Symptom Clusters in Cancer and Immune Disorders

PA Number: PA-05-004

Part I Overview Information


Department of Health and Human Services

Participating Organizations
National Institutes of Health, (http://www.nih.gov)

Components of Participating Organizations
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR/NIH), (http://www.ninr.nih.gov/)
National Cancer Institute (NCI/NIH), (http://www.nci.nih.gov)


Announcement Type
New Program Announcement

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s)
93.361 (NINR), 93.399 (NCI)

Key Dates
Release Date: October 18, 2004
Application Receipt Dates(s): Standard, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/dates.htm
Peer Review Date(s): June-July, October-November, and February-March
Council Review Date(s) : September-October, January-February, and May-June
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: December, April, and July
Expiration Date for R01 Non-AIDS Applications: November 2, 2006
Expiration Date for R01 AIDS and AIDS-Related Applications: January 3, 2007
Expiration Date for R21 Applications: October 13, 2006

Due Dates for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable

Executive Summary

Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-5936

Table of Contents

Part I Overview Information

Part II Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives

Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism(s) of Support
2. Funds Available

Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2.Cost Sharing
3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria

Section IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates
A. Receipt and Review and Anticipated Start Dates
1. Letter of Intent
B. Sending an Application to the NIH
C. Application Processing
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements

Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
3. Merit Review Criteria
A. Additional Review Criteria
B. Additional Review Considerations
C. Sharing Research Data
D. Sharing Research Resources

Section VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative Requirements
A. Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
1. Principal Investigator Rights and Responsibilities
2. NIH Responsibilities
3. Collaborative Responsibilites
4. Arbitration Process
3. Award Criteria
4. Reporting

Section VII. Agency Contact(s)
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/ Grants Management Contact(s)

Section VIII. Other Information - Required Federal Citations

Part II - Full Text of Announcement


Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

1. Research Objectives

The purpose of this initiative is to solicit research to elucidate the presence of symptom clusters in one or more cancers or immune disorders, their management, and the impact of such management upon patient outcomes. It seeks to stimulate research on the characterization of symptom clusters, and the design and testing of interventions addressing symptoms that have demonstrated interactions and/or common pathways. In this way, knowledge can be developed and applied to the management of symptom clusters in relation to a variety of physiological, psychosocial, and demographic factors.

Nature of the research opportunity: The program announcement encourages both descriptive and intervention research. Descriptive research may describe groups of people affected by symptom clusters, individual behavior in relation to the experience of symptom clusters, and/or biological characteristics of the symptom clusters. Studies that describe the interaction of biological and behavioral mechanisms are especially encouraged. A strong rationale for selecting a group of symptoms as a cluster, and not just two or more symptoms that exist at the same time in members of a patient population, must be given.

The program announcement also encourages the design and testing of interventions that lead to clear outcomes. Outcomes may include health related quality of life (HRQL) at any point in the disease trajectory (active treatment, end of life care, or late effects of treatment during the survivorship period), adherence to treatment, or other end-points that the investigator can demonstrate are linked to interventions for managing the identified symptom cluster in the target disease or disorder.

Pertinent background information that establishes the need for the research: Symptom cluster research has focused largely upon symptoms with apparent relationships, such as pain, depression and fatigue in cancer. For the most part, interventions have focused on pathways that have been demonstrated to affect single symptoms, such as sleep hygiene or exercise for fatigue. The exact mechanisms of symptom interactions are not yet clear.

At the NIH State-of-the-Science Conference, Pain, Depression and Fatigue in Cancer, (July 15-17, 2002), Dodd and Miaskowski (http://consensus.nih.gov/ta/022/022_intro.htm) offered a definition that requires that three or more concurrent symptoms be correlated with each other and have an adverse effect on the patient. However, many other features of the concept remain open, such as strength of the relationship among symptoms, etiology of symptoms, and duration of symptoms. Much more knowledge is needed about the dynamics of symptom interaction, the relationships among a number of symptoms, and the appropriate interventions addressing the symptom cluster to improve patient outcomes.

