TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENT POSITIONS (TIP)

Release Date:  March 13, 2001

RFA:  RFA-ES-01-001

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
 (http://www.niehs.nih.gov)

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  June 7, 2001
Application Receipt Date:       July 11, 2001

PURPOSE

Human health and human disease result from three interactive elements: (1) 
environmental exposures, (2) individual susceptibility, and (3) time.  The 
mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is 
to reduce the burden of human illness and dysfunction from environmental 
exposures by understanding each of these elements and how they interrelate.  
The NIEHS achieves its mission through multi-disciplinary biomedical research 
programs, prevention and intervention efforts, and communication strategies 
that encompass training, education, technology transfer, and community 
outreach.

An important element of the NIEHS mission is to develop the next generation of 
exceptionally talented young scientists who are committed to understanding the 
impact of environmental exposures on human health.  The NIEHS TIP Program is a 
Research Scholar Development Award (K22) program targeted to talented 
postdoctoral scientists.  It provides a unique mechanism for attracting and 
supporting exceptionally talented new investigators who can impact our 
understanding of the problems and mechanisms associated with exposure to 
environmental agents in order to better protect the public health.

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 Request for Applications (RFA), 
Transition to Independent Positions (TIP), is related to the priority area of 
Environmental Health.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy 
People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

There are specific eligibility criteria that must be met in order to apply for 
this program.  These are discussed under Specific Requirements.  If an 
applicant is uncertain of his/her eligibility, he/she is strongly encouraged 
to contact the program administrator listed at the end of this announcement.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

The NIEHS TIP Program will use the NIH Research Scholar Development Award 
(K22).  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the 
proposed project will be solely that of the applicant.  The requested costs 
and project period will be $100,000 (direct cost) per year for a maximum of 
three years (a maximum of $300,000 direct costs).  Scholar Development grants 
(K22s) are not renewable but may be extended at no additional costs at the 
discretion of the sponsoring institution where the TIP award has been made.  
The latest anticipated award date is September 2003.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The total estimated funds available for this RFA is approximately $500,000 
that will support four to five awards.  This level of support is dependent on 
the receipt of a sufficient number of applications of high scientific merit.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background

The Congress of the United States enacted the National Research Service Act 
Program in 1974 to help ensure that highly trained scientists would be 
available in adequate numbers and in appropriate research areas to carry out 
the Nation's biomedical and behavioral research agenda. Under this 
congressional authority, the National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences (NIEHS) awards the NRSA individual postdoctoral fellowship (F32) and 
Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) to the most promising applicants to 
support full-time research training related to the mission of the NIEHS.  The 
goal of these and other postdoctoral training programs is to develop the next 
generation of exceptionally talented young scientists who are committed to 
understanding the impact of environmental exposures on human health.  The 
NIEHS has determined that there is a need for a mechanism to assist 
exceptionally talented investigators in making the career transition from 
postdoctoral training to independent academic research positions.  To meet 
this need, the NIEHS has initiated the TIP Program to facilitate the 
transition of the most talented postdoctoral investigators into career 
positions relevant to the research priorities of the NIEHS.

Goals and Scope

The NIEHS TIP Program is designed for exceptionally talented new environmental 
health scientists in basic, clinical or population-based (epidemiology) 
research who have demonstrated outstanding scientific abilities during their 
training.  The objective of the program is to provide a commitment of support 
for the most promising new investigators early in their career while they 
establish their independent research program in a research-intensive 
environment relevant to environmental health sciences.  The TIP investigators 
are expected to design and pursue their research projects independently in 
their areas of interest.  It is anticipated that the successful applicant will 
use the award to establish an independent research program and obtain 
preliminary data that will be the basis for a future research application.  
Specifically, the TIP investigator is expected to use the preliminary data as 
a basis for an investigator initiated research grant (R01) or equivalent to 
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in an area of a science relevant to 
the mission of the NIEHS within the first 24 months after initiation of the 
award.

The NIEHS has identified priority areas of research that can significantly 
contribute to our understanding of the impact of environmental exposure on 
human health.  Research proposals which address one of these areas will 
receive a priority for funding.  The current areas of special emphasis are:

o  Molecular Epidemiology (this is an emerging area of science of particular 
importance to NIEHS)

o  Basic Molecular Mechanisms of Environmental Insult

o  Development of Alternative Models for Environmental Health Research and 
Toxicology Testing

o  Genetic Susceptibility
o  Human Health Effects of Complex Mixtures

o  Human Health Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

o  Role of the Environment in Neurodegenerative Diseases, including 
Parkinson’s Disease

