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ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS
FY2008 Guidelines and Information for Applicants
(Revised 1/24/2008 - supercedes all previous versions)
The Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) of the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) announces for the Federal fiscal year of 2008
the opportunity for grantees to seek supplemental funding for existing
DCB-funded research projects to support and encourage multidisciplinary scientific collaboration among DCB grantees, as
well as with other members of the scientific community. This initiative known as the Activities to
Promote Research Collaborations (APRC) can support novel collaborative activities in cancer biology that
bring together new ideas and approaches from disparate scientific disciplines. The proposed APRC activities should be within
the overall scope of the active parent DCB grant.
The APRC Program is anticipated to be highly
competitive with limited funding; only a few supplements will be awarded. Before submission, all grantees must
call their DCB Program Director to discuss the planned collaboration and application.
This document describes the:
(1) purpose, (2) background, (3) the administrative mechanism available to
promote research collaborations under this program, (4) eligibility
requirements, (5) review considerations and criteria, (6) application
procedures, (7) post-award requirements, (8) application deadline, (9) mailing
address, and (10) contact information for inquiries.
BACKGROUND
The DCB supports research
that enhances our understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the onset
and progression of cancers. DCB supports
and funds grants in basic cancer cell biology, tumor biology and metastasis,
cancer immunology and hematology, cancer etiology (including chemical &
physical carcinogenesis, and viral carcinogenesis), mechanisms underlying DNA
and chromosome aberrations, and structural biology and technology development.
Many of the most novel and
exciting advances in cancer biology derive from the synthesis of previously
disparate fields of research. For such
advances to be made, it is necessary for researchers with varying interests
(possibly in differing fields) to initiate collaborative research interactions. Through the APRC program, DCB can
provide administrative supplements to DCB grantees for such interactions.
Examples and/or descriptions:
Collaborations that bring a novel approach to an important area of cancer biology
Typically, APRC consortia are composed of 2-5 investigators (often from complementary fields) focused on achieving specific research objectives by pooling their respective expertise and efforts. The APRC consortium will carry out joint research that would not be possible to conduct expeditiously, if at all, in the absence of these collaborators and this additional funding support.
The collaborative research project must be within the general scope of the PI’s active DCB-funded grant and cannot be duplicative of any active or previously funded research topic for any of the consortium members.
Important: The collaboration
within the research project proposed must be NEW. Collaborators with prior history of
collaboration (including publications) in the past 5 years are not eligible as
individual (separate) collaborating units.
If collaboration has occurred
within 5 years, these particular collaborators will be considered a single (combined) collaborating
unit. In this instance, another
collaborator or collaborating unit is required for APRC eligibility.
DCB
program staff will conduct the review.
The number of awards and level of support will depend on the number and
diversity of meritorious applications received, and the availability of funding
for the program. Applications will be
evaluated on the following criteria:
Proposed activities should also demonstrate:
APPLICATION
PROCEDURES
Include the following:
(1)
Cover Letter
– Identify the eligible parent grant(s).
Provide an APRC title (must be different from that of the parent
grant). The cover letter must be signed
by the PI, collaborating investigators at the same institution as the PI, and
the appropriate official from the parent grantee institution.
(2) PHS Form Page 1 (Face Page)
(3) PHS Form Page 2 (Abstract and Key Personnel) – Include the specific aims, objectives, and projected outcomes.
(4) Summary of Each Collaborator’s Specific Contributions – [1 page total for all collaborators combined]. Specify the contribution to the research project.
(5) PHS Biographical Sketch Format Page – Each collaborator
(6) PHS Other Support Format Page – Documentation of active research funding (i.e., NIH, other federal, private sources, etc.) for all collaborating investigators.
(7)
PHS Form Page 4 (Detailed Budget for Initial Budget
Period):
a. All APRC funding will be in the form of administrative
supplements to existing active DCB funded research grants.
b. The institution may subcontract to the outside
collaborators.
c. Funding is limited to the life of the PI’s active
grant. At least one full year must
remain on the parent grant at the time of APRC funding; two full years for
two-year requests. Requests for no-cost
extensions on the parent grant to accommodate an APRC supplement will not be
permitted.
d. Consortia requests should be for no more than 24
months. Requests for longer periods will
not be considered.
e. A detailed budget explanation and justification must
be included in the application with each year’s budget clearly detailed. Include justified budgets for each
collaborating unit.
f. Facilities and Administrative costs (indirect costs)
are permitted at the grantee institution’s current negotiated rate. These must be clearly annotated.
g. APRC supplements are not subject to the modular grants
requirements.
h. PI and collaborator salary support is not
permitted.
