[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26298-26306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12107]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 04001]


Grants for Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health; 
Notice of Availability of Funds

    Application Deadline: July 1, 2003.

[[Page 26299]]

A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under section 670(a) of the Occupational 
Safety and Health Act (29 U.S.C. 670 (a)). The Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance number is 93.263.

B. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2004 funds for a grant program for 
institutional training grants in occupational safety and health. This 
program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus area of 
Occupational Safety and Health.
    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
is mandated to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to 
carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The 
specific purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to 
eligible applicants to assist in providing an adequate supply of 
qualified professional occupational safety and health personnel. 
Projects are funded to support Occupational Safety and Health Education 
and Research Center Training Grants (ERCs) and Training Project Grants 
(TPGs).
    ERCs are academic institutions that provide interdisciplinary 
graduate training and continuing education in the industrial hygiene, 
occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, occupational 
safety, and closely related occupational safety and health fields. The 
ERCs also serve as regional resource centers for industry, labor, 
government, and the public. TPGs are academic institutions that 
primarily provide single-discipline graduate training in the industrial 
hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, 
occupational safety, and closely related occupational safety and health 
fields. Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with 
one or more of the following performance goals for the National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Ensure safer and 
healthier work environments for all Americans through information 
dissemination, knowledge transfer, and training.

C. Eligible Applicants

    Any public or private educational or training institution that has 
demonstrated competency in the occupational safety and health field and 
is located in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Trust 
Territory of the Pacific Islands, Wake Island, Outer Continental Shelf 
lands defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Johnston 
Island, and any other U.S. Territory or Trust Territory not named 
herein are eligible to apply for an institutional training grant.
    Applications may be submitted by:
    [sbull] Universities.
    [sbull] Colleges.
    [sbull] Technical schools.

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

D. Funding

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $3,825,000 is anticipated in FY 2004 to fund 
approximately 23 ERC and TPG awards, subject to availability of funds. 
It is expected that the awards will begin on or about July 1, 2004 and 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up 
to 5 years. Funding estimates may change. ERC individual program awards 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period not 
to exceed that of the main ERC training grant.
    Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.

Use of Funds

    At least 50 percent of the funds awarded for each grant must be 
used for direct trainee expenses. Post-doctoral trainee support is 
discouraged with the exception of occupational medicine residents. 
Under this announcement, only one award will be made to any single 
institution or organization.

Recipient Financial Participation

    Matching funds are not required for this program.

Funding Preferences

    Funding for ERCs: Approximately $2,640,000 of the total funds 
available will be utilized as follows:
    1. Approximately $2,400,000 is available to award four competing 
continuation or new ERC grants. This includes a total of $160,000 to 
augment the support of trainees in occupational medicine residency 
programs. Awards will range from $400,000 to $800,000 with the average 
award being $600,000.
    2. Approximately $120,000 is available to award two competing 
continuation or new training grants; one of the awards is planned for 
$60,000 for a Hazardous Substance Academic Training (HSAT) Program and 
one of the awards is planned for $60,000 for a Hazardous Substance 
Training (HST) Program. The awards are to support the development and 
presentation of continuing education and short courses (HST Programs), 
and academic curricula (HSAT Programs) for trainees and professionals 
engaged in the management of hazardous substances. Program support is 
available for faculty and staff salaries, trainee costs, and other 
costs to provide training and education for occupational safety and 
health and other professional personnel engaged in the evaluation, 
management, and handling of hazardous substances.
    3. Approximately $120,000 is available to award two competing 
continuation or new grants to support the enhancement of the ERC 
research training mission through the support of pilot project research 
training programs.
    Funding for TPGs: Approximately $780,000 is available to fund 
twelve competing continuation or new TPG grants. Awards will range from 
$20,000 to $100,000, with the average award being $65,000. This 
includes a total of $40,000 to augment the support of trainees in 
occupational medicine residency programs. These awards will support 
academic programs in the core disciplines (i.e., industrial hygiene, 
occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational 
safety and ergonomics) and relevant components (e.g., occupational 
injury prevention, industrial toxicology, and ergonomics).
    These awards are intended to augment the scope, enrollment, and 
quality of training programs rather than to replace funds already 
available for current operations.
    Funding for ERCs and TPGs: Approximately $405,000 is available to 
fund three competing continuation or new grants for occupational injury 
prevention research training. Awards will range from $75,000 to 
$150,000, with the average award being $135,000. This program is 
intended to encourage new occupational injury prevention research 
training programs and will only support doctoral-level training and 
trainees. In institutions with existing NIOSH-funded occupational 
safety/ergonomics and/or injury epidemiology programs, funding will be 
considered for the addition of a doctoral-level program only if it is 
not part of the existing NIOSH-funded program. For the purpose of this 
announcement, only doctoral-level programs with a specific 
concentration in occupational injury

