to
effectively achieve characteristics of an ERC.
(4) The extent to which curriculum content and design includes
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve
degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional related
courses open to occupational safety and health students, time devoted
to lecture, laboratory and field experience, and the nature of specific
field and clinical experiences
[[Page 26304]]
including their relationships with didactic programs in the educational
process.
(5) Previous record of academic training in agricultural safety and
health including the number of full-time and part-time students and
graduates, the placement of graduates, employment history, and their
current location by type of institution (academic, industry, labor,
etc.). Previous record of continuing education training in agricultural
safety and health and record of outreach activity and assistance to
agricultural groups within the ERC region.
(6) Methods in use or proposed for evaluating the effectiveness of
training and services including the use of placement services and
feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers, critiques from
continuing education courses, and reports from consultations and
cooperative activities with other universities, professional
associations, and other outside agencies.
(7) The competence, experience and training of the Program Director
and other professional staff in relation to the type and scope of
training and education involved.
(8) Institutional commitment to Center goals.
(9) Academic and physical environment in which the training will be
conducted, including access to appropriate occupational agricultural
settings.
(10) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds. This includes the
budget for the academic program and the continuing education and
outreach program.
(11) Evidence of a plan describing the agricultural safety and
health training the Center proposes. This should include goals,
elements of the program, faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
(12) Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement
the ERC grant funds including other federal grants, support from states
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and
gifts.
c. Hazardous Substance Academic Training Program in Education and
Research Centers:
(1) Evidence of a needs assessment directed to the overall
contribution of the proposed training program toward meeting the needs
of the job market, especially within the applicant's region. The needs
assessment should consider the regional requirements for hazardous
substance training, information dissemination and special industrial,
labor or community training needs that may be peculiar to the region.
(2) Evidence of a plan to satisfy regional needs for training in
the areas outlined by the application, including Program projected
enrollment and recruitment and current workforce populations.
(3) The extent to which the HSAT curriculum content and design
includes: Formalized training objectives; minimal course content to
achieve a degree or successful completion of the specialty area
requirements; course descriptions; course sequence; additional related
courses open to occupational safety and health students; time devoted
to lecture, laboratory, and field experience; and the nature of
specific field and clinical experiences including their relationships
with didactic programs in the educational process.
(4) Previous record of academic and/or short course training
delivered in the hazardous substances field, including the number and
type of students trained. Previous record of hazardous substances
outreach activity and assistance to hazardous substance groups within
the ERC's region.
(5) Methods in use or proposed for evaluating the effectiveness of
training and services including the use of placement services and
feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers, student
evaluations from academic and continuing education courses, and reports
from consultations and cooperative activities with other universities,
professional associations, and other outside agencies.
(6) The competence, experience and training of the Program Director
and other professional staff in relation to the type and scope of
training and education involved.
(7) Institutional commitment to HSAT Program goals.
(8) Academic and physical environment in which the training will be
conducted.
(9) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds. This includes the
budget required to support the training courses developed, as well as
accounting for the academic staff's time.
(10) Evidence of a plan describing the hazardous substances
academic training the Center proposes. This should include goals,
elements of the program, faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
(11) Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement
the ERC grant funds including other federal grants, support from states
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and
gifts.
(12) Extent to which the applicant has collaborated with state and
federal agencies having hazardous substance management functions,
including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and has cooperated
with the agencies in developing and implementing this program.
d. ERC Pilot Project Research Training Programs:
(1) Relevance of the proposed program, including objectives that
are specific and consistent.
(2) Adequacy of the plan proposed to conduct the pilot projects
program, including procedures for reviewing and funding projects, the
scientific review mechanism, and program quality assurance.
(3) Extent to which the applicant demonstrates collaboration with
other research training institutions in the region, including NIOSH
Training Project Grantees.
(4) Education and experience of the proposed Research Training
Program Director and faculty in the occupational safety and health
field, including the utilization of pilot projects as a research
training mechanism.
(5) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
(6) Adequacy of the plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the
proposed pilot projects program.
(7) Gender and minority issues--Are plans to include women, ethnic,
and racial groups adequately developed (as appropriate for the
scientific goals of the pilot projects)? (See AR-2, Requirements for
Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research.)
e. ERC Health Services Research Training Programs:
(1) Evidence of a plan to satisfy the need for training in the area
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and job opportunities. Indicators of need may include
measures utilized by the Program such as previous record of training
and placement of graduates. Indicate the potential contribution of the
project toward meeting the need for this specialized training.
(2) Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management,
allocation of
[[Page 26305]]
funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to effectively achieve
the program requirements.
(3) Evidence of a plan describing the academic and research
training the program proposes. This should include goals, elements of
the program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
(4) Extent to which curriculum content and design includes
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve
degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional related
courses open to students, time devoted to lecture, and clinical and
research experience addressing the relationship with didactic programs
in the educational process.
(5) The extent to which the program effort is capable of supporting
the number and type of students proposed.
(6) Extent to which the program has initiated collaborative
relationships with external agencies and institutions to expand and
strengthen its research capabilities by providing student and faculty
research opportunities.
(7) Evidence of previous record of training in health services
research and occupational safety and health, including placement of
graduates and employment history.
(8) The extent to which the program documents methods in use or
proposed methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the training,
including the use of feedback mechanisms from graduates and employers,
placement of graduates in research positions, research accomplishments
of graduates and reports from consultations and cooperative activities
with other universities, professional associations, and other outside
agencies.
(9) Competence, experience and training of the Program Director,
faculty and advisors in relation to the type and scope of research
training and education involved.
(10) Degree of institutional commitment to Program goals.
(11) Adequacy of the academic and physical environment in which the
training will be conducted, including access to appropriate
occupational health research resources.
