[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-25151]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 12, 1994]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Announcement Number 509]
Grants for Unintentional Injury Prevention and Control Research
Notice of Availability of Funds For Fiscal Year 1995
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that
applications are being accepted for Injury Prevention and Control
Research Grants for fiscal year (FY) 1995. The Public Health Service
(PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS-led national
activity to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of
life. This announcement is related to the Healthy People 2000 chapter
on Unintentional Injuries. (To order a copy of Healthy People 2000, see
the section Where to Obtain Additional Information.)
Authority
This program is authorized under Sections 301 and 391-394 of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 and 280b-280b-3). Program
regulations are set forth in Title 42 CFR Part 52.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include all non-profit and for-profit
organizations. Thus State and local health departments and State and
local governmental agencies, universities, colleges, research
institutions, and other public and private organizations, including
small, minority and/or woman-owned businesses are eligible for these
research grants. Current holders of CDC injury control research
projects are eligible to apply.
Smoke-Free Workplace
The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients
to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all
tobacco products. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect
and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.
Availability of Funds
Approximately $2.0 million is projected to be available in FY 1995
to fund 6 to 9 grants. The amount of funding actually available may
vary and is subject to change. New grant awards will not exceed
$300,000 per year (including both direct and indirect costs). Grant
applications that exceed the $300,000 per year cap will be returned to
the investigator as non-responsive. Research grant supplements will
generally be no more than $75,000 (including both direct and indirect
costs). Awards will be made for a 12-month budget period within a
project period not to exceed 3 years. Continuation awards within the
project period will be made on the basis of satisfactory progress
demonstrated by investigators at work-in-progress monitoring workshops,
the achievement of workplan milestones reflected in the continuation
application, and the availability of Federal funds. In addition, if
funds are available, continuation awards may be eligible for increased
funding to offset inflationary costs.
Purpose
The purposes of this program are to:
A. Support injury prevention and control research on priority
issues as delineated in Injury Control in the 1990s: A National Plan
for Action and Healthy People 2000.
B. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines such
as engineering, medicine, health care, public health, behavioral and
social sciences, and others, to undertake research to prevent and
control injuries.
C. Evaluate current and new intervention methods and strategies for
the prevention and control of injuries.
D. Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines such
as medicine, health care, public health, behavioral and social
sciences, and others to undertake research to prevent and control
unintentional injuries.
Program Requirements
The following are applicant requirements:
A. A principal investigator who has conducted research, published
the findings, and has specific authority and responsibility to carry
out the proposed project.
B. Demonstrated experience in conducting, evaluating, and
publishing injury control research (as previously defined) on the
applicant's project team.
C. Effective and well-defined working relationships within the
performing organization and with outside entities which will ensure
implementation of the proposed activities.
D. An explanation of how research findings could lead to the
development of injury control interventions within 3-5 years of project
start-up. Furthermore, how the research findings might be disseminated
and implemented through organizations (such as public health agencies)
or systems, both public and private.
E. The ability to carry out an injury control research project.
F. The overall match between the applicant's proposed theme and
research objectives, and the program priorities as described under the
heading ``Programmatic Interests'' and Injury Control in the 1990s: A
National Plan for Action and Healthy People 2000.
Note: Grant funds will not be made available to support the
provision of direct care services.
Eligible applicants may enter into contracts, including consortia
agreements (as set forth in the PHS Grants Policy Statement) as
necessary to meet the requirements of the program and strengthen the
overall application.
Programmatic Interests
Grant applications for unintentional injury prevention and control
research are sought. The focus of grants should reflect the broad-based
need to control injury morbidity, mortality, disability, and costs.
Special consideration may be given to applications requesting one or
two years of funding. One-year pilot projects are encouraged.
In prevention, there is special programmatic interest in research
which evaluates the effectiveness of interventions in preventing
injuries or reducing their impact and develops the basic sciences of
injury (i.e., biomechanics and epidemiology). This research might
evaluate one or more different approaches to implementing a specific
intervention strategy for which there is already existing evidence of
effectiveness (e.g., protective helmets for bicycle riders, energy-
absorbing playground surfaces, lowered tap water temperatures, etc.).
In addition, there is a need to develop new intervention strategies or
examine intervention strategies for which evidence of effectiveness is
either sparse or totally lacking (e.g., public education and
information campaigns, teaching infants to swim, interior design
innovations to prevent falls among older persons, etc.). Interventions
chosen for evaluation should have a significant potential for reduction
in injury morbidity, mortality, disability, or cost. Special
consideration will be given to grant applications which target
populations at high risk for injuries and their consequences, including
adolescents, children, racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents,
farm families, and people with low incomes.
