[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 29 (Friday, February 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7018-7022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3184]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 00042]


Extramural Injury Research Grants for the Prevention of Intimate 
Partner Violence and Sexual Violence; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that 
grant applications are being accepted for Injury Prevention and Control 
Research Grants (RO1s) for fiscal year (FY) 2000.
    This announcement is related to the Healthy People 2000 Priority 
areas of Violent and Abusive Behavior.
    The purposes of this program are to:
    1. Promote research to identify and understand the developmental 
pathways of victimization and perpetration of intimate partner violence 
and sexual violence.
    2. Encourage developmental research that leads to science-based 
indicators for culturally appropriate intervention and prevention 
strategies to prevent and control the extent of injuries that result 
from intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

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    3. Expand risk-factor and protective-factor research related to the 
perpetration and victimization of intimate partner violence and sexual 
violence.
    4. Build the scientific base for the prevention of injuries, 
disabilities, and deaths due to violence.
    5. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines such 
as public health, health care, medicine, criminal justice, and 
behavioral and social sciences, to work together and undertake research 
to prevent and control injuries that result from violence.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit and 
for-profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that 
is, universities, colleges, research institutions, hospitals, other 
public and private nonprofit and for-profit organizations, State and 
local governments or their bona fide agents, and federally recognized 
Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal 
organizations.

    Note: Public Law 104-65 states that an organization described in 
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engages 
in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal funds 
constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, loan 
or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $1.2 million is expected to be available in FY 2000 
for injury research grants to fund approximately 4 awards. The specific 
program priorities for these funding opportunities are outlined with 
examples in this announcement under the section, ``Programmatic 
Interests.'' It is expected that the awards will begin on or about 
September 30, 2000, and will be made for a 12-month budget period 
within a 3-year project period. The maximum funding level will not 
exceed $300,000 (including both direct and indirect costs) per year or 
$900,000 for the 3-year project period. Applications that exceed the 
funding cap of $300,000 per year will be excluded from the competition 
and returned to the applicant. The availability of Federal funding may 
vary and is subject to change.
    Continuation awards within the project period will be made based on 
satisfactory progress demonstrated by investigators at work-in-progress 
monitoring workshops (travel expenses for this annual one-day meeting 
should be included in the applicant's proposed budget), the achievement 
of workplan milestones reflected in the continuation application, and 
the availability of Federal funds.

    Note: Grant funds will not be made available to support the 
provision of direct care. Eligible applicants may enter into 
contracts, including consortia agreements (as set forth in the PHS 
Grants Policy Statement, dated April 1, 1994), as necessary to meet 
the requirements of the program and strengthen the overall 
application.

Programmatic Interests

    CDC is soliciting studies that identify the factors which moderate 
and mediate the association between exposure to violence and/or 
violence-related behaviors, (e.g., rape, sexual violence, and intimate 
partner violence, other interpersonal violence, bullying, child abuse 
and neglect, child sexual abuse) and witnessing violence (e.g., 
intimate partner violence, sexual violence, other interpersonal 
violence, and suicidal behavior), and violent outcomes (i.e., 
subsequent victimization and/or perpetration of intimate partner 
violence and sexual violence).
    Moderating factors include the individual, social, cultural and 
environmental factors which influence the likelihood that exposure to 
violence will lead to future violent outcomes. Mediating factors 
include the proximal consequences of exposure (e.g., hopelessness, 
learned response to violence, alcohol and drug use, weapon carrying) 
that result in increased risk of violent outcomes. The context in which 
violence occurs and potential culturally relevant intervention and 
prevention strategies relative to moderating and mediating factors 
should be integral foci of the study.
    1. Injury prevention research addressing moderating factors
    a. Conduct research to understand how individual, social, cultural 
and environmental factors which influence the likelihood that exposure 
to violence will lead to the perpetration and victimization of violence 
against women, and sexual violence.
    b. Conduct research designed to improve understanding of the nature 
of moderating factors among under served and potentially high-risk 
populations (e.g., ethnic populations, persons with disabilities, gay, 
lesbian, trans gender and bisexual populations, or immigrant and 
refugee populations).
    2. Injury prevention research addressing mediating factors
    a. Conduct research that further illuminates understanding of the 
contribution of potential risk factors for violence such as 
impulsivity, hopelessness, weapon carrying, alcohol/drug use, and other 
risk taking behavior.
    b. Conduct research to elucidate protective factors for intimate 
partner violence and sexual violence.
    c. Conduct research to provide scientific evidence for potentially 
effective and culturally appropriate intervention or prevention 
strategies for intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

