Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

NIH Guide announcements

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • NIH Guide announcements

    Two announcements in the 15 Nov 1991 NIH Guide might be of interest to
    readers of biomch-l.


    $$R1 BEGIN NIH-NINDS-92-01 ******************************************

    CLOSED LOOP CONTROL OF FUNCTIONAL NEUROMUSCULAR STIMULATION

    RFP AVAILABLE: NIH-NINDS-92-01

    P.T. 34; K.W. 0745047, 0740050, 0706040, 0715140

    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

    The Neural Prosthesis Program of the National Institute of Neurological
    Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), NIH, is developing neural prostheses
    based on functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) for the restoration
    of quadriplegic individuals. The principal goal of the proposed
    project is to enhance the utility of FNS systems for hand grasp.
    Specific tasks include: developing and evaluating closed-loop FNS
    systems for hand grasp utilizing external force and position
    integrating FNS wrist stabilization, FNS elbow control and surgical
    procedures such as tendon transfer and arthrodesis with an FNS hand
    grasp system; developing a biomechanical model of the hand for use in
    evaluating advanced FNS systems; and investigating new techniques for
    programming of FNS systems and for selection of electrode sites. A
    research team with experience in neural prostheses, spinal cord
    rehabilitation, hand surgery, control theory, biomechanics and
    physiology will be required to successfully conduct this research. It
    is anticipated that one award will be made for a period of three years
    in August 1992.

    This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP). To receive a copy of the
    RFP, submit a written request to the following address, and supply this
    office with two self-addressed mailing labels. All responsible sources
    shall be considered by the agency. The RFP will be issued on or about
    November 15, 1991, with proposals due on January 14, 1992.

    Contracting Officer
    Contracts Management Branch, DEA
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
    Federal Building, Room 901
    7550 Wisconsin Avenue
    Bethesda, MD 20892
    Attention: RFP No. NIH-NINDS-92-01

    ************************************************** **********

    $$XID RFA AR9201 AR-92-01 P1O1 *****************************************

    SKIN DISEASES RESEARCH CORE CENTERS

    RFA: AR-92-01

    P.T. 04; K.W. 0715185, 0710030

    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

    Letter of Intent Receipt Date: February 17, 1992
    Application Receipt Date: April 22, 1992

    BACKGROUND

    The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
    Diseases (NIAMS) invites applications for research core centers in skin
    diseases. The Skin Diseases Research Centers (SDRCs) will provide the
    resources for a number of established, currently funded investigators,
    often from different disciplines, to adopt a multidisciplinary approach
    to common research problems in skin diseases and to ensure greater
    productivity than from each of the separate projects.

    RESEARCH GOALS AND SCOPE

    Research in skin diseases is at a stage where a number of areas are
    making broad advances that can be effectively fostered by research core
    centers. Examples of these areas include, but are not limited to:

    o stratum corneum: biochemistry, structure, function
    o epidermis: differentiation, keratinization, cellular constituents
    o dermal-epidermal junction: structure, functions, diseases
    o skin as an immunological organ
    o autoimmune skin diseases
    o dermis: structural components, diseases

    The choice of research problems upon which the SDRC would focus is made
    by the Principal Investigator and collaborating currently funded
    investigators.

    The SDRCs will provide support for:

    o Core resources and facilities to be used by investigators of
    individually supported research projects in order to enhance and
    coordinate their activities. This support may include personnel,
    equipment, supplies, services, and facilities.

    o Limited funds for pilot and feasibility studies.

    o Program enrichment activities.

    An SDRC must be an identifiable organizational unit within a
    university- affiliated medical center. An Administrative Core must be
    proposed to coordinate the Center and administer the program enrichment
    activities. One or more research cores may be proposed. A research
    core is a facility shared by two or more Center investigators that
    enables them to conduct their independently funded individual research
    projects more efficiently and/or more effectively. Cores generally
    fall into one of four categories: (1) provision of a technology that
    lends itself to automation or preparation in large batches (e.g.,
    histology and tissue culture); (2) complex instrumentation (e.g.,
    electron microscopy); (3) animal preparation and care; and (4) service
    and training (e.g., molecular biology, biostatistics).

