[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27082-27084]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12399]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement Number 03109]


Cooperative Agreement for Surveillance and Eradication in the 
Global Guinea Worm Eradication Effort; Notice of Availability of Funds

    Application Deadline: July 3, 2003.

A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act, 
sections 301(a) (42 U.S.C. 241(a)), 311(42 U.S.C. 243), and 317(k)(2) 
(42 U.S.C. 247b(k)(2)), as amended. The Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance number is 93.283.

B. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program for surveillance and eradication in the global Guinea worm 
eradication effort. This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' 
focus areas of Immunization and Infectious Diseases.
    The purpose of the program is to provide assistance for the 
eradication of dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease) in all endemic 
countries.
    Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the 
following performance goal for the National Center for Infectious 
Diseases: Protect Americans from infectious diseases.

C. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit 
organizationsand by governments and their agencies; that is:

[sbull] Universities
[sbull] Colleges
[sbull] Technical schools
[sbull] Research Institutions
[sbull] Hospitals
[sbull] Community-based organizations
[sbull] Faith-based organizations
[sbull] Federally recognized Indian tribal governments
[sbull] Indian Tribes
[sbull] Indian tribal organizations
[sbull] State and local governments or their bona fide agents (this 
includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, 
American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau)
[sbull] Political subdivisions of States (in consultation with States)

    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.

D. Funding

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $95,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund one award. It 
is expected that the award will begin on or about September 15, 2003, 
and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period 
of up to five years. The funding estimate will not change so any 
application exceeding $95,000 will not be considered.
    A continuation award within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.

Recipient Financial Participation

    No matching funds are required for this program.

Funding Preferences

    Preference will be extended to applicants demonstrating leadership 
among the recognized partners of the global Guinea worm eradication 
campaign, with a record of success

[[Page 27083]]

supporting and coordinating international disease eradication 
campaigns, specifically in generating political will, financial support 
and providing technical expertise; to those organizations documenting 
existing infrastructure (i.e., materiel resources, staffing 
sufficiency, epidemiologic surveillance capacity and experience, 
international field experience, experience in successful eradication 
campaigns, and consistent experience successfully dealing with regional 
cross-border issues); and to those applicants demonstrating established 
collaboration with ministries of health in targeted countries.

E. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities listed in 1. 
Recipient Activities, and CDC will be responsible for the activities 
listed in 2. CDC Activities.

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Develop and implement surveillance plans to identify, contain 
and report cases of dracunculiasis in the highest, secondary and 
tertiary priority areas endemic for Guinea worm in Africa.
    b. Develop and implement interventions in targeted and priority 
areas.
    c. Provide sufficient and adequately trained personnel.
    d. Develop an evaluation plan to assess development and 
implementation of interventions and surveillance activities.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Collaborate with the recipient on the design, development and 
implementation of epidemiologic studies regarding Guinea worm 
interventions.
    b. Collaborate with the recipient on site selection in the highest 
priority areas of Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo, in the secondary priority 
areas of the tri-border region of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, and in 
the tertiary priority areas of the remaining West African countries 
(i.e., Mauritania, Benin, and Cote d'Ivoire).
    c. Collaborate with the recipient on assessing the use of 
intervention supplies and materials to specific country Guinea worm 
eradication programs.
    d. Provide medical consultation, programmatic review, and 
epidemiologic assistance when and where possible in project areas 
during Guinea worm drives.
    e. Provide technical expertise in the form of one-on-one or group 
consultations by phone, in person, or via formal or informal meetings.
    f. Assist in the development of a research protocol for 
Institutional Review Board (IRB) review by all cooperating institutions 
participating in the research project. The CDC IRB will review and 
approve the protocol initially and on at least an annual basis until 
the research project is completed.

F. Content

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    An LOI is optional for this program. The Program Announcement title 
and number must appear in the LOI. The narrative should be no more than 
one page, single-spaced, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, 
and unreduced 12-point 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, a brief description of the 
proposed study, the business address of the organization, and the name 
and phone number of the Principal Investigator.

