[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 57 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15642-15645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7167]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 00043]


Grants for National Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth 
Violence Prevention; Notice of Availability of Funds for Fiscal Year 
2000

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2000 funds for development of National 
Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention (Centers). 
CDC is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease 
prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2010,'' a national activity 
to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life. This 
announcement is related to the focus areas of injury and violence 
prevention, and mental health and mental disorders. For the conference 
copy of ``Healthy People 2010'', visit the Internet site: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople>.
    The primary goals of this program are to: (1) Build the scientific 
infrastructure necessary to support the development and widespread 
application of effective youth violence interventions, (2) promote 
interdisciplinary research strategies to address the problem of youth 
violence (3) foster collaboration between academic researchers and 
communities, and (4) empower communities to address the problem of 
youth violence.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are academic health centers, defined as public 
and private nonprofit universities, colleges, and university-associated 
teaching hospitals.

    Note: Effective January 1, 1996, Public Law 104-65 states that 
an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities shall not 
be eligible to receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant, 
contract, loan, or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $7,000,000 is available in FY 2000 to fund 
approximately seven to ten Centers. Applicants may apply for either a 
Developing Center or a Comprehensive Center, however, not for both.
    Awards will begin on or about September 30, 2000, and will be made 
for a 12-month budget period. Developing Centers may be funded up to 
three years and Comprehensive Centers may be funded up to five years. 
Funding estimates may vary and are subject to change. Continuation 
awards within the project period will be made on the basis of 
satisfactory progress and the availability of funds.
    Awards for Developing Centers are expected to average $400,000 per 
year with a project period not to exceed three years. Awards for 
Comprehensive Centers are expected to average $1,000,000 per year and 
may be made up to a total of $1,500,000 per year (total of direct and 
indirect costs) with a project period not to exceed five years. For 
Comprehensive Center research projects can be submitted under two 
themes, Developmental/Risk Factor (DRF) Research and Efficacy/
Effectiveness (EE) Research. Comprehensive Center applicants must 
submit from one to three DRF research project proposals, and/or from 
one to three EE research project proposals. Applicants may also apply 
for both themes under one Center for a cost of $1.5 million.

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Use of Funds

    Core budget with justification for categories corresponding to core 
activities, to include funds for management functions, non research 
activities, small one-year pilot projects of less than $15,000. The 
core budget should include items for development and implementation of 
a community response plan for youth violence, and development and 
implementation of curricula for training of health professionals.

D. Program Requirements

    The following are applicant requirements for Developing and 
Comprehensive Centers:
    1. Demonstrated expertise in:
    (a) Research in risk and protective factors for youth violence and/
or development and evaluation of preventive interventions for youth 
violence;
    (b) Capacity to develop and facilitate implementation of a multi-
disciplinary and multi-organizational community response plan for youth 
violence;
    2. Provide evidence of capacity to develop, deliver, and maintain a 
training curriculum for health care professionals.
    3. Provide a director (Principal Investigator) who has specific 
authority and responsibility to carry out the project. The director 
must report to an appropriate institutional official, e.g., dean of a 
school, or vice president of a university. The director must have no 
less than 30 percent effort devoted solely to this project.
    4. Provide evidence of working relationships with outside agencies 
and other entities which will allow for implementation of any proposed 
intervention activities.
    5. Provide evidence of involvement of a multi-disciplinary and 
multi-organizational group of specialists or experts in primary care, 
behavioral, and/or preventive medicine, epidemiology, law and criminal 
justice, behavioral and social sciences, and/or public health as needed 
to complete the plans of the center.
    6. Demonstrate through documentation that full working partners 
must have established curricula and graduate training programs in 
disciplines relevant to youth violence prevention (e.g., epidemiology, 
criminology, social sciences, and behavioral sciences).
    7. Demonstrate an established relationship with youth violence 
prevention programs through letters of commitment. Also include, 
established or planned relationships with organizations/individual 
leaders in communities where youth violence related injuries occur at 
high rates. A letter of support from an appropriate public health 
agency for support of the proposed center is required.
    The following are additional applicant requirements for 
Comprehensive Centers only:
    1. Demonstrated experience in successfully conducting, evaluating, 
and publishing youth violence prevention research and/or designing, 
implementing, and evaluating youth violence prevention programs (to 
include self-directed violence among the young).
    2. Demonstrated ongoing youth violence prevention research projects 
and/or projects to develop and evaluate youth violence prevention 
interventions.
    3. Demonstrated the capacity to disseminate youth violence 
prevention research findings, translate them into interventions, and 
evaluate their effectiveness.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop application 
content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria listed, so 
it is important to follow them in laying out your program plan. The 
narrative should not be more than 25 single-spaced pages, printed on 
one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font. Applications 
should follow the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application and Errata sheet, and 
should include the following information.
    1. Cover Letter Outlining type of Center (Developing or 
Comprehensive) applying for.
    2. Core budget (required for Developing and Comprehensive Centers).

F. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    Potential applicants should submit a LOI to the Grants Management 
Specialist identified in the Where to Obtain Additional Information 
section. Submit the original and two copies of the (LOI) on or before 
April 24, 2000. It should include what type of Center (Developing or 
Comprehensive) they may be applying. If applying for Comprehensive 
Center, identify which research areas will be addressed in the 
application; i.e, Development/Risk Factor and/or Efficacy 
Effectiveness. The LOI must also include the name and telephone number, 
of a contact person from the applicant institution. LOI's are intended 
for planning purposes only and are not binding. Facsimiles and E-mails 
are not accepted.

Application

    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 May 22, 
2000, submit applications to the Grants Management Specialist 
identified in the Where to Obtain Additional Information section of 
this announcement.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if they are received either:
    (a) On or before the deadline date; or
    (b) Sent on or before the deadline date, and received in time for 
submission to the Special Emphasis Panel. (Applicants should 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 shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing).
    Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria in 
(a) or (b) above are considered late applications, will not be 
considered, and will be returned to the applicant. Bound materials may 
not be included in any part of the application.
    Each proposed research project requires an RO1-type application 
using Form PHS 398 (Rev. 4/98) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm). The guidelines and page limits set forth in the PHS 398 
should be followed, and the project should be included as a separate 
and distinct part of the overall application. Appendices for research 
projects shall not exceed 15 pages.
    Additionally, within the narrative of the research plan section, 
include a brief description of each project in the following format 
(not to exceed one page for each Project):
    Title of Project,
    Topic Area; i.e., Developmental/Risk Factor and/or Efficacy/
Effectiveness.

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by a Special Emphasis Panel appointed by CDC. 
Applications which are complete and responsive will be subjected to a 
preliminary evaluation (triage) by a Special Emphasis Panel(SEP) to 
determine if the application is of sufficient technical and scientific 
merit to warrant further full review by the SEP. Those applications 
judged to be competitive will be further evaluated by a dual peer 
review process.

[[Page 15644]]