o  Prevention Research-Molecular and Community-Based Approaches

o  Impact of Environmental Exposures on Special Populations (Women, Children 
and Minorities)

o  The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Mediating Environmental Factor Health 
Impacts

o  The Role of Environmental Factors in Immune System Modulation

Additional information about these research topics is available on the NIEHS 
website at: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/dert/programs/special/special.htm  
This site is updated each year.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Individuals with a research or health professional doctoral level degree or 
equivalent with no more than six years (72 months) of postdoctoral research 
training at the time of application, and with demonstrated outstanding 
abilities in basic, clinical or population-based (e.g., epidemiologic) 
research, are eligible to apply.  This includes individuals with postdoctoral 
research experience in any environment (e.g., academic, industry, and 
government).  Individuals who have had more than six years (72 months) of 
postdoctoral research experience are NOT eligible to apply.  However, years of 
clinical training will not count against the six years of relevant research 
experience. Individuals who have held research or other professorship or 
equivalent positions in academe or elsewhere or have been Principal 
Investigators on either PHS research grants (e.g., R29, R01, P01, or its 
subprojects) or non-PHS peer-reviewed research grants are NOT eligible to 
apply for this award.

Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.  Candidates must be U.S. 
citizens or non-citizen nationals, or must have been lawfully admitted for 
permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Card (I-151 or I-152) or 
some other verification of legal admission as a permanent U.S. resident, at 
the time of submission.  Non-citizen nationals, although not U.S. citizens, 
owe permanent allegiance to the U.S.  They are usually born in lands that are 
not states, but are under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdictions, or administration.  
Individuals on temporary or student visas are NOT eligible to apply.  The TIP 
K22 is a domestic U.S. award and may not be awarded to non- U.S. grantee 
institutions.  

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible to apply for a TIP Award the following criteria will apply:

1.  The applicant must be either:

A.  A current or former NIEHS Individual National Research Service Fellow 
(NRSA, F32); or

B.  A current or former NIH Individual NRSA (F32) Fellow who is training in an 
area specific to the mission of the NIEHS, but whose support is from another 
Institute, Center or Division (IC) of the NIH; or
C. A current NIEHS Intramural Research Training Awardee (IRTA), equivalent 
staff fellow, or intramural clinical fellow who has competed successfully in 
the NIEHS Intramural eligibility process.  NIEHS clinical fellows with the 
M.D., M.D.-Ph.D., D.O., D.D.S., Pharm.D-MS, Pharm. D-Ph.D., RN-Ph.D or 
comparable clinical or combined clinical/research degrees are eligible to 
apply.  In most cases, clinical fellow applicants will have finished their 
clinical training and may have had some research experience in either a 
laboratory or clinical setting prior to an appointment in the NIEHS Intramural 
Program. Clinical candidates should possess aptitudes for independent research 
in clinically relevant, patient-oriented or population- based research (e.g., 
epidemiology, behavior, or disease prevention) areas.  The Intramural contact 
person for this program is Dr. Steven Akiyama, 919-541-3467 or 
akiyama@niehs.nih.gov.

The NIEHS will return applications not considered relevant either to the 
mission or to the research priorities of the NIEHS as part of the initial 
review described in the section, REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS of this Request for 
Applications.  This decision is final.  Fellows are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to 
contact the program administrator listed at the end of this RFA to determine 
the priority and relevance of his/her research topic to the NIEHS prior to 
submitting an application.  Applicants should identify an NIEHS area of 
special emphasis that is relevant to his/her research interests.  This 
information is available on the NIEHS web site at 
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/dert/programs/special/special.htm
 
2.  The applicant must have COMPLETED at least 18 months of postdoctoral 
training at the time of submission of an application (Receipt Date Announced 
in the RFA).

3.  The applicant must submit the application on a PHS Research Grant 
Application form (PHS 398, rev. 4/98).

4.  The applicant must include three letters of recommendation which address 
the applicant’s potential to become an important contributor to basic or 
clinical biomedical or behavioral research or population-based (e.g., 
epidemiological) research relevant to the mission of NIEHS.  One of the 
letters of recommendation MUST be from the current postdoctoral mentor and one 
MUST be from the applicant’s predoctoral program, preferably the mentor.  
Applications without letters of recommendation will be considered incomplete 
and will not be accepted.  Late receipt of letters of recommendation (e.g. 
letters not submitted concomitantly with the application) will not be allowed.  
Letters should be mailed directly to Dr. Linda Bass at the address given in 
the Supplemental Instructions section of this RFA. 

Note: The letter from the current postdoctoral mentor should address the 
following points.