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 25 pages, double-spaced, 
printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point 
font.
    The narrative should consist of Experience and Background, 
Implementation Plan, Capacity, Methods, Evaluation, Objectives, 
Measures of Effectiveness, Budget, and Human Subjects. The 
Implementation Plan should address activities to be conducted over the 
entire five year project period.

G. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI) Submission

    On or before June 3, 2003, submit the LOI to the Grants Management 
Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' 
section of this announcement.

Application Forms

    Submit the signed original and two copies of PHS 398 (OMB Number 
0925-0001)(Adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet 
for PHS 398). Forms are available at the following Internet address: 
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 3, 
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-
PA03109, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, 
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Applications may not be submitted 
electronically.

CDC Acknowledgment of Application Receipt

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

Deadline

    Letters of intent and 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 cooperative agreement. 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.

[[Page 27084]]

    An independent review group appointed by CDC will evaluate each 
application against the following criteria:
1. Experience and Background (30 Points)
    The extent to which the applicant documents previous participation 
and leadership in the ongoing Guinea worm eradication effort, including 
provision of political support through ministries and heads of state 
that reflect regional coordination of resources and efforts, the 
applicant's grasp of the elements and magnitude of effort necessary to 
strategize the eradication of Guinea worm, ability to respond to 
unanticipated needs, and overall commitment.
2. Project Implementation Plan (20 Total Points)
    a. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates knowledge of the 
effort needed to eradicate Guinea worm, time frames, performance 
standards, and management of financial and materiel resources. A 
demonstration of overall high quality in an implementation plan, 
including: (1) Compatibility with the global Guinea worm eradication 
effort; (2) acceptability of the plan by key partners in the Guinea 
worm effort; and (3) a description that indicates the applicant's 
understanding of relevant issues, obstacles and goals. (15 points)
    b. If research involving human subjects is proposed, 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: (1) The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes 
and racial and ethnic minority populations for appropriate 
representation; (2) the proposed justification when representation is 
limited or absent; (3) a statement as to whether the design of proposed 
studies is adequate to measure differences when warranted; and (4) 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. (5 points)
3. Capacity (15 Points)
    The extent to which the applicant demonstrates sufficient, existing 
capacity to carry out the proposed plan, including staffing proposals 
(with curriculum vitae, titles and roles).
4. Methods (15 Points)
    The extent to which applicant describes clear, practiced and 
accepted methods to implement elements of a Guinea worm eradication 
program.
5. Evaluation (10 Points)
    The feasibility of the evaluation methods or procedures to monitor 
proposed activities, and the evaluation criteria to measure program 
accomplishments.
6. Objectives (5 Points)
    The extent to which (1) the stated goals are specific, measurable, 
realistic, and time-phased; (2) the objectives are related to the 
purpose(s) stated in the Program Announcement; and (3) measures are 
objective and quantitative.
7. Measures of Effectiveness (5 Points)
    The extent to which the applicant provides Measures of 
Effectiveness that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various 
identified objectives of the award; that such measures are objective/
quantitative and adequately measure the intended outcome.
8. Budget (Not Scored)
    The extent to which the budget provides detail and justification, 
and that they are consistent with the stated objectives and adequate to 
support proposed activities.
9. Protection of Human Subjects (Not Scored)
    The extent to which the application adequately addresses the 
requirements of title 45 CFR part 46 for the protection of human 
subjects. (Not scored; however, 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.)

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
    1. Interim progress report, no less than 90 days before the end of 
the budget period. The progress report will serve as your non-competing 
continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
    a. Current Budget Period Activity Objectives.
    b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
    c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity 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 
the budget period.
    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 website.

AR-1 Human Subjects Requirements
AR-2 Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic 
Minorities in Research
AR-7 Executive Order 12372
AR-10 Smoke Free Work Place Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-15 Proof of Non-Profit Status
AR-22 Research Integrity

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: Yolanda 
Sledge, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, 
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Telephone: 770-488-2787. E-mail Address: 
[email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Linda A. Webb, Public 
Health Advisor (MS/F22), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
4770 Bufford Highway, NE., Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Telephone: 770/488-
7784. E-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: May 13, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-12399 Filed 5-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P