[[Page 26300]]

prevention will be considered. The proposed program must be described 
in detail, with objectives, competencies and how achieved in specified 
courses, curricula, recruitment, faculty and other program features. 
Institutions submitting proposed programs under this announcement that 
also have existing NIOSH-funded programs in safety/ergonomics and/or 
injury epidemiology must describe in detail how the proposed program 
differs from the existing program. In some instances, it may be 
necessary to replace the existing program funding with funding 
available under this announcement.

E. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the following activities that 
define the ERC and TPG programs to be conducted:
    1. All Applicants are required to provide Measures of Effectiveness 
that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various objectives of 
the grant. Measures must be objective/quantitative and must measure the 
intended outcomes. These Measures of Effectiveness shall be submitted 
with the application and shall be an element of evaluation.
    2. ERC Applicants shall be an identifiable organizational unit 
within the sponsoring organization. Applicants must meet the following 
characteristics in order to be considered for an award. If the 
characteristics are not met, the application will be considered non-
responsive and will be returned to the applicant without a review.
    a. Cooperative arrangements with a medical school or teaching 
hospital (with an established program in preventive or occupational 
medicine), a school of nursing or its equivalent, a school of public 
health or its equivalent, or a school of engineering or its equivalent. 
It is expected that other schools or departments with relevant 
disciplines and resources shall be represented and shall contribute as 
appropriate to the conduct of the total program, e.g., epidemiology, 
toxicology, biostatistics, environmental health, law, business 
administration, and education. Specific mechanisms to implement the 
cooperative arrangements between departments, schools/colleges, 
universities, etc., shall be demonstrated in order to assure that the 
intended interdisciplinary training and education will be engendered.
    b. An ERC Director who possesses a demonstrated capacity for 
sustained productivity and leadership in occupational health and safety 
education and training. The Director shall oversee the general 
operation of the ERC Program and shall, to the extent possible, 
directly participate in training activities. A Deputy Director shall be 
responsible for managing the daily administrative duties of the ERC and 
to increase the ERC Director's availability to ERC staff and to the 
public.
    c. Program Directors who are full-time faculty and professional 
staff representing various disciplines and qualifications relevant to 
occupational safety and health who are capable of planning, 
establishing, and carrying out or administering training projects 
undertaken by the ERC. Each academic program, as well as the continuing 
education and outreach program, shall have a Program Director.
    d. Faculty and staff with demonstrated training and research 
expertise, appropriate facilities and ongoing training and research 
activities in occupational safety and health areas.
    e. A program for conducting education and training for four core 
disciplines: Occupational physicians, occupational health nurses, 
industrial hygienists, and occupational safety personnel. ERC core 
academic programs are intended to provide multi-level practitioner and 
research training. Core academic programs should offer masters degrees 
and, in research institutions, doctoral degrees. There shall be a 
minimum of five full-time students or full-time equivalent students in 
each of the core programs and a minimum of three full-time students or 
full-time equivalent students in each of the component programs, with a 
goal of a minimum of 30 full-time students (total in all of core and 
component programs together). ERCs are encouraged to recruit and train 
minority students to help address the under-representation of 
minorities among the occupational safety and health professional 
workforce. Although it is desirable for an ERC to have the full range 
of core programs, an ERC with a minimum of three academic programs of 
which two are in the core disciplines is eligible for support providing 
it is demonstrated that students will be exposed to the principles and 
issues of all four core disciplines. In order to maximize the unique 
strengths and capabilities of institutions, consideration will be given 
to the development of new and innovative academic component programs 
that are relevant to the occupational safety and health field, e.g., 
ergonomics, industrial toxicology, occupational injury prevention, 
occupational epidemiology, health services research, and agricultural 
safety and health; and to innovative technological approaches to 
training and education. ERCs must also document that the program covers 
an occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets 
a specific regional workforce need. Each core program curriculum shall 
include courses from non-core categories as well as appropriate 
clinical rotations and field experiences with public health and safety 
agencies and with labor-management health and safety groups. Where 
possible, field experience shall involve students representing other 
disciplines in a manner similar to that used in team surveys and other 
team approaches. ERCs should address the importance of providing 
training and education content related to special populations at risk, 
including minority workers and other sub-populations specified in the 
National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) special populations at 
risk category.
    f. A specific plan describing how trainees in core and component 
academic programs will be exposed to the principles of all other 
occupational safety and health core and allied disciplines. ERCs that 
apply as a consortium (contracting with other institutional partners) 
generally have geographic, policy and other barriers to achieving this 
ERC characteristic and, therefore, must give special, innovative, 
attention to thoroughly describing the approach for fulfilling 
interdisciplinary interaction between students.
    g. Demonstrated impact of the ERC on the curriculum taught by 
relevant medical specialties, including family practice, internal 
medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, pathology, radiology, neurology, 
perinatal medicine, psychiatry, etc., and on the curriculum of 
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education of primary core 
disciplines as well as relevant medical specialties and the curriculum 
of other schools such as engineering, business, and law.
    h. An outreach program to interact with and help other institutions 
or agencies located within the region. Programs shall be designed to 
address regional needs and implement innovative strategies for meeting 
those needs. Partnerships and collaborative relationships shall be 
encouraged between ERCs and TPGs. Programs to address the under-
representation of minorities among occupational safety and health 
professionals shall be encouraged. Specific efforts should be made to 
conduct outreach activities to develop collaborative training programs 
with academic institutions serving minority and other special 
populations, such as Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically 
Black Colleges and

