Full Text GM-97-009
 
SUPPORT OF MORE PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONAL WORKSHOPS ON GRANTWRITING
 
NIH Guide, Volume 26, Number 27, August 15, 1997
 
RFA:  GM-97-009
 
P.T.


Keywords: 

 
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
 
Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  October 18, 1997
Application Receipt Dates:  November 18, 1997
 
PURPOSE
 
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) invites
cooperative agreement (U13) applications for interactive,
instructional workshops on grant writing. The workshops will be
targeted toward faculty from minority serving institutions who intend
to apply for grants from the Division of Minority Opportunities in
Research (MORE), NIGMS or other grants from the National Institutes
of Health.  Applicants may propose recurring activities.  In these
cases NIGMS would consider funding applications for up to five years.
 
The MORE Division provides research and training opportunities for:
(1) students from minority groups underrepresented in the biomedical
sciences, including mathematics; and (2) faculty at institutions with
significant enrollment of underrepresented minorities.  The MORE
Division seeks innovative ways to improve the grantwriting skills and
abilities (competitiveness) of program directors, and faculty at
institutions eligible for support by MORE programs.
 
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
Applications may be submitted by domestic, for-profit and non-profit
organizations, public and private such as scientific or professional
societies, universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of
state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal
government.  Applications from foreign organizations will not be
accepted. Minority individuals and women are encouraged to apply.
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
Awards made under this RFA will use the cooperative agreement (U13)
grant mechanism.  The rules and regulations that apply to cooperative
agreements (U13) are the same as those that apply to conference
grants (R13) with one important distinction.  After award, MORE
program staff will be substantially involved in the planning and
conduct of the workshop, assisting the Principal Investigator
according to specific Terms and Conditions.  These Terms and
Conditions are given below under SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS and will be
included in each Notice of Grant Award. Facilities and administrative
(FOA) costs will not be allowed on grants in support of scientific or
program related meetings except in the most unusual circumstances and
then only if an appropriate amount is established between the
applicant organization and the NIGMS in advance of the award.
 
The total project period for applications submitted in response to
the present RFA may not exceed five years.  The anticipated award
date is July 1, 1998.
 
Although this program is provided for in the financial plans of
NIGMS, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the
availability of funds for this purpose.
 
 At this time, NIGMS has not determined whether this solicitation
will be continued beyond the present RFA.
 
FUNDS AVAILABLE
 
NIGMS will make up to $250,000 available to support this
solicitation. The NIGMS anticipates making one award in response to
this RFA.
 
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
 
Terms and Conditions of Cooperative Agreement Award.
 
o  The Principal Investigator will have the primary authority and
responsibility to define objectives and approaches; plan, publicize,
and conduct the instructional workshop; and publish the results
thereof. o  The Principal Investigator will retain custody of and
have primary rights to information developed under the cooperative
agreement, subject to Government rights of access, consistent with
current DHHS, PHS, and NIH policies.
 
o  The appropriate MORE program staff member will assist, but not
direct, the Principal Investigator in the planning and conduct of the
workshop to ensure that the function is relevant and responsive to
MORE Division goals.  This will include assisting the Principal
Investigator in finalizing the format and selecting topics for
discussion, and publicizing the availability of the workshop.
 
o  Publication and copyright agreements, and the requirements for
financial status reports, retention of records, and terminal progress
reports will be as stated in the NIH publication, "Support of
Scientific Meetings" (May 1997).
 
o  An independent, third party individual, acceptable to both the
Principal Investigator and the MORE Division will be asked to serve
as an arbitrator of any serious differences of opinion on
programmatic issues that may arise during the planning and conduct
the workshop. This special arbitration process will in no way affect
the rights of the recipient to appeal an adverse action in accordance
with PHS regulations of 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and DHHS
regulations of 45 CFR Part 16.
 
These special terms and conditions of cooperative agreement award are
in addition, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable OMB
administrative guidelines, DHHS grant administrative regulations at
45 CFR Parts 74 and 92, and other DHHS, PHS, and NIH grant
administration policies.
 
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
Background
 
The MORE Division administers research and research training grants
aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minority
biomedical researchers through three components, the MARC Branch, the
MBRS Branch, and Special Initiatives. The MORE Division seeks
innovative ways to improve the skills and abilities (competitiveness)
of program directors, and faculty at institutions supported by MORE
programs.
 
The MARC Branch:  The MARC Branch offers special research training
grants to four year colleges, universities, and health professions
schools with substantial enrollments of underrepresented minority
students.  The goals of the branch are to increase the number and
capabilities of minorities engaged in biomedical research and to
strengthen science curricula and student research opportunities at
minority and/or minority serving institutions.  The branch also
provides individual predoctoral fellowships to former MARC
undergraduates.
 
The MBRS Branch:  The goal of the MBRS Branch is to increase the
number of researchers who are members of minority groups that are
underrepresented in the biomedical sciences by awarding research
grants to two and four year colleges, universities and health
professions schools with substantial enrollments of minorities. These
grants:  (1) support research by faculty members; (2) strengthen the
institution's biomedical research capabilities; and (3) provide
opportunities for students to participate as part of a research team.
 
