INSTITUTIONAL MENTORED RESEARCH SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD FOR NEUROINFORMATICS

RELEASE DATE:  December 3, 2002

PA NUMBER:  PAR-03-034 (This PAR, requesting applications for the HBP, will not 
be reissued after it expires, see NOT-MH-05-014) 

EXPIRATION DATE:  September 23, 2005

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
 (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
 (http://www.nia.nih.gov/)
National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
 (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
 (http://www.nida.nih.gov/)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
 (http://www.nidr.nih.gov/)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
 (http://www.nasa.gov/)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
 (http://www.nsf.gov/)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
 (http://www.energy.gov/)

Letter of Intent Receipt Dates:  One month prior to receipt date
Application Receipt Dates:  January 21 May 21 September 22, 2003 
                            January 21 May 21 September 22, 2004
                            January 21 May 20 September 22, 2005

THIS PA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

o  Purpose of the PA
o  Research Objectives
o  Mechanism(s) of Support
o  Eligible Institutions
o  Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o  Special Requirements
o  Where to Send Inquiries
o  Letter of Intent
o  Submitting an Application
o  Peer Review Process
o  Review Criteria
o  Award Criteria
o  Required Federal Citations

PURPOSE OF THIS PA

This PA replaces PAR-99-136

The purpose of this program announcement (PA) is to encourage and support the 
development of applications from U.S. educational institutions for Institutional 
Mentored Research Scientist Development Awards (K12).  These awards are intended
to provide funding for departments of institutions of higher education to foster
the career development of individuals with interdisciplinary expertise bridging
the fields of neuroscience and behavioral science research with that in
informatics.  This institutional career development program is offered to
provide excellence in neuroscience informatics (neuroinformatics) research
competency.  It is intended to provide career development opportunities for
appointees to become leaders in neuroinformatics research in the development of
new web based databases, knowledge management systems, and analytical tools to
allow sharing of data for all domains of neuroscience research.  It also is
intended to train candidates to subsequently serve as mentors in the training of
future generations of technologically advanced neuroscientists.  Under this
Institutional Mentored Research Scientist Development Award, up to four
candidates may be selected and appointed to this program by the Principle
Investigator at the grantee institutions.  It is expected that the research
experiences of the candidates selected for support under this award should
resemble those supported by the individual Mentored Research Scientist
Development Award https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-019.html.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

This award aims to develop an appropriate environment where recently trained 
neuroscientists or computer scientists can be cross-trained in these two 
disciplines.  Appointees to the mentored program are expected to enter into a
well-structured, phased developmental program that includes a designated period
of didactic training, followed by a period of supervised research.  It is
expected that at the end of this career development period, individuals will
successfully transition into positions as fully independent investigators in the
field of neuroinformatics research.

This award aims to develop a close and extended working relationship between the 
appointee(s) and mentor(s) (one or more highly qualified neuroscientists and 
informaticians) working in neuroscience research or closely relevant fields
using informatics techniques.  The relationship should optimize the opportunity
for establishing ample interdisciplinary communications and training.  As a
result of this experience, the appointees should develop the capacity to
continue to apply the knowledge and research methods of their neuroinformatics
training to relevant neuroscience research problems.

The Human Brain Project (HBP) is a broadly based Federal research initiative,
which is sponsored by sixteen Federal organizations from four Federal agencies
and coordinated by the NIMH through the activities of the Federal Interagency 
Coordinating Committee of the Human Brain Project (FICC-HBP).  The HBP
initiative encourages and supports interdisciplinary neuroinformatics research,
which will lead to new web-based neuroscience databases, knowledge management
capabilities, and analytical tools to allow sharing of data for neuroscience
research.  For a detailed description on the research objectives of the FICC-HBP
sponsored Human Brain Project/Neuroinformatics Initiative, refer to this
program's homepage (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/neuroinformatics/index.cfm),
and PAR-03-035, The Human Brain Project (Neuroinformatics): Phase I & II 
(https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-03-035.html)

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This PA will use the NIH Institutional Mentored Research Scientist Development 
Award (K12) award mechanism.  As an applicant, you will be solely responsible
for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.  This program is
organized and supported by several Agencies and NIH Institutes.  Grant awards
will normally be for a five-year period.  Up to four appointee positions may be
requested.  Individual appointees may be supported for up to five years;
appointments are not renewable.  The duration of the appointment depends upon
the number of years of prior research experience and the need for additional
experiences to achieve independence.  Institutions with a K12 Award may recruit
and select appointees into their programs on a local or national basis.  In all
aspects, the K12 Awards are intended to provide support for the development of
research scientists in the same manner and under the same conditions as the
Mentored Research Scientist Development Award K01 (PA-00-019);
(see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-019.html).  It is the
intent of this program to support both basic and physician researchers.

ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS

Only U.S. educational institutions may apply

You may submit an application if your institution has any of the following 
characteristics:

o  For-profit or non-profit organizations
o  Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals,
and laboratories
o  Units of State and local governments
o  Domestic

The applicant institution must have adequate numbers of highly trained faculty
in scientific areas relevant to neuroinformatics and the capability to provide 
guidance to individuals, who wish to work at the interface of neuroscience
research with informatics, computer, communications or engineering sciences in
the development of research independence.  The environment should be one that
fosters interactions between basic and/or clinical neuroscientists with
informatics scientists.

INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to organize
and lead the proposed interdisciplinary training program is invited to work with
their institution and appropriate staff, representing the multidisciplinary K12
goals, to develop an application for support.  Individuals from underrepresented
racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are encouraged
to apply for NIH programs.  The Principal Investigator, who will serve as the
Program Director, also should be experienced in the design and management of
programs for developing investigators, and should be able to demonstrate a
superior record of preparation of neuroscientists or Informaticians for
independent research careers.  The applicant should be an established researcher
in informatics or neuroscience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

PROGRAM DIRECTOR:  The proposed Program Director should possess the scientific 
expertise, leadership, and administrative capabilities required to coordinate
and supervise an interdisciplinary program at the interface between neuroscience
and informatics research, and be willing to develop a career development program
of the scope described within this program announcement.  The Program Director
should also be experienced in the design and management of programs for
developing investigators, and should be able to demonstrate a superior record of
preparation of neuroscientists or informaticians for independent research
careers.  In addition, a committee with representatives from appropriate
sciences departments of both of these major bridging fields should be
established to help advise the Program Director and assure that the appointees
meets the expected background and requirements for selection into the program.

MENTOR(S):  For the appointees to receive training under a single mentor, the 
mentor must have extensive, well-demonstrated experience in both informatics and 
neuroscience.  If the mentor has exclusive experience related to one of these 
fields only, a co-mentor possessing the requisite reciprocal complementary 
experience must be selected by mutual agreement among the two co-mentors and the 
appointee(s).

The mentor(s) will sponsor and oversee the proposed career development, and will 
ensure that the appointee(s) receives the proper experience for developing an 
independent career in neuroinformatics research.  The mentor(s) is (are)
expected to collaborate on the appointee's research project.  In addition, the
appointee may conduct collaborative research with other scientists, subject to
the approval of their mentor(s).  Where feasible, women, minorities and
individuals with disabilities should be involved as mentors.

APPOINTEES:  Individuals are to be recruited from the research disciplines of 
informatics or neuroscience, with the primary objective of providing career 
development in the reciprocal area.  As such, appointees must hold a Ph.D. or an 
M.D. degree, or an equivalent professional degree in any of the disciplines:
(1) of basic or clinical neuroscience and/or behavioral science research; or
(2) of a non-biological, quantitative discipline such as informatics and/or
computational research (including computer sciences, mathematics, physics,
engineering, or any closely related sciences).

In exceptional cases, individuals who do not have doctoral degrees, but have 
significant research experience and expertise may be eligible.  The appointee
must demonstrate a commitment to pursue a career in neuroinformatics research
following completion of the award.  Individuals at all career levels may be
appointed.

Appointees selected for this program award must be U.S. citizens or non-citizen 
nationals, or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess an 
Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151 or I-551) or some other verification of 
legal admission as a permanent resident.  Non-citizen nationals, although not
U.S. citizens, owe permanent allegiance to the U.S.  They are usually born in
lands that are not states, but are under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or
administration.  Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.

