[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30932-30935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11360]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 02127]


Grants for Acute Care, Rehabilitation and Diability; Prevention 
Research; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2002 funds for a grant program for 
Grants for Acute Care, Rehabilitation and Disability Prevention 
Research. This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus area 
of Injury and Violence Prevention.
    The purposes of the program are to:
    1. Solicit research applications that address the priorities 
reflected under the heading, ``Program Requirements.''
    2. Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of 
injury and disability.
    3. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines such 
as medicine, health care, public health, health care research, 
behavioral and social sciences, and others, to undertake research to 
prevent and control injuries.
    4. Encourage investigators to propose research that involves 
intervention development and testing as well as research on methods, to 
encourage individuals, organizations, or communities to adopt and 
maintain effective intervention strategies.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit and 
for-profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that 
is, universities, colleges, research institutions, hospitals, other 
public and private non-profit and for-profit organizations, faith-based 
organizations, State and local governments or their bona fide agents, 
including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, federally 
recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal 
organizations, and small, minority, and women-owned businesses.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States code section 1611 states that 
an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to 
receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan.

    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 Attachment 2 (1.a-c). The attachment is contained in the 
application package.
    5. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and 
research objectives, and the program priorities as described under the 
heading, ``Program Requirements.''

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $500,000 is available in FY 2002 to fund 
approximately two awards.
    It is expected that the awards will begin on or about September 30, 
2002, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project 
period of up to three years. The maximum funding level will not exceed 
$250,000 (including both direct and indirect costs) per year or 
$750,000 for the three-year project period.
    Consideration will also be given to current grantees who submit a 
competitive supplement requesting one year of funding to enhance or 
expand existing projects, or to conduct one-year pilot studies. These 
awards will not exceed $150,000, including both direct and indirect 
costs. Supplemental awards will be made for the budget period to 
coincide with the actual budget period of the grant, and are based on 
the availability of end of fiscal year funds.
    Applications that exceed the funding caps noted above 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 work plan 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.

D. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for either Research Activity 1 or 
Research Activity 2:
    1. Develop and evaluate protocols that provide onsite interventions 
in acute care settings or linkages to off-site services for patients at 
risk of injury or psychosocial problems following injury (See 
Attachment 3 in the application kit).
    2. Develop and apply methods for calculating population-based 
estimates of the incidence, costs, and long-term

[[Page 30933]]

consequences of nonhospitalized traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal 
cord injury (SCI) (See Attachment 3 in the application kit).

E. Content

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    A LOI is optional for this program. The program announcement title 
and number must appear in the LOI. The narrative should be no more than 
two pages, double-spaced, printed on one side, with one inch margins, 
and unreduced font. Your letter of intent will be used to enable CDC to 
determine the level of interest in the announcement and should include 
the following information: Name of the principal investigator and a 
brief description of the scope and intent of the proposed research 
work.

Application

    The program announcement title and number must appear in the 
application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
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 consist of, at a minimum, a plan, objectives, 
methods, evaluation, and budget. Applications should follow the PHS-398 
(Rev. 5/2001) application and Errata Sheet (see Attachment 4 in the 
application kit), 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 injuries within three to five 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.

F. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    On or before May 31, 2002, submit the LOI to the Grants Management 
Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' 
section of this announcement.

Application

    Submit the original and five copies of PHS-398 (OMB Number 0925-
0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for 
PHS 398). Forms are available in the application kit and at the 
following Internet address: www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
    Application forms must be submitted in the following order:

Cover Letter
Table of Contents
Application
Budget Information Form
Budget Justification
Checklist
Assurances
Certifications
Disclosure Form
HIV Assurance Form (if applicable)
Human Subjects Certification (if applicable)
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)
Narrative

    On or before 5 PM Eastern Time, June 14, 2002, submit the 
application to: Technical Information Management-PA02127, Procurement 
and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 
Brandywine Rd, Room 3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
    Deadline: letters of intent and applications shall be considered as 
meeting the deadline if they are received before 5 PM Eastern Time on 
the deadline date. Applicants sending applications by the United States 
Postal Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the 
carrier will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the 
closing date and time. If an application is received after closing due 
to (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a 
guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant 
weather delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper 
documentation, consider the application as having been received by the 
deadline.
    Applications which do not meet the above criteria will not be 
eligible for competition and will be discarded. Applicants will be 
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

G. Evaluation Criteria

Application

    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 
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.
    If end of fiscal year funds are available to support research work 
or activities not previously approved by the IRGRC, competitive 
supplemental grant awards may be made. Competitive

[[Page 30934]]

supplement 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.
    All awards will be determined by the Director of the 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 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 injury-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 part 46 for the protection of human 
subjects? (An application can be disapproved if the research risks are 
sufficiently serious and protection against risks is so inadequate as 
to make the entire application unacceptable.) The degree to which the 
applicant has met the CDC Policy requirements regarding the inclusion 
of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the proposed research. This 
includes:
    i. The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial and 
ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation.
    ii. The proposed justification when representation is limited or 
absent.
    iii. A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate 
to measure differences when warranted.
    iv. A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and 
outreach for study participants include the process of establishing 
partnerships with community(ies) and recognition of mutual benefits.
    g. Study Samples. Are the samples 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 Committee (SPRS) from the ACIPC. The ACIPC Federal ex 
officio members will be invited to attend the secondary review and 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 SPRS 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 SPRS, the factors considered will be the same as 
those considered by the SPRS.
    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 delineated in the National Research Agenda.
    d. Budgetary considerations.
    3. Continued Funding. Continuation awards made after FY 2002, 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 work plan 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.

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    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. Annual progress report,
    2. A financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period,
    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 written in non-scientific 
[laymen's] terms) summary highlighting the findings and their 
implications for injury prevention programs, policies, environmental 
changes, etc. The grant recipient will also include a description of 
the dissemination plan for research findings. This plan will include 
publications in peer-reviewed journals and ways in which research 
findings will be made available to stakeholders outside of academia, 
(e.g., state injury prevention program staff, community groups, public 
health injury prevention practioners, and others). 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 Attachment 1 of the 
application kit.

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-9  Paperwork Reduction 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-21  Small, Minority, and Women-owned Business
AR-22  Research Integrity

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under section 301(a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] 
of the Public Health Service Act, and section 391(a) [42 U.S.C. 280(b)] 
of the Public Service Health Act, as amended. The Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and 
associated forms can be found on the CDC home page Internet address-- 
http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding Opportunities'' then ``Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements.''
    For business management technical assistance, contact: Van A. King, 
Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-4146. Telephone number (770) 488-2751. e-mail 
address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Sharon Martin, Deputy 
Director, 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 number: (770) 488-4265. e-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: May 2, 2002.
Sandra R. Manning,
CGFM, Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-11360 Filed 5-7-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P