1.  The applicant’s role and intellectual contribution to the research 
activities of the laboratory.

2.  The current postdoctoral mentor’s role in the development of the proposed 
project.

3.  The applicant’s potential for independent research.

All applicants are encouraged to contact the NIEHS regarding their eligibility 
for this award (see INQUIRIES section).

ALLOWABLE COSTS

The detailed budget for the TIP award will be $100,000 direct cost per year 
for three years.  The total direct costs for this award are $300,000 over a 
period of three years.  Facilities and Administration (F&A) costs will be 
reimbursed at eight percent of modified total direct costs or at the actual 
facilities and administration (indirect) cost rate, whichever is less.

The awardee and sponsoring institution will have considerable latitude in 
deciding how these funds will be expended, with the exception of salary 
(described below).  This is to allow sufficient flexibility and benefit to the 
awardee’s research and academic career.

1. Salary:  The awardee may request up to $50,000 per year (plus fringe 
benefits) from this award for salary.  The award does not require that salary 
support be derived from the award; use of the entire direct costs for research 
related expenses is allowed. The total salary requested must be based on a 
full-time, 12 month staff appointment.  It must be consistent both with the 
established salary structure at the institution and with salaries actually 
provided by the institution to other staff members of equivalent 
qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in the department.

2.  Research-Related Expenses: The entire direct costs of this award, or the 
balance remaining after subtracting the amount devoted to salary, may be used 
for supplies, equipment, technical personnel, travel and other research-
related expenses.

3.  Ancillary Personnel Support:  Salary for secretarial or administrative 
assistance is not allowed.

AWARD PROCESS AND INITIATION

At the time a decision is made to make an award, the applicant will be 
provided a Letter to Commit Funds that states intent to commit funds, which 
will be signed by the NIEHS Grants Management Officer. This letter states the 
conditional intent of the NIEHS to make a grant award and may be used by the 
candidate when entering into negotiations for a position with a suitable 
institution to document potential grant support for the candidate’s research 
project.  The date of this letter will determine the expiration date of the 
NIEHS offer to commit funds to a grant award.  Please note that this is 
different from the usual NIH process since this commitment is not made 
initially to a specific institution.

After a TIP investigator has identified a permanent position, preferably 
tenure-track or equivalent, at a research intensive institution (sponsoring 
grantee institution), the sponsoring institution will request that an award be 
issued by submitting the appropriately prepared form PHS 398 (competing grant 
application) that includes a detailed budget.  The application must also 
include letters from the institutional official signing the application 
describing the position and confirming that the TIP investigator has been 
offered and has accepted a permanent, preferably tenure-track or equivalent, 
position.  In addition, a statement from the Department Chair or equivalent 
official must be included which describes the resources that will be available 
for the TIP investigator.  Finally, if the research involves animals/human 
subjects, the certification that the protocols were approved by the 
appropriate institutional committee of the designated grantee institution must 
be provided.  These and other relevant materials are to be submitted to the 
NIEHS Grants Management Office at the address listed on the Letter of 
Commitment.

These materials will be used by NIEHS staff to carefully assess the 
appropriateness and soundness of the proposed arrangement.  The institution 
will be examined for its ability to make a significant commitment of 
resources, time and other factors conducive to the research project and career 
establishment of the TIP investigator.  In addition, the TIP investigator must 
be appointed to a permanent position in a research intensive environment 
relevant to environmental health sciences.  It is the intent of the NIEHS that 
the applicant relocate to another, different research intensive institution, 
and not remain at the current postdoctoral institution. Arrangements in which 
a candidate moves from a postdoctoral position to that of an assistant 
professor at the same institution are specifically discouraged, and if 
proposed by the TIP investigator, must document an especially strong, 
compelling case for such a position’s eligibility for consideration.

Please note that an award can ONLY be made after the TIP investigator has 
accepted a position at a sponsoring institution, and this has been confirmed 
by the institutional official. Finally, it is important to note that no funds 
can be obligated or used until the award has been made to a grantee sponsoring 
institution.

NIEHS recognizes that each TIP investigator will have unique circumstances 
that will affect the timing for the initiation of the award.  Thus, the NIEHS 
will allow the TIP investigator up to eighteen months between the date of the 
Letter to Commit Funds notifying the applicant of funding availability for an 
application and the start of a permanent position at a research intensive 
institution.  The grantee institution application submitted on behalf of the 
TIP applicant to activate the award must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. 
(EST) of the last business day of the first week in August of the year in 
which the 18 month period concludes. Please note that this timing is 
determined by the federal fiscal year, not subject to change, and funds 
identified in the NIEHS Letter to Commit Funds will not be available after the 
close of the final NIEHS fiscal year for the eighteen month period specified 
therein.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

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 biomedical and 
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and 
compelling rationale and justification are 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 research involving human subjects should read the 
UPDATED "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in 
Clinical Research," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on 
August 2, 2000 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html); a 
complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm:  The revisions 
relate to NIH defined Phase III clinical trials and require: a) all 
applications or proposals and/or protocols to provide a description of plans 
to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences sex/gender and/or 
racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b) all 
investigators to report accrual, and to conduct and report analyses, as 
appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) 
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the 
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.  
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt 
dates after October 1, 1998.  

