NIH Guide
PA:
National Center for Research Resources
Application Receipt Date: February 25, 1999.
PURPOSE
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) is authorized under Public Law (PL) 103-43, Sections 481A and 481B of the Public Health Service Act (PHS), as amended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act, to "make grants to public and nonprofit private entities to expand, remodel, renovate or alter existing research facilities or construct new research facilities". The facilities will be used for basic and clinical biomedical and behavioral research and research training.
This program announcement will be issued yearly. Contingent on appropriated funds, the Fiscal Year 1999 appropriation for the NIH is expected to include $30 million in the budget of the NCRR for extramural research facilities construction grants to be awarded competitively. Special provisions are made for institutions of emerging excellence, designated under section 739 of the PHS Act as revised in PL 102-408. The NCRR is issuing this Program Announcement (PA) RR-99-023 for support of construction and renovation of facilities for biomedical and behavioral research and research training.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Under Section 481A of the PHS Act, domestic, non-Federal, public and private non-profit institutions, organizations, and associations that conduct or support biomedical or behavioral research are eligible to apply, including, for example, allied health professional schools.
Applications are particularly encouraged from institutions of emerging excellence as defined in the PHS Act, Section 739 as amended by PL 102-408. For the purpose of this Announcement, "institutions of emerging excellence" are defined as those health professions schools that received a Fiscal Year 1998 grant award from the Centers of Excellence (COE) Program of the Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS. A list of the Centers of Excellence can be found at URL http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/bhpr/dda/coedig.htm and further information about the COE Program is at URL http://www-sbp.bcm.tmc.edu/coe/about.html.The telephone number for the COE Program is 301-443-2100.
An institution may submit only one application in response to this PA; two components of the same institution, e.g., a medical school and a dental school, even if separated geographically, may not submit separate applications.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This PA will use the NIH research facilities construction grant mechanism (C06). Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this PA may not exceed five years and no indirect costs or continuation costs will be awarded. The initial budget period may be either two or three years in length. All funds must be obligated within 5 years from the date of award. The anticipated award date is September 30, 1999.
Matching funds (a 1 to 1 match) will be required for the specific project awarded in fiscal year 1999. Matching funds must be non-Federal funds set aside for this project. Under Section 481A, up to 50 percent of the necessary and allowable costs of a project may be awarded. The maximum award amount will be $1.5 million for applications from centers of emerging excellence under section 739 of the PHS Act as amended by PL 102-408, and $1.0 million for other applicant institutions. Regional Primate Research Center's (RPRCs) will be required to provide matching funds in a ratio of 1 to 4 ($1 for each $4 of Federal funds provided) for a maximum award of $1.0 million. A description of the sources of non-Federal funding for the project (both matching funds and funds needed to complete the total project) must be provided with the application. A letter concerning matching funds must accompany the application and provide assurance of commitment from an appropriate institutional official authorized to commit funds at the institution. Applications proposing a Federal share of less than $500 thousand or more than the maximum Federal award amount specified above will not be accepted. Because the nature and scope of the activities proposed in response to this PA may vary, it is anticipated that the size of an award will vary also.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
Contingent on appropriated funds, the Fiscal Year 1999 appropriation for the NIH is expected to include $30 million for this initiative. Twenty-five percent of these funds ($7.5 million) will be targeted for institutions of emerging excellence that have received Fiscal Year 1998 PHS Centers of Excellence Awards. It is anticipated that approximately 25 new awards at different levels will be made.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The principal objective of this program is to facilitate and enhance the conduct of PHS-supported biomedical and behavioral research by supporting the costs of designing and constructing non-Federal basic and clinical research facilities to meet the biomedical or behavioral research, research training, or research support needs of an institution or a research area at an institution.
Facility construction that may be supported under this program includes construction of new facilities, additions to existing buildings, completion of uninhabitable "shell" space in new or existing buildings, and major alterations and renovations. NOTE THAT THE USE OF THESE FEDERAL FUNDS TO BUILD "SHELL" SPACE IS NOT ALLOWED. Support for instrumentation or equipment that usually would be requested as part of a research project grant will not be provided, and neither land acquisition nor off-site improvements will be supported.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applicants must use Standard Form 424, "Application for Federal Assistance". Application forms and special instructions for completing them may be requested from the program official listed under INQUIRIES or downloaded from our web site (www.ncrr.nih.gov/resinfra.htm). Individuals submitting applications are advised to consult immediately with appropriate officials at their institution before completing the application forms.
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including appendices, and two signed photocopies, including appendices, in one package to:
CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD 20817 (express/courier)
TELEPHONE: (301) 435-0715
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application (with appendices, if any) must be sent under separate cover to:
Dr. D.G. Patel
Office of Review
National Center for Research Resources
One Democracy Plaza, Room 1070
6701 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 4874
Bethesda, MD 20892-4874
Telephone: (301) 435-0811
e-mail: PatelDG@mail.nih.gov
Applications must be received by February 25, 1999. An application must be received by the specified date or it will be returned to the applicant without review. However, an application received after the deadline may be acceptable if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing date assigned by the carrier and the proof-of-mailing date is not later than 1 week prior to the deadline date. If the receipt date falls on a weekend, it will be extended to the following Monday; if the date falls on a holiday, it will be extended to the following workday. The receipt date will be waived only in extenuating circumstances. To request a waiver, include an explanatory letter with the signed, completed application. No request for a waiver will be considered prior to receipt of the application, and there is no guarantee that the waiver will be granted.