Individuals, who are or have been former principal investigators on NIH research 
projects (R01), FIRST Awards (R29), subprojects of program project (P01) or
center grants (P50), or the equivalent, are not eligible for appointment under
this program.  Appointees may not concurrently hold any other PHS award that
duplicates the provisions of this award.  Appointees to the K12 program are
encouraged to apply for independent research grant support, exclusive of salary
during the period of support under this award.  Appointees with fewer than 3
years of support under this award will remain eligible to compete for individual
career development awards.  Relevant career award announcements can be found at: 
https://grants.nih.gov/training/careerdev/intro.html.  The maximum duration of 
support for a candidate under either the K12 program alone, or under combined 
Institutional career awards cannot exceed 5 years.  Tenure-track faculty are 
eligible for appointment if they can demonstrate that they can spend a
substantial portion of their professional effort (at a minimum 75 percent) in
research and career- development related activities, and if the proposed program
has the potential of accomplishing the goals of this Neuroinformatics K12
Program.  It is strongly suggested that candidates initiate their own research
grant application for independent support prior to the last year of the K12
award in order to ensure the continuation of their research program following
the termination of the K12 award.

An appointee selection advisory committee, with representatives from appropriate 
sciences departments of major bridging fields of neuroscience and computer
science should be established to advise the Program Director and assure that the
appointees meet the expected background and requirements for selection into the
program.

Allowable Costs

Appointee's Salary:  It is expected that the appointee will devote full-time
(100%) to career development and research activities.  However, up to 15 percent
of the appointee's time may be used for activities, such as teaching,
research-related activities or advising on research, which make use of the
awardees own discipline as a special contribution of this Neuroinformatics
Career Development Program to relevant interdisciplinary research programs of
the sponsoring institution.  In the case of tenure-track faculty, the appointee
must be willing to spend a substantial amount (a minimum of 75 percent) of their
professional effort in research and career development activities related to the
interface between neuroscience and neuroinformatics research and analyses, and
the goals of the K12 program.

This award mechanism will provide salary and fringe benefits for the K award 
appointee.  The salary limits are not uniform throughout the NIH and are
determined independently by each component of the NIH.  Therefore, prospective
appointees should contact the NIH component to which the application is targeted
to ascertain the maximum contribution to the appointee's salary.  The total
salary requested must be based on a full-time, 12-month staff appointment.  It
must be consistent both with the established salary structure at the institution
and with salaries actually provided by the institution from its own funds to
other staff members of equivalent qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in
the department concerned.  If full-time, 12-month salaries are not currently
paid to comparable staff members, the salary proposed must be appropriately
related to the existing salary structure.  Salary will be commensurate with the
level of effort (minimum of 75% of full-time salary).

The institution may supplement the contribution from this grant up to a level
that is consistent with the institution's salary scale; however, supplementation
may not be from Federal funds unless specifically authorized by the Federal
program from which such funds are derived.  In no case may DHHS funds be used
for salary supplementation.  Institutional supplementation of salary must not
require extra duties or responsibilities that would interfere with the purpose
of the K12 award.

Research Development Support:  Each appointee will be allowed up to $20,000 per 
year for the following expenses:  (a) tuition, including fees, and books
essential for specific identified training courses during the first two years on
a course-by course basis related to the career development program; (b) research
expenses, such as supplies, equipment and technical personnel; (c) travel to
research meetings or training and the Annual Spring Human Brain Project Meeting;
(d) statistical services including personnel and computer time which are
essential to the proposed research program.  Requests for research support must
be well justified in the application.

Funds to support travel to the two-day Annual Spring Human Brain Project Meeting
of Agencies and Grantees in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area should be
included in the budget for the principal investigator and other relevant
individuals supported under this program announcement.  In addition, funds
should also be requested for the participation of the PI at the annual meeting
of Principal Investigators

Ancillary Personnel Support:  Salary for mentors, secretarial and administrative 
support, etc., is not allowed.

Facilities and Administrative Costs:  These costs will be reimbursed at eight 
percent of modified total direct costs, or at the actual indirect cost rate, 
whichever is less.