[[Page 26301]]

Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Examples of outreach 
activities might include: Interaction with other colleges and schools 
within the ERC and with other universities or institutions in the 
region to integrate occupational safety and health principles and 
concepts within existing curricula (e.g., Colleges of Business 
Administration, Engineering, Architecture, Law, and Arts and Sciences); 
exchange of occupational safety and health faculty among regional 
educational institutions; providing curriculum materials and 
consultation for curriculum/course development in other institutions; 
use of a visiting faculty program to involve labor and management 
leaders; cooperative and collaborative arrangements with professional 
societies, scientific associations, and boards of accreditation, 
certification, or licensure; and presentation of awareness seminars to 
undergraduate and secondary educational institutions (e.g., high school 
science fairs and career days) as well as to labor, management and 
community associations.
    i. A specific plan for preparing, distributing and conducting 
courses, seminars and workshops to provide short-term and continuing 
education training courses for physicians, nurses, industrial 
hygienists, safety engineers and other occupational safety and health 
professionals, paraprofessionals and technicians, including personnel 
from labor-management health and safety committees, in the geographical 
region in which the ERC is located. The goal shall be that the training 
be made available to a minimum of 400 trainees per year representing 
all of the above categories of personnel, on an approximate 
proportional basis with emphasis given to providing occupational safety 
and health training to physicians in family practice, as well as 
industrial practice, industrial nurses, and safety engineers. Priority 
shall be given to establishing new and innovative training 
technologies, including distance learning programs and to short-term 
programs designed to prepare a cadre of practitioners in occupational 
safety and health. Where appropriate, it shall be professionally 
acceptable that Continuing Education Units (as approved by appropriate 
professional associations) may be awarded. These courses should be 
structured so that higher educational institutions, public health and 
safety agencies, professional societies or other appropriate agencies 
can utilize them to provide training at the local level to occupational 
health and safety personnel working in the workplace. Further, the ERC 
shall conduct periodic training needs assessments, shall develop a 
specific plan to meet these needs, and shall have demonstrated 
capability for implementing such training directly and through other 
institutions or agencies in the region. The ERC should establish and 
maintain cooperative efforts with labor unions, government agencies, 
and industry trade associations, where appropriate, thus serving as a 
regional resource for addressing the problems of occupational safety 
and health that are faced by State and local governments, labor and 
management.
    j. A Board of Advisors or Consultants representing the user and 
affected population, including representatives of labor, industry, 
government agencies, academic institutions and professional 
associations, shall be established by the ERC. The Board should meet at 
least annually to advise an ERC Executive Committee and to provide 
periodic evaluation of ERC activities. The Executive Committee shall be 
composed of the ERC Director and Deputy Director, academic Program 
Directors, the Director for Continuing Education and Outreach and 
others whom the ERC Director may appoint to assist in governing the 
internal affairs of the ERC.
    k. A plan to incorporate research training into all aspects of 
training and, in research institutions, as documented by on-going 
funded research and faculty publications, a defined research training 
plan for training doctoral-level researchers in the occupational safety 
and health field. The plan will include how the ERC intends to 
strengthen existing research training efforts, how it will integrate 
research training activities into the curriculum, field and clinical 
experiences, how it will expand these research activities to have an 
impact on other primarily clinically-oriented disciplines, such as 
nursing and medicine, and how it will build on and utilize existing 
research opportunities in the institution. Each ERC is required to 
identify or develop a minimum of one, preferably more, areas of 
research focus related to work environment problems. Consideration 
should be given to the CDC/NIOSH priority research areas identified in 
the National Occupational Health Research Agenda (NORA). Further 
information regarding NORA may be found at the CDC/NIOSH Internet 
address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/norhmpg.html. The research training 
plan will address how students will be instructed and instilled with 
critical research perspectives and skills. This training will emphasize 
the importance of developing and working on interdisciplinary teams 
appropriate for addressing a research issue. It should also prepare 
students with the skill necessary for developing research protocols, 
pilot studies, outreach efforts to transfer research findings into 
practice, and successful research proposals. Such components of 
research training will require the ERCs to strive toward developing the 
faculty composition and administrative infrastructure essential to 
being Centers of Excellence in Occupational Safety and Health Research 
Training that are required to train research leaders of the future. The 
plan should address the incremental growth of such elements and 
evaluation of the plan commensurate with funds available. In addition 
to the research training components, the plan will also include such 
items as specific strategies for obtaining student and faculty funding, 
plans for acquiring equipment, if appropriate, and a plan for 
developing research-oriented faculty.
    1. Evidence in obtaining support from other sources, including 
other Federal grants, support from States and other public agencies, 
and support from the private sector including grants from foundations 
and corporate endowments, chairs, and gifts.
    3. TPG Applicants must document that the program covers an 
occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets a 
specific regional workforce need. There shall be a minimum of three 
full-time students or full-time equivalent students in each academic 
program. Applicants should address the importance of providing training 
and education content related to special populations at risk, including 
minority and disadvantaged workers. The types of training currently 
eligible for support are:
    a. Graduate training for practice, teaching, and research careers 
in occupational safety and health. Priority will be given to programs 
producing graduates in areas of greatest occupational safety and health 
need. Strong consideration will be given to the establishment of 
innovative training technologies including distance learning programs.
    b. Undergraduate and other pre-baccalaureate training providing 
trainees with capabilities for positions in occupational safety and 
health professions.
    c. Special technical or other programs for long-term training of 
occupational safety and health technicians or specialists.