In 2003, NINR sponsored a working group that addressed biobehavioral and sociocultural research in children and adolescents with cancer. Among the issues discussed was the need for research that links the symptom experience to age and developmental stage. This concern can be expanded to all stages of the lifespan, and to a variety of immune or oncological disorders. Examples could include children or adolescents with leukemia or lymphoma; women who are coping with autoimmune disorders during young adult years; side effects of treatment in persons living with HIV/AIDS in middle age; or the elderly person coping with a solid tumor. Research related to effects of prior treatment (e.g., symptoms associated with lymphedema resulting from lymph node dissection or radiation; cognitive changes and psychological distress after completion of chemotherapy) is also of interest. In sum, studies of characteristics of symptom clusters or interventions for symptom clusters throughout the lifespan of persons with immune disorders (acquired or autoimmune) and cancer (current or past) are encouraged.

Scientific knowledge to be achieved through research supported by the special program: Symptoms may be due to the disease itself, active treatment (acute or chronic), sequelae of treatment, or even of poorly understood issues associated with long-term survivorship. The term symptom cluster has been variously defined. Co-occurrence is a necessary but insufficient feature of a cluster. Further refinement of the symptom cluster concept is needed. General areas for further research include understanding the mechanism by which intervening with one symptom may have an impact upon another, improving assessment of symptoms in clusters; identifying the existence of clusters not yet studied; or developing more sophisticated data analysis techniques.

While much of the initial work has been in the identification and management of symptom clusters in persons with cancer, the research can be expanded and extended to HIV infection, and to a range of autoimmune disorders. For example, interventions for HIV/AIDS patients with metabolic problems associated with highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) may benefit from a clearer understanding of the inter-relationships of the symptoms of disease and side effects of treatment. This includes identifying which symptoms form a cluster, and which do not.

Autoimmune disorders are particularly challenging. Symptom management is a crucial component of treatment. It is possible that research in symptom cluster identification and the interactions of symptoms could yield important information on the underlying pathology of autoimmune disorders, and lead to improved treatment for this important category of disease and dysfunction.

This program announcement requires that the investigator will be concerned with more than one symptom of cancer or of an immune disorder. Many potential subjects will likely suffer from comorbid conditions (e.g., older cancer patients with pre-existing osteoarthritis). The intent of this program announcement is to build a body of research in symptom cluster identification and/or management, in cancer or an immune disorder. Subjects with comorbid conditions should be included when appropriate. In such studies, the presence of comorbidity should be addressed as a sampling and data analysis concern.

This Program Announcement invites applications to (a) identify and assess symptom clusters, or (b) design or test interventions for managing symptom clusters.

Research topics for identifying and assessing symptom clusters may include but are not limited to:

Determine the pathways or mechanisms by which one symptom in a cluster influences other symptoms (e.g., pain, insomnia and fatigue; diarrhea, cachexia, fatigue);

Design and test new methods for assessing symptoms as part of a cluster, with attention to age, gender, culture, and other characteristics of the subject. This could lead to either the development of new instrumentation, or the refinement of existing instrumentation;

Identify appropriate biomarkers either for identification of symptom clusters, or for assessing the impact of an intervention upon a symptom cluster;

Develop methods for the analysis of symptom cluster data, and for communicating those data to a broad audience.

Interventions should be sensitive to the characteristics of the patient population that is being targeted. Characteristics can include gender, age and developmental stage (e.g., children, adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, elderly), as well as identified racial/ethnic groups or various cultural populations. Another characteristic that could require attention, depending on the type of intervention, is the family setting of the patient. Some interventions might include full-time informal caregivers, but attention should also be paid to patients who live alone or in unrelated household constellations. Research topics for designing and testing an intervention for managing symptom clusters may include but are not limited to:

Design, implement and assess effective psychosocial and biobehavioral interventions for identified symptom clusters. An effective intervention should demonstrate an advantage over a single symptom approach or usual care;

Assess the impact of the intervention upon identified biomarkers, and the relationship between changes in biomarkers and changes in behavior and in symptom experience;

Assess the impact of symptom cluster interventions upon health related quality of life (HRQL). Target populations may be in active treatment (acute or chronic), in the survivorship period (disease-free), or in end-of-life care;

Assess the relationship between symptom cluster intervention and adherence to therapy for the underlying disease.

