Full Text HD-96-006
 
POPULATION RESEARCH CENTERS
 
NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 25, July 26, 1996
 
RFA:  HD-96-006
 
P.T. 34

Keywords: 
  Cardiovascular Diseases 
  Molecular Genetics 

 
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
 
Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  August 15, 1996
Application Receipt Date:  October 16, 1996
 
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.
DBSB supports a fixed number of Population Research Centers which 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 FY97.  This
request for applications (RFA) is a solicitation for the competition
for center grants in this program.
 
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000
 
The Public Health Service 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 RFA,
Population Research Centers, is related to the family planning,
educational and community based programs, maternal and infant health,
HIV infection, and immunization and infectious diseases objectives of
the report.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy
People 2000" (Full Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary
Report:  Stock Number 017-001-00494-1) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325
(telephone 202-512-1800).
 
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
should be consistent with the guidelines governing these two
mechanisms, which are available from DBSB.  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 also will
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.  The total project
period for applications submitted in response to this RFA is five
years.  The anticipated award date will be July 1, 1997.
 
FUNDS AVAILABLE
 
The NICHD anticipates funding two centers in FY97.  $1,360,000 of
first year total cost support has been set aside for this
competition.  This is contingent on the approval of funds in the FY97
appropriations.
 
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
Background
 
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 FY96 two centers are subject to competitive renewal
and it is anticipated that these centers will submit renewal
applications.  The FY96 competition will allow institutions to
compete for awards. Depending on quality of applications and
resources available, DBSB anticipates making two awards.
 
Other
 
This Request for Applications 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.  Examples of desired population research topics are listed
below and centers may concentrate on any combination of these topics:
 
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 modeling 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
 
A center core grant (P30) must be predicated on the existence of a
substantial number of research grants which will be active on July 1,
1997, and which include at least one NIH and two other federally
funded grants.  A minimum of 3 cores is required for each year of a
funded P30 grant.  Each core unit must provide essential facilities
and services for at least three federally funded research projects at
all times, 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 should be consistent with
the guidelines contained in the NICHD P30 CENTER CORE GRANT
GUIDELINES  which are available from the program contact listed under
INQUIRIES, below.  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 thematically related, approach to the problems
to be investigated.  These research projects may be accompanied by an
appropriate number and type of core facilities providing
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
the NICHD P50 SPECIALIZED RESEARCH CENTER GRANT GUIDELINES which are
available from the program contact listed under INQUIRIES, below.
 
Applicants must request travel funds to attend an annual meeting of
the directors of P50s and P30s in Bethesda, MD.
 
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 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.
 
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 are
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 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513), 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 August 15, 1996, a
letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed
center, the name, address, and telephone number of the Principal
Investigator, the identities of key personnel and participating
institutions and the number and title of the RFA in response to which
the application may be submitted.  Although the Letter of Intent is
not required, not binding and will not be considered in the review of
a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows
NICHD staff to estimate review workload and avoid potential conflicts
of interest in the review.
 
The letter of intent is to be sent to:
 
V. Jeffery Evans, Ph.D., J.D.
Center for Population Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Executive Building,Room 8B13
6100 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Rockville, MD  20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone:  (301) 496-1174
FAX:  (301) 496-0962
Email:  evansj@hd01.nichd.nih.gov
 
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
 
The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) is to be used
in applying for these grants.  Applications kits are available at
most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained
from the Grants Information Office, Office of Extramural Outreach and
Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge
Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/710-0267,
email:  ASKNIH@odrockm1.od.nih.gov.
 
The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev 5/95) application kit
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 2 of the
face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.
 
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
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
must 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
Rockville, MD  20852 (for express/courier service)
 
Applications must be received at the Division of Research Grants by
October 16, 1996.  If an application is received after that date, it
will be returned to the applicant without review.  The Division of
Research Grants (DRG) 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 DRG 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.
 
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
 
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by DRG
and responsiveness by the NICHD.  Incomplete applications or
non-responsive applications will be returned to the applicant without
further consideration.  Applications that are complete and responsive
to the RFA will be reviewed by the Population Research Committee or a
Special Review Committee of the NICHD for scientific merit and by the
Institute's Advisory Council for program relevance and policy issues
before awards for meritorious applications are made.  Review
procedures and criteria are detailed in the NICHD P30 CORE CENTER
GRANT GUIDELINES or the NICHD P50 CENTER GRANT GUIDELINES which are
available from DBSB staff.
 
As part of the initial merit review, a process 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 judged 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.
 
Review Criteria
 
See NICHD P30 Center Core Grant Guidelines or NICHD P50 Specialized
Research Center Grant Guidelines.
 
AWARD CRITERIA
 
The anticipated date of award is July 1, 1997.  Funding decisions
will be based on scientific and technical merit as determined by the
review committee, 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 to:
 
V. Jeffery Evans, Ph.D., J.D.
Center for Population Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Executive Building, Room 8B13
6100 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Rockville, MD  20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone:  (301) 496-1174
FAX:  (301) 496-0962
Email:  evansj@hd01.nichd.nih.gov
 
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
 
Ms. Melinda Nelson
Office of Grants and Contracts
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Executive Building, Room 8A17
6100 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7510
Bethesda, MD  20892-7510
Telephone:  (301) 496-5481
FAX:  (301) 402-0915
Email:  nelsonm@hd01.nichd.nih.gov
 
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 grant 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 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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