Applicants are required to comply with Executive Order (E.O.) 12372 as supplemented by 45 CFR Part 100, Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities. E.O. 12372 sets up a system for state and local government review of proposed Federal assistance applications. Applicants (other than federally recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact their State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as early as possible to alert them to the prospective applications and receive any necessary instructions on the state process. For proposed projects serving more than one state, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each affected state. A current list of SPOCs is included in the application kit. The SPOC must be given 60 days to review a construction grant application. Applicants are to provide the SPOC with a copy of the application NOT LATER THAN the time the application is submitted to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH. Applications submitted to NIH in response to this solicitation must contain either SPOC comments or documentation indicating the date on which the application was submitted to the SPOC for review. The SPOC comment period ends 60 days after the application receipt date. The granting agency does not guarantee to "accommodate or explain" state process recommendations it receives after that date.
All SPOC comments must be forwarded to both the applicant and to the NCRR contact given below. If comments are provided by the SPOC, the applicant may wish to submit to the NIH a statement of its reaction to the comments and any appropriate changes to its application. If no response is received from the SPOC by the end of the 60 days allotted for review of the application, the applicant must notify the NIH that no response was received.
Applicants must also make a public disclosure of the project by publication and describe its environmental impact at the time the SPOC is notified. It is suggested that the notice be published in a large-circulation newspaper in the area. This public disclosure is required by Section 102 of the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and by Federal Executive Order 11514. An example is provided in the additional instructions.
Design requirements are imposed to protect the health and safety of persons using the proposed facility, assure that the new facility is accessible to and useable by the physically handicapped, control the project's impact on the natural environment, conserve energy resources, achieve economy in construction costs, and protect against natural disasters such as earthquake and flood.
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and responsiveness by NCRR. Those applications judged to be unresponsive, incomplete, or ineligible will be returned to the applicant. Applications that are complete and responsive will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by the Scientific and Technical Review Board on Biomedical and Behavioral Research Facilities established for this purpose by the NCRR. The National Advisory Research Resources Council will conduct the second level of review.
As part of the initial merit review, a process may be used by the initial review group in which applications will be determined to be competitive or non-competitive based on their scientific merit relative to other applications received in response to the PA. Applications judged to be competitive will be discussed and assigned a priority score. Applications determined to be non-competitive will be withdrawn from further consideration and the Principal Investigator and the official signing for the applicant organization will be notified of this action.
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of criteria intended to assess the following overall questions: (1) How will the proposed change in the research environment facilitate the applicant institution's ability to conduct, expand, improve, or maintain biomedical/behavioral research? (2) How will the proposed project meet national unmet health needs for biomedical/behavioral research, research training and/or research support facilities?
Reviewers will consider the following factors:
Factors considered in making awards include the merit of the proposal; the needs of the institution, with special consideration for institutions designated as institutions of emerging excellence; the commitment of funds needed to complete the project by the institution; the availability of appropriated funds; prior support of a construction program by NCRR; and overall programmatic priorities including geographic distribution of the awards.
Award Conditions
The grantee will begin a process of design approval with the Division of Engineering Services (DES) after acknowledging receipt of the Notice of Grant Award. This consists of three stages of submission of design documents. Two sets each of Schematic Design, Design Development and Final Construction Design Documents will be submitted at Stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The documents will include detailed cost estimates and are required for final review and approval by the DES and NCRR before bids and proposals can be solicited by the grantee for the construction contract. Advertisement for construction bids and construction may be initiated only after receipt of the construction grant award and subsequent approval of the working drawings and specifications by NIH staff.
Early in the design process, applicants are encouraged to review the "Public Health Service Grants Policy Statement," DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 94-50,000 (Rev.) April 1, 1994 as updated; the sections related to public policy requirements and construction are particularly relevant. NO REQUESTS TO INITIATE CONSTRUCTION, CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE POLICY, WILL BE ENTERTAINED PRIOR TO RECEIPT OF A CONSTRUCTION GRANT AWARD FROM NIH AND SUBSEQUENT APPROVAL OF WORKING DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS BY NIH STAFF.
The Principal Investigator should be a highly placed institutional official, at the level of Dean or equivalent, who has the responsibility for allocation of space for the biomedical or behavioral research and research training addressed in the submitted application.
The facility must be utilized for biomedical or behavioral research purposes for which it was constructed for at least 20 years beginning 90 days following completion of the construction project. Any lease agreement must cover a time period sufficient for the usage requirement. The NIH staff will evaluate use of the facility periodically to assure its continued use for the approved purposes. Failure to comply with the 20-year utilization requirement will result in recovery of the Federal share of the value of the facility in accordance with Federal Regulation 45 CFR 74.32.
INQUIRIES
Inquiries concerning this PA are encouraged. A pre and post award technical workshop to assist applicants and grantees unfamiliar with the requirements for extramural construction applications and to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants will be held on December 10 and 11, 1998 in Bethesda, Maryland. For additional information regarding the workshop, please call (301) 435-1302. A summary of the presentations and issues discussed will be provided upon request for those unable to attend. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues, requests for application Standard Form 424 and special application instructions, and SPOC comments, if any, to:
Dr. W. Fred Taylor
Research Infrastructure
National Center for Research Resources
One Democracy Plaza, Room 936
6701 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 4874
Bethesda, MD 20892-4874
Telephone: (301) 435-0766
FAX: (301) 480-3770
e-mail: TaylorWF@mail.nih.gov
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.389. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158 and Public Law 103-43, 42 USC 241, 285, and 481) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. Applicants are required to comply with Executive Order 12372 as supplemented by 45 CFR Part 100, Intergovernmental Review of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.