    A pilot and feasibility study program provides modest research support
    for a limited time (three years or less) to enable eligible
    investigators to explore the feasibility of a skin diseases-related
    concept and amass sufficient data to pursue it through other funding
    mechanisms. Eligible investigators include (1) an established
    investigator in skin diseases or related areas with a project for
    testing the feasibility of a new or innovative idea that is skin
    diseases- related but represents a clear and distinct departure from
    the investigator's ongoing research interest; (2) an established,
    supported investigator with no previous work in skin diseases or
    related areas who is willing to test the applicability of his/her
    expertise on a skin diseases-related problem; and (3) a new
    investigator who has not been a Principal Investigator in a past or
    current NIH research project grant (R01, R29, P01) as a Principal
    Investigator. New investigators must be clearly independent and have
    a faculty appointment higher than that of postdoctoral fellow or
    research associate.

    ELIGIBILITY

    Applications may be submitted by domestic, nonprofit, public and
    private organizations, such as universities, colleges, hospitals,
    laboratories,units of State or local governments, and eligible agencies
    of the Federal government. Applications from minority individuals and
    women are encouraged.

    MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
    The Center Core Grants designation (P30) will be used for the SDRCs.
    The P30 grant is a mechanism for integrating, coordinating, and
    fostering the interdisciplinary cooperation of a group of established
    investigators conducting programs of active, high-quality research that
    relate to a common theme and for stimulating new research.
    Applications for noncompeting renewal will have specific, additional
    reporting requirements to document progress in the larger aims of the
    Center.

    Applicants from institutions having a General Clinical Research Center
    (GCRC) funded by the NIH National Center for Research Resources may
    wish to identify the GCRC as a resource for conducting the proposed
    research. In such a case, a letter of agreement from either the GCRC
    program director or Principal Investigator must be included with the
    application.

    The NIAMS intends to fund two SDRCs in FY 92, subject to the
    availability of resources and receipt of sufficiently meritorious
    applications, each with a yearly direct cost budget of no more than
    $400,000. To fund these awards, one million dollars has been set aside
    for total costs in the first year. The award of grants pursuant to
    this RFA is contingent upon the receipt of appropriate funds for this
    purpose. The funding period is five years and may be renewable on a
    competitive basis. There have been no funds specifically reserved for
    renewals at this time.

    SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF NIH
    POLICIES CONCERNING INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL
    RESEARCH STUDY POPULATIONS

    NIH and ADAMHA policy is that applicants for NIH/ADAMHA clinical
    research grants and cooperative agreements will be required to include
    minorities and women in study populations so that research findings can
    be of benefit to all persons at risk of the disease, disorder, or
    condition under study; special emphasis should be placed on the need
    for inclusion of minorities and women in studies of diseases,
    disorders, and conditions that disproportionately affect them. This
    policy is intended to apply to men and women of all ages. If women or
    minorities are excluded or inadequately represented in clinical
    research, particularly in proposed population-based studies, a clear
    compelling rationale should be provided.

    The composition of the proposed study population must be described in
    terms of gender and racial/ethnic group. In addition, gender and
    racial/ethnic issues should be addressed in developing a research
    design and sample size appropriate for the scientific objectives of the
    study. This information should be included in the Form PHS 398 in
    Section 2, A-D of the Research Plan, and summarized in Section 2, E,
    Human Subjects. Applicants/offerors are urged to assess carefully the
    feasibility of including the broadest possible representation of
    minority groups. However, NIH recognizes that it may not be feasible
    or appropriate in all research projects to include representation of
    the full array of United States racial/ethnic minority populations
    (i.e., Native Americans [including American Indians or Alaskan
    Natives], Asian/Pacific Islanders, Blacks, Hispanics).

    The rationale for studies on single minority population groups should
    be provided.

    For the purpose of this policy, clinical research includes human
    biomedical and behavioral studies of etiology, epidemiology, prevention
    (and preventive strategies), diagnosis, or treatment of diseases,
    disorders, or conditions, including but not limited to clinical trials.

    The usual NIH policies concerning research on human subjects also
    apply. Basic research or clinical studies in which human tissues
    cannot be identified or linked to individuals are excluded. However,
    every effort should be made to include human tissues from women and
    racial/ethnic minorities when it is important to apply the results of
    the study broadly, and this should be addressed by applicants.

    For foreign awards, the policy on inclusion of women applies fully;
    because the definition of minority differs in other countries, the
    applicant must discuss the relevance of research involving foreign
    population groups to U.S. populations, including minorities.