Funding Preferences

    Studies which focus on under served population(s) including ethnic 
populations, persons with disabilities, gay, lesbian, trans gender and 
bisexual populations, or immigrant and refugee populations will be 
given priority. These populations are considered under served because 
substantial research has not been devoted to determining risk and 
protective factors or mediating or moderating influences which may 
affect intimate partner violence or sexual violence in these groups.

D. Program Requirements

    The following are applicant requirements:
    1. A principal investigator, who has conducted research, published 
the findings in peer-reviewed journals, and has specific authority and 
responsibility to carry out the proposed project.
    2. Demonstrated experience on the applicant's project team in 
conducting, evaluating, and publishing injury control research 
pertaining to violence in peer-reviewed journals.
    3. Effective and well-defined working relationships within the 
performing organization and with outside entities which will ensure 
implementation of the proposed activities.
    4. The ability to carry out injury control research projects as 
defined under Addendum 2,(6.a-c).
    5. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and 
research objectives, and the program interests as described under the 
heading, ``Programmatic Interests.''

E. Application Content

    Applications should follow the PHS-398 (Rev. 4/98) application and 
Errata sheet, and should include the following information:
    1. The project's focus that justifies the research needs and 
describes the scientific basis for the research, the expected outcome, 
and the relevance of the findings to reduce injury morbidity, 
mortality, disability, and economic losses. This focus should be based 
on recommendations in ``Healthy People 2000'' and should seek creative 
approaches that will contribute to a national program for injury 
control.

[[Page 7020]]

    2. Specific, measurable, and time-framed objectives.
    3. A detailed plan describing the methods by which the objectives 
will be achieved, including their sequence. A comprehensive evaluation 
plan is an essential component of the application.
    4. A description of the principal investigator's role and 
responsibilities.
    5. A description of all the project staff regardless of their 
funding source. It should include their title, qualifications, 
experience, percentage of time each will devote to the project, as well 
as that portion of their salary to be paid by the grant.
    6. A description of those activities related to, but not supported 
by the grant.
    7. A description of the involvement of other entities that will 
relate to the proposed project, if applicable. It should include 
commitments of support and a clear statement of their roles.
    8. A detailed first year's budget for the grant with future annual 
projections, if relevant. Awards will be made for a project period of 
up to 3-years.
    9. An explanation of how the research findings will contribute to 
the national effort to reduce the morbidity, mortality and disability 
caused by violence-related injuries within 3-5 years from project 
start-up.
    An applicant organization has the option of having specific salary 
and fringe benefit amounts for individuals omitted from the copies of 
the application which are made available to outside reviewing groups. 
To exercise this option: on the original and five copies of the 
application, the applicant must use asterisks to indicate those 
individuals for whom salaries and fringe benefits are not shown; the 
subtotals must still be shown. In addition, the applicant must submit 
an additional copy of page 4 of Form PHS-398, completed in full, with 
the asterisks replaced by the salaries and fringe benefits. This budget 
page will be reserved for internal staff use only.