In acute care, there is special programmatic interest in
intensifying the role of the emergency department and in-patient
hospital trauma services in regard to public health surveillance and
prevention of traumatic injuries. In acute care settings, identifying
underlying risk factors for injury and intervening to reduce or
eliminate them can help minimize the impact of violence, substance
abuse, and other factors associated with injury recidivism. There is
also a need to assess the impact of national and State health care
reforms on prehospital emergency medical services, emergency department
care of the injured, in-patient trauma care, and rehabilitation
services. There is interest in the identification of optimal methods
for diagnosing and treating patients who have sustained major trauma,
including central nervous system injuries, burns, and multiple organ
system injuries.
In rehabilitation, there is programmatic interest in clinical
research and clinical trials on improved approaches to comprehensive
rehabilitation. This includes research directed towards minimizing the
secondary complications of injury including pressure sores,
contracture, muscular atrophy, skeletal deformity and other definable
conditions. This research should cover methods of their prevention and
take into account the injured person's need for education to prevent
recurrent medical problems and the role of the family in preventing
secondary conditions. Population-based and longitudinal studies are
needed to better establish the prognoses and rehabilitation needs of
patients with traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns, and
severe sensory loss.
In biomechanics, there is special programmatic interest in brain
and spinal cord injury. This interest includes the biomechanical
evaluation of intervention concepts and strategies (e.g., bike helmets,
energy absorbing playground surfaces, hip pads, motor vehicle side
impact and rollover countermeasures, etc.), development of models to
elucidate injury physiology and pharmacologic, surgical and other
interventions; defining human tolerance limits for injury among
children, women, the chronically ill and older persons; improvements in
injury assessment technology; and understanding impact injury
mechanisms and quantifying injury-related biomechanical responses for
critical areas of the human body (e.g., brain and vertebral injury with
spinal cord involvement). Consideration will also be given to the
biomechanics of thoracic and abdominal viscera, musculature and joints
including the articular cartilage, tendons and ligaments.
In epidemiology, there is programmatic interest in analytic
research that identifies mechanisms, causes, or risks of injury which
might lead to new or more effective interventions. Also of interest is
epidemiologic research having as its focus the development of improved
methods and the evaluation and improvement of injury surveillance
systems.
Research is needed that more accurately defines the cost of
unintentional injury and the cost effectiveness or prevention
effectiveness of interventions. Cost analysis should be included in the
plans, where appropriate, to evaluate an intervention(s) pertinent to
one of the topics previously outlined under prevention, acute care,
rehabilitation, biomechanics, etc. A more complete discussion of
methodologies for assessing cost analysis is presented in, A Framework
for Assessing the Effectiveness of Disease and Injury Prevention, (CDC,
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 27, 1992, Volume 41,
Number RR-3, pages 5-11). (To receive information on these reports see
the section Where to Obtain Additional Information.)
Evaluation Criteria
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC staff for
completeness and responsiveness as outlined under the previous heading,
Program Requirements (A-F). Incomplete applications and applications
that are not responsive will be returned to the applicant without
further consideration. Applications which are complete and responsive
may be subjected to a preliminary evaluation by a peer review group to
determine if the application is of sufficient technical and scientific
merit to warrant further review (triage); the CDC will withdraw from
further consideration applications judged to be noncompetitive and
promptly notify the principal investigator/program director and the
official signing for the applicant organization. Those applications
judged to be competitive will be further evaluated by a dual review
process. Awards will be made based on priority score ranking by the
Injury Research Grants Review Committee (IRGRC), programmatic
priorities and needs by the Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention
and Control, and the availability of funds.
A. The first review will be a peer review conducted by the IRGRC on
all applications. Factors to be considered will include:
1. The specific aims of the research project, i.e., the broad
longterm objectives, the intended accomplishment of the specific
research proposal, and the hypothesis to be tested;
2. The background of the proposal, i.e., the basis for the present
proposal, the critical evaluation of existing knowledge, and specific
identification of the injury control knowledge gaps which the proposal
is intended to fill;
3. The significance and originality from a scientific or technical
standpoint of the specific aims of the proposed research, including the
adequacy of the theoretical and conceptual framework for the research;
4. For competitive renewal and supplemental applications, the
progress made during the prior project period. For new applications,
(optional) the progress of preliminary studies pertinent to the
application.
5. The adequacy of the proposed research design, approaches, and
methodology to carry out the research, including quality assurance
procedures, plan for data management, and statistical analysis plan.
6. The extent to which the evaluation plan will allow for the
measurement of progress toward the achievement of the stated
objectives.
7. Qualifications, adequacy, and appropriateness of personnel to
accomplish the proposed activities.
8. The degree of commitment and cooperation of other interested
parties (as evidenced by letters detailing the nature and extent of the
involvement).