EVALUATION:  In carrying out its stewardship of human resources related
programs, the sponsoring agency may request information essential to an
assessment of the effectiveness of this program.  Accordingly, recipients may be
contacted both for annual progress reports as well as for periodic updates after
the completion of this award on various aspects of their employment history,
publications, support from research grants and contracts, honors and awards,
professional activities, and other information helpful in evaluating the impact
of the program.  Such reports should also include such specific information for
any new appointees onto the awarded grant.

A final progress report, invention statement, and Financial Status Report are 
required upon either termination of an award or relinquishment of an award in a 
change of institution situation.

OTHER INCOME:  Appointees may retain royalties and fees for activities such as 
scholarly writing, service on advisory groups, or honoraria from other
institutions for lectures or seminars, and fees resulting from clinical
practice, professional consultation or other comparable activities, provided
these activities remain incidental, are not required by the research and
research-related activities of this award, and provided that the retention of
such pay is consistent with the policies and practices of the grantee
institution.

Fees from any other types of income must be assigned to the grantee institution
for disposition by any of the following methods:

The funds may be expended by the grantee institution in accordance with the
various FICC-HBP agencies and organization policies on supplementation of career
award salaries and to provide fringe benefits in proportion to such
supplementation.  Such salary supplementation and fringe benefit payments must
be within the established policies of the grantee institution.

The funds may be used for health-related research purposes.

The funds may be paid to miscellaneous receipts of the U.S. Treasury.  Checks
must be made payable to the Department of Health and Human Services, NIH and
forwarded to the Director, Division of Financial Management, NIH, Bethesda,
Maryland 20892.  Checks must identify the relevant award account and reason for
the payment.

Usually, funds budgeted in this neuroinformatics supported research or research 
training grant for the salaries or fringe benefits of individuals, but freed as
a result of a career award, may not be rebudgeted.  The awarding component will
give consideration to approval for the use of released funds only under unusual 
circumstances.  Any proposed retention of funds released, as a result of a
career award must receive prior written approval of the Sponsoring agency.

SPECIAL LEAVE:  Leave to another institution, including a foreign laboratory,
may be permitted if directly related to the purpose of the award.  Only local, 
institutional approval is required if such leave does not exceed three months.
For longer periods, prior written approval of the sponsoring organization is
required.  To obtain prior approval, the appointee must submit a letter to the
sponsoring organization describing the plan, countersigned by his or her
department head and the appropriate institutional official.  A copy of a letter
or other evidence from the institution where the leave is to be taken must be
submitted to assure that satisfactory arrangements have been made.  Support from
the career award will continue during such leave, not to exceed one year.

Leave without award support may not exceed 12 months.  Such leave requires the 
prior written approval of the sponsoring organization and will be granted only
in unusual situations.  Support from other sources is permissible during the
period of leave.  Such leave does not reduce the total number of months of
program support for which an individual is eligible.  Parental leave will be
granted consistent with the policies of the relevant sponsoring organizations
and the grantee institution.

Under unusual and pressing circumstances, an appointee may submit a written
request to the awarding component, requesting a reduction in professional effort
below 75 percent.  Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis
during the award period.  In no case, will it be permissible to work at a rate
of less than 50 percent effort.  The nature of the circumstances requiring
reduced effort might include medical conditions, disability, or pressing
personal or family situations such as child or elder care.  Permission to reduce
the level of effort will not be approved to accommodate other sources of
funding, job opportunities, clinical practice, or clinical training.  In each
situation, the grantee institution must submit documentation supporting the need
for reduced effort along with assurance of a continuing commitment to the
scientific development of the awardee.  Further, the appointee must submit
assurance of his or her intention to return to full-time professional effort
(at least 75 percent) as soon as possible.  During the period of reduced effort,
the salary and other costs supported by the award will be reduced accordingly.

TERMINATION OR CHANGE OF INSTITUTION:  When a grantee institution plans to 
terminate an award, the funding organizations must be notified in writing at the 
earliest possible time, so that appropriate instructions can be given for 
termination.  If the principal investigator is moving to another eligible 
institution of higher education, no relocation costs will be allowed and career 
award support may be continued provided:

o  A new career award application is submitted from the new eligible institution
of higher education;

o  All conditions of the award are met at the new institution including the 
presence of a qualified mentor;

o  The period of support requested is no more than the time remaining within the 
existing award period;

o  The new application is submitted far enough in advance of the requested 
effective date to allow the necessary time for review; and

o  There is no negative impact upon appointees in the program 

The sponsoring organization may require a review by an initial review group
and/or the National Advisory Councils of each of the specific sponsoring
FICC-HBP organizations.  Alternatively, program staff and the Directors Office
within the various specific FICC-HBP funding organizations, depending upon the
particular circumstances may carry out review.