[[Page 26302]]

F. Content

Applications

    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 be no more than fifteen pages per program, 
single-spaced, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and 
unreduced 12-point font. The print must be clear and legible. Use 
standard size, black letters that can be clearly copied. Do not use 
photo reduction. Prepare all graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts in 
black ink. The application must contain only material that can be 
photocopied. Do not include course catalogue and course brochures. When 
additional space is needed to complete any of the items, use plain 
white paper (8.5 x 11 inches), leave one inch margins on each side, 
identify each item by its title, and type the name of the program 
director and the grant number (if the application is a competitive 
renewal) in the upper right corner of each page. All pages, including 
Appendices should be numbered consecutively at least one-half inch from 
the bottom edge.
    Please consult the detailed Recommended Outline for Preparation of 
Competing New/Renewal Training Grant Applications (CDC 2.145 A) 
available at the Internet address listed in section J.

G. Submission and Deadline

Application Forms

    Submit the signed original and two copies of CDC 2.145 A-ERC or TPG 
(OMB Number 0920-0261). Applications should be clearly identified as an 
application for an ERC Training Grant or TPG Training Grant. Forms are 
available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
    If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have 
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC 
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section 
(PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

Submission Date, Time, and Address

    The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time July 1, 
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management--
PA04001, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine 
Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
    Applications may not be submitted electronically.

CDC Acknowledgement of Application Receipt

    A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has 
received your application.

Deadline

    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Any 
applicant who sends their application 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.
    Any application that does not meet the above criteria will not be 
eligible for competition, and will be discarded. The applicant will be 
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