9. The reasonableness of the proposed budget to the proposed
research and demonstration program.
10. Adequacy of existing and proposed facilities and resources.
B. The second review will be conducted by the Advisory Committee
for Injury Prevention and Control. The factors to be considered will
include:
1. The results of the peer review.
2. The significance of the proposed activities in relation to the
priorities and objectives stated in Injury Control in the 1990s: A
National Plan for Action and Healthy People 2000.
3. National needs.
4. Overall distribution among:
The three phases of injury control: prevention, acute
care, and rehabilitation;
The major disciplines of injury control: biomechanics and
epidemiology;
Populations addressed (e.g., adolescents, children, racial
and ethnic minorities, rural residents, farm families, and people with
low incomes); and
5. Budgetary considerations (e.g., preference may be given to
applicants who submit proposals requesting funding for research
projects of one to two year's duration).
6. Additional consideration may be given to those applicants who
provide evidence of an active training program for inexperienced
minority injury researchers.
C. Continued Funding:
Continuation awards made after FY 1995, but within the project
period, will be made on the basis of the availability of funds and the
following criteria:
1. The accomplishments reflected in the progress report of the
continuation application indicate that the applicant is meeting
previously stated objectives or milestones contained in the project's
annual workplan and satisfactory progress has been demonstrated through
monitoring presentations or work-in-progress workshops;
2. The objectives for the new budget period are realistic,
specific, and measurable;
3. The methods described will clearly lead to achievement of these
objectives;
4. The evaluation plan will allow management to monitor whether the
methods are effective; and
5. The budget request is clearly explained, adequately justified,
reasonable, and consistent with the intended use of grant funds.
D. Supplementary Funding:
Competing Supplemental grant awards may be made when funds are
available to support research work or activities not previously
approved by the Injury Research Grants Review Committee (IRGRC).
Applications should be clearly labelled to denote their status as
requesting supplemental funding support. These applications will be
reviewed by the IRGRC and the secondary review group.
Executive Order 12372 Review
Applications are not subject to the review requirements of
Executive Order 12372, entitled Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.
Public Health System Reporting Requirement
This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting
Requirements.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.136.
Application Submission and Deadlines
A. Preapplication Letter of Intent:
Although not a prerequisite of application, a non-binding letter of
intent-to-apply is requested from potential applicants. The letter
should be submitted to the Grants Management Officer (whose address is
reflected in section B. ``Applications''). It should be postmarked no
later than two months prior to the planned submission deadline (e.g.,
December 10 for February 10 submission). The letter should identify the
announcement number, name the principal investigator, and specify the
injury phase or discipline addressed by the proposed project. The
letter of intent does not influence review or funding decisions, but it
will enable CDC to plan the review more efficiently, and will ensure
that each applicant receives timely and relevant information prior to
application submission.
B. Applications:
Applicants should use Form PHS-398 and adhere to the ERRATA
Instruction Sheet for Form PHS-398 contained in the Grant Application
Kit. Please submit an original and five copies on or before February
10, 1995 to: Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants Management Officer, Grants
Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300,
Atlanta, GA 30305.
C. Deadlines:
1. Applications shall be considered as meeting a deadline if they
are either:
A. Received at the above address on or before the deadline date, or
B. Sent on or before the deadline date to the above address, and
are received in time for the review process. Applicants should request
a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated
receipt from a commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal Service. Private
metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailings.
2. Applications which do not meet the criteria in 1.A. or 1.B.
above are considered late applications and will be returned to the
applicant.
Where to Obtain Additional Information
To receive additional information, call (404) 332-4561. You will be
asked to leave your name, address, and phone number and will need to
refer to Announcement Number 509. You will receive a complete program
description, information on application procedures, and application
forms.
If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained
from Lisa G. Tamaroff, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Mailstop E-13,
Atlanta, GA 30305, telephone (404) 842-6796. Programmatic technical
assistance may be obtained from Ted Jones, Project Officer, Office of
Research Grants, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway,
NE., Mailstop K-58, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, telephone (404) 488-4824.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full
Report, Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 (Summary
Report, Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) referenced in the Introduction
through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402-9325, telephone (202) 783-3238.
Copies of Injury Control in the 1990s: A National Plan for Action.
Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1993 and A
Framework for Assessing the Effectiveness of Disease and Injury
Prevention, (CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 27,
1992, Volume 41, Number RR-3, pages 5-11) may be obtained by calling
(404) 488-4265.
Information for obtaining the suggested readings, Injury In America
and Injury Prevention: Meeting the Challenge, is included on a separate
sheet with the application kit.
Dated: October 5, 1994.
Deborah L. Jones,
Acting Associate Director for Management and Operations, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 94-25151 Filed 10-11-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