The Director(s) of the specific FICC-HBP sponsoring organizations and agencies
may discontinue an award upon determination that the purpose or terms of the
award are not being fulfilled.  In the event that an award is terminated, these
relevant Directors shall collectively notify the grantee institution and career
award recipient in writing of this determination, the reason thereof, the
effective date, and the right to appeal the decision.

WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES

We encourage your inquiries concerning this PA and welcome the opportunity to 
answer questions from potential applicants.  Inquiries may fall into three
areas:  scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants management
issues.  Representatives from each of the participating agencies, institutes and
center can be contacted for further information or clarification.

o  General programmatic inquiries regarding the Human Brain Project should be 
directed to:

Stephen H. Koslow, Ph.D.
Chair, FICC-HBP
Office on Neuroinformatics
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6167, MSC 9613
Bethesda, MD  20892-9613
Telephone:  (301) 443-1815
FAX:  (301) 443-1867
Email:  koz@helix.nih.gov

A current list of Agency Contacts may be found at: 
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/neuroinformatics/agencycontacts.cfm

o  Questions regarding scientific/research issues related to participating ICs
may be directed to these individuals:

National Institute of Mental Health
Michael D. Hirsch, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Office on Neuroinformatics
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6167, MSC 9613
Bethesda, MD  20892-9613
Telephone:  (301) 443-1815
FAX:  (301) 443-1867
Email:  mhirsch@helix.nih.gov

National Institute on Aging
Molly V. Wagster, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 3C307, MSC 9205
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205
Telephone:  (301) 496-9350
FAX:  (301) 496-1494
Email:  wagsterm@nia.nih.gov

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Lisa Freund, Ph.D.
Director, Research Programs in Developmental Psychobiology and Neuroscience
Human Learning and Behavior Branch
Center for Research for Mothers and Children
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 4B05, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Telephone:  (301) 435-6879
FAX:  (301) 480-7773
Email:  freundl@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Drug Abuse
Thomas Aigner, Ph.D.
Division of Basic Research
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 4282, MSC 9555
Bethesda, MD  20892-9555
Telephone:  (301) 443-6975
FAX:  (301) 594-6043
Email:  taigner@nida.nih.gov

National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research
Eleni Kousvelari, DDS, D.Sc.
Chief, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Physiology and Biotechnology Branch
Division of Basic and Translational Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 4AN-18A, MSC 6402
Bethesda, MD  20892-6402
Telephone:  (301) 594-2427
FAX:  (301) 480-8318
Email:  kousvelari@de45.nidr.nih.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Marc Shepanek, Ph.D.
300 E Street, S.W.
Washington, DC  20546
Telephone:  (202) 358-2201
FAX:  (202) 358-4168
Email:  mshepane@hq.nasa.gov

National Science Foundation
Soo-Siang Lim, Ph.D. or
Diane Witt, Ph.D.
Behavioral Neuroscience and Neuroendocrinology Program
Division of Integrative Biology and Neuroscience
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Room 685S 
Arlington, VA  22230
Telephone:  (703) 292-8423 
FAX:  (703) 292-9153
Email:  slim@nsf.gov
Email:  dwitt@nsf.gov

U.S. Department of Energy
Dean Cole, Ph.D.
Office of Biological and Environmental Research
Medical Science Division
SC-73/Germantown Building
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC  20585-1290
Telephone:  (301) 903-3268
FAX:  (301) 903-0567
Email:  dean.cole@science.doe.gov

o  Direct your questions about peer review issues to:

Peter M. Lyster, Ph.D.
Scientific Review Administrator
Center for Scientific Review
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5218, MSC 7850
Bethesda, MD 20892-7850
Bethesda, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)
Telephone:  (301) 435 1256
FAX:  (301) 480 2241 (fax)
Email:  lysterp@mail.nih.gov

o  Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:

National Institute of Mental Health
Joy R. Knipple
Grants Management Branch
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6131, MSC 9605
Bethesda, MD  20892-9605
Telephone:  (301) 443-8811
FAX:  (301) 443-6885
Email:  jk173r@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Aging
Linda Whipp
Grants and Contracts Management Office
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2N212, MSC 9205
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205
Telephone:  (301) 496-1472
FAX:  (301) 402-3672
Email: whippl@nia.nih.gov

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Douglas E. Shawver
Grants Management Branch
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8A17F, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Telephone:  (301) 435-6999
FAX:  (301) 402-0915
Email:  shawverd@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Drug Abuse
Gary Fleming, J.D., M.A.
Chief, Grants Management Officer
Grants Management Branch
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 3131, MSC 9541
Bethesda, MD  20892-9541
Telephone:  (301)  443-6710
FAX:  (301) 594-6849
Email:  gf6s@nih.gov

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Bonnie Smith
Division of Extramural Research
45 Center Drive, Room 4AN-44 MSC 6402
Bethesda, MD  20892-6402
Telephone:  (301) 594-4800
FAX:  (301) 480-8301
Email:  bonnie.smith@nih.gov

LETTER OF INTENT

It is recommended that applicants contact the appropriate program official(s) 
listed under INQUIRIES and submit a letter of intent that includes the following 
information:

o  Descriptive title of the proposed research
o  Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator
o  Names of other key personnel
o  Participating institutions
o  Number and title of this PA

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter 
into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains 
allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.  
Each letter of intent will be distributed to all of the sponsoring agencies, 
institutes and center.

The letter of intent is to be submitted to Dr. Stephen H. Koslow at the address 
listed above, by the receipt dates listed in the heading of this PA.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application 
instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001).  The PHS 398 is available at 
https://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.

APPLICATION RECEIPT DATES:  Applications submitted in response to this program 
announcement will be accepted on the application receipt dates listed in the 
heading of this program announcement.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATIONS REQUESTING $500,000 OR MORE PER YEAR: 
Applications requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year must
include a cover letter identifying the NIH staff member within one of NIH
institutes or centers who has agreed to accept assignment of the application.

Applicants requesting more than $500,000 must carry out the following steps:

1) Contact the Institute/Center (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) Identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, 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 
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-004.html.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS:

To identify the application as a response to this PA, check "Yes" on item 2, and 
the title and number of the PA must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the 
application form.  Follow the PHS 398 instructions for "Preparing Your 
Application," inclusive of format specifications, page limitations, and content 
requirements.  Note that, in accordance with the standard PHS 398 SPECIFIC 
INSTRUCTIONS, sections "a-d" of the Research Plan are limited to 25 pages total.  
In response to this PA, include the following information where indicated in
these instructions:

Research Plan

Preliminary Data: Part "c" of the Research Plan section should be retitled 
"Preliminary Data and Activities" and included if applicable.  This section
should contain information on steps that have led to the proposed Education
Project.  Future competitive continuations should include a section entitled
"Progress Report."

Education Plan: Part "d" of the Research Plan should be retitled "Education
Program Plan" and should contain material organized under the following
subheadings, as appropriate to the specific project:

Program Director.  Describe the qualifications of the program director, 
demonstrating:

o  Scientific, leadership and administrative qualifications to coordinate and 
supervise a career development program in neuroinformatics research.

o  Commitment to the development of neuroinformatics research.

o  Evidence of a superior record in the design and management of programs that 
prepare neuroscientists or informaticians for independent research careers.

Mentor(s):  Describe the qualifications of the mentor(s):

o  To address specific neuroscience research questions utilizing a
neuroinformatics approach.

o  To provide the appointee(s) with appropriate didactic and interdisciplinary 
research training experience for developing a future independent career in 
neuroinformatics research.

o  Where more than one mentor is involved, provide information on how they will 
collaborate on the appointees research projects.

Appointees:

o  Describe the pool of potential appointees, including information about the
types of prior research training.  Also, describe the criteria to be used by an
advisory committee for the selection of the appointments to the K12 Award.
Describe the composition of the selection committee and the criteria to be used
for selection of the members of this committee.

o  Describe plans to recruit appointees from racial or ethnic groups that are 
currently underrepresented in biomedical research.

o  Describe the types of interdisciplinary neuroinformatics research experiences 
available to the appointees.

