Technology Improvement Award
Request for Proposals
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NN/LM-GMR), under contract with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) 
,
announces the availability of Technology Improvement
Awards for the purchase, installation, and/or upgrading
of information technologies that enhance access to health
information.
Up to $4,900 is available for costs associated with upgrading technology. NN/LM GMR Technology Improvement Award Proposals not funded may be resubmitted in subsequent years.
If you have questions regarding this award or require assistance with the application, contact
Max Anderson, Technology Coordinator.
Email Max
or send an email to 
. To contact the GMR by phone, call 1-800-338-7657 and press one (1) for the Regional Network Office.
Awards will be announced on GMRLIST and in The Cornflower, the GMR blog.
A list of previous Technology Improvement Award Recipients is available.
Purpose
A Technology Improvement Award may be used to improve information services to health professionals and health care consumers through the application of appropriate technologies; to improve the adequacy of Internet connections in NN/LM-GMR libraries; or to introduce National Library of Medicine (NLM) services to a hospital that previously lacked access to these services.
Eligibility
Proposals will be accepted from NN/LM-GMR Full and Affiliate Members.
Suggested Projects
- Purchasing equipment and/or software to add a new service to deliver health information over the Internet, e.g. scanner, Web server.
- Paying for Internet access for one year and/or wiring and installation of new connections;
- Upgrading or purchasing computer equipment;
- New technology that enhances user access to electronic health information.
Proposal Submission Instructions/Requirements:
The respondent must complete the Technology Award Application.
Attachments, such as resumes, letters of support and equipment
quotes may be sent by fax to 312-996-2226 or attached to an email
to in PDF format. Please use the title of your project as the
subject line of the email.
The GMR staff will acknowledge your application when received and will respond within five (5) weeks of receipt.
For needs assessment and/or evaluation plans, applicants should follow the guidelines established in Measuring the Difference: Guide to Planning and Evaluating Health Information and the three supplemental planning and evaluation booklets published in 2006 found on the NN/LM Outreach Evaluation Resource Center website.
Cost Proposal Instructions
Total cost must not exceed $4,900.
Funding will be processed on a cost reimbursement basis. This award is not a grant or subcontract. Line item invoices must be submitted for reimbursement of expenditures. Reimbursement takes an average of four (4) weeks.
Personnel, library collections and indirect costs are not allowable.
For IT/Computer Hardware, please include the following as part of your cost proposal:
- For IT/Computer Hardware under $3,000, submit catalog pricing. List equipment type (printer, scanner, etc.), brand name and model number.
- For IT/Computer Hardware of $3,000 or more, submit three (3) vendor
quotes (preferably valid for 60 days, minimum of 30 days). Quotes may include General Service
Administration (GSA) price lists (Reference: http://www.gsa.gov
). Vendor quotes are
necessary to determine price reasonable for purchase of over $3,000 or more. The absence of competitive quotes
must be documented and justified. An institutional policy that outlines preferred vendor requirements
is an example of such documentation.
are requested, the following statement must
appear in the budget justification:
The recipient of the funding agrees that there is a legitimate purpose for the personal appeal items and use of the items by the Subcontractor(s) will be managed in accordance with policy. Items will not be used in a way that would discredit the NN/LM, the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health or the applicable Institution.
Please provide the above information via PDF file emailed to
or
fax to 312-996-2226. Please make the name of your project the subject of the email.
Period of Performance
The period of performance should not exceed six (6) months.
Proposal Review Process
Proposals are reviewed by the GMR staff and the Regional Advisory Council. Questions and comments from these review bodies may be sent to the applicant for clarification and revision of the proposal. The merits of each proposal will be carefully evaluated, based on responsiveness to the RFP and the thoroughness and feasibility of the technical approach proposed. Applicants must submit information sufficient to evaluate their proposals based on the criteria listed below.
Evaluation Criteria
IDENTIFICATION OF NEED
Proposal describes why the technology is needed and how it will improve access to health information
for health professionals and/or consumers.
50 points
METHODOLOGY and TECHNICAL APPROACH
Methods are logical and feasible and strategies for evaluation of the project are included.
35 points
EXPERIENCE OF RESPONDENT AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Adequate evidence is provided about the qualifications of the personnel and
organizational resources available to assure successful completion of the project. Documentation includes
resumes, letters of support and equipment quotes.
15 points
Total Possible Points: 100
Reporting Requirements
All reports must be submitted in electronic format: RTF or PDF for publication on the NN/LM website. Recipients will be asked to report on the experience in The Cornflower, the GMR blog, and agree to allow the NN/LM-GMR to republish reports and materials. Reports must be submitted to the GMR within three (3) months of completion of the project.
Complete reporting guidelines will be provided to the recipient at the time the award is made.
Additional Requirements
If this project results in a manuscript that will be submitted for publication, project personnel must follow the requirements outlined in the NIH Public Access Policy ( http://publicaccess.nih.gov)
which mandates submission within 12 months of publication to the NIH manuscript submission (NIHMS)
system (http://www.nihms.nih.gov
) at PubMed
Central (PMC) the author's final manuscript, resulting from activities and/or research supported in whole or in part
with direct costs from this award. NIH defines the author's final manuscript as the final version accepted for
journal publication, and includes all modifications from the publishing peer review process. PMC is the NIH digital repository
of full-text, peer-reviewed biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research journals. It is a publicly-accessible, permanent, and
searchable electronic archive available on the Internet at
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ for
use by the public, health care providers, educators, scientists and the NIH. Additional information is available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html
.
If a website is developed under this award, the website must adhere to Section 508 compliance.
Resources for this compliance include the National Library of Medicine Web Applications/Site Development
Guidelines:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/web/documentation/
, and
Summary of Section 508 Standards:
http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=11
.
The following statement should be used in all publications resulting from projects funded through the NN/LM contract:
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. N01-LM-6-3503 with the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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