Notice Number: NOT-NS-07-009

Key Dates
Release Date:  May 3, 2007
Receipt Date:  September 15, 2007, 2008, 2009
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: February 1, 2008

Issued by
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (http://www.nida.nih.gov/)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/)
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/)
National Eye Institute (NEI) (http://www.nei.nih.gov)
National Institute of Aging (NIA) (http://www.nia.nih.gov)
National Cancer Institute (NCI) (http://www.nci.nih.gov)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) (http://www.nibib.nih.gov)

This Notice replaces NOTICE: NOT-NS-04-014

Purpose

This Notice is to inform potential applicants that the NIH is once again accepting applications for the U.S. component of the U.S. – Japan Brain Research Cooperative Program (BRCP).  The purpose of the BRCP is to promote scientist exchange, training, and research collaborations between neuroscientists from the U.S. and Japan.  The U.S. component of the BRCP supports the following activities: 1) Visit of U.S. scientists to conduct collaborative research and/or to acquire advanced research skills in Japanese institutions, 2) Joint workshops to exchange scientific information and to foster collaborations.

Background

An agreement on “Cooperation in Research and Development in Science and Technology” was signed by the President of the U.S. and the Prime Minister of Japan on May 1, 1980 and has subsequently been renewed and extended.  Under the umbrella of this Agreement, the NINDS and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki National Research Institutes, Japan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Brain Research Cooperative Program on November 29, 2000.  Since its inception in 2002, the U.S. component of the BRCP has successfully supported collaborative research at Japanese institutions and international workshops in the neurosciences.  The Japanese component of the BRCP has been active since 2001.  Details of the Japanese component are available at http://www.nips.ac.jp/jusnou/english/.

Within the funding guidelines of the BRCP program, each country supports its own scientists who participate in the aforementioned activities. 

Areas of research interests of the participating NIH Institutes

• The NINDS supports basic, translational and clinical research to understand structure and function of the nervous system and behavior, mechanisms underlying neurological, neuromuscular disorders and stroke, and the development of therapeutic treatment for these disorders.
• The NIMH supports an integrated program of basic and clinical research in biology, neuroscience, epidemiology, behavioral sciences as well as services research aimed at developing and assessing new approaches to diagnose, prevent and treat mental illness.
• The NIDA supports basic, clinical, and applied research on the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of drug abuse and addiction.
• The NIDCD encourages collaborative basic and clinical biomedical and bio-behavioral research in the communication sciences of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech and language.
• The NIDCR supports research on molecular mechanisms regulating normal craniofacial development; genetic and environmental influences on abnormal craniofacial disorders; and the etiology and pathophysiology of chronic pain in orofacial tissues with a focus on the temporomandibular joint.
• The NICHD supports basic, clinical and behavioral research in the neurosciences, particularly as the research relates to normal and abnormal nervous system development, reproduction,  promotion of healthy development as prevention of disability, and improving through rehabilitation the health, function, and quality of life of persons with chronic physical and/or cognitive disabilities.
• The NEI supports basic, translational and clinical research with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, preservation of sight, mechanisms of normal visual function, and the special health problems and requirements of individuals with impaired vision.  The NEI also supports the development of new technologies, strategies, and research tools that can be applied to basic and translational research which will benefit vision health.
• The NIA supports a broad spectrum of research and training aimed at a better understanding of age-related normal and pathological changes in the structure and function of the nervous system and how such changes affect behavior.  This mission includes basic and clinical studies of the nervous system, clinical trials of interventions of therapeutic modalities, and epidemiological research to identify risk factors and to establish prevalence and incidence estimates of pathologic conditions.
• The NCI leads a national effort to improve the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors.  An active program of both early translational research and later phase clinical trials via specialized trial networks is currently on-going.  The institute also supports basic science and correlative science efforts in CNS tumors.
• The mission of NIBIB is to improve human health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies.  The NIBIB encourages submission of proposals that support the development of bioengineering and biomedical imaging technologies.

Eligibility

• The applicant's institution must be a U.S. domestic institution.
  
  
• All applicants must have a currently active NIH grant from one of the participating NIH institutes.  The Travel Fund and the Workshop Fund will be provided as an administrative supplement to the applicant's parent grant.  The goals of the collaborative research/training and workshop must be related to the research areas of the parent grant.

Mechanisms of Support

Travel Fund

• The Travel Fund supplements the travel and lodging expenses of the U.S. scientist’s visit to Japan. 