Section II. Award Information


1. Mechanism(s) of Support

This funding opportunity will use the R01 and R21 award mechanism(s). As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.

This funding opportunity uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the modular as well as the non-modular budget formats (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm). Specifically, if you are submitting an application with direct costs in each year of $250,000 or less, use the modular budget format described in the PHS 398 application instructions. Otherwise follow the instructions for non-modular research grant applications.


2. Funds Available

Applications received in response to this program announcement will compete for funds in the general funding pool of the participating NIH ICs. No specific funds have been set aside for this announcement. The number and size of the awards will depend on the number of appllications received, their relative scientific merit, and the general availability of funds for investigator-initiated research at the participating ICs.

Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Fiscal and administrative costs are not included in the direct cost limitation; see NOT-OD-04-040.

Section III. Eligibility Information


1. Eligible Applicants


1.A. Eligible Institutions

You may submit (an) application(s) if your organization has any of the following characteristics:

1.B. Eligible Individuals

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs.

2. Cost Sharing
Not required.

3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria
There is no limit to the number of applications an applicant may submit under this announcement.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Information

The PHS 398 application instructions are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-5936.


2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). Applications must have a D&B Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The D&B number can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dnb.com/. The D&B number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form.

See Section VI.2 Administrative Requirements for additional information.

The title and number of this funding opportunity must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be checked.

3. Submission Dates

Applications must be mailed on or before the receipt date described at http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm.


3.A. Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates

Application Receipt Date(s): Standard, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/dates.htm
Peer Review Date: June-July, October-November, and February-March
Council Review Date: September-October, January-February, and May-June
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: December, April, and July


3.A.1. Letter of Intent

A letter of intent is not required for this funding opportunity.

3.B. Sending an Application to the NIH


Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms as described above. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, and five 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 (U.S. Postal Service Express or regular mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service; non-USPS service)


3.C. Application Processing

Applications must be submitted on or before the application receipt dates described above (Section IV.3.A.) and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/dates.htm.

The NIH will not accept any application in response to this PA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of a substantial revision of an application already reviewed, but such application must include an Introduction addressing the previous critique.

Although there is no immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of an application, applicants are generally notified of the review and funding assignment within eight (8) weeks.


4. Intergovernmental Review
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

5. Funding Restrictions

All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The Grants Policy Statement can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm (See also Section VI.3. Award Criteria).


6. Other Submission Requirements


Specific Instructions for Modular Grant applications.
Applications requesting up to $250,000 per year in direct costs must be submitted in a modular budget format. The modular budget format simplifies the preparation of the budget in these applications by limiting the level of budgetary detail. Applicants request direct costs in $25,000 modules. Section C of the research grant application instructions for the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html includes step-by-step guidance for preparing modular budgets. Additional information on modular budgets is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.

Specific Instructions for Applications Requesting $500,000 (direct costs) or More per Year.
Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year must carry out the following steps:

1) Contact the IC program staff at least 6 weeks before submitting the application, i.e., as you are developing plans for the study;

2) Obtain agreement from the IC staff that the IC will accept your application for consideration for award; and,

3) Include a cover letter with the application that identifies the staff member and IC who agreed to accept assignment of the application.

This policy applies to all investigator-initiated new (type 1), competing continuation (type 2), competing supplement, or any amended or revised version of these grant application types. Additional information on this policy is available in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, October 19, 2001 at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-004.html.

Plan for Sharing Research Data

The precise content of the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data being collected and how the investigator is planning to share the data. Applicants who are planning to share data may wish to describe briefly the expected schedule for data sharing, the format of the final dataset, the documentation to be provided, whether or not any analytic tools also will be provided, whether or not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so, a brief description of such an agreement (including the criteria for deciding who can receive the data and whether or not any conditions will be placed on their use), and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under their own auspices by mailing a disk or posting data on their institutional or personal website, through a data archive or enclave). Investigators choosing to share under their own auspices may wish to enter into a data-sharing agreement. References to data sharing may also be appropriate in other sections of the application.

Applicants requesting more than $500,000 in direct costs in any year of the proposed research must include a plan for sharing research data in their application. The funding organization will be responsible for monitoring the data sharing policy. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing

The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data may be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit or the priority score.


