Full Text PAR-97-015 NIMH SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 42, December 6, 1996 PA NUMBER: PAR-97-015 P.T. 34 Keywords: Grants Administration/Policy+ Emotional/Mental Health Mental Disorders National Institute of Mental Health PURPOSE The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Small Grants Program provides research support of up to $50,000 per year (direct costs) for up to two years for new research projects relevant to the mission of the NIMH. This award is not renewable. This Program Announcement replaces and supersedes the NIMH portion of PA-91-08. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This PA, NIMH Small Grants Program, is related to the priority areas of mental health and mental disorders. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report: Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-512-1800). ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Applications for small research grants may be submitted by any public or private, for profit or nonprofit institution such as: a university, college, hospital, or laboratory; units of State or local government; and authorized units of Federal government. Foreign institutions are not eligible for this program announcement. Small grant support may not be used to supplement research projects already being supported or to provide interim support of projects under review by the Public Health Service. Simultaneous submissions of both a small and regular research grant application on the same topic will not be accepted. Small grant support may not be requested for thesis or dissertation research. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as Principal Investigators. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT This program will use the small grant (R03) mechanism. Support may be requested for up to two years at $50,000 per year in direct costs, plus allowable indirect costs, and an award is not renewable. A no- cost extension of up to 1 year may be granted to the grantee institution prior to expiration of the project period. Support for subsequent years may be requested through regular research grant programs. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The small grant program provides limited and relatively rapid financial support for research within the program interests of the NIMH. Funding decisions will be based on scientific merit as determined by peer review, with priority given to applications in any of the following four categories: 1. Newer, less experienced investigators. 2. Investigators at institutions without well developed research traditions and resources. 3. More experienced investigators, for exploratory studies that represent significant change in research direction for them. 4. More experienced investigators, for testing new methods or techniques. Applications must include an introductory paragraph in the research plan section of the application identifying which priority category (1 through 4 above) is relevant and providing explicit justification for its applicability. If the application does not fall into any of the priority categories, this should be stated. Applications may be made for support of research in any scientific area relevant to mental health. While applications may involve a wide variety of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical disciplines, relevance to the mission of the NIMH must be clear. Applications for studies outside these areas will be returned without review. Potential applicants with questions concerning acceptability of their proposed work may contact the program staff listed under INQUIRIES. Division of Epidemiology and Services Research The Division of Epidemiology and Services Research directs, plans, supports, and conducts programs of research, research demonstrations, research training, and resource development in prevention, clinical services and service systems research, epidemiology, psychopathology, assessment, classification, violence and traumatic stress, law and mental health, and health and behavior. Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science The Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science directs, plans, supports, and conducts programs of research, research demonstrations, research training, and resource development to further understand the etiology, and pathophysiology of mental disorders with a focus on: behavioral and social sciences, cognitive sciences, and neurosciences, including neuroimaging, neurophysiology, neuropsychopharmacology, and cellular and molecular neurobiology. Division of Clinical and Treatment Research The Division of Clinical Research directs, plans, supports, and conducts programs of research, research demonstrations, research training, and resource development in psychopathology, classification, assessment, etiology, genetics, clinical course, outcome, and treatment of mental disorders with emphasis on schizophrenic disorders, affective and anxiety disorders, and mental disorders of children and adolescents, the elderly, minorities, and other special populations. The Division also coordinates the Institute's medications development program. Office on AIDS The Office of AIDS supports programs of research that focus on the mental health issues of persons with AIDS, persons who are HIV positive, or persons who are at risk of contracting the virus. Office on Rural Mental Health Research The Office on Rural Mental Health Research supports programs of research that focus on the mental health issues of persons who live in rural areas. INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This new policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43) and supersedes and strengthens the previous policies (Concerning the Inclusion of Women in Study Populations, and Concerning the Inclusion of Minorities in Study Populations), which have been in effect since 1990. The new policy contains some provisions that are substantially different from the 1990 policies. All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and reprinted in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, Number 11, March 18, 1994. Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program staff listed under INQUIRIES. Program staff may also provide additional relevant information concerning the policy. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated in the application kit. Application kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Office of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone (301) 710-0267; FAX (301) 480-0525; Email: ASKNIH@ODROCKM1.OD.NIH.GOV. The title and number of the program announcement must be typed in Section 2 on the face page of the application. The application must be completed according to the instructions accompanying the PHS 398, with two exceptions: 1. The narrative portion of the small grant application that describes the research plan (items a-d) may not exceed 10 pages of text. Applications exceeding this length will be returned without review. Appendices may not be used to exceed the page limitation. 2. An introductory paragraph to the research plan must identify which of the four priority categories listed under RESEARCH OBJECTIVES applies and provide an explanation of how that priority category applies. If the application does not fall into any of the priority areas, this should be stated. The completed original application and five legible copies must be sent or delivered to: DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for courier/overnight service) REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Applications that are complete will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures. All applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score. Review Criteria When reviewing applications for scientific merit, the review committee will consider the following criteria: o Innovativeness/significance of the research idea; creativity of the approach o Qualifications of the Principal Investigator and other relevant staff o For pilot studies, the potential of the proposed study to be a building block in the development of future research o Appropriateness of the proposed approach; i.e. the research design, methods, and analyses o Availability and quality of the proposed resources. Appropriateness of the budget for the tasks proposed. o Adequacy of plans to include both genders and minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. The initial review group will also examine the provisions for the protection of human and animal subjects, the safety of the research environment, and conformance with the NIH Guidelines for the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research. In applying the above criteria, reviewers take into consideration the stage of scientific career development of the principal investigator. After their review for scientific merit and the assignment of a priority score, reviewers will evaluate the justification provided for the priority category listed for this program. An administrative note in the summary statement documenting the review will reflect their evaluation. AWARD CRITERIA Criteria for funding of applications include the scientific merit of the application, relevance to areas of interest described in the institute research program announcements, and availability of funds. In addition, NIMH staff will consider the IRG evaluation of the justification for the small grant priority category. While this program announcement does not specifically exclude applications that do not fall into one of the priority categories, applications that are in these areas will be given priority in funding. Accordingly, other applicants are advised to consider applying for regular research grants even if they are requesting support that is within the small grant program dollar and time limits. INQUIRIES Inquiries are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Kenneth G. Lutterman, Ph.D. Division of Epidemiology and Services Research National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-95 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-3373 FAX: (301) 443-4045 Email: klutterm@nih.gov Henry Khachaturian, Ph.D. Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11-103 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-8033 FAX: (301) 443-1731 Email: hk11b@nih.gov David Stoff, Ph.D. Division of Clinical and Treatment Research National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10C-16 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-1636 FAX: (301) 480-8976 Email: dstoff@nih.gov Lauretta Grau, Ph.D. Office on AIDS National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-75 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-6100 FAX: (301) 443-9719 Email: LGrau@nih.gov Anthony Pollitt, Ph.D. Office of Rural Mental Health Research National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-104 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-9001 FAX: (301) 443-6893 Email: apollitt@nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Diana S. Trunnell Grants Management Branch National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 7C-08 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-2805 FAX: (301) 443-6885 Email: Diana_Trunnell@nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.242. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. Awards will be administered under PHS grants policy as stated in the Public Health Service Grants Policy Statement (April 1, 1994). PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the nonuse 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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