Subject: RFAHD-91-01.081790
From: Dot Baker <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 90 08:29 EST

Hello Again,
  This is the fourth item from the NIH Guide 8/l7/90.  Please post
this one as: RFAHD-90-01.081790
  Thanks for all your help.   Have a nice weekend.
      Dottie
 ---------------------------- Text of forwarded message -----------------------
 
SPECIALIZED RESEARCH CENTER PROGRAMS OR CENTER CORE
GRANTS TO SUPPORT RESEARCH IN REPRODUCTION
 
RFA AVAILABLE:  HD-91-01
 
P.T. 04; K.W. 0413002, 0710030
 
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 
Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  January 1, 1991
Application Receipt Date:  May 6, 1991
 
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD) provides funding for a limited number of research
centers in the area of reproductive sciences research.
These centers are broadly based investigative endeavors
encompassing research of a biomedical nature.  They are
supported through either Center Core Grants (P30) or
Specialized Research Center Grants (P50).
 
These centers form a national network that fosters
communication, innovation, and high quality research.
Reproductive Sciences Research Centers provide a
stimulating, multidisciplinary environment that attracts and
nurtures both established and promising young investigators.
Each Center works closely with the NICHD staff in
participating in a Center Network and in carrying out its
objectives in a manner consistent with the goals and mission
of the NICHD.
 
BACKGROUND
 
The Reproductive Sciences Branch (RSB) of the Center for
Population Research (CPR) of the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD) supports basic and
clinical research on reproduction that relies on a variety
of approaches in biomedical sciences.  Among the grant
mechanisms used to provide research support, the RSB uses:
 
1) Specialized Research Center Grants (P50s) that support
integrated groups of research projects and supporting core
service facilities.  The research activities included in
such project grants must comprise, by definition, a
multidisciplinary approach to biomedical problems in
reproduction.  These research programs may have more than
one theme, focus, or emphasis but all of the projects
involved must be responsive to one or more specific research
areas of reproduction promulgated by the RSB.
 
2) Center Core Grants (P30s) that support Center Core
facilities designed to  enhance existing federally supported
research projects within the purview of the RSB, CPR, NICHD.
Such center awards require a critical mass of individual
awards where coordinated technical support would be cost-
effective to the NIH.  Core Grants provide no funds for the
direct support of research projects other than for new
program development; however, by making cost-effective
resources
and facilities available, they enhance the productivity of
existing projects that are either integrated in a
specialized research area or organized within a central
theme of research.
 
At present, the RSB supports a fixed number of centers with
a commitment of five years of support that is competitively
renewable for additional five-year periods.  Committed
support for one P50 Center and three P30 Centers ends in FY
1992, and it is anticipated that these Centers will submit
renewal applications.  While there are no new Center
positions available at this time, new groups of
investigators, in addition to the current awardees, are
invited to compete for the existing four (4) positions in FY
1992.
 
RESEARCH GOALS AND SCOPE
 
The ultimate goals of biomedical research in the
reproductive sciences are to develop new knowledge leading
to clinical applications that will enable men and women to
control their fertility with methods that are safe,
effective, inexpensive, reversible, and acceptable to
various population groups, and to overcome problems of
infertility and reproductive disorders.  The Reproductive
Sciences centers designated as "Specialized Reproductive
Sciences Research Centers" (P50s) and as "Reproductive
Sciences Research Centers" (P30s) are awarded funds for the
support of comprehensive reproductive research programs of
high quality that focus on topics deemed to be of high
priority and significance because of their critically
important relationship to the mission of the RSB, CPR.
 
In order to receive funding, a grant for a specialized
reproductive research center (P50) must have three (3) or
more related, integrated, and high quality research projects
that provide a multidisciplinary, yet thematic, approach to
the problems to be investigated.  These research projects
may be accompanied by an appropriate number and type of core
facilities providing cost-effective technical support.
 
A grant for a reproductive sciences research Center Core
facility (P30) must be predicated on the existence of a
substantial number of eligible, funded research grants which
will be active on April 1, 1992.  A minimal number of three
(3) relevant NIH or other federally funded grants are
required for eligibility of a core in a P30 Center.  These
grants must support active users of the core facilities and
services proposed in the center grant application and
represent scientific research relevant to the mission of the
RSB, CPR.  Because reproductive sciences research center
grants are complex entities, interested applicants should
contact the RSB staff for a consultation regarding the
submission of an application.
 
This Request for Applications (RFA) is specifically designed
to stimulate the reproductive sciences research community to
organize or to maintain reproductive sciences research
centers of outstanding quality which, serving as national
research resources, form a network that fosters
communication, innovation, and high quality research.
Applications are encouraged on, but not limited to, the
biomedical topics listed below:
 
1.  Reproductive medicine:  Fertility and infertility
aspects
 
2.  Mechanism(s) of follicular selection, atresia and
ovulation
 
3.  Neuroendocrinology of reproduction:  Clarification of
the regulatory mechanisms of the hypothalamo-pituitary-
gonadal axis
 
4.  Regulatory mechanism(s) of gametogenesis
 
5.  Mechanism of action of reproductive hormones,
particularly at the cellular and genetic level; modification
of action by growth factors
 