H. Evaluation Criteria

Application

    Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that 
will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified 
objectives of the grant. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the 
performance goals stated in the purpose section of this announcement. 
Measures must be objective and quantitative and must measure the 
intended outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be submitted 
with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
    Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC/NIOSH for 
completeness. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant 
without further consideration. Those applications judged to be 
competitive will be further evaluated individually against the 
following criteria and the extent to which they have been met. The 
initial peer review will be conducted by means of a panel meeting or 
site visit. The purpose of the initial review is to obtain basic 
information regarding elements of the proposed training grant program 
and to provide a technical report as input to the Special Emphasis 
Panel. Site visits will be made for new ERC and TPG applications, 
competing continuation ERC applications, and competing continuation TPG 
applications that have undergone major program changes during the 
previous project period. Since the site visits are not assured and 
depend on the availability of funds, the application is considered a 
complete document for review purposes. All other competing continuation 
applications will be initially reviewed by a panel. This panel review 
includes telephone communication with the proposed Program Directors 
and serves to clarify elements of the application and answer reviewer 
questions. Site visitors and panel members are extramural peer 
reviewers with education and expertise in specific occupational safety 
and health disciplines.
    The final official peer review will be conducted by a Special 
Emphasis Panel (SEP) appointed by CDC. SEP members are extramural peer 
reviewers with occupational safety and health expertise in the program 
areas under review, and include selected members of initial site visit 
and panel review teams. Each of the following criteria will be 
addressed and considered by the peer reviewers in assigning the overall 
priority score weighting them as appropriate for each application. If 
an application is deemed responsive and of significant merit, a 
priority score will be assigned using the 100-500 range representing 
adjectival equivalents from outstanding (100) to acceptable (500). Note 
that applications do not need to be strong in all categories to be 
judged likely to have a major scientific impact and thus deserve a good 
priority score. The NIOSH Training Grants Council provides an internal 
programmatic review and provides funding recommendations to the 
Director of NIOSH based programmatic relevance of competing 
applications to the NIOSH goals and objectives.
    The Special Emphasis Panel will evaluate each application against 
the following criteria:
    1. ERC comprehensive evaluation criteria are as follows:
    a. Plans to satisfy the regional needs for training in the areas 
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment, 
recruitment and current workforce populations. Special consideration 
should be given to the development of programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities among occupational safety and health 
professionals. Indicators of regional need should include measures 
utilized by the ERC such as previous record of training and placement 
of graduates.

[[Page 26303]]

The need for supporting students in allied disciplines must be 
specifically justified in terms of user community requirements.
    b. Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management, 
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to 
effectively achieve the Characteristics of an Education and Research 
Center (see E.2).
    c. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches 
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and 
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific 
regional workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed programs, 
consideration should be given to the developing nature of the program 
and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such workforce 
needs.
    d. Extent to which curriculum content and design includes 
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve 
degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional related 
courses open to occupational safety and health students, time devoted 
to lecture, laboratory and field experience, and the nature of specific 
field and clinical experiences including their relationships with 
didactic programs in the educational process.
    e. Academic training including the number of full-time and part-
time students and graduates for each core and component program, the 
placement of graduates, employment history, and their current location 
by type of institution (academic, industry, labor, etc.). Previous 
continuing education training in each discipline and outreach activity 
and assistance to groups within the ERC region.
    f. Methods in use or proposed methods for evaluating the 
effectiveness of training and outreach including the use of placement 
services and feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers, 
innovative strategies for meeting regional needs, critiques from 
continuing education courses, and reports from consultations and 
cooperative activities with other universities, professional 
associations, and other outside agencies.
    g. Competence, experience and training of the ERC Director, the 
Deputy ERC Director, the Program Directors and other professional staff 
in relation to the type and scope of training and education involved.
    h. Institutional commitment to ERC goals. An example of 
institutional commitment to the long-term stability of ERC programs is 
the commitment of tenured or tenure-track faculty positions to each 
participating academic program.
    i. Academic and physical environment in which the training will be 
conducted, including access to appropriate occupational settings.
    j. Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds. This includes a 
separate budget for the academic staff's time and effort in continuing 
education and outreach.
    k. Evidence of the integration of research experience into the 
curriculum, and field and clinical experiences. In institutions seeking 
funds for doctoral and post-doctoral (physician training) level 
research training, evidence of a plan describing the research and 
research training the ERC proposes. This should include goals, elements 
of the program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty, 
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for 
implementing and evaluating the program.
    l. Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement 
the ERC grant funds including other Federal grants, support from States 
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector 
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and 
gifts.
    m. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the ERC and 
its programs have had on the region served by the Center. Examples 
could include a continuing education needs assessment and action plan, 
a workforce needs survey and action plan, consultation and research 
programs provided to address regional occupational safety and health 
problems, the impact on primary care practice and training, a program 
graduate data base to track the employment history and contributions of 
graduates to the occupational safety and health field, and the cost 
effectiveness of the program.
    n. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Peer Review Summary Statement and the grant application Progress 
Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
    2. ERC specialty program evaluation criteria are as follows:
    a. Hazardous Substance Training Program in Education and Research 
Centers:
    (1) Relevance of the proposed project to each element of the 
characteristics of a hazardous substance training program.
    (2) Comprehensiveness and soundness of the training plan developed 
to carry out the proposed activities. This is based on a documented 
need for the training and evidence to support the approach used to 
provide the required training. It includes descriptions of the scope 
and magnitude of the hazardous substance problem in the region served 
by the ERC and current activities and training efforts.
    (3) Education and experience of the Project Director, faculty, and 
staff assigned to this project with respect to handling, managing or 
evaluating hazardous substance sites and to the training of 
professionals in this field.
    (4) Creativity and innovation of the project leadership with 
respect to marketing the courses, structure in attracting trainees and/
or providing incentives for training.
    (5) Extent to which the applicant considered the work of relevant 
agencies involved in hazardous substance activities, including EPA, and 
cooperated with these agencies in developing and implementing this 
training program.
    (6) Suitability of facilities and equipment available for this 
project.
    (7) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
    b. Agricultural Safety and Health Education Programs in Education 
and Research Centers:
    (1) Evidence of a needs assessment directed to the overall 
contribution of the training program toward meeting the job market, 
especially within the applicant's region, for qualified personnel to 
carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 
1970. The needs assessment should consider the regional requirements 
for outreach, continuing education, information dissemination and 
special industrial or community training needs that may be peculiar to 
the region.
    (2) Evidence of a plan to satisfy the regional needs for training 
in the areas outlined by the application, including projected 
enrollment, recruitment and current workforce populations. The need for 
supporting students in allied disciplines must be specifically 
justified in terms of user community requirements.
    (3) The extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management, 
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to 
effectively achieve characteristics of an ERC.
    (4) The extent to which curriculum content and design includes 
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve 
degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional related 
courses open to occupational safety and health students, time devoted 
to lecture, laboratory and field experience, and the nature of specific 
field and clinical experiences

