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Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
November 29 , 2006 |
EGRP NEWS FLASH
From the Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
This News Flash brings you news about:
Program Hosted to Prepare for Electronic Submission of Grant Applications
- On NIH Campus and Via Webcast
Tuesday, December 5
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting a program on Tuesday,
December 5, to help prepare the research community for the upcoming transition
to electronic submission of applications for Research Project Grants
(R01s), which takes place next with the February 5, 2007, receipt date. The
training session will be held at the Natcher Conference Center, NIH Campus,
Bethesda, MD, and will be offered online via NIH’s VideoCast system
(http://videocast.nih.gov) in the morning (9 a.m. EST) with a repeat
session in the afternoon (1 p.m. EST).
The presentation will include an overview of the electronic submission
process, a walk through the SF424 (R&R) grant application form, and “Lessons
Learned” presented by a panel of eSubmission experts. There
also will be a question-and-answer session with panel members at the
close of the presentation.
The transition to electronic submission is complex. It requires that
two systems with their own registration and validation processes work
together – Grants.gov, the federal
government's single on-line portal to find and apply for federal funding,
and eRA Commons, the system that allows applicants to interact
electronically with NIH. The transition also involves the simultaneous
shift from the long-used PHS 398 application form to a new trans-agency
standard form, and fundamentally changes the process by which investigators
and grant applicant institutions manage their grant submissions.
Registration for the
December 5 NIH training is required but is free
of charge. The training also will be archived for later viewing. Registration
for the hands-on workshops offered in conjunction with the training event
is full .
EGRP Cosponsors Two Program Announcements on Prediction Models for Cancer
Risk and Prognosis
The Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP) is cosponsoring
two new Program Announcements (PAs). Announced
this month in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, the PAs “Development,
Application, and Evaluation of Prediction Models for Cancer Risk and
Prognosis” encourage clinicians and researchers to:
- improve existing models for cancer risk and prognosis by developing
innovative research projects that use existing data,
- develop new models for cancer risk and prognosis, and
- validate new models and evaluate their utility in research and
clinical settings.
The
PAs are not for applications that focus on the identification and characterization
of prognostic/diagnostic markers.
For complete information, refer to the PAs:
- PA-07-021 for
Research Project Grants (R01)
- PA-07-022 for
Exploratory/Developmental Research Grants (R21)
For questions about cancer risk epidemiology and genetic susceptibility,
contact EGRP’s Isis Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H.; tel.: (301)
435-6750; e-mail: mikhaili@mail.nih.gov.
These PAs are cosponsored with the Applied Research Program (ARP), which
also is part of our Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
(DCCPS), and the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD). For
questions about models for cancer risk and behavioral and applied interventions,
contact ARP’s Andrew (Andy) Freedman, Ph.D.; tel.: (301)
435-6819; e-mail: freedmaa@mail.nih.gov. For inquiries about
models for prognosis or response to treatment, contact DCTD’s J.
Milburn Jessup, M.D.; tel.: (301) 435-9010; e-mail: jessupj@mail.nih.gov.
RFA Issued to Develop and Test Methods for Identifying Gene-Environment
Interactions
NIH has announced a Request for Applications (RFA) inviting researchers
to develop and test methods and analytical strategies for identifying
gene-environment interactions in genome-wide association studies, sequencing
studies, linkage analyses, or candidate gene approaches with broad applicability
in complex diseases. Letters of intent are due December 29, 2006,
and applications are due by January 29, 2007.
The RFA “Methods of Analysis of Gene-Environment Interactions
in Complex Diseases: The Genes and the Environment Initiative” solicits
Research Project Grant (R01) applications. It is part of NIH’s
Genes and the Environment Initiative (GEI) to support research that will
lead to the understanding of genetic contributions and gene-environment
interactions in common disease. GEI is being developed and planned
by an NIH-wide Coordinating Committee, administratively led by the National
Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). (See
article in earlier
EGRP BULLETIN)
Five awards will be made in response to the RFA, with funding provided
for up to $400,000 in total costs per year, per award. The total
project period cannot exceed three years, or a total of $1,200,000 for
the entire project period. The anticipated start date is September
30, 2007.
This RFA is coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI).
For more details, please refer to the NIH GUIDE, RFA-HL-07-010.
NIH Updates Information about Multiple Principal Investigator Options
on Grants
NIH has announced more details about the funding mechanisms eligible
for the Multiple Investigator option on grant applications. Beginning
in February 2007, NIH will allow researchers to identify more than one
principal investigator on a wide variety of grant applications. The
aim of this option is to encourage multi-disciplinary and other types
of “team science” projects that are not optimally served
by the single-principal investigator model. It is intended to supplement,
and not replace, the traditional single-principal investigator model.
The Multiple Investigator option is being extended to the following
mechanisms: Research Project Grants (R01), Small Research Grants
(R03), Conference Grants (R13/U13), Academic Research Enhancement Awards
(R15), Research Demonstration and Dissemination Grants (R18/U18), Exploratory/Developmental
Grants (R21 and R33), Cancer Education Grants (R25), Clinical Trial Planning
Grants (R34), Small Business Grants (R41, R42, R43, and R44), and Research
Facilities Construction Grants (C06/UC6). The update appeared in
the NIH GUIDE, NOT-OD-07-017.
Registration Opens for NIH 2007 Regional Seminars on Program Funding
and Grants Administration
Registration is open for NIH’s Regional Seminars on Program Funding
and Grants Administration for 2007. The seminars will be held on:
- March 5-7 in Salt Lake City, Utah, sponsored by the University of
Utah
- April 24-26 in Research Triangle Park, NC, sponsored by the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University,
North Carolina Central University, Duke University Medical Center,
RTI International, and North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
NIH offers these regional seminars annually to help demystify the grant
application and review process, clarify Federal regulations and policies,
and highlight current areas of special interest or concern. The
seminars are appropriate for grants administrators, researchers, and
graduate students.
The registration fee is $300. Space is limited, and registrants
should wait for confirmation before purchasing airline tickets and finalizing
other plans. For more information, including how to register, please
refer to the NIH GUIDE, NOT-OD-07-019.
NHGRI Funds Three Large-Scale DNA Sequencing Centers
NHGRI has funded three centers to conduct large-scale sequencing of
important targets over the next four years. Funded under cooperative
agreements (U01), these centers will also test and implement several
new technologies to increase the speed and lower the cost of DNA sequencing.
In addition, these centers will devote a significant portion of their
efforts to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a collaborative, three-year
pilot project of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and NHGRI that is
testing the feasibility of a large-scale, systematic approach to identify
important genomic changes involved in cancer. As a part of this
project, the centers will sequence selected gene targets to identify
genomic changes, such as single base mutations and small insertion/deletions,
in three types of tumors: brain (glioblastoma), lung (squamous
cell), and ovarian tumors.
The three sequencing centers and principal investigators are:
- Broad Institute Sequencing Platform, The Eli & Edythe L. Broad
Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard
University, Cambridge - Eric Lander, Ph.D.
- Washington University Genome
Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint
Louis - Richard Wilson, Ph.D.
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston - Richard Gibbs, Ph.D.
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