Full Text HD-95-001

POPULATION RESEARCH CENTERS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 23, Number 23, June 17, 1994

RFA:  HD-95-001

P.T. 04

Keywords: 
  Population Studies 
  Demography 
  Sociology 


National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 1, 1994
Application Receipt Date:  October 19, 1994

PURPOSE

The Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch (DBSB), Center for
Population Research (CPR), National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development (NICHD) supports population research using a
variety of approaches found in the social and behavioral sciences.
The DBSB supports Population Research Centers that are designed to
provide either integrated groups of research projects and supporting
core services (P50) or core services and facilities in support of a
large number of active research projects that are supported by a
variety of NIH and outside funding sources (P30).  Two existing
center grants are due for competitive renewal in FY95.  This Request
for Applications (RFA) is a solicitation for the competition for
center grants in this program.

The DBSB supports a national network of population research centers
that provide both infrastructure and direct support of a wide range
of topics relevant to the causes and consequences of population
change.  These centers are given a commitment for five years of
support and are subject to competitive renewal at which time they
must compete with other institutions in the field to win an
additional five years of support.  In FY 95, two centers are subject
to competitive renewal and it is anticipated that these centers will
submit renewal applications.  The FY 95 competition will allow other
institutions to compete for awards.  Depending on the quality of
applications and funding available, DBSB anticipates making two
awards.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000,"
the PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This RFA,
Population Research Centers, is related to the priority areas of
family planning, educational and community based programs, maternal
and infant health, HIV infection, and immunization and infectious
diseases.  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
202-783-3238).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic for-profit and non-profit
organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges,
hospitals, laboratories, units of State or local governments, and
eligible agencies of the
Federal government.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

The support mechanisms for this program are the Specialized Research
Center Grant (P50) and the Center Core Grant (P30).  Applications
must be consistent with the guidelines governing these two
mechanisms.  These centers are given a commitment of five years of
support, which is renewable at five year intervals.  Renewals must be
invited by a specific RFA that will also give interested
organizations a chance to compete with the incumbent for the award.
Because population research center grants are complex entities, it is
strongly recommended that interested applicants contact the DBSB
staff for a personal consultation regarding the centers program.  The
current policies and requirements that govern the research grant
programs of NIH will prevail (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42,
Part 52 and Title 45, Part 74).  The total project period for an
application submitted to this RFA is five years.  The anticipated
award date will be July 1, 1995.

A center core grant (P30) must be predicated on the existence of a
substantial number of research grants that will be active on July 1,
1995, including at least one NIH and two other federally funded
grants.  A minimum of three cores are required for each year of a
funded P30 grant.  Each core unit must provide essential facilities
and services for a least three federally funded research projects, at
least one of which is NIH funded.  These grants must be active users
of the core facilities and services proposed in the center grant
application.  The applications must be consistent with the guidelines
contained in P30 CENTER CORE GRANT GUIDELINES, which are available
from the programm staff listed under INQUIRIES.  Cooperation between
independent institutions is allowed in some circumstances.  In these
instances core facilities may be located in both institutions as long
as they are cost effective and promote the overall goals of the
center program.  Consult the statement of clarification about center
program principles, which is available from DBSB.

A specialized research center (P50) must have three or more related,
integrated, and high quality research projects that provide a
multidisciplinary, yet thematic approach to the problems to be
investigated.  These research projects may be accompanied by an
appropriate number and type of core facilities to provide
cost-effective technical support.  The projects and theme of the
center must be relevant to the DBSB funding mission.  The
applications should be consistent with the guidelines contained in
P50 SPECIALIZED RESEARCH CENTER GRANT GUIDELINES, which are available
from DBSB.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The DBSB anticipates funding two centers in FY 95.  $1,800,000 of
first year total cost support will be set aside for this competition.
This is contingent on the availability of funds in the FY 95
appropriations.  New P50 applications may not request more than
$600,000 in first year, direct cost support.  New P30 applications
may not request more than $500,000 in first year, direct cost support
and previously funded centers should not request direct costs of more
than 120 percent of the council recommended direct cost for the final
year of the preceding project period.  Applications exceeding these
budget guidelines will be returned to the applicant unless they
receive written permission from NICHD to exceed them.  The award of a
center is dependent on the receipt of a sufficient number of
applications of high scientific merit and the availability of funds
to support new centers.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The DBSB supports research on population dynamics using a variety of
approaches found in the social and behavioral sciences.  This RFA is
specifically designed to stimulate the research community to organize
or to maintain population research centers of high quality that will
serve as a national research network that fosters communication,
innovation, and high quality research.  Applications are encouraged,
but not limited to, the population research topics listed below:

1.  Fertility and Family Planning

2.  Social acceptability of measures for the biological regulation of
human fertility

3.  Sexual behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and
contraception

4.  Family and household dynamics

5.  Age at marriage and first birth, child spacing, family size, and
fertility

6.  Status and roles of women in relation to fertility, with special
emphasis on implications for the U.S.

7.  Relation of economic development to population growth and decline

8.  Antecedents and consequences of stability or change in the size
of the U.S. population

9.  Population modelling for the projection and/or prediction of
human population change in the U.S.

10.  Migration of human population groups

11.  Population redistribution

12.  Population composition and structure

13.  Mortality of human population groups

14.  Population and physical environment

15.  Status of children

16.  Demographic aspects of health, morbidity, and disability in
pre-retirement populations

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should request travel funds to attend an annual meeting of
the directors of P50s and P30s in Bethesda, MD.

STUDY POPULATIONS

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 rational 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 Population, and
Concerning the Inclusion of Minorities in Study Populations) which
have been in effect since 1990.  The new policy contains some new
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 9, 1994 (FR 59 11146- 11151), and reprinted
in the NIH GUIDE FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS of March 18, 1994, Volume
23, Number 11.

Investigators may obtain copies from these sources or from the
program staff or contact person listed below.  Program staff may also
provide additional relevant information concerning the policy.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by July 1, 1994, a letter
that includes a brief description of the proposed center, the name,
address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator and the
number and title of the RFA in response to which the application may
be submitted.  The letter of intent is not binding and will not be
considered in the review of the application.  The sole purpose of the
letter of intent is to alert the program staff of the proposed
application so that the program may be of assistance in explaining
the complex nature of the mechanism.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. V. Jeffery Evans at the
address listed under INQUIRIES.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 9/91) is to be used
to prepare the application.  The type of center grant requested (P30)
or (P50) must be indicated on the face page of the application in
item #2b.  The RFA label available in the form PHS 398 must be
affixed to the bottom of the face page.  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 the review.  In
addition, the RFA Title and number must be typed on line 2a of the
face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.
The PHS 398 is available from the office of sponsored research at
most institutions and can also be obtained from the Office of Grants
Information, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of
Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, or by
calling (301) 710-0267.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including
the checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in one package to:

Division of Research grants
National Institutes of Health
Westwood Building, Room 240
Bethesda, MD  20892**

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application
must also be sent to:

Susan Streufert, Ph.D.
Division of Scientific Review
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 5E01
Bethesda, MD  20892 (for Express mail use Rockville, MD  20852)

Applications must be received at the Division of Research Grants by
October 19, 1994.  If an application is received after that date, it
will be returned to the applicant.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

The applications will be reviewed by the Population Research
Committee of the NICHD for scientific merit and the NICHD National
Advisory Council for program relevance and policy issues before
awards for meritorious applications are made.  Review procedures and
criteria are detailed in P30 CORE CENTER GRANT GUIDELINES, which is
available from DBSB staff.  Each application will be reviewed by
NICHD staff for responsiveness to the RFA and for relevance to
program goals.  Those found to be non-responsive will be returned to
the applicant.

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 NICHD in accordance with the review
criteria stated below.  As part of the initial merit review, a
process (triage) may be used by the initial review group in which
applications will be determined to be competitive or non-competitive
based on their scientific merit relative to other applications
received in response to the RFA.  Applications judged to be
competitive will be discussed and be assigned a priority score.
Applications determined to be non-competitive will be withdrawn from
further consideration and the Principal Investigator and the official
signing for the applicant organization will be notified.

AWARD CRITERIA

The anticipated date of award is July 1, 1995.  Funding decisions
will be based on the IRG and NACHHD Council recommendations, program
relevance, and the availability of funds.

INQUIRIES

Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.
The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential
applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues and address the letter
of intent to:

V. Jeffery Evans, Ph.D, J.D.
Center for Population Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8B13
Bethesda, MD  20892 (for Express mail use Rockville, MD  20852)
Telephone:  (301) 496-1174
FAX:  (301) 496-0962

Direct Inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Melinda Nelson
Office of Grants and Contracts
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8A17
Bethesda, MD  20892 (for Express mail use Rockville, MD  20852)
Telephone:  (301) 496-5481
FAX:  (301) 402-0915

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 93.864 (Population Research).  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 Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 74.  This program is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive
Order 12372, or to Health Systems Agency review.

The Public Health Service (PHS) strongly encourages all grant
recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use
of all tobacco products.  This is consistent with the PHS mission to
protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American
people.

.

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