F. Submission and Deadline

Pre-Application Letter of Intent

    Although not a prerequisite of application, a non-binding letter of 
intent-to-apply is requested from potential applicants. The letter of 
intent must be submitted on or before March 13, 2000, to the Grants 
Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional 
Information'' section of this announcement. The letter should identify 
the announcement number, name the principal investigator, and briefly 
describe the scope and intent of the proposed research work. The letter 
of intent does not influence review or funding decisions, but the 
number of letters received will enable CDC to plan the review more 
effectively and efficiently.
    Submit the original and five copies of PHS 398 (OMB Number 0925-
0001 and adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction sheet for 
PHS 398). Forms are in the application kit.
    On or before April 12, 2000, submit the application to the Grants 
Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional 
Information'' section of this announcement.
    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are received at the above address on or before the deadline date; or 
sent on or before the deadline date, and received in time for 
submission to the independent review group. Applicants must request a 
legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated 
receipt from a commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal Service. Private 
metered postmarks will not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.

Late Applications

    Applications which do not meet the criteria above are considered 
late applications, will not be considered, and will be returned to the 
applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC staff for 
completeness and responsiveness as outlined under the heading Program 
Requirements (Items 1-5). Incomplete applications and applications that 
are not responsive will be returned to the applicant without further 
consideration. It is especially important that the applicant's abstract 
reflects the project's focus, because the abstract will be used to help 
determine the responsiveness of the proposal.
    Applications which are complete and responsive may be subjected to 
a preliminary evaluation (triage) by a peer review committee, the 
Injury Research Grant Review Committee (IRGRC), to determine if the 
application is of sufficient technical and scientific merit to warrant 
further review by the IRGRC; CDC will withdraw from further 
consideration applications judged to be noncompetitive and promptly 
notify the principal investigator/program director and the official 
signing for the applicant organization. Those applications judged to be 
competitive will be further evaluated by a dual review process.
    Awards will be determined by the Director of the National Center 
for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) based on priority scores 
assigned to applications by the primary review committee, 
recommendations by the secondary review committee, consultation with 
NCIPC senior staff, and the availability of funds.
    1. The primary review will be a peer review conducted by the IRGRC. 
All proposals will be reviewed for scientific merit by a committee of 
no less than three reviewers with appropriate expertise using current 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria to evaluate the methods 
and scientific quality of the proposal. Factors to be considered will 
include:
    a. Significance. Does this study address an important problem? If 
the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge 
be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts 
or methods that drive this field?
    b. Approach. Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and 
analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the 
aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem 
areas and consider alternative tactics? Does the project include plans 
to measure progress toward achieving the stated objectives? Is there an 
appropriate work plan included?
    c. Innovation. Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches 
or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project 
challenge or advance existing paradigms, or develop new methodologies 
or technologies?
    d. Investigator. Is the principal investigator appropriately 
trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the proposed work 
appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and 
other significant investigator participants? Is there a prior history 
of conducting violence-related research?
    e. Environment. Does the scientific environment in which the work 
will be done contribute to the probability of success? Does the 
proposed research take advantage of unique features of the scientific 
environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there 
evidence of institutional support? Is there an appropriate degree of 
commitment and cooperation of other interested parties as evidenced by 
letters detailing the nature and extent of the involvement?
    f. Ethical Issues: What provisions have been made for the 
protection of human subjects and the safety of the research 
environments? How does the applicant plan to handle issues of 
confidentiality and compliance with

[[Page 7021]]