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" that was published in the NIH Guide for 
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL 
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html 

Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff 
listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant 
information concerning the policy.

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. Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when the directly access an Internet site.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by June 7, 2001, a letter of 
intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed project, the name, 
address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of 
other key personnel and participating institutions if planned collaborations 
are known, and the number and title of this RFA.  Although a letter of intent 
is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of 
subsequent applications, the information that it contains is helpful in 
planning for the review of applications.  It allows NIEHS staff to estimate 
the potential review workload and plan the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to:

Linda Bass, Ph.D.
Scientific Review Administrator
Scientific Review Branch (EC-30) 
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 
P.O. Box 12233, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709 
Telephone:  (919) 541-1307 
FAX:  (919) 541-2503 
Email:  bass@niehs.nih.gov

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used in 
applying for these grants. Application kits are available at most 
institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the: 
Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes 
of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910,Bethesda, MD 20892-7910,
Telephone 301/435-0714, email:  Grantsinfo@nih.gov.

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS

The following supplemental instructions, which are provided as specific 
additional information for this RFA announcement, should be carefully noted:
Only one grant application may be submitted by a Principal Investigator for 
the specified receipt date.

The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application form must be 
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.  Type the RFA 
number on the label.  Failure to use this label could result in delayed 
processing of the application such that it may not reach the review committee 
in time for review.  In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on 
Line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be 
marked.

The sample RFA label available at: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been modified to 
allow for this change.  Please note this is in PDF format.

The applicant institution information requested on the face page should be 
that for the institution from which the application is being submitted, i.e., 
the institution where the trainee is located at the time of submission. The 
abstract page (BB) should appear as page two. The Detailed Budget for the 
Initial Budget Period (Form Page 4-DD) and Budget for Entire Proposed Period 
of Support (Form Page 5-EE) are NOT required for the initial application and 
should be omitted. A detailed budget is subsequently required only for the 
activation of the award at the academic institution of employment.  At that 
time, applicants must budget travel costs associated with a professional 
meeting (one per year) in their applications. The project period for these 
awards is a maximum of three years.  The maximum amount awarded to each 
grantee on this RFA will be $300,000 direct costs for a three-year project 
period.  The amount awarded for any given year (budget period) will not exceed 
$100,000 direct costs.  Equipment will be limited to $100,000 direct costs for 
the three-year project period.  The maximum salary allowed from this award is 
$50,000 per year.  A two section narrative presentation (two-page maximum) 
should be inserted in the application just prior to the research plan titled 
"Future Goals and Objectives" and "Biography", respectively.  In the Future 
Goals and Objectives section (one-half page maximum), the applicant should 
briefly describe his/her career track vision and describe the types of 
positions to be pursued.  In the Biography section (one and one-half page 
maximum), the applicant should describe their scientific development from 
graduate school through postdoctoral experience(s).  For each training 
experience, the applicant should describe his/her role in the 
laboratory/project and cite relevant publications that resulted from the 
experience.  The applicant should also include in this section a short 
narrative on how the proposed research project will lead to a successful R01 
application.

The Research Plan itself (Specific Aims, Background and Significance, 
Preliminary Studies, Research Design and Methods sections) is not to exceed 15 
pages.  Tables and figures but not the reference bibliography are included in 
the 15 page limitation.  Applications that exceed the page limitations stated 
in this RFA announcement or the PHS 398 requirements for font size (height or 
letters), type density (characters per inch), and margins (see PHS 398 
directions) will be returned to the investigator.

The Research Plan is expected to follow the typical NIH grant application 
organization and structure, and should include, but is not limited to the 
following:

o  a one page description (or less) of the long term research goals and how 
his/her research program would impact on an environmental health problem, and

o  a specific testable hypothesis, and

o  a set of specific aims to address the hypothesis, and

o  methods to obtain data to satisfy the specific aims.

If the application is a revision of a previously considered application, there 
should be a clear indication of changes marked as indicated in the 
instructions for the PHS 398 application.  It is expected that a TIP award 
would provide an investigator the opportunity to obtain the scientific data 
needed for a subsequent investigator-initiated research grant (R01) or 
equivalent to the NIH in an area of a science relevant to the mission of the 
NIEHS.