(12) The extent to which the budget is reasonable, adequately
justified, and consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
(13) Evidence of a plan for establishment of an Advisory Committee,
including meeting times, roles and responsibilities.
3.TPG evaluation criteria are as follows:
a. Need for training in the program area outlined by the
application. This should include documentation of a plan for student
recruitment, projected enrollment, job opportunities, regional need
both in quality and quantity, and for programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities in the profession of occupational safety
and health.
b. Potential contribution of the project toward meeting the needs
for graduate or specialized training in occupational safety and health.
c. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific
regional workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed programs,
consideration should be given to the developing nature of the program
and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such workforce
needs.
d. Curriculum content and design which should include formalized
program objectives, minimal course content to achieve degree, course
sequence, related courses open to students, time devoted to lecture,
laboratory and field experience, nature and the interrelationship of
these educational approaches. There should also be evidence of
integration of research experience into the curriculum, and field and
clinical experiences.
e. Previous records of training in this or related areas, including
placement of graduates.
f. Methods proposed to evaluate effectiveness of the training.
g. Degree of institutional commitment: Is grant support necessary
for program initiation or continuation? Will support gradually be
assumed? Is there related instruction that will go on with or without
the grant? An example of institutional commitment to the long-term
stability of TPG programs is the commitment of tenured or tenure-track
faculty positions to each academic program.
h. Adequacy of facilities (classrooms, laboratories, library
services, books, and journal holdings relevant to the program, and
access to appropriate occupational settings).
i. Competence, experience, training, time commitment to the program
and availability of faculty to advise students, faculty/student ratio,
and teaching loads of the program director and teaching faculty in
relation to the type and scope of training involved. The program
director must be a full-time faculty member.
j. Admission Requirements: Student selection standards and
procedures, student performance standards and student counseling
services.
k. Advisory Committee: Membership, industries and labor groups
represented; how often they meet; who they advise, role in designing
curriculum and establishing program need. The Committee should meet at
least annually to provide advice and periodic evaluation of TPG
activities.
l. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the program
has had on the region. Examples could include a workforce needs survey
and action plan, consultation and research programs provided to address
regional occupational safety and health problems, a program graduate
data base to track the employment history and contributions of
graduates to the occupational safety and health field, and the cost
effectiveness of the program.
m. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Peer Review Summary Statement and the grant application Progress
Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
n. Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
4. ERC and TPG applications for Occupational Injury Prevention
Research Training Programs evaluation criteria are as follows:
a. Evidence of a plan to satisfy the need for training in the area
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and job opportunities. Indicators of need may include
measures utilized by the Program such as previous record of training
and placement of graduates. Indicate the potential contribution of the
project toward meeting the need for this specialized training.
b. Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management,
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to
effectively achieve the program requirements.
c. Evidence of a plan describing in detail the research training
the program proposes. This should include goals, elements of the
program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
d. Extent to which curriculum content and design includes
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve
degree, course descriptions,
[[Page 26306]]
course sequence, additional related courses open to students, time
devoted to lecture, and clinical and research experience addressing the
relationship with didactic programs in the educational process.
e. The extent to which the program effort is capable of supporting
the number and type of students proposed.
f. Extent to which the program has initiated collaborative
relationships with external agencies and institutions to expand and
strengthen its research capabilities by providing student and faculty
research opportunities.
g. Evidence of previous record of training in occupational injury
prevention, including placement of graduates and employment history.
h. The extent to which the applicant documents methods in use or
proposed methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the training,
including the use of feedback mechanisms from graduates and employers,
placement of graduates in research positions, research accomplishments
of graduates and reports from consultations and cooperative activities
with other universities, professional associations, and other outside
agencies.
i. Competence, experience and training of the Program Director,
faculty and advisors in relation to the type and scope of research
training involved.
j. Degree of institutional commitment to Program goals. An example
of institutional commitment to the long-term stability of academic
programs is the commitment of tenured or tenure-track faculty positions
to each participating academic program.
k. Adequacy of the academic and physical environment in which the
training will be conducted, including access to appropriate
occupational injury prevention research resources.
l. The extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
m. Evidence of a plan for establishment of an Advisory Committee,
including meeting times, roles and responsibilities.
I. Other Requirements
Technical Reporting Requirements
Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
1. The initial interim progress report is due December 1, 2004.
This report is required on December 1, on an annual basis. The progress
report will serve as your non-competing continuation application, and
must contain the following elements:
a. Current Budget Period Objectives and Activities.
b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activities and Objectives.
d. Detailed Line-Item Budget and Justification.
e. Additional Requested Information.
2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of
each budget period. The initial report is due September 30, 2005.
3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days
after the end of the project period.
Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this
announcement.
Additional Requirements:
The following additional requirements are applicable to this
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the
program announcement, as posted on the CDC Web site.
AR-2\*\ Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic
Minorities in Research
AR-3\*\ Animal Subjects Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
\*\Applies only to ERC Pilot Project Research Training Program
applications.
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.
J. Where To Obtain Additional Information
This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and
associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative
Agreements''.
For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical
Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
For business management and budget assistance, contact: Cynthia Y.
Mitchell, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office,
Program Announcement 04001, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), 626 Cochrans Mill Rd., Mailstop P05, Pittsburgh, PA 15236,
Telephone: (412) 386-6434, e-mail address: CMitchell@cdc.gov. For program technical assistance, contact: John T. Talty, Principal
Engineer, Office of Extramural Programs, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 4676 Columbia Parkway, Mailstop C-7, Cincinnati, OH
45226-1998, Telephone (513) 533-8241, e-mail address: jtt2@cdc.gov.
Dated: May 9, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 03-12107 Filed 5-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P