mandated reporting requirements, e.g., suspected child abuse? Does the 
application adequately address the requirements of 45 CFR 46 for the 
protection of human subjects? (Not scored)
    g. Study Samples: Are the samples sufficiently rigorously defined 
to permit complete independent replication at another site? Have the 
referral sources been described, including the definitions and 
criteria? What plans have been made to include women and minorities, 
and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research? How will the applicant deal with recruitment and retention of 
subjects?
    h. Dissemination: What plans have been articulated for 
disseminating findings?
    The IRGRC will also examine the appropriateness of the proposed 
project budget and duration in relation to the proposed research and 
the availability of data required for the project.
    2. The secondary review will be conducted by the Science and 
Program Review Work Group (SPRWG) from the Advisory Committee for 
Injury Prevention and Control (ACIPC). The ACIPC Federal ex officio 
members will be invited to attend the secondary review, will receive 
modified briefing books, (i.e., abstracts, strengths and weaknesses 
from summary statements, and project officer's briefing materials). 
Federal ex officio members will be encouraged to participate in 
deliberations when applications address overlapping areas of research 
interest so that unwarranted duplication in federally-funded research 
can be avoided and special subject area expertise can be shared. The 
NCIPC Division Associate Directors for Science (ADS) or their designees 
will attend the secondary review in a similar capacity as the Federal 
ex officio members to assure that research priorities of the 
announcement are understood and to provide background regarding current 
research activities. Only SPRWG members will vote on funding 
recommendations and their recommendations will be carried to the entire 
ACIPC for voting by the ACIPC members in closed session.
    The committee's responsibility is to develop funding 
recommendations for the NCIPC Director based on the results of the 
primary review, the relevance and balance of proposed research relative 
to the NCIPC programs and priorities, and to assure that unwarranted 
duplication of federally-funded research does not occur. The Secondary 
Review Committee has the latitude to reach over better ranked proposals 
in order to assure maximal impact and balance of proposed research. The 
factors to be considered will include:
    a. The results of the primary review including the application's 
priority score as the primary factor in the selection process.
    b. The match between the application and the solicitation's 
programmatic interests and funding preferences, i.e., for applications 
with relatively similar priority scores, preference will be given to 
those applications that focus on under served population(s).
    c. The relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the 
NCIPC programs and priorities.
    d. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the 
priorities and objectives stated in ``Healthy People 2000'' and the 
Institute of Medicine report, ``Reducing the Burden of Injury''.
    e. Budgetary considerations.
    3. Continued Funding
    Continuation awards made after FY 2000, but within the project 
period, will be made on the basis of the availability of funds and the 
following criteria:
    a. The accomplishments reflected in the progress report of the 
continuation application indicate that the applicant is meeting 
previously stated objectives or milestones contained in the project's 
annual workplan and satisfactory progress demonstrated through 
presentations at work-in-progress monitoring workshops.
    b. The objectives for the new budget period are realistic, 
specific, and measurable.
    c. The methods described will clearly lead to achievement of these 
objectives.
    d. The evaluation plan will allow management to monitor whether the 
methods are effective.
    e. The budget request is clearly explained, adequately justified, 
reasonable and consistent with the intended use of grant funds.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with an original plus two copies of
    1. Progress report annually,
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period, and
    3. Final financial report and performance report, no more than 90 
days after the end of the project period.
    4. At the completion of the project, the grant recipient will 
submit a brief (2,500 to 4,000 words) summary highlighting the findings 
and their implications for research and policy. CDC will place the 
summary report and each grant recipient's final report with the 
National Technical Information Service (NTIS) to further the agency's 
efforts to make the information more available and accessible to the 
public.
    Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in 
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement.
    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each see Addendum 1 in the 
application package.

AR-1  Human Subjects Certification
AR-2  Requirements for inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic
Minorities in Research
AR-9  Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10  Smoke-Free Workplace Requirement
AR-11  Healthy People 2000
AR-12  Lobbying Restrictions
AR-13  Prohibition on Use of CDC funds for Certain Gun Control 
Activities

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under sections 301(a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] 
of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements are available through the CDC 
homepage on the Internet. The address for the CDC homepage is http://www.cdc.gov.
    To receive additional written information and to request an 
application kit, call 1-888-GRANTS4 (1-888-472-6874). You will be asked 
to leave you name and address and will be instructed to identify the 
Announcement number of interest. If you have questions after reviewing 
the contents of all the documents, business management technical 
assistance may be obtained from: Carrie Clark, Grants Management 
Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Program Announcement #00042, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, 
Telephone (770) 488-2719, Internet address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Ted Jones, Program 
Manager, Office of Research Grants, National Center for Injury 
Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mailstop K-58, Atlanta, GA 30341-

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3724, Telephone (770) 488-4824, Internet address: [email protected].

    Dated: February 7, 2000.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-3184 Filed 2-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P