• The total direct cost of each Travel Fund may not exceed $15,000.  Up to $2,500 of the funding amount may be used for research supplies.  Funds from the BRCP may not be used as salary support to the principal investigator (PI), co-investigators, or collaborators.

• The visit to the Japanese institution may be performed by the PI, co-investigators, postdoctoral fellows or students who work on the collaborative project.  The travel fund can be used for one or multiple trips.  Travel costs should not exceed the U.S. Government Foreign Per Diem Rate for Japan (http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/prdm/)

• The duration of the supplement is one year.  The supplement may be carried over into the next fiscal year, with prior approval from NIH program staff.

Workshop Fund

• The Workshop Fund provides partial support for joint workshops.  The total direct cost of each workshop fund may not exceed $35,000.  The support of travel and lodging expenses should not exceed the U.S. Government Per Diem Rates.  No honorarium is allowed.  Applicants are encouraged to obtain additional support from other sources.

• Each component (U.S. or Japanese) of the BRCP will supplement the travel and lodging expenses of the joint-workshop participants from their own country.  Applicants are encouraged to use the Workshop Fund to compensate the travel and lodging for women and underrepresented minority investigators, junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.

• If the joint workshop is to be held in Japan, the Japanese component of the BRCP will support the logistical meeting expenses.  If the joint workshop is to be held in the U.S., the U.S. component of the BRCP will support the logistical meeting expenses.

How to Apply

Approval from program staff at the respective participating NIH institute is required prior to the submission of applications.  Applications submitted without prior approval will be returned (See “Inquiries” section of this Notice). 

All applications must be received by the Neuroscience Center at the address provided below on or before September 15 of each participating year.   Applicants should submit one electronic copy of their application, as an e-mail attachment, in PDF format and one original, signed by the U.S. applicant and the administrative official from his or her home institution.  Applications should be sent to the following address:

Stacey Chambers
Office of International Activities
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Neuroscience Center, Room 2179
6001 Executive Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: 301-496-0690
Fax: 301-480-1080
Email: chambers@ninds.nih.gov

DO NOT SEND APPLICATIONS TO THE NIH CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW 

Submitting an Application

All applications for the BRCP should use the PHS 398 form (rev. 4/2006; available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html), and must include the following:

1. Cover letter referencing this notice, the contact information of the PI, the grant number and title of the parent NIH grant, and the name of the program official and the NIH Institute, who has agreed to accept the application.

2. Face page

• The title of the project (Box 1)
• This Notice (number and title) should be cited in Box 2, and the “yes” box should be checked
• The remaining items on the face page should be filled out according to the PHS 398 application instructions

3. Form page 2 from PHS 398 (Description, Performance Sites, Key Personnel and Other Significant Contributors).  The Japanese collaborator(s) should be noted under Performance Sites, along with their institution(s).

4. Biosketch(es) of all key personnel and collaborator(s) should be provided.  Letters of commitment from all participants should be included in section L (Consultants) of the Research Plan.

5. Resources page(s) for all key personnel

6. Proposed budget for the project or workshop with a budget justification that details the items requested

7. The U.S. applicant’s current grant support (citing the participating NIH institute)

Research Collaborations

In addition to the seven items outlined in the “Submitting an Application” section above, applications for research collaboration/training must also include a Research/Training Plan for the project (not to exceed five pages).  Font size restrictions apply as designated within the PHS398 (rev. 4/2006) instructions.
Research Plans must include:

• Description of the goals of the collaborative research/training and how the research/training will enhance the research of the NIH-supported parent grant
• Background and significance of the proposed research/training and relevance to the goals of the BRCP and the mission of participating NIH institutes
• The unique opportunities offered by this collaboration/training, and the reciprocal (U.S. and Japan) component of the project should be clearly delineated
• Research design and methods
• Description of the qualifications of the Japanese host and the research environment of the host institution
• A letter of invitation from the Japanese host

Joint Workshops 

Joint workshop applications should be developed collaboratively by both the U.S. and Japanese organizers.  In addition to the seven items outlined in the “Submitting an Application” section above, U.S. applications for Joint Workshops must also include a workshop plan.  Font size restrictions apply as designated within the PHS398 (rev. 4/2006) instructions.

