[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 247 (Friday, December 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80891-80895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32754]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Announcement 01016]


Grants for Violence-Related Injury Prevention Research; 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 for fiscal year (FY) 2001. This announcement is related 
to the Healthy People 2010 priority areas of Violence and Abuse 
Prevention, visit the internet site: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
    The purposes of this program are to:
    1. Solicit research applications that address the priorities 
reflected under the section ``Programmatic Interests.''
    2. Build the scientific base for the prevention of injuries, 
disabilities, and deaths due to violence.
    3. 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, and small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
    Current holders of CDC R49 Research grants and R49 Injury Control 
Research Center (ICRC) grants are eligible to apply for supplemental 
funding to enhance or expand existing projects or to conduct one year 
pilot studies. Grantees currently funded under announcements 00024 
(Grants for Injury Control Training and Demonstration Center) and 00043 
(Grants for National Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence 
Prevention) are not eligible to apply for supplements.


    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.

    Applications that are incomplete or non-responsive to the below 
requirements will be returned to the applicant without further 
consideration. 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 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, (1.a-c). The addendum is contained in the 
application package.
    5. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and 
research objectives, and the program

[[Page 80892]]

interests as described under the heading, ``Programmatic Interests.''

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $1.2 million is expected to be available in FY 2001 
for injury research grants to fund approximately 4-5 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, 
2001, 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. Those grantees eligible for supplemental funding 
may request up to $150,000 (including both direct and indirect costs) 
for one year. Supplemental awards will be made for the budget period to 
coincide with the actual budget period of the grant. 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), and the 
achievement of workplan milestones reflected in the continuation 
application.


    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

    Research is needed to better understand the etiology of violence 
and its consequences, to determine how best to prevent violence-related 
injuries among different segments of the population and in different 
settings, and how best to reduce the severity of emotional and physical 
consequences of violence.
    In the areas of interpersonal youth violence, child abuse, intimate 
partner violence, suicide, and sexual assault, little is known about 
the independent, additive, interactive, and sequential effects of 
psychological, socioeconomic, and environmental risk and protective 
factors. In addition, a better understanding of how these different 
types of violence are related to one another is needed. It is also 
important to determine which factors have differential effects on the 
onset, persistence, escalation, de-escalation, or desistance of violent 
offending at different ages. Understanding how risk and protective 
factors relate to one another and to violence, how different types of 
violence are connected, and the factors that influence the ebb and flow 
of violent behavior is necessary to develop and implement effective 
violence prevention strategies.
    Interpersonal violent behavior has a disproportionate impact on 
communities in economic and social disarray. This suggests that further 
understanding of the role that risk and protective factors such as 
poverty, social contagion, social norms, and social capital play in the 
etiology of violence may be particularly important in formulating 
effective prevention strategies.
    In the area of suicide, mental health determinants have been 
studied extensively. Much less attention, however, has been given to 
individual, social, and environmental determinants (e.g., exposure to 
violence and suicidal behavior, geographic mobility, access to lethal 
weapons, social support) not directly related to mental health. These 
factors may be very important in developing effective prevention 
strategies for suicide.
    An issue crosscutting the areas of interpersonal violence and 
suicidal behavior and that is associated with the severity of violence 
is the problem of firearm injuries. Research is needed to better 
understand the risk factors for firearm injury and to understand the 
risk and benefits of having access to or carrying a firearm.
    Understanding of the effectiveness of interventions and policies 
designed to prevent violent behavior or to mitigate the physical and 
emotional consequences of violence remains at a rudimentary level. In 
the areas of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and suicide 
there is a tremendous need to identify effective primary prevention 
strategies. In addition secondary prevention strategies for intimate 
partner violence and sexual violence are being implemented through 
health care providers and through public health, criminal justice, and 
social services for victims, perpetrators, and child witnesses to 
violence. Efforts have also been made to coordinate these community 
responses. However, few of these intervention programs and responses 
have been rigorously and systematically evaluated for their efficacy.
    While there has been great progress in the area of youth violence 
in identifying effective and promising prevention strategies much work 
remains to be done. For example, there is some evidence that programs 
that combine interventions for youth with interventions targeting 
parents and caregivers are more effective than either intervention 
alone. There is a need for effectiveness studies that examine different 
levels of intervention (individual, peer, family, school, community), 
the long-term impact of strategies showing initial promise, and the 
best combination and application of singularly effective violence 
prevention strategies so that resources for youth violence can be used 
most effectively. There is also a need to improve the diffusion of 
effective programs.
    Research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of existing 
national, state or local policies or programs designed to prevent 
firearm injuries. Of particular interest is the impact of policies and 
programs that promote safe storage of firearms, involve the application 
of safe gun technology, and educate youth using curricula to promote 
gun safety on injuries among children and adolescents.
    The application of new or under-used research methods is also of 
substantial interest. In all areas of violence there is a need to go 
beyond establishing the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions and 
public policies and use state of the art methods to determine the cost 
effectiveness of approaches that have been found to be efficacious. The 
application of new methods of studying the spatial distribution of 
violence such as the use of geographic information systems (GIS) should 
be further explored. In addition, longitudinal study designs are needed 
to better disentangle the effects of various factors in the etiology of 
violence and monitor the long-term effects of violence prevention 
interventions and policies.
    1. Improve understanding of the etiology of violence (i.e., 
interpersonal youth violence, child abuse, intimate partner violence, 
suicide, and sexual assault) and its consequences through research that 
addresses:
     The independent, additive, interactive, and sequential 
effects of psychological, socioeconomic, and environmental risk and 
protective factors.
     Factors that have differential effects on the onset, 
persistence, escalation, de-escalation, or desistance of violent 
offending at different ages.