[[Page 26304]]

including their relationships with didactic programs in the educational 
process.
    (5) Previous record of academic training in agricultural safety and 
health including the number of full-time and part-time students and 
graduates, the placement of graduates, employment history, and their 
current location by type of institution (academic, industry, labor, 
etc.). Previous record of continuing education training in agricultural 
safety and health and record of outreach activity and assistance to 
agricultural groups within the ERC region.
    (6) Methods in use or proposed for evaluating the effectiveness of 
training and services including the use of placement services and 
feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers, critiques from 
continuing education courses, and reports from consultations and 
cooperative activities with other universities, professional 
associations, and other outside agencies.
    (7) The competence, experience and training of the Program Director 
and other professional staff in relation to the type and scope of 
training and education involved.
    (8) Institutional commitment to Center goals.
    (9) Academic and physical environment in which the training will be 
conducted, including access to appropriate occupational agricultural 
settings.
    (10) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds. This includes the 
budget for the academic program and the continuing education and 
outreach program.
    (11) Evidence of a plan describing the agricultural safety and 
health training the Center proposes. This should include goals, 
elements of the program, faculty and amount of effort, support faculty, 
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for 
implementing and evaluating the program.
    (12) Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement 
the ERC grant funds including other federal grants, support from states 
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector 
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and 
gifts.
    c. Hazardous Substance Academic Training Program in Education and 
Research Centers:
    (1) Evidence of a needs assessment directed to the overall 
contribution of the proposed training program toward meeting the needs 
of the job market, especially within the applicant's region. The needs 
assessment should consider the regional requirements for hazardous 
substance training, information dissemination and special industrial, 
labor or community training needs that may be peculiar to the region.
    (2) Evidence of a plan to satisfy regional needs for training in 
the areas outlined by the application, including Program projected 
enrollment and recruitment and current workforce populations.
    (3) The extent to which the HSAT curriculum content and design 
includes: Formalized training objectives; minimal course content to 
achieve a degree or successful completion of the specialty area 
requirements; course descriptions; course sequence; additional related 
courses open to occupational safety and health students; time devoted 
to lecture, laboratory, and field experience; and the nature of 
specific field and clinical experiences including their relationships 
with didactic programs in the educational process.
    (4) Previous record of academic and/or short course training 
delivered in the hazardous substances field, including the number and 
type of students trained. Previous record of hazardous substances 
outreach activity and assistance to hazardous substance groups within 
the ERC's region.
    (5) Methods in use or proposed for evaluating the effectiveness of 
training and services including the use of placement services and 
feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers, student 
evaluations from academic and continuing education courses, and reports 
from consultations and cooperative activities with other universities, 
professional associations, and other outside agencies.
    (6) The competence, experience and training of the Program Director 
and other professional staff in relation to the type and scope of 
training and education involved.
    (7) Institutional commitment to HSAT Program goals.
    (8) Academic and physical environment in which the training will be 
conducted.
    (9) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds. This includes the 
budget required to support the training courses developed, as well as 
accounting for the academic staff's time.
    (10) Evidence of a plan describing the hazardous substances 
academic training the Center proposes. This should include goals, 
elements of the program, faculty and amount of effort, support faculty, 
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for 
implementing and evaluating the program.
    (11) Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement 
the ERC grant funds including other federal grants, support from states 
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector 
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and 
gifts.
    (12) Extent to which the applicant has collaborated with state and 
federal agencies having hazardous substance management functions, 
including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and has cooperated 
with the agencies in developing and implementing this program.
    d. ERC Pilot Project Research Training Programs:
    (1) Relevance of the proposed program, including objectives that 
are specific and consistent.
    (2) Adequacy of the plan proposed to conduct the pilot projects 
program, including procedures for reviewing and funding projects, the 
scientific review mechanism, and program quality assurance.
    (3) Extent to which the applicant demonstrates collaboration with 
other research training institutions in the region, including NIOSH 
Training Project Grantees.
    (4) Education and experience of the proposed Research Training 
Program Director and faculty in the occupational safety and health 
field, including the utilization of pilot projects as a research 
training mechanism.
    (5) Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
    (6) Adequacy of the plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the 
proposed pilot projects program.
    (7) Gender and minority issues--Are plans to include women, ethnic, 
and racial groups adequately developed (as appropriate for the 
scientific goals of the pilot projects)? (See AR-2, Requirements for 
Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research.)
    e. ERC Health Services Research Training Programs:
    (1) Evidence of a plan to satisfy the need for training in the area 
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment, 
recruitment and job opportunities. Indicators of need may include 
measures utilized by the Program such as previous record of training 
and placement of graduates. Indicate the potential contribution of the 
project toward meeting the need for this specialized training.
    (2) Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management, 
allocation of

