[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 109 (Thursday, June 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39013-39015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14101]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration


Support for Small Scientific Conference Grants; Availability of 
Grants; Request for Applications

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the 
following changes to its support of Small Scientific Conferences Grant 
Program. The previous announcement of this program, published in the 
Federal Register of April 15, 1987 (52 FR 12257), is superseded by this 
announcement. This announcement will also provide new policies that 
apply to the FDA Scientific Conferences Grant Program. FDA views the 
partial support of scientific conferences as an ongoing program and may 
award a limited number of grants each fiscal year ranging from $1,000 
to $25,000 in direct costs only per conference. This announcement is 
intended to be a ``Standing Program Announcement'' and will be modified 
in the event of further required changes to the program.

DATES: Applications will be received and reviewed quarterly during each 
fiscal year as follows (see table 1):

                                                    Table 1.
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           Receipt Date                       Review Date                 Earliest Beginning Conference Date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 15                         November 15                       December 15
January 15                         February 15                       March 15
April 15                           May 15                            June 15
July 15                            August 15                         September 15
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If the receipt date falls on a weekend or holiday it will be 
extended to the following workday. Applications received after the 
quarterly deadline date will be held for the next review cycle or 
returned to the applicant if time is not sufficient for FDA to conduct 
a review prior to the scheduled date of the proposed conference.

ADDRESSES: Applications are available from and should be submitted to: 
Cynthia M. Polit, Grants Management Office (HFA-520), 5600 Fishers 
Lane, rm. 2129, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-827-7180, e-mail: 
[email protected]. Applications hand-carried or commercially delivered 
should be addressed to 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 2129, Rockville, MD 
20852. FDA is unable to receive applications via the Internet. Do not 
send applications to the Center for Scientific Research, National 
Institutes of Health (NIH). Any application sent to NIH and not 
received in time for orderly processing will be deemed nonresponsive 
and returned to the applicant. Application forms (PHS 398) may be 
downloaded from the NIH Internet site at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding the 
administrative and financial management aspects of this program: 
Cynthia Polit (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    FDA's authority to enter into grants and cooperative agreements is 
detailed under title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
300u-1) or the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968 
(Public Law 90-602) (42 U.S.C. 263b-n). Applications submitted under 
this program may be subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372. FDA's conference grant program is described in the Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance, No. 93.103.
    FDA strongly encourages all award recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and to discourage the use of all tobacco products. This 
is consistent with the FDA mission to protect and advance the physical 
and mental health of the American people.
    FDA urges applicants to submit work plans that address specific 
objectives of ``Healthy People 2010,'' a national activity to reduce 
morbidity and mortality and to improve the quality of life. Potential 
applicants may obtain a hard copy of ``Healthy People 2010'' 
objectives, vols. I and II, conference edition (B0074), for $22 per 
set, by writing to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion (ODPHP) Communication Support Center, P.O. Box 37366, 
Washington, DC 20012-7366. Each of the 28 chapters of ``Healthy People 
2010'' is priced at $2 per copy. Telephone orders can be placed to the 
ODPHP Center on 301-468-5690. The ODPHP Center also sells the complete 
conference edition in CD-ROM format (B0071) for $5. This publication is 
also available on the Internet at www.health.gov/healthypeople/. Web 
site viewers should proceed to ``Publications.''

II. Background

    FDA recognizes the value of partially supporting scientific 
meetings and conferences designed to coordinate, exchange, and 
disseminate information when the objectives are clearly within the 
scope of the agency's mission. FDA's policy is to participate with 
other organizations to support meetings where practicable rather than 
provide sole support. In view of the diversity of interests among the 
various FDA centers/offices, and in order to provide maximum 
flexibility, FDA will not set rigid requirements concerning the type of 
scientific meetings to be supported.

III. Reporting Requirements

    A final financial status report (FSR, SF269) and a final progress 
report or conference proceedings are required. An original and two 
copies of these reports must be submitted to the Grants Management 
Office (see ADDRESSES) within 90 days after the conference date. Copies 
of conference proceedings resulting from the meeting may be substituted 
for the final progress report. Failure to provide these reports in a 
timely manner may jeopardize future grant support or delay an award.