Program Direction:

o  Summarize the immediate and long-term objectives of the program, explaining
how the program and the K12 award will contribute to their attainment.

o  Describe arrangements for the organization and administration of the program.

Career Development Plan:

o  Describe the plans for prospective appointees.  Considering the program goals 
and the likely goals of prospective appointees, describe a plan to provide the 
necessary basic science background and research experiences considering the 
expected range of prior research training in the applicant pool.  For example, 
appointees with little previous research experience may require a phased 
developmental period in which the first year or two of support under this
program award are comprised largely of didactic training in the basic sciences.
For these appointees, a second phase would be an intensive, supervised research
experience to complete the five-year developmental program.  More experienced
appointees may benefit from moving immediately to a mentored research
environment, and a shorter period of support under this program award.

o  The application should contain a description of how the career development
plan will be tailored to the needs of the prospective appointees.

Instructions in the responsible conduct of research:  Applications must include 
plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research, including the 
rationale, subject matter, appropriateness, format, frequency and duration of 
instruction; and the amount and nature of faculty participation.  No award will
be made if an application lacks this component.

Environment and Institutional Commitment:  Provide information establishing the 
commitment and support by the applicant institution, the program director, and
the mentors to provide developmental experiences that lead to independence in an 
interdisciplinary program in neuroinformatics research.

Collaborator's Statement:  Include information about any collaborators,
including their research qualifications.  The application must also include
information describing the nature and extent of collaboration that will occur
during the proposed award period under the approval of the mentor(s).

Non-competitive Continuations:  These reports must include a detailed evaluative 
account of the career outcomes of all appointees supported by this grant.  The 
reports should include employment history, publications, support from research 
grants and contracts, honors and awards, professional activities, and other 
information demonstrating that this program award is meeting the objectives of
the FICC-HBP sponsored Program and the specific awarding organizations of the
grant.

Competing Continuation Applications:  In addition to the information reported in 
the non-competitive renewals, the applicant should include a general progress 
report that highlights achievements under this award since the last competitive 
review. Also list changes, if any, in professional staffing since the last 
competitive review.

The title and number of the program announcement must be typed on line 2 of the 
face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked

SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH:  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
Bethesda, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

APPLICATION PROCESSING:  Applications must be received by the receipt dates
listed in the heading of this PA.  The CSR 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 CSR
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.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Applications submitted for this PA will be assigned on the basis of established
PHS referral guidelines.  A special scientific review group 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:

o  Receive a written critique
o  Undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest 
scientific merit, generally the top half of the applications under review, will
be discussed and assigned a priority score
o  Receive a second level review by the appropriate national advisory council or 
board

REVIEW CRITERIA

The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health.  In the
written comments, reviewers will be asked to discuss the following aspects of
your application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research
will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals:

o  Significance
o  Approach
o  Innovation
o  Investigator
o  Environment

The scientific review group will address and consider each of these criteria in 
assigning your application's overall score, weighting them as appropriate for
each application.  Your 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, you 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 your study address an important problem? If the aims of 
your application are achieved, how do they advance scientific knowledge?  What
will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this
field?

(2) APPROACH:  Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses 
adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the
project?  Do you acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative
tactics?

(3) INNOVATION:  Does your project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? 
Are the aims original and innovative?  Does your project challenge existing 
paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

(4) INVESTIGATOR:  Are you appropriately trained and well suited to carry out
this work?  Is the work proposed appropriate to your experience level as the
principal investigator and to that of other researchers (if any)?

(5) ENVIRONMENT:  Does the scientific environment in which your work will be
done contribute to the probability of success?  Do the proposed experiments take 
advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful 
collaborative arrangements?  Is there evidence of institutional support?

ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA:  In addition to the above criteria, your application 
will also be reviewed with respect to the following:

PROTECTIONS:  The adequacy of the proposed protection for humans, animals, or
the environment, to the extent they may be adversely affected by the project
proposed in the application.

