Full Text LM-94-001

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY:  RESOURCE DATABASE SUPPORT

NIH GUIDE, Volume 23, Number 1, January 7, 1994

RFA:  LM-94-001

P.T. 34

Keywords: 
  Biology, Molecular 
  Information Science/Systems 
  Computing Resources+ 


National Library of Medicine

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  February 15, 1994
Application Receipt Date:  March 29, 1994

PURPOSE

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) announces the availability of
a Request for Applications (RFA) to support the maintenance of
protein databases in the field of molecular biology.  Sources of data
will be from the published literature or other databases, and may
contain sequence data, NMR structural data, or other types of data
useful to molecular and protein biologists.  When data is derived
from the published literature, the record will contain full
bibliographic citation information.

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 RFA,
Molecular Biology: Resource Database Support, is related to the
priority area of preventive services particularly as related to
genetic disease.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy
People 2000" (Full Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or "Healthy
Report:  (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,
laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible
agencies of the Federal government.  Foreign organizations are not
eligible to apply.  However, domestic applications may include
international components.  Applications from minority individuals and
women are encouraged.  Although an application must be submitted from
a single institution, it may include consortia arrangements with
other institutions provided these arrangements are clearly delineated
and confirmed by signed statements from the responsible officials of
each institution.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
biotechnology resource grant (P41).  Activities to be supported under
this grant are limited to the maintenance and management of the
database and to making it available to other researchers.  Any
research related to these activities must be submitted separately as
an individual research grant (R01) application, which would compete
with other R01 applications.  Research in database management is not
a part of this RFA.  The total project period for applications
submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed five years.  The
anticipated award date is August 1994.  This RFA is a one-time
solicitation.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

Although financial plans for fiscal year 1994 include $1.5 million
for this program, award of grants pursuant to this RFA is contingent
upon receipt of funds for this purpose. It is anticipated that up to
three grants will be awarded under this program.  The specific amount
to be funded will, however, depend on the merit and scope of the
applications received and on the availability of funds.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of this initiative is provide support to assist and
enhance existing public information resources for biotechnology, in
particular--protein sequence databases, NMR databases, and other
related research information resources.  Examples include correcting
taxonomy, nomenclature, additional protein features, and mutation
information.  The input for such databases may arise from the
published literature, data generated in the applicants laboratory, or
be submitted from other sources.  Access to the database may be
online, CD ROM or other.  The existence of the database and how to
access it must be clearly disseminated.  End-user software
development, research, and training (other than a tutorial on the
database) are not a part of this initiative.  It is expected that an
external advisory committee will be formed to provide consultation to
the grantee.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by February 15, 1994, a
letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the database,
the name, address, and telephone number of the project director, the
identities of other key personnel and participating institution(s),
and the 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 is helpful
to the NLM staff in planning for the timely review of applications.
It allows NLM staff to estimate the potential workload and to avoid
possible conflict of interest in review.  The letter of intent is to
be addressed to Dr. Roger W. Dahlen at the address listed under
INQUIRIES.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 9/91).  These forms are available at most institutional
office of sponsored research; from the Office of Grant Information,
Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 5333
Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone
301/710-0267; and from the NLM Program Director listed under
INQUIRIES.

The RFA label available in the PHS 398 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 2a 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
Westwood Building, Room 240
Bethesda, MD  20892**

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application
must also be sent to Dr. Roger W. Dahlen at the address listed under
INQUIRIES.

Applications must be received by March 29, 1994.  If an application
is received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant.
The Division of Research Grants (DRG) will not accept any application
in response to this announcement 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 and
responsiveness to the objectives or the RFA.  Incomplete applications
will be returned to the applicant without further consideration.  If
an application is judged to be not responsive, the applicant will be
contacted to withdraw the application or have it considered as an
unsolicited application in the next review cycle.

Applications judged to be responsive will be reviewed for scientific
and technical merit by an initial review group, convened by the
Division of Extramural Programs, NLM, solely to review these
applications.  This initial review may include a preliminary
evaluation to determine scientific and technical merit relative to
the other applications received in response to the RFA (triage); the
NIH will withdraw from further consideration applications judged to
be noncompetitive and promptly notify the project director and the
official signing for the applicant organization.  Those applications
judged to be competitive will be further evaluated for
scientific/technical merit by the usual peer review procedures.  The
second level review will be by the Board of Regents of the National
Library of Medicine.

The proposed resource database is expected to be highly responsive to
a national user community.  It is the applicant's responsibility to
identify user community(s) that both need and will use the
capabilities to be provided by the resource.  The reviewers will
evaluate:

o  Scientific merit and feasibility;

o  The impact and relevance of the resource database on the user
community(s) it will serve;

o  The estimated annual use of the resource by scientists and the
potential idle or down time;

o  The reasonableness and duration of the proposed budget;

o  The significance, promulgation and adoption elsewhere of new
discoveries made from use of this resource;

o  Likelihood that utilization of the resource will lead to new
applications of the resource's technology in biomedical research and
thereby to expanded use of the resource;

o  The institution's commitment to the resource: for example, costs
associated with alterations and renovations, purchase of routine
equipment and salaries of some resource staff may be borne by the
applicant institution;

o  The scientific and managerial credentials of the Principal
Investigator and the other professional staff; and

o  Quality and appropriateness of management and administrative
arrangements;

o  Plans for an advisory committee, and whether the members have or
will have sufficient breadth and ability to take an effective role in
the review and guidance of the resource operations;

AWARD CRITERIA

Applicants should be aware that, in addition to scientific and
technical merit, program priorities and program balance, the total
cost of the Resource Database to the NLM will be considered by NLM
staff and the Board of Regents in making funding recommendations.

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:

Dr. Roger W. Dahlen
Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Bethesda, MD  20894
Telephone:  301-496-4221

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal and administrative matters to:

Mr. Brian Campbell
Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Bethesda, MD  20894
Telephone:  301-496-4253

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

The programs of the Division of Extramural Programs, NLM, are
described in the catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
93.879.  Awards will be made under the authority of the Public Health
Service Act, Section 301 (42 USC241) and administered under PHS
grants policies and Federal Regulations, most specifically 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.

.

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	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
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