IV. Mechanism of Support

A. Award Instrument

    Support for this program will be in the form of a grant. These 
grants will be subject to all policies and requirements that govern the 
support for small scientific conference grant programs of FDA, 
including the provisions of 42 CFR part 52 and 45 CFR parts 74 and 92. 
The regulations issued under Executive Order 12372 may also apply to 
this program and are implemented through the Department of Health and 
Human Services (DHHS) regulations at 45 CFR part 100. Executive Order 
12372 sets up a system for State and local government review of 
applications for Federal financial assistance. Applicants (other than 
federally recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact the 
State's single point of contact (SPOC) as early as possible to alert 
them to the

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prospective application(s) and to receive any necessary instructions on 
the State's review processes. A current listing of SPOCs can be 
accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. The SPOC 
should send any State review process recommendations to FDA's 
administrative contact (see ADDRESSES). The due date for the State 
process recommendation is no later than 60 days after the deadline date 
for the receipt of applications. FDA does not guarantee to accommodate 
or explain SPOC comments that are received after the 60-day cutoff.

B. Eligibility

    Conference grant support is available to any public or private 
nonprofit entity including State and local units of government, 
scientific and professional societies, and for-profit entities. Faith-
based organizations are eligible to apply for these conference grants. 
For-profit entities must commit to excluding fees or profit from the 
conference in their request for support.
    In the case of an international conference held in the United 
States or Canada, the U.S. component of an established international 
scientific professional society is the eligible applicant. In 
exceptional cases, where there is no U.S. component, a grant to support 
a specific segment of an international conference may be awarded 
directly to a foreign institution or international organization upon 
the approval of the DHHS agency head or his or her designee.
    An individual is not eligible to receive grant funds in support of 
a conference. Organizations described in section 501(c)4 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1968 that engage in lobbying are not eligible 
to receive grant awards.

C. Length of Support

    The length of support will be for up to 1 year from date of award.

V. Review Procedure and Criteria

    All applications submitted in response to this announcement will be 
evaluated upon receipt for responsiveness to this request for 
application (RFA). Responsiveness is defined as submission of a 
complete application with original signatures within the required 
submission dates as listed in table 1 of this document. Applications 
found to be nonresponsive will be returned to the applicant without 
further consideration.
    An application will be considered nonresponsive if any of the 
following criteria are not met: (1) If the applicant organization is 
ineligible, (2) if it is received in the grants management office after 
the specified receipt date, (3) if it is incomplete, (4) if it is 
illegible, (5) if it is not responsive to the criteria list below, (6) 
if the material presented is insufficient to permit an adequate review, 
and/or (7) if it exceeds the recommended threshold amount reflected in 
the RFA.
    Responsive applications will be reviewed and evaluated for their 
scientific and technical merit by an ad hoc review panel composed of 
experts in the field using the following criteria:
    1. The content/subject matter and how current and appropriate it is 
for FDA's mission;
    2. The conference plan and how thorough, reasonable, and 
appropriate it is for the intended audience;
    3. The experience, training, and competence of the principal 
investigator/director and support staff;
    4. The adequacy of the facilities;
    5. The reasonableness of the proposed budget given the total 
conference plan, program, speakers, travel, and facilities;
    6. Previous experience of the organization/principal investigator.

VI. Submission Requirements

    An original and two copies of a complete grant application Form PHS 
398 (Rev. 4/98) or an original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (Rev.7/00) 
for State and local governments should be delivered to the address 
listed previously (see ADDRESSES). State and local governments may 
choose to use PHS 398 application form in place of PHS 5161-1. The 
outside of the application package should clearly state ``Request for 
Conference Grant'' and must be received by the appropriate submission 
date listed in table 1 of this document.

VII. Letter of Intent

    This is not mandatory. However, you may submit a letter of intent 
to the contact (see ADDRESSES) at least 30 days prior to the 
application receipt date. Potential applicants are also encouraged to 
talk to the contact to determine if the proposed scientific conference 
is clearly consistent with FDA's interest, mission, and priorities. 
Potential applicants may fax letters of intent to 301-827-7101.