CDC will withdraw from further consideration of applications judged to 
be noncompetitive.
    Priority scores will be assigned by the SEP to the core and 
Efficacy/Effectiveness (EE) and Developmental/Risk Factor 
(DRF)applications.
1. Review by the Special Emphasis Panel (SEP)
    a. Initial peer review of the applications will be conducted by the 
SEP, which will either recommend or not recommend the application for 
further consideration for funding.
    Factors to be considered by the SEP for Core funding include:
    (a) The specific aims of the application, e.g., the long-term 
objectives and intended accomplishments for the proposed Center in 
relation to the problem of preventing youth violence and self-directed 
violence among the young. If the aims of the application are achieved, 
how will prevention of youth violence be advanced? What will be the 
effect of the Center's activities on violence prevention efforts within 
the Center's target community or region?
    (b) The extent to which the evaluation plan will allow for the 
measurement of progress toward the achievement of stated objectives of 
the proposed Center.
    (c) Qualifications, adequacy, and appropriateness of personnel to 
accomplish the proposed activities. Project director: Is the proposed 
Center director appropriately trained and well-suited to carry out this 
work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the 
proposed director and other key faculty and staff?
    (d) Adequacy of institutional support and arrangements to ensure 
successful implementation of activities of the proposed Center; 
including arrangements for the Center director's time commitment and 
authority; and also including documentation of relationships and 
understanding of roles and responsibilities between partner 
institutions, and community organizations.
    (e) Adequacy of plans to conduct pilot projects. Overall relevance 
of the project for the field of violence prevention. Adequacy of the 
setting and participants for the project. Relevance of outcome 
measurements, and expected results. Appropriateness of time lines, 
cost, and plans for translation/dissemination.
    (f) Adequacy of plans and arrangements to develop and implement a 
community response to the problem of youth violence bringing together 
diverse perspectives (i.e. health and mental health professionals, 
educators, the media, parents, young people, police, criminal/juvenile 
courts, legislators, public health specialists, and business leaders. 
Documentation of agreements and clear understanding of roles and 
responsibilities of partner organizations.
    (g) Adequacy of plans and arrangements to develop and implement 
curricula for training of health care professionals on violent behavior 
identification, assessment and intervention with high risk youth, and 
integrate this curriculum into medical, nursing, and other health 
professional training program.
    (h) Does the application adequately address the requirements of 
Title 45 CFR Part 46 for the protection of human subjects?
    (i) Does the applicant meet the CDC Policy requirements regarding 
the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the proposed 
research?
    Factors to be considered by the SEP in reviewing Developmental/Risk 
Factors and Efficacy/Effectiveness research projects include:
    (a) Does this research project application address an important 
problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will 
scientific prevention knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of 
these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field forward?
    (b) Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses 
adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of 
the research project application? Does the applicant acknowledge 
potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?
    (c) Does the research project employ novel concepts, approaches or 
methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the research 
project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or 
technologies?
    (d) Is the investigator appropriately trained and well-suited to 
carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience 
level of the principal investigator and other researchers?
    (e) Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done 
contribute to the probability of success? Does the proposed project 
take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or 
employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of 
institutional support?
    (f) Does the application adequately address the requirements of 
Title 45 CFR Part 46 for the protection of human subjects?
    (g) Does the applicant meet the CDC Policy requirements regarding 
the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the proposed 
research?
2. Review by the CDC Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention and 
Control (ACIPC)
    Secondary review of applications will be conducted by the Science 
and Program Review Work Group (SPRWG) of the ACIPC. The SPRWG consists 
of ACIPC members, Federal ex officio participants, and organizational 
liaisons. The Federal ex officio participants will be responsible for 
identifying projects in overlapping areas of research interest so that 
unwarranted duplication in federally-funded research can be avoided. At 
the request of the SPRWG, the appropriate NCIPC divisional Associate 
Director for Science (ADS) or their designee may be invited to address 
the SPRWG during the secondary review to assure that research 
priorities of the announcement are understood and to provide background 
regarding current research activities. The SPRWG may reach over better 
ranked projects in order to assure maximal impact and balance of 
proposed research.
    Factors to be considered by the ACIPC include:
    a. The results of the peer (SEP) review.
    b. The significance of the proposed activities as they relate to 
national program priorities and the achievement of national objectives.
    c. National and NCIPC priority needs and geographic balance.
    d. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the 
priorities and objectives stated in Healthy People 2010.
    e. Budgetary considerations.
    SPRWG members will vote on funding recommendations. The SPRWG may 
vote to approve, disapprove, or modify the recommendations for funding.
    These recommendations will be presented to the entire ACIPC in the 
form of a report by the Chairman of the SPRWG. The ACIPC can vote to 
approve, disapprove, or modify these recommendations for funding 
consideration. Recommendations are then presented to the Director, 
NCIPC, for funding decisions.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements
    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of
    1. Progress reports (annual);
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period; and
    3. Final financial status report and performance report, no more 
than 90 days after the end of the project period.

[[Page 15645]]

    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 kit.

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 2010
AR-12  Lobbying Restrictions
AR-13  Prohibition on Use of CDC funds for Certain Gun Control 
Activities
AR-20  Conference Activities within Grants/Cooperative Agreements

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under Sections 301, 391, 392, 393, and 
394 of the Public Health Service Act, [42 U.S.C. 241, 280b, 280b-1, 
280b-1a, and 280b-2] as amended. Program regulations are set forth in 
42 CFR Part 52. The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 
93.136.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    For this announcement and other CDC program announcements see the 
CDC home page on the Internet: 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 number for the 
announcement of interest. A complete program description and 
information on application procedures are contained in the application 
package.
    Please refer to Announcement 00043 when requesting information and 
submitting an application. If you have questions after reviewing the 
contents of all the documents, business management technical assistance 
may be obtained from: Sheryl L. Heard, Grants Management Specialist, 
Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, 
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone number (770) 488-2723, Email address 
[email protected].
    Programmatic technical assistance may be obtained from: Enrique 
Nieves, Jr., Project Officer, Division of Violence Prevention, National 
Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, NE., (K-60), Atlanta, GA 
30341-3724, Telephone number (770) 488-1281, Internet address: 
[email protected].

Other Potential Sources of Funds

    The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of NIH has announced 
the availability of funds for research grants in prevention strategies 
for disruptive behavior disorders in children and adolescents. The 
purpose of the RFA (RFA No. MH-00-011) is to encourage research 
applications addressing implementation, replication, and deployment 
strategies for sustaining prevention programs targeted towards reducing 
risks for or the onset of disruptive behavior problems in youth. The 
NIMH program announcements are available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/grants/index.cfm.

    Dated: March 17, 2000.
Henry S. Cassell III,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-7167 Filed 3-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P