Color/glossy photos may be submitted as an appendix, however, the appendix may 
not be used to circumvent the page limitation.  Letters of recommendation are 
not considered appendices, and do not count towards the 15-page limit.

The applicant must provide one to three publications from his/her Ph.D. work 
and one publication from his/her postdoctoral work.

A PHS 398 form biographical sketch of the postdoctoral mentor should be 
included in the application.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the 
checklist, and three signed photocopies in one package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)

At the time of submission send two additional copies of the application to:

Linda Bass, Ph.D.
Scientific Review Administrator
Scientific Review Branch
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P. O. Box 12233, EC-30
111 T.W. Alexander Drive (for express/courier service)
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709

Applications must be received by July 11, 2001.  If an application is received 
after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Center for 
Scientific Review (CSR) and responsiveness to the RFA by senior scientific 
staff of the Division of Extramural Research and Training, NIEHS.  Only those 
applications considered to be responsive to the RFA will be forwarded for peer 
review.  Applications that are incomplete and/or considered non-responsive to 
the RFA will be returned to the applicant without further consideration.

Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated for 
scientific and technical merit by a peer review group convened by the NIEHS in 
accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures.  As part of the 
initial merit review process, all applications will receive a written critique 
and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the 
highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, 
will be discussed and assigned a priority score.  Applications judged to be in 
the lower half of applications under review may or may not be discussed or 
assigned a priority score.

Review Criteria

Candidate

o  the applicants potential to become an important contributor to basic, 
clinical or population-based (e.g., epidemiological) research or behavioral 
science relevant to the mission of NIEHS;

o  the qualifications and research experience of the Principal Investigator 
and staff, particularly, but not exclusively, in the area of the proposed 
research.

Research Plan

o  the originality, innovation and scientific or medical significance of the 
project as to new concepts and ideas;

o  the appropriateness and adequacy of the experimental approach and 
methodology proposed to carry out the research; the appropriateness of the 
work proposed to the experience level of the principal investigator; the 
acknowledgment of potential problem areas and consideration of alternative 
tactics;

o  the adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities, and their 
subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of any clinical research 
activities.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be 
evaluated.

o  the adequacy of the proposed protection for humans, animals, or the 
environment to the extent they may be adversely affected by the activities 
proposed in the application.

Budget

o  Although a budget is not required, the appropriateness of the scope of work 
for the funds that are available through this grant will be considered.  The 
applicant should assume that general laboratory equipment items such as 
spectrophotometer, centrifuges, etc., will be available at the institution. 
However, highly sophisticated or limited use equipment required for the 
studies should be identified and funds for the use of such equipment should be 
considered by the applicant in developing the research plan.  For example, 
magnetic resonance imaging equipment and fluorescence cell sorters are 
available for a fee at many institutions, and the cost for their use should be 
considered by the applicant.

SCHEDULE

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  June 7, 2001
Application Receipt Date:       July 11, 2001
Peer-Review Date:               September-October, 2001
Council Date:                   January-February, 2002
Earliest Award Date:            To be determined

AWARD CRITERIA

The anticipated date of notification of a Letter to Commit Funds is March-
April, 2002.  The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

o  potential of the applicant to make a significant contribution to the NIEHS 
mission;

o  quality of the proposed projects scientific merit as determined by peer 
review;

o  availability of funds; and

o  program balance among research areas of the announcement.

INQUIRIES

Written and telephone inquiries concerning this Request for Applications are 
encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential 
applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Michael E. McClure, Ph.D.
Chief, Organs and Systems Toxicology Branch
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, EC-23 
111 T.W. Alexander Drive (for express/courier service) 
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709 
Telephone:  (919) 541-7825
FAX:  (919) 541-5064 
Email:  mm461n@nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Carolyn Mason
Grants Management Officer
Division of Extramural Research and Training 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 
P. O. Box 12233, EC-22 
111 T.W. Alexander Drive, (for express/courier service) 
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709 
Telephone:  (919) 541-1373 
FAX:  (919) 541-2860  
Email:  mason6@niehs.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 
93.113 and 93.115. Awards are made under authorization of Sections 301 and 405 
of the Public Health Service Act, as amended  (42 USC 241 and 284) and 
administered under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 
45 CFR Part 74 and 92.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental 
review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The Public Health Service (PHS) strongly encourages all grant and contract 
recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all 
tobacco products.  In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro Children Act of 
1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion 
of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, 
health care or early childhood development services are provided to children.  
This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical 
and mental health of the American people.

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