6.  Mechanisms regulating gonadal or genital tract functions
 
7.  Studies on fertilization, preimplantation development of
embryos, or blastocyst implantation
 
8.  Immunological mechanisms regulating fertility
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
The support mechanisms for these programs are the P50
Specialized Reproductive Sciences Research Center Grant and
the P30 Reproductive Sciences Research Center Core Grant.
Although this solicitation is included in the plans for FY
1992, support for these center grants is contingent upon the
receipt of funds for these purposes.  The number of grants
to be awarded is also contingent upon a sufficient number of
applications receiving high enough levels of merit to be
considered for an award.  It is expected that up to four (4)
awards will be made as a result of this announcement.  The
applications should be prepared in a manner consistent with
the guidelines presented in the publications entitled either
P50 SPECIALIZED RESEARCH CENTER GRANT GUIDELINES or P30
CENTER CORE GRANT GUIDELINES which are available from the
NICHD offices listed below.  The current policies and
requirements that govern the research grant programs of NIH
will prevail (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42, Part 52
and Title 45, Part 75).  Applications for grants involving
clinical studies should include members of minority groups
and women in the study populations.  Otherwise, a clear
rationale for their exclusion must be provided in the
application.
 
REVIEW PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA
 
An administrative review of the application will be
performed by the Review, Program, and Grants Management
staff for conformance to NIH policy and NICHD guidelines, as
well as for relevance to the program purview of the RSB.
Applications that fail to comply with NIH policy and/or
NICHD  guidelines will be formally returned to the
applicant.  Applications may be subjected to a triage by a
peer review group to determine their potential
competitiveness relative to other applications submitted.
The Institute will withdraw from competition those
applications judged by the triage procedure to be
noncompetitive and notify the applicants and institutional
business officials.
 
Those applications judged to be competitive will be further
evaluated by peer review for scientific/technical merit.
The Executive Secretary of the Population Research Committee
(PRC), NICHD, may forward the application to selected
members of the PRC for their evaluation to determine if a
site visit is needed.  A site visit, however, is not a
prerequisite for consideration of an application by the PRC.
If a site visit is required, the Executive Secretary will
communicate with the applicant for the visit arrangements as
described in the guidelines.  All competitive applications
received in response to this RFA will be reviewed on a
nationwide competitive basis.  The initial review for
scientific merit will be carried out by the PRC.  The
second-level review will be made by the National Advisory
Child Health and Human Development Council.  The earliest
possible funding date is April 1, 1992.  Review procedures
and criteria are detailed in the P50 SPECIALIZED RESEARCH
CENTER GRANT GUIDELINES and P30 CENTER CORE GRANT GUIDELINES
(available from the NICHD offices listed below).
 
The concurrent submission of an R01 or R29 research project
application to do essentially the same research as that
proposed in a subproject of a P50 Center (or a P01 Program
Project) application is permissible within the context of
extant NIH policy.  As a general policy, preference in
selection for funding by NICHD will be given to the
subprojects of the P50 Center (or P01 Program Project) in
order to maintain the integrity of the program and the
validity of its merit assessment.  The coincident R01 or R29
application(s) will usually be expected to be withdrawn or
relinquished.
 
METHOD OF APPLYING
 
Interested applicants should contact the RSB staff for an
advisory consultation regarding reproductive sciences center
grants (P50s and P30s).  If an applicant intends to apply,
it is strongly recommended, but not mandatory, that
applicants send a letter of intent to the RSB staff at the
address listed below by January 1, 1991.  This letter should
outline the organizational structure of the proposed center,
list the titles of relevant research projects to be
associated with it, and the names of relevant principal
investigators.  The letter of intent should be received by
the RSB no later than January 1, 1991, but applicants are
encouraged to send it as soon as they decide to apply for
the grant so that the RSB staff can be of maximum assistance
in the application process.
 
The standard grant application form PHS-398 (rev. 10/88)
is used to prepare these applications.  The RFA number and
the type of center grant request (P50 or P30) should be
indicated on the face page of the application in item #2.
The RFA label available in the 10/88 version of PHS Form 398
must be affixed to the bottom of the face page.  Failure to
use this label could result in delayed processing of the
application such that it may not reach the review committee
in time for review.  The PHS-398 form is available from most
business offices or grant/contract offices at most
institutions and can also be obtained from NIH by calling
(301) 496-7441.
 
It is especially important that applicants obtain and follow
the supplemental NICHD guidelines, which require certain
tabulations in addition to the usual instructions.
Applications must be submitted by May 6, 1991.  Send or
deliver the original, completed, signed application and four
(4) complete copies to:
 
Application Receipt Office
Division of Research Grants
National Institutes of Health
Westwood Building, Room 240
533 Westbard Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland  20892**
 
In addition to those applications mailed to the Division of
Research Grants, two (2) copies of the application should be
sent under separate cover directly to:
 
Laurance Johnston, Ph.D.
Scientific Review Program
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health
Executive Plaza North, Suite 520
Bethesda, Maryland  20892
 
Late applications will not be accepted and will be returned
to the applicants.
 
For further information contact:
 
Julia Lobotsky, M.S.
Reproductive Sciences Branch
Center for Population Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health
Executive Plaza North, Suite 603
Bethesda, Maryland  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-6515
 
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 13.864, Population Research.  Awards will be
made under the authority of the Public Health Service Act
301 (42 USC 241) and 441 (USC 289d) and administered under
PHS Grant Policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52
and 45 CFR Part 74.  This program is not subject to A-95 or
Health Systems Agency review.