[[Page 26305]]

funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to effectively achieve 
the program requirements.
    (3) Evidence of a plan describing the academic and research 
training the program proposes. This should include goals, elements of 
the program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty, 
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for 
implementing and evaluating the program.
    (4) Extent to which curriculum content and design includes 
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve 
degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional related 
courses open to students, time devoted to lecture, and clinical and 
research experience addressing the relationship with didactic programs 
in the educational process.
    (5) The extent to which the program effort is capable of supporting 
the number and type of students proposed.
    (6) Extent to which the program has initiated collaborative 
relationships with external agencies and institutions to expand and 
strengthen its research capabilities by providing student and faculty 
research opportunities.
    (7) Evidence of previous record of training in health services 
research and occupational safety and health, including placement of 
graduates and employment history.
    (8) The extent to which the program documents methods in use or 
proposed methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the training, 
including the use of feedback mechanisms from graduates and employers, 
placement of graduates in research positions, research accomplishments 
of graduates and reports from consultations and cooperative activities 
with other universities, professional associations, and other outside 
agencies.
    (9) Competence, experience and training of the Program Director, 
faculty and advisors in relation to the type and scope of research 
training and education involved.
    (10) Degree of institutional commitment to Program goals.
    (11) Adequacy of the academic and physical environment in which the 
training will be conducted, including access to appropriate 
occupational health research resources.
    (12) The extent to which the budget is reasonable, adequately 
justified, and consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
    (13) Evidence of a plan for establishment of an Advisory Committee, 
including meeting times, roles and responsibilities.
    3.TPG evaluation criteria are as follows:
    a. Need for training in the program area outlined by the 
application. This should include documentation of a plan for student 
recruitment, projected enrollment, job opportunities, regional need 
both in quality and quantity, and for programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities in the profession of occupational safety 
and health.
    b. Potential contribution of the project toward meeting the needs 
for graduate or specialized training in occupational safety and health.
    c. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches 
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and 
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific 
regional workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed programs, 
consideration should be given to the developing nature of the program 
and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such workforce 
needs.
    d. Curriculum content and design which should include formalized 
program objectives, minimal course content to achieve degree, course 
sequence, related courses open to students, time devoted to lecture, 
laboratory and field experience, nature and the interrelationship of 
these educational approaches. There should also be evidence of 
integration of research experience into the curriculum, and field and 
clinical experiences.
    e. Previous records of training in this or related areas, including 
placement of graduates.
    f. Methods proposed to evaluate effectiveness of the training.
    g. Degree of institutional commitment: Is grant support necessary 
for program initiation or continuation? Will support gradually be 
assumed? Is there related instruction that will go on with or without 
the grant? An example of institutional commitment to the long-term 
stability of TPG programs is the commitment of tenured or tenure-track 
faculty positions to each academic program.
    h. Adequacy of facilities (classrooms, laboratories, library 
services, books, and journal holdings relevant to the program, and 
access to appropriate occupational settings).
    i. Competence, experience, training, time commitment to the program 
and availability of faculty to advise students, faculty/student ratio, 
and teaching loads of the program director and teaching faculty in 
relation to the type and scope of training involved. The program 
director must be a full-time faculty member.
    j. Admission Requirements: Student selection standards and 
procedures, student performance standards and student counseling 
services.
    k. Advisory Committee: Membership, industries and labor groups 
represented; how often they meet; who they advise, role in designing 
curriculum and establishing program need. The Committee should meet at 
least annually to provide advice and periodic evaluation of TPG 
activities.
    l. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the program 
has had on the region. Examples could include a workforce needs survey 
and action plan, consultation and research programs provided to address 
regional occupational safety and health problems, a program graduate 
data base to track the employment history and contributions of 
graduates to the occupational safety and health field, and the cost 
effectiveness of the program.
    m. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Peer Review Summary Statement and the grant application Progress 
Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
    n. Extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
    4. ERC and TPG applications for Occupational Injury Prevention 
Research Training Programs evaluation criteria are as follows:
    a. Evidence of a plan to satisfy the need for training in the area 
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment, 
recruitment and job opportunities. Indicators of need may include 
measures utilized by the Program such as previous record of training 
and placement of graduates. Indicate the potential contribution of the 
project toward meeting the need for this specialized training.
    b. Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management, 
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to 
effectively achieve the program requirements.
    c. Evidence of a plan describing in detail the research training 
the program proposes. This should include goals, elements of the 
program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty, 
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for 
implementing and evaluating the program.
    d. Extent to which curriculum content and design includes 
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve 
degree, course descriptions,

