HEALTH COMMUNICATION RESEARCH: IMPROVED STRATEGIES
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2002
RFA: DC-03-001
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
(http://www.nidcd.nih.gov)
LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE: January 14, 2003; January 13, 2004
APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: February 14, 2003, February 13, 2004
THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support
o Funds Available
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 Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations:
PURPOSE OF THIS RFA
This Request for Applications (RFA) emphasizes the ongoing commitment
of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
(NIDCD) to support research activities focusing on the development and
dissemination of health communication information across the
disciplines of communication sciences and disorders.
The purpose of this RFA is to encourage the submission of research
grant applications that investigate the creation, development, and
evaluation of health information in one or more mission areas of the
NIDCD: hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech or language.
Projects should be based on current health communication theory and
directed to address issues in disease prevention and health promotion.
The goal is improved public information, based upon scientific
discovery. Applications should be from interdisciplinary teams that
include both health communication experts and scientists knowledgeable
about normal and disordered processes of human communication.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this RFA is to encourage the submission of research
grant applications that investigate the creation, development, and
evaluation of health information in one or more mission areas of the
NIDCD: hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech or language.
The NIDCD seeks research applications that investigate methods to
inform the public and to be used by public health and professional
audiences in disseminating information. These applications should be
based on current health communication theory and focus on disease
prevention and/or the promotion of healthy behaviors. Topic areas
should be based on contemporary scientific knowledge and current
research findings in any of the seven mission areas of the NIDCD. Of
particular interest are projects that explore new and innovative
approaches to health communication. Examples of appropriate projects
include, but are not limited to, early identification of hearing,
voice, speech, or language disorders to ensure intervention and
rehabilitation, prevention of diseases or disorders (e.g. prevention of
noise-induced hearing loss), and making complex disease issues more
understandable to the public (e.g. materials to accompany genetic
counseling in areas of inherited disorders or diseases of human
communication).
It is expected that applications in response to this RFA will be from
interdisciplinary teams of health communication experts knowledgeable
about strategies, tactics, development, dissemination and evaluation of
health information and scientists knowledgeable about normal and
disordered processes of human communication. Applications must
demonstrate that a functioning partnership will exist between
communication experts and scientific experts, with a clear description
of the contribution and nature of each partner's role.
Proposed projects should be targeted to any (or several) of a variety
of audiences including patients, families, health care professionals,
educators, industry, or the general public. Investigators should
demonstrate thorough knowledge of the scientific principles of health
communication, as well as the current state-of-the-science within the
field chosen. Projects that explore innovative approaches to
education/health communication are encouraged.
NIDCD will support only projects that include the creation or
development of new materials as well as a well-defined evaluation plan.
Investigators should provide evaluation plans for development and
dissemination of all materials generated. The project plan should
include evidence of consideration of the appropriateness of materials
for women, men, underrepresented minority groups, and/or children.
Also, attention should be given to key ethnic or cultural groups for
whom the specific health information is directly relevant. Projects
should also demonstrate plans for inclusion of key groups in planning
materials on culturally sensitive topics or in dissemination efforts
that involve diverse cultural groups. Teams should demonstrate
knowledge of existing materials within the subject area to ensure non-
duplication of effort. The dissemination strategy must incorporate a
plan for publicizing the availability of materials to appropriate
groups, organizations, communities, or health professionals.
The R25 Grant is not intended to be used to conduct workshops or
training sessions, unless they are part of the materials development
under investigation. Applicants are encouraged to consider all
appropriate information delivery systems, including the World Wide Web.
Materials developed under this mechanism must be submitted to the
Office of Health Communication and Public Liaison at the NIDCD for
consideration and possible inclusion in the Combined Health Information
Database (CHID), an annotated resource for finding health materials
produced with Federal money.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This RFA will use the NIH R25 award mechanism. As an applicant you
will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the
proposed project. The anticipated award dates are December 1, 2003,
and December 1, 2004.
This RFA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the modular as well
as the non-modular budgeting formats (see
https://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 format. Otherwise
follow the instructions for non-modular research grant applications.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
It is anticipated that NIDCD will have approximately $750,000 total
costs available for this initiative in Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005 and
that up to three (3) awards will be made for each of the two submission
rounds. Because the nature and scope of the research proposed may
vary, it is anticipated that the size of each award will also vary.