    If the required information is not contained within the application,
    the application will be returned.

    Peer reviewers will address specifically whether the research plan in
    the application conforms to these policies. If the representation of
    women or minorities in a study design is inadequate to answer the
    scientific question(s) addressed and the justification for the selected
    study population is inadequate, it will be considered a scientific
    weakness or deficiency in the study design and will be reflected in
    assigning the priority score to the application.

    All applications for clinical research submitted to NIH are required to
    address these policies. NIH funding components will not award grants
    or cooperative agreements that do not comply with these policies.

    REVIEW PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA

    All applications submitted in response to the RFA will first be
    reviewed by NIAMS staff to ensure that they are responsive to the RFA.
    Applications that are received after the April 22, 1992, receipt date,
    that exceed the budget limit of $400,000 in direct costs, or that are
    otherwise unresponsive to the major criteria of the RFA will be
    returned to the applicant. Accepted applications will be reviewed for
    scientific and technical merit by an initial review group within the
    NIAMS that will be convened solely to review these applications. It is
    unlikely that a site visit will be conducted. Each application must,
    therefore, be complete in itself and be prepared as if no site visit is
    expected.

    Factors to be considered in evaluation of the scientific merit of each
    application will include an evaluation of the independently funded
    biomedical research base, the appropriateness of the proposed cores,
    the quality of the proposed pilot and feasibility studies, and their
    proposed management. The evaluation of the biomedical research base
    will encompass the record of research training and the institution's
    commitment to the Center program.

    Following assessment by the initial review group, applications will be
    evaluated by the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
    Diseases Advisory Council. The NIAMS Review Branch will review the
    applications during June or July 1992. Secondary review will occur at
    the September 1992 meeting of the National Arthritis and
    Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council. Earliest possible
    funding will be September 1992.

    METHOD OF APPLYING

    Applications must follow the SDRC guidelines to be accepted for review.
    Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that
    includes identification of any other participating investigators and
    institutions and a descriptive title. NIAMS requests such letters only
    for the purpose of providing an indication of the number and scope of
    applications to be received and, therefore, usually does not
    acknowledge their receipt. A letter of intent is not binding, and it
    will not enter into the review of any applications subsequently
    submitted, nor is it a necessary requirement for application. The
    letter of intent is requested by February 17, 1992, and is to be sent
    to:

    Julia B. Freeman, Ph.D.
    Director, Centers Programs
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
    Westwood Building, Room 403
    Bethesda, MD 20892
    Telephone: (301) 496-7495

    Applications must be submitted on form PHS 398 (rev. 10/88) that is
    available in the institution's collaborative research or business
    office and the Office of Grants Inquiries, Division of Research Grants,
    National Institutes of Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449,
    Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone 301/496-7441. The phrase "RFA AR-92-01,
    Skin Diseases Research Core Center" must be typed on line 2 of the
    first page of the application. The RFA label available in the 10/88
    revision of application 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 review.

    The receipt date for an original and four copies of the complete
    application is on or before April 22, 1992. Applications must be sent
    to:

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

    In addition, two informational copies must be sent under separate cover
    to:

    Dr. Tommy Broadwater
    Chief, Scientific Review Branch
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
    Extramural Programs
    Westwood Building, Room 403
    Bethesda, MD 20892

    INQUIRIES

    Applicants must request the detailed guidelines for the SDRC grant
    application from:

    Julia B. Freeman, Ph.D.
    Director, Centers Programs
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
    Westwood Building, Room 403
    Bethesda, MD 20892
    Telephone: (301) 496-7495

    For fiscal and administrative matters, contact:

    Mary Graham
    Grants Management Specialist
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
    Westwood Building, Room 417E
    Bethesda, MD 20892
    Telephone: (301) 496-2665

    AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

    This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
    No. 93.846. Grants are awarded under the authority of the Public
    Health Service Act, Section 301 (42 USC 241) and administered under PHS
    grants policies and Federal Regulations, most specifically at 42 CFR
    Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the
    intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or
    review by a Health Systems Agency.

    ================================================== ================
    DANIEL B. SHEFFER, PH.D., HEAD BITNET R1DBS@AKRONVM
    DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENG. INTERNET R1DBS@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU
    UNIVERSITY OF AKRON TELEPHONE 216 972 6650
    AKRON, OHIO 44325-0302 TELEFAX 216 374 8834
Working...
X