[[Page 26306]]

course sequence, additional related courses open to students, time 
devoted to lecture, and clinical and research experience addressing the 
relationship with didactic programs in the educational process.
    e. The extent to which the program effort is capable of supporting 
the number and type of students proposed.
    f. Extent to which the program has initiated collaborative 
relationships with external agencies and institutions to expand and 
strengthen its research capabilities by providing student and faculty 
research opportunities.
    g. Evidence of previous record of training in occupational injury 
prevention, including placement of graduates and employment history.
    h. The extent to which the applicant documents methods in use or 
proposed methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the training, 
including the use of feedback mechanisms from graduates and employers, 
placement of graduates in research positions, research accomplishments 
of graduates and reports from consultations and cooperative activities 
with other universities, professional associations, and other outside 
agencies.
    i. Competence, experience and training of the Program Director, 
faculty and advisors in relation to the type and scope of research 
training involved.
    j. Degree of institutional commitment to Program goals. An example 
of institutional commitment to the long-term stability of academic 
programs is the commitment of tenured or tenure-track faculty positions 
to each participating academic program.
    k. Adequacy of the academic and physical environment in which the 
training will be conducted, including access to appropriate 
occupational injury prevention research resources.
    l. The extent to which the budget is adequate, justified, and 
consistent with the intended use of the grant funds.
    m. Evidence of a plan for establishment of an Advisory Committee, 
including meeting times, roles and responsibilities.

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
    1. The initial interim progress report is due December 1, 2004. 
This report is required on December 1, on an annual basis. The progress 
report will serve as your non-competing continuation application, and 
must contain the following elements:
    a. Current Budget Period Objectives and Activities.
    b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
    c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activities and Objectives.
    d. Detailed Line-Item Budget and Justification.
    e. Additional Requested Information.
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
each budget period. The initial report is due September 30, 2005.
    3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days 
after the end of the project period.
    Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in 
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement.

Additional Requirements:

    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the 
program announcement, as posted on the CDC Web site.

AR-2\*\ Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic 
Minorities in Research
AR-3\*\ Animal Subjects Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions

    \*\Applies only to ERC Pilot Project Research Training Program 
applications.

    Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and 
associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: 
http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements''.
    For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical 
Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
    For business management and budget assistance, contact: Cynthia Y. 
Mitchell, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Program Announcement 04001, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), 626 Cochrans Mill Rd., Mailstop P05, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, 
Telephone: (412) 386-6434, e-mail address: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: John T. Talty, Principal 
Engineer, Office of Extramural Programs, National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 4676 Columbia Parkway, Mailstop C-7, Cincinnati, OH 
45226-1998, Telephone (513) 533-8241, e-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: May 9, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 03-12107 Filed 5-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P