Workshop Plans must include:

• Importance of the proposed workshop to investigators in the field and the larger neuroscience community
• Relevance of the workshop to the goals of the BRCP and the mission of participating NIH institutes
• Background and anticipated outcomes
• Content: topics, sessions, list of invited participants and a tentative agenda
• Plans to foster potential collaborations between U.S. and Japanese participants
• Plans to include the participation of junior investigators, women and underrepresented minorities (if not within the scope of the meeting, explain why)
• The proposed workshop location and duration
• Organizing committee (if applicable)
• Plans to disseminate information generated from the proposed workshop to the larger neuroscience community

Final Reports

At the completion of all collaborative research/training efforts and workshops, U.S. supported investigators are required to submit a final report, detailing the following information:

• Project objectives
• Significance
• Results/findings including a list of publications resulting from the collaboration/training
• Outcome of collaboration/training on how it benefits the NIH supported research
• Plans for continued collaboration with Japanese investigator(s)

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by the BRCP Steering-Review Committee.  Awards will be determined on the basis of scientific merit, the significance of the research/training or workshop, the qualifications of the U.S. applicant and Japanese host, the environment of the Japanese host institution, the relevance of the proposed work to the goals of the BRCP and to the mission of the participating NIH institutes and the availability of funds.  Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in December of each year.  All funding decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Inquiries

Approval from program staff at the respective participating NIH institute is required prior to the submission of all applications.  When contacting the program staff, applicants should be prepared to discuss the purpose, significance and necessity of their visit to Japan and how the collaborative arrangement will benefit their NIH-supported research.  The names and contact information of the program staff representing the participating NIH institutes are listed below:

Yuan Liu, Ph.D.
Chief, Office of International Activities
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Blvd. NSC Room 2187
Bethesda, MD 20892-9523 (USPS)
Rockville, MD 20852 (Courier)
Phone: 301-496-0012
FAX: 301-480-2060
Email: liuyuan@ninds.nih.gov

Margaret Grabb, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Blvd., Room 7201
Mail Stop Code 9645
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301- 443-3563
FAX: 301-443-1731
Email: mgrabb@mail.nih.gov

Barry Davis, Ph.D.
Division of Scientific Programs
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
6120 Executive Boulevard, EPS Room 400C, MSC-7180
Bethesda, MD  20892-7180
Phone: 301-402-3464
FAX: 301-402-6251
Email: Davisb1@nidcd.nih.gov

John W. Kusiak, Ph.D.
Director, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Program
Center for Integrative Biology and Infectious Diseases 
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH
Natcher Building, 4AN-12J, 45 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-6401
Phone: 301-594-7984
FAX: 301-480-8319
Email: kusiakj@mail.nih.gov

Nancy L. Shinowara, PhD
Program Director, Spinal Cord and Musculoskeletal Disorders and Assistive Devices
National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Blvd. Room 2A03 MSC7510
Bethesda, MD 20892-7510 (for courier delivery use: Rockville, MD 20852)
Phone: 301-402-2242
FAX: 301-402-0832
Email: shinowan@mail.nih.gov

Jerome R. Wujek, Ph.D.
Research Resources Officer
Division of Extramural Research
National Eye Institute
National Institutes of Health
Suite 1300
5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9300
Bethesda, MD  20892-9300
Phone:  301-451-2020
FAX:  301-402-0528
Email: wujekjer@nei.nih.gov

Andrew A. Monjan, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Chief, Neurobiology of Aging Branch
Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program
National Institute on Aging/NIH/DHHS
Gateway Building, Suite 350
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9205
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205 (use 20814 for express mail)
Phone:  301-496-9350
FAX:  301-496-1494
Email: monjana@gw.nia.nih.gov

Roy S. Wu, PhD
Chief, Clinical Grants and Contracts Branch
Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program
Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Blvd. Room 7015, MSC 7432
Bethesda, MD 20892-7432
Phone: 301-496-8866
FAX: 301-480-4663
Email: wur@mail.nih.gov

John W. Haller, PhD
Liaison for International Activities
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
6707 Democracy Blvd. Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20892-5649
Phone: 301-451-4780
FAX: 301-480-1614
Email: hallerj@mail.nih.gov

OTHER RELATED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

Other funding opportunities for activities related to American and Japanese collaborations in the field of neuroscience, (exclusive of this solicitation) include the following:

•  U.S. postdoctoral fellows who plan to receive training in a Japanese institution can apply for the RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS (F32) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-107.html

• U.S. independent scientists who plan to receive training or conduct collaborative research in a Japanese institution for an extended time period (> three months) can apply for the NIH NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS FOR SENIOR FELLOWS (F33)
      http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-172.html

• For large-scale meetings or workshops that have a broad impact on the neuroscience research community, investigators may apply for an NIH CONFERENCE GRANT (R13) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r13/index.htm

Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
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