Although the financial plans of the NIDCD provide support for this
program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the
availability of funds and the receipt of a number of meritorious
applications. At this time, it is not known if this RFA will be
reissued.
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS
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 Eligible agencies of the Federal government
o Domestic
o Faith-based or community-based organizations
INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
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.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Principal investigators should have expertise in either health
communication theory or normal and disordered processes of human
communication.
Applications should be from interdisciplinary teams that include both
health communication experts and scientists knowledgeable about normal
and disordered processes of human communication.
NIDCD will support only projects that have a well-defined evaluation
plan.
Applications must demonstrate knowledge of existing materials to ensure
non-duplication of effort.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES
We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA 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:
o Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to:
Amy M. Donahue, Ph.D.
Scientific Programs Branch
Division of Extramural Research
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
6120 Executive Boulevard, Room 400C, MSC-7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Telephone: 301-402-3458
Fax: 301-402-6251
Email: amy_donahue@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about peer review issues to:
Craig Jordan, Ph.D.
Scientific Review Branch
Division of Extramural Research
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
6120 Executive Boulevard, Room 400C, MSC-7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Telephone: 301-496-8683
Fax: 301-402-6250
Email: jordanc@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters
to:
Sara Stone
Grants Management Branch
Division of Extramural Research
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
6120 Executive Boulevard, Room 400B, MSC-7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Telephone: 301-402-0909
Fax: 301-402-1758
Email: stones@nidcd.nih.gov
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to 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 RFA
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 NIDCD staff to estimate the potential review
workload and plan the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed at the beginning
of this document. The letter of intent should be sent to:
Amy M. Donahue, Ph.D.
Scientific Programs Branch
Division of Extramural Research
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
6120 Executive Boulevard, Room 400C, MSC-7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Telephone: 301-402-3458
Fax: 301-402-6251
Email: amy_donahue@nih.gov
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.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANT APPLICATIONS:
Applications requesting up to $250,000 per year in direct costs must be
submitted in a modular grant format. The modular grant 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
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html includes step-
by-step guidance for preparing modular grants. Additional information
on modular grants is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.
USING THE RFA LABEL: The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev.
5/2001) application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page
of the application. Type the RFA number on the label. 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 RFA
label is also available at:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.
SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION: Submit a signed, typewritten original of the
application, including the Checklist, and three 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)
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and
all copies of the appendix materials must be sent to:
Chief, Scientific Review Branch
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
6120 Executive Blvd, Room 400-C, MSC 7180
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180
Rockville, MD 20851 (for express/courier service)
APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received by the
application receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA. If an
application is received after that date, it will be returned to the
applicant without review.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application
in response to this RFA 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 substantial revisions of applications already
reviewed, but such applications must include an Introduction addressing
the previous critique.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR
and responsiveness by the NIDCD. Incomplete and/or non-responsive
applications will be returned to the applicant without further
consideration.
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be
evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer
review group convened by the NIDCD in accordance with the review
criteria stated below. 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 NCDC Advisory Council.
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? Does your application demonstrate
knowledge of existing materials to ensure non-duplication of effort?
(2) APPROACH: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and
analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the
aims of the project in the areas of health communication as well as the
scientific field chosen? Do you acknowledge potential problem areas and
consider alternative tactics? Does your project have a well-defined
evaluation plan for development and dissemination of all materials
generated?
(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(S): 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)? Is your application from an interdisciplinary
team that includes both health communication experts and scientists
knowledgeable about normal and disordered processes of human
communication? Does your application provide a clear description of the
contribution and nature of each partner's role?
(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:
o 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.
o 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)
o BUDGET: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested
period of support in relation to the proposed research.
RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: January 14, 2003 January 13, 2004
Application Receipt Date: February 14, 2003 February 13, 2004
Peer Review Date: June 2003 June 2004
Council Review: September 2003 September 2004
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: December 1, 2003 December 1, 2004
AWARD CRITERIA
Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:
o Scientific merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.
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.
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 RFA 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.
HP2010 includes chapter 28 on "Vision and Hearing" that addresses
specific areas of disease prevention and health promotion related to
early identification of infant hearing impairment, otitis media and
prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and chapter 11 related to
"Health Communication", in which there are specific objectives related
disease prevention and health promotion. These chapters may be
obtained at:
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/Document/HTML/Volume2/28Vision.htmhttp://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/HTML/Volume1/11HealthCom.htm
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.173, 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 284and 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.