Sharing Research Resources

NIH policy requires that grant recipients make unique research resources readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication. NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part7.htm#_Toc54600131. Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a plan for sharing research resources addressing how unique research resources will be shared or explain why sharing is not possible.

The adequacy of the resources sharing plan and any related data sharing plans will be considered by Program staff of the funding organization when making recommendations about funding applications. The effectiveness of the resource sharing will be evaluated as part of the administrative review of each non-competing Grant Progress Report. (PHS 2590). See Section VI.3. Award Criteria.

Section V. Application Review Information


1. Criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the standard criteria for scientific merit (section V.3 below).

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications submitted for this funding opportunity will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines. Appropriate scientific review groups convened in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures (http://www.csr.nih.gov/refrev.htm) will evaluate applications for scientific and technical merit.

As part of the initial merit review, all applications will:

3. Merit Review Criteria

The goals of NIH's supported research are to advance our understanding of biological systems, to improve the control of disease, and to enhance health. In their written critiques, reviewers will be asked to comment on each of the following criteria in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals. Each of these criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each application. Note that an application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For example, an investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field forward.

1. Significance . Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge or clinical practice be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

2. Approach . Are the conceptual or clinical framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?

3. Innovation . Is the project original and innovative? For example: Does the project challenge existing paradigms or clinical practice; address an innovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in the field? Does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or technologies for this area?

4. Investigators . Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers? Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the project (if applicable)?

5. Environment . Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed studies benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, or subject populations, or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?

3.A. Additional Review Criteria:

In addition to the above criteria, the following items will be considered in the determination of scientific merit and the priority score:

Protection of Human Subjects from Research Risk: The involvement of human subjects and protections from research risk relating to their participation in the proposed research will be assessed (see the Research Plan, Section E on Human Subjects in the PHS Form 398).

Inclusion of Women, Minorities and Children in Research: The adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research will be assessed. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated (see the Research Plan, Section E on Human Subjects in the PHS Form 398).

Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research: If vertebrate animals are to be used in the project, the five items described under Section F of the PHS Form 398 research grant application instructions will be assessed.


3.B. Additional Review Considerations

Budget: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period of support in relation to the proposed research. The priority score should not be affected by the evaluation of the budget.

3.C. Sharing Research Data

1. Data Sharing Plan: The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data may be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit or the priority score. The funding organization will be responsible for monitoring the data sharing policy. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing.

3.D. Sharing Research Resources

NIH policy requires that grant awardee recipients make unique research resources readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication. NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps and http://www.ott.nih.gov/policy/rt_guide_final.html. Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a sharing research resources plan addressing how unique research resources will be shared or explain why sharing is not possible.

The adequacy of the resources sharing plan will be considered by Program staff of the funding organization when making recommendations about funding applications. Program staff may negotiate modifications of the data and resource sharing plans with the Principal Investigator before recommending funding of an application. The final version of the data and resource sharing plans negotiated by both will become a condition of the award of the grant. The effectiveness of the resource sharing will be evaluated as part of the administrative review of each non-competing Grant Progress Report. (PHS 2590). See Section VI.3. Award Criteria.

Section VI. Award Administration Information


1. Award Notices

After the peer review of the application is completed, the Principal Investigator will also receive a written critique called a summary statement.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant. For details, applicants may refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_part4.htm

A formal notification in the form of a notice of award will be provided to the applicant organization. The notice of award signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document.

Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NGA (Notice of Grant Award) are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs. The NGA will be transmitted electronically to the institutional business official.


2. Administrative Requirements

All NIH Grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the notice of grant award. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part4.htm and Part II Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_part9.htm.

