NINDS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENTS FOR RESEARCH ON HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS

Release Date: March 6, 2002

NOTICE:  NOT-NS-02-010

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
 (http://www.ninds.nih.gov)

This Notice is identical to NOT-NS-02-007 in content; NINDS has now added 
two more receipt dates for applicants, and an additional foundation has 
joined NINDS in funding this initiative. Co-funding foundations now include 
Families of SMA, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the ALS 
Association and the A-T Children's Project.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) 
announces a program for administrative supplements to foster basic and 
applied research on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and to allow 
investigators not currently working on hESCs to join the field.  This 
supplemental funding initiative is issued in response to recommendations 
from DHHS Secretary Thompson calling for funding studies to compare the 
behavior of hESCs with that of other human stem cells, and stem cells from 
non-human species.  This program is intended to facilitate research within 
ongoing, peer-reviewed projects that have Specific Aims on stem cell 
biology, or Specific Aims that may translate to the use of stem cells in 
basic or pre-clinical studies of neurological dysfunction. These one-time 
supplements are intended to help NINDS grantees develop preliminary data 
for new applications to NINDS.  Principal Investigators (PIs) funded by 
NINDS with Research Project (R01), Exploratory/Developmental (R21), Phase 
II SBIR (R44), Program Project (P01), and Specialized Center (P50 or U54) 
grants are eligible to apply.  To be eligible, projects must have a Project 
Period End Date of April 30, 2003, or later (a no-cost extension beyond 
that date does not confer eligibility).  

Only research using hES cell lines registered in the NIH Registry will be 
eligible for funding.  Each approved cell line is specifically identified 
in the Registry, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide 
the official identifier(s) for their hESC lines as found in the NIH 
Registry (http://escr.nih.gov/).  Applications that do not provide this 
information will be returned without review.

Evidence should be presented that the results of the supplemental 
assistance will enhance the pursuit of the Specific Aims of the research 
project, without constituting an expansion of scope.  Supplements are one-
time awards and will not extend to subsequent budget periods.  

Specific examples of supplemental requests that may be considered include, 
but are not limited to:

o  Studies on the basic cellular and molecular biology of hESCs within the 
framework of the existing project.

o  Analysis of hESCs behavior in animal models of injury or disease in the 
nervous system. Examples of these conditions include stroke, spinal cord 
and traumatic brain injury, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson's 
Disease, Ataxia Telangiectasia, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Multiple 
Sclerosis. 

o  Requests within existing grants on the development of biomarkers or 
genetic tools for identifying, harvesting, purifying, and expanding hESCs 
and/or their differentiating progeny.

How to Apply: Submission of requests should be made electronically.  Send 
an email message to:  ehscsupplement@ninds.nih.gov with the PI's name 
(last, first) and grant number on the subject line.  Include the following 
items in an attached file in MSWord, WordPerfect, or PDF format.  Please 
note:  the e-mail address is case sensitive; use lower case only. 

1) A cover page citing this NOTICE and requesting an administrative 
supplement. Include the PI name, grant number and title, amount requested, 
name and title of the institutional official, and phone, email, and address 
information for the PI and institutional official.  For P01s, P50s, and 
U54s the overall project PI must submit the request for a supplement. 

2) A letter (5-page limit) describing the proposed experiments and their 
relationship to the original project Specific Aims, a brief discussion of 
the significance of the proposed research, and a budget with 
justifications.

In addition, an original cover letter signed by the PI and countersigned by 
the institutional official should be submitted by mail.  The requested 
letter is not the cover page of the original grant, but is specific for 
this supplemental application.  This documentation is required for the 
issuance of an award, and should be sent to Dr. Arlene Chiu, listed at the 
end of this notice.  The application should be formatted as a memo or 
letter and provide the information listed above.  PIs should not submit a 
request electronically until the institutional business office has reviewed 
and approved the request.  Applicants unable to submit electronic 
applications should submit a complete written application addressed to the 
same NINDS contact.

Budget Information:  For FY 2002, the NINDS will commit $1 million (total 
costs) to fund applications for supplements submitted in response to this 
Notice.  The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation will commit $250,000, 
and the ALS Association, the A-T Children's Project and Families of Spinal 
Muscular Atrophy each will commit $50,000.  Although the financial plans of 
the NINDS and the Foundations provide support for this program, awards 
pursuant to this Notice are contingent upon the availability of funds and 
the receipt of a sufficient number of applications high scientific merit.

Supplements will be awarded as TOTAL COSTS, and are one-time awards. Any 
Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs should be included in the modular 
request, and may not be added to it.  For R01s, R21s, and R44s the maximum 
request is $50,000.  For P01s, P50s, and U54s the maximum is $100,000.  
Although the awarded budgets will be modular, applicants should provide 
budget justification that details the budget items requested, including F&A 
costs.

Review Procedures:  Requests will be reviewed administratively.  Review 
criteria will include the scientific significance and relevance to program 
priorities of the institute. 

Post-Award Requirements: A short, 1-page progress report addressing the 
results of the supplement will be required.  It should be included as an 
addition to the next progress report of the parent grant, submitted after 
the one year supplement.

Receipt Dates:         April 15, 2002      July 15, 2002
Earliest Award Date:   June 15, 2002       Sept. 1, 2002

Inquiries:  A website with Frequently Asked Question's about the program 
has been provided at:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/stem_cell_faqs.htm.

Direct inquiries regarding scientific issues to: 

Dr. Arlene Y. Chiu
Program Director, Repair and Plasticity Program
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Blvd. NSC Rm. 2205
Bethesda, MD  20892
Tel:  (301) 496-1447
Fax:  (301) 480-1080
Email:  chiua@ninds.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding application issues to:

Dr. Meredith Temple
Program Analyst, Repair and Plasticity Program
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Blvd. NSC Rm. 2227
Bethesda, MD  20892
Tel:  (301) 496-1447
Fax:  (301) 480-1080
Email:  templem@ninds.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: 

Rita Sisco
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 
6001 Executive Blvd., NSC 3290 
Bethesda, Maryland  20892 
Tel:  301-496-9231
Fax:  301-402-0219
Email:  rr46w@nih.gov

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