INCLUSION:  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.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of
subjects will also be evaluated.  (See Inclusion Criteria included in the
section on Federal Citations, below)

DATA SHARING:  The adequacy of the proposed plan to share data.

BUDGET:  The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period of 
support in relation to the proposed research.

OTHER REVIEW CRITERIA:  These review criteria will be applied, as relevant, to
the evaluation of the following key components of the application:

Program Director:

o  The strength of the program director's research program at the interface of 
neuroscience and informatics research and other related scientific disciplines;

o  The program director's experience in managing research training or career 
development programs, and success in preparing investigators for independent 
interdisciplinary research careers representative of the interface between 
neuroscience and informatics research (or another closely related informatics 
discipline).

Appointees(s):

o  Plans for recruiting and selecting high quality appointees (including 
minorities, women and individuals with disabilities), with a commitment to
research and the potential to develop as an independent researcher; and

o  For competitive renewal applications: the career successes of appointees that 
have received support and completed their mentorship under this award.

Career Development Plan:

o  Likelihood that the career development plan will contribute substantially to
the scientific development of the appointees;

o  Likelihood that the career development program of the appointees will result
in preparing investigators who will contribute to the goals of the Human Brain 
Project; Appropriateness of the content, the phasing, and the proposed duration
of the career development plan for achieving scientific independence for the 
prospective appointees;

o  Consistency of the career development plan with prospective appointees career 
goals; and

o  Quality of the training for the responsible conduct of research.

Research Opportunities and Mentors:

o  Availability of research opportunities appropriate to the purpose of this 
program;

o  Commitment of proposed mentors to the requisite interdisciplinary training in 
neuroinformatics; and

o  Previous experience of the mentors in fostering the development of
researchers.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended 
applications.  The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

o  Scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review
o  Availability of funds
o  Relevance to program priorities

POST-AWARD MANAGEMENT

The FICC-HBP committee maintains a Human Brain Project/Neuroinformatics web site
in order to provide the public and scientists with the most recent activities of
this program. (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/neuroinformatics/index.cfm).  Each funded
grant application will be listed and briefly described (provided by the
principal investigator), and hotlinks provided to connect interested parties
directly to the HBP grantees' web site.  The grantees' web page to which the
hotlink connects should indicate the program support from the Human Brain
Project, the individual supporting Agencies/Institutes and the Logo.  The
individual web sites of grantees are expected to contain complete and accurate
information on the activities of their funded Human Brain Project, and to be
maintained by the principal investigator to ensure that it contains the most
current information on the project, as well as the availability of new resources
or capabilities created via this mechanism.  The Human Brain Project web site
also contains a listing of all publications, software, hardware, and patents
that have resulted from this funding.  The principal investigator shall provide,
at a minimum, to the coordinating Human Brain Project Office an updated listing
of these results, electronically in cold fusion, at least two times per year.
This list should contain appropriate hot links to allow individuals to find
either the source document and/or additional directly relevant information.
Grantees are expected to participate in the Annual Spring Human Brain Project
Meetings of Agencies and Grantees and the annual Principal Investigator Meeting.
These meetings will promote communications among different groups of HBP
investigators, who are involved in research, curricula development, and career
development and/or other cross-training activities in neuroinformatics.  All
publications and meeting abstracts etc. resulting from HBP funding should give
appropriate citation to the Human Brain Project and the funding Institutes and
Agencies.

REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS

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 AMENDMENT "NIH 
Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical
Research - Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts on October 9, 2001
(https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html);
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at
https://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 RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS:  The 
NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.  This
policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates
after October 1, 1998.

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 
https://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 proposals for research involving human subjects.
You will find this policy announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts 
Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.

HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS:  Criteria for federal funding of research on hESCs
can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/stem_cells.htm and at 
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html.  Only
research using 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 the official NIH
identifier(s)for the 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
https://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.

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 Nos. 93.281 (NIMH), 93.866 (NIA), 93.865 (NICHD), 93.279 
(NIDA), 93.121 (NIDCR), 47.074 (NSF), and 81.049 (DOE), and is not subject to
the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health
Systems Agency review.  Awards are made under authorization of Sections 301 and
405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and
administered under NIH grants policies described at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm and under Federal Regulations
42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.

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.

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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