VIII. Method of Application

A. Submission Instructions

    Applications will be accepted during normal business hours, from 8 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on or before the established 
receipt date. Applications will be considered on time if sent or mailed 
on or before the appropriate receipt date as evidenced by a legible 
U.S. Postal Service dated postmark or a legible date receipt from a 
commercial carrier. Private metered postmarks will not be acceptable as 
proof of timely mailing. Applications received after the appropriate 
quarterly deadline date will be held for the next review cycle or 
returned to the applicant if time is not sufficient for FDA to conduct 
a review prior to the scheduled date of the proposed conference.

B. Format of Application

    Applications must include the following:
    1. Title that has the term scientific ``conference,'' ``council,'' 
``workshop,'' or other similar description to assist in the 
identification of the request;
    2. Location of the conference;
    3. Expected number of registrants and type of audience expected, 
speaker's credentials;
    4. Dates of conference (inclusive);
    5. Conference format and projected agenda, including list of 
principal areas or topics to be addressed;
    6. Physical facilities required for the conduct of the meeting 
(e.g., simultaneous translation facilities);
    7. Justification of the conference, including the problems it 
intends to clarify and any developments it may stimulate;
    8. Brief biographical sketches of individuals responsible for 
planning the conference and indication of adequate support staff;
    9. Information about all related conferences held on this subject 
during the last 3 years (if known);
    10. Details of proposed per diem/subsistence rates, transportation, 
printing, supplies, and facility rental costs;
    11. The budget for the entire conference; budget items requested 
from FDA; budget items supported by other sources; and a list, 
including amounts, of all other anticipated support; and
    12. The necessary checklist and assurance pages provided in each 
application package.
    Allowable costs consist of: (1) Salaries in proportion to the time 
or effort spent directly on the conference, (2) rental of necessary 
equipment, (3) travel and per diem, (4) supplies needed to conduct the 
meeting, (5) conference services, (6) publication costs, (7) 
registration fees, (8) working meals where business is transacted, and 
(9) speaker's fees.
    Nonallowable costs include but are not limited to: (1) Purchase of 
equipment; (2) transportation costs exceeding coach class fares; (3) 
visas; (4) passports; (5) entertainment; (6) tips; (7) bar charges; (8) 
personal telephone calls; (9) laundry charges; (10) travel or

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expenses other than local mileage for local participants; (11) 
organization dues; (12) honoraria or other payments for the purpose of 
conferring distinction or communicating respect, esteem, or admiration; 
(13) patient care; (14) alterations or renovations; and (15) indirect 
costs.
    Grant funds may not be used to provide general support for 
international scientific conferences held outside the United States or 
Canada. Grant funds may be awarded to a U.S. component of an 
international organization to provide limited support for specified 
segments of an international conference held outside the United States 
or Canada if the conference is compatible with FDA's mission. An 
example of such support would be a selected symposium, panel, or 
workshop within the conference, including the cost of planning and the 
cost of travel for U.S. participants for the specified segment of the 
scientific conference. Any Public Health Service (PHS) foreign travel 
restrictions that are in effect at the time of the award must be 
followed, including but not limited to:
    1. Limitations or restrictions on countries to which travel will be 
supported; or
    2. Budgetary or other limitations on availability of funds for 
foreign travel.
    The collection of information requested in PHS Form 398 and its 
instructions have been submitted by PHS to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) and were approved and assigned OMB control number 0925-
0001. Information collection requirements requested on PHS Form 5161-1 
were approved and issued under OMB Circular A-102.

C. Legend

    Unless disclosure is required by the Freedom of Information Act as 
amended (5 U.S.C. 552) as determined by the freedom of information 
officials of DHHS or by a court, data contained in the portions of this 
application that have been specifically identified by page number, 
paragraph, etc., by the applicant as containing restricted information 
shall not be used or disclosed except for evaluation purposes.

    Dated: May 31, 2002.
Margaret M. Dotzel,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 02-14101 Filed 6-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S