3. Award Criteria

The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

4. Reporting

Awardees will be required to submit the PHS Non-Competing Grant Progress Report, Form 2590 annually:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VII. Agency Contacts


We encourage your inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into two areas: scientific/research and financial or grants management issues:


1. Scientific/Research Contacts:

Martha L. Hare, Ph.D., R.N.
Office of Extramural Programs
National Institute of Nursing Research
6701 Democracy Blvd, Room 710, MSC 4870
Bethesda, MD 20892-4870
Telephone: (301) 451-3874
FAX: (301) 480-8260
Email: Martha.hare@nih.gov

Ann O'Mara, Ph.D, R.N.
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Blvd., Room 2010, MSC 7362
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 496-8541
FAX: (301) 496-8667
Email: omaraa@mail.nih.gov

2. Peer Review Contacts
Not Applicable

3. Financial or Grants Management Contacts

Ms. Teresa Marquette
Office of Grants and Contracts Management
National Institute of Nursing Research
6701 Democracy Blvd, Room 710, MSC 4870
Bethesda, MD 20892-4870
Telephone: (301) 594-2177
FAX: (301) 451-5651
Email: tm275a@nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information


Required Federal Citations

Use of Animals in Research:
Recipients of PHS support for activities involving live, vertebrate animals must comply with PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf), as mandated by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm), and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm), as applicable.

Human Subjects Protection:
Federal regulations (45CFR46) require that applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and others, and the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained. http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm.

Data and Safety Monitoring Plan:
Data and safety monitoring is required for all types of clinical trials, including physiologic toxicity, and dose-finding studies (phase I); efficacy studies (Phase II) efficacy, effectiveness and comparative trials (Phase III). Monitoring should be commensurate with risk. The establishment of data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for multi-site clinical trials involving interventions that entail potential risks to the participants. (NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, June 12, 1998: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).

Sharing Research Data:
Investigators submitting an NIH application seeking $500,000 or more in direct costs in any single year are expected to include a plan for data sharing or state why this is not possible. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing

Investigators should seek guidance from their institutions, on issues related to institutional policies, local IRB rules, as well as local, State and Federal laws and regulations, including the Privacy Rule. Reviewers will consider the data sharing plan but will not factor the plan into the determination of the scientific merit or the priority score.

Sharing of Model Organisms:
NIH is committed to support efforts that encourage sharing of important research resources including the sharing of model organisms for biomedical research (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/model_organism/index.htm). At the same time the NIH recognizes the rights of grantees and contractors to elect and retain title to subject inventions developed with Federal funding pursuant to the Bayh Dole Act (see the NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm).

All investigators submitting an NIH application or contract proposal that plan to produce new, genetically modified variants of model organisms and related resources are expected to include a sharing plan or to state why such sharing is restricted or not possible. The sharing of model organisms for research purposes is important, because reproducibility is a key tenet of science and it demonstrates proper stewardship of public funds. It is expected that establishment of such plans as a term of award will foster more rapid scientific progress by avoiding the use of limited resources and investigator time to reproduce previously developed model organisms. The inclusion of a model organism sharing plan is not subject to a cost threshold in any year and is expected to be included in all applications where the development of model organisms is anticipated.

Inclusion of Women And Minorities in Clinical Research:
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 clinical research projects unless a clear and compelling justification is 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 clinical research should read the "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html); a complete copy of the updated Guidelines is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm. The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural community. The policy continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that: a) all applications or proposals and/or protocols must provide a description of plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b) investigators must report annual accrual and progress in conducting analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

Inclusion of Children as Participants in Clinical Research:
The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) must be included in all clinical research, conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.

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 is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm.

Required Education on The Protection of Human Subject Participants:
NIH policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants for all investigators submitting NIH applications for research involving human subjects and individuals designated as key personnel. The policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.

Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC):
Criteria for federal funding of research on hESCs can be found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html. Only research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (see http://escr.nih.gov/ ) It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide in the project description and elsewhere in the application as appropriate, the official NIH identifier(s) for the hESC line(s)to be used in the proposed research. Applications that do not provide this information will be returned without review.

Public Access to Research Data through the Freedom of Information Act:
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm. Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include information about this in the budget justification section of the application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the potential for wider use of data collected under this award.

Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information:
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued final modification to the "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information", the "Privacy Rule", on August 14, 2002 . The Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection of individually identifiable health information, and is administered and enforced by the DHHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Decisions about applicability and implementation of the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides information on the Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text and a set of decision tools on "Am I a covered entity?" Information on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review, funding, and progress monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.

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. Furthermore, we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

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 PA is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.

Authority and Regulations:
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH Grants Policy Statement can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and discourage the 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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