Budgets Calculations
a. APRC supplements will be funded with a start date of June 1, 2008.
b. Synchronize budgets to the parent grant and prorate as necessary. For example, if the APRC supplement is requested for a period of 24 months, the parent grant has a budget period starting March 1st, and the prescribed APRC funding start date is June 1st, then the budget must be illustrated as follows for a total of 24 months:
Current fiscal year remaining = 9 months (June 1 – February 28)
Next Fiscal year = 12 months (March 1 – February 28)
Following fiscal year = 3 months (March 1 – May 30)
c. If there are less than 3 months remaining on the parent grant’s current year at the time of APRC funding, supplement funding will be delayed to synchronize with the anniversary date of the parent grant.
(8) PHS Form Page 5 (Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support) – Entire consortia.
(9) Relationship to Parent Grant – [1 page maximum] Describe how the consortia research project relates to the parent grant.
(10) Research Plan [strictly limited to 5 typed pages]
a. Specific aims, background, and significance (not to exceed 2 pages).
b. Preliminary studies and experimental design (not to exceed 3 pages). Experimental design must be presented in adequate detail to allow scientific evaluation of the feasibility.
(11) Appendices and supplemental material will not be accepted or forwarded to reviewers.
(12) Literature Cited.
(13) Letters of Intent to Collaborate – Provide a letter for each collaborating investigator located at an institution different from that of the PI, cosigned by the appropriate official from that institution.
(14) Assurances – All human and animal studies must receive the appropriate IRB or IACUC review and approval prior to funding authorization for the APRC supplement. Verification of this approval must be sent to your DCB Program Director. Note that since APRC-funded projects are supplemental to existing projects and within the scope of those studies, modifications to assurance approvals are usually all that are needed.
POSTAWARD REQUIREMENTS
Within 90 days after the conclusion of the funded activity, the PI must submit to the DCB Program Director a Final Progress Report that includes a description of the activities and outcomes and an assessment of the success in meeting the stated aims and objectives
Principal Investigators funded in FY08 will be expected to attend a DCB-sponsored APRC Grantee Workshop during the 2 year APRC funding period (DCB will assume these costs). You will be notified of the scheduled date of the workshop (usually September). Collaborators are encouraged to attend.
APPLICATION
DEADLINE
Requests for the APRC
administrative supplements must be submitted to DCB as described in these APRC
Program Guidelines. This is a one-time
announcement and formal requests must be received on or before March 17,
2008. Late applications will not be
accepted. Note that the NIH Center for
Scientific Review (CSR) IS NOT involved in receipt and processing of these
requests.
Applications must be signed
by the Authorized organizational Representative and submitted to the
appropriate IC Program contact. Applicants
are strongly encouraged to submit applications electronically as an e-mail
attachment in PDF format; however the signature of the AOR must be clearly
visible. Applicants may also submit applications in paper format to
the APRC Program Coordinator.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION
If sending an electronic PDF
copy, the e-mail address is whitest@mail.nih.gov. DO NOT submit via Grants.gov.
MAILING ADDRESS FOR SUBMISSION
If sending hardcopies by US mail or Express Mail Service, 1 original
and 5 copies are requested. Mail to:
Activities to Promote Research Collaborations
c/o Stephen White
Special Assistant to the Director and Programs
Coordinator
Division of Cancer Biology
National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS
Room 5048
INQUIRIES
Direct program/scientific related questions or
inquiries to your DCB Program Director or to:
Dr. Daniel Gallahan
Deputy Director, Division of Cancer Biology
National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS
Telephone: (301) 496-8636
FAX: (301) 496-8656
E-mail: gallahad@mail.nih.gov
Direct all
grants management related questions or inquiries to:
Joy Kearse
Grants Management Specialist
Office
of Grants Administration
National
Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS
Telephone: 301-846-1010
FAX: 301-846-5720
E-mail: kearsej@mail.nih
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