Special Initiatives:  The MORE Division develops and supports new
research and research training programs for underrepresented minority
students and scientists via special initiatives.  The Division is
also responsible for organizing meetings and other activities that
build networks among individuals and educational institutions and
promote underrepresented minority participation in sponsored
research.
 
SPECIAL OBJECTIVES
 
The specific intent of this announcement is to solicit applications
for an interactive, writing intensive instructional workshop on
writing effective applications for NIH grants.  It is anticipated
that such an activity would spread over six to ten weeks much as a
graduate course might. In such a format participants would receive
timely feedback on their submitted writing.  In order to reach the
target audience of potential MORE Division applicants, which may
number 60 to 80 individuals per year who may not be able to spend
extended time away from their home campus, it is suggested that the
workshop include the use of interactive Internet technology.
 
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the workshop will be required.
Therefore the overall plan for the activity must include specific
plans for evaluating its effectiveness.
 
LETTER OF INTENT
 
A Letter of Intent is required at least 30 days before the
application deadline, i.e. by October 18, 1997. The Letter of Intent
must include a descriptive title of the proposed course or workshop,
the name, address, and telephone number of the Principal
Investigator, the identities of other key personnel and participating
institutions, and the number and title of the RFA in response to
which the application may be submitted, and a brief description of
the content, audience and requested budget. The Letter of Intent may
be no more than one page.
 
The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Clifton Poodry at the
address listed under INQUIRIES.
 
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
 
Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 5/95).  Application kits are available at most
institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from
the Office of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, Office
of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health, 6701
Rockledge, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone (301) 710-0267; email:
asknih@odrockm1.od.nih.gov.
 
The NIH publication, "Support of Scientific Meetings" (NIH Guide to
Grants and Contracts, Vol 26 #15 May 9, 1997) provides important
information and supplemental instructions for completing the
application including allowable expenditures and the applicable
policies. This publication is available from the Office of Extramural
Outreach and Information Resources. See Application Procedures for
address.
 
Budget requests should be submitted on pages 4 and 5 of form PHS 398.
Clear justification is needed for all activities, particularly those
proposed for future years.
 
Applications must address the inclusion of women, minorities, and
persons with disabilities in the workshops.  NIH guidelines on this
issue are published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol.
24, No. 15, April 28, 1995.
 
In the research plan section of the application, describe how the
proposed instructional workshop will promote MORE programs goals.
This section should also be used to provide a detailed description of
the objectives, plans, and logistics of the workshop.  Sample
instructional materials or workbooks should be included as
appendices.  In addition, the applicant should provide a statement
acknowledging and agreeing to NIGMS staff post-award involvement in
planning and conducting the course or workshop, and should describe
plans to accommodate this involvement. Plans must be described for
evaluating the effectiveness of the
workshop.
 
The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) application form
must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.
Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the
application such that it may not reach the review committee in time
for review.  In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on
line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must
be marked.
 
The complete and signed original application and three exact copies,
in one package with any appendices, must be mailed 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 express/courier service)
 
At the same time, an additional two copies must be sent under
separate cover to:
 
Chief, Office of Scientific Review
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Building 45, Room 1AS.19 - MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
 
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
 
Upon receipt, applications will be administratively reviewed by NIH
staff.  Incomplete and/or unresponsive applications or applications
without approved letters of intent, will be returned to the applicant
without further consideration.   Applications that are complete and
responsive will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an
appropriate peer review group convened in accordance with the
standard NIH peer review procedures.
 
As part of the initial merit review, 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,
assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the
National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council.
 
Review Criteria
 
o  the adequacy of the scope and content of the proposed activity o
the qualifications of the proposed director/organizer and other
activity coordinators and faculty as evidence by experience in
conducting similar workshops and past success in obtaining NIH
funding o  the appropriateness of the proposed format for achieving
the stated goals
o  the adequacy of the resources and environment including the
numbers and availability of faculty.
o  plans for the appropriate involvement of women, racial and ethnic
minorities, and persons with disabilities in the planning and
implementation of the proposed workshop
o  the validity and adequacy of the instruments to be used for
evaluation of the activity
o  the appropriateness of the budget
 
Due to the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement award,
some details of the planning and conduct of the course or workshop
will not be known until after the award, when MORE staff assists the
Principal Investigator in key areas.
 
AWARD CRITERIA
 
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
 
o  merit of the proposed course or workshop as determined by peer
review;
o  relevance to MORE program goals and objectives; and
o  availability of funds.
 
The anticipated award date is July 1, 1998.
 
INQUIRIES
 
Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.
The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential
applicants is welcomed. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged
to contact MORE Division staff prior to the preparation and
submission of a letter of intent to ascertain whether the NIGMS has
an interest in supporting a particular approach to a workshop.
 
Direct inquires regarding programmatic issues to:
 
Clifton Poodry, Ph.D.
Minority Opportunities in Research Division
National Institutes of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 2AS.37, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
Telephone:  (301) 594-3900
FAX:  (301) 480-2573
Email:  PoodryC@nigms.nih.gov
 
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
 
Ms. Antoinette Holland
Grants Management Office
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 2AN.50B, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD  20892-6200
Telephone:  (301) 495-5132
FAX:  (301) 480-3423
Email:  HollandA@nigms.nih.gov
 
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
 
Awards 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.  Applications are
not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive
Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.
 
The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to
provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-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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