[[Page 80893]]

     Factors that increase the severity of the emotional and 
physical consequences of violence and suicidal behavior.
     The effect of social and economic risk and protective 
factors such as poverty, social contagion, social norms, and social 
capital on interpersonal violence.
     The effect of psychological, social, and environmental 
factors not directly related to mental health on suicide.
     The risks and benefits of firearm access or carrying.
    2. Improve understanding of the relationships between different 
types of violence. Of particular concern are:
     The relationship between intimate partner violence 
victimization and perpetration to child abuse.
     The effects of exposure to child abuse and intimate 
partner violence on suicidal behavior.
     The effects of witnessing violence as a child in the home 
and community on violent behavior during adolescence and adulthood.
    3. Design and test preventive interventions for intimate partner 
violence, sexual violence, suicidal behavior, and child abuse.
    4. Evaluate the feasibility and impact of screening and 
intervention methods in the acute medical care setting for youth 
interpersonal violence, child abuse, suicidal ideation, and intimate 
partner violence.
    5. Advance our understanding of the effectiveness of interventions 
to prevent youth violence by evaluating:
     The long-term impact of promising interventions.
     Multifaceted interventions to prevent youth violence.
     The effect of youth-violence-prevention strategies in 
diverse cultural and social settings.
     The cost effectiveness of promising interventions.

Funding Preferences

    Priority will be given to studies which focus on under served 
population(s) including ethnic populations, persons with disabilities, 
gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual populations, or immigrant and 
refugee populations. 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. 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 2010 and should seek creative 
approaches that will contribute to a national program for injury 
control.
    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.
    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; 
however, 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.

E. Submission and Deadline

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 shall be submitted on or before February 9, 2001, 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.

Application Submission

    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 March 9, 2001, 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 the 
review process. 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 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.

F. Evaluation Criteria

    Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC staff for 
completeness and responsiveness as outlined under the Eligible 
Applicants Section (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 application.
    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

[[Page 80894]]

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.
    Competing Supplemental grant awards may be made when funds are 
available, to support research work or activities not previously 
approved by the IRGRC. Applications should be clearly labeled to denote 
their status as requesting supplemental funding support. These 
applications will be reviewed by the IRGRC and the secondary review 
group.
    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 IRGRC, 
recommendations by the secondary review committee Advisory Committee 
for Injury Prevention and Control (ACIPC), consultation with NCIPC 
senior staff, and the availability of funds.
    1. The primary review will be a peer review conducted by the IRGRC. 
All applications 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 application. 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 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?
    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 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 proposals 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. If any 
further review is needed by the ACIPC, regarding the recommendations of 
the SPRWG, the factors considered will be the same as the factors that 
the SPRWG considered.
    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 recommend to the NCIPC Director, 
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 relevance and balance of proposed research relative to the 
NCIPC programs and priorities.
    c. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the 
priorities and objectives stated in Healthy People 2010 and the 
Institute of Medicine report, Reducing the Burden of Injury.
    d. 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.

[[Page 80895]]

G. 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-3  Animal Subjects Requirement
AR-7  Executive Order 12372 Review--not applicable for this program 
announcement
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-21  Small, Minority, and Women-owned Business

H. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    In addition to being authorized under 301 (a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] of 
the Public Health Service Act, this program announcement is also 
authorized under 391 (a) [42 U.S.C. 280(b)] of the Public Service 
Health Act. The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 
93.136.

I. 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 your 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:

Angela Webb, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Program Announcement #01016, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30341, Telephone (770) 488-2784, Internet address: 
[email protected]

    See also the CDC home page on the Internet: http://www.cdc.gov
    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 
30341-3724, Telephone (770) 488-4824, Internet address: [email protected].

    Dated: December 18, 2000.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-32754 Filed 12-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P