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 - Tues., Dec. 5
- EGRP Cosponsors Two Program Announcements on Prediction Models for Cancer Risk and Prognosis
- RFA Issued to Develop and Test Methods for Identifying Gene-Environment Interactions
- NIH Updates Information About Multiple Principal Investigator Options on Grants
- Registration Opens for NIH 2007 Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration
- NHGRI Funds Three Large-Scale DNA Sequencing Centers
- Subscribe to EGRP Bulletins and News Flashes
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 .
- Access additional training resources.
- View slides.
- View HHS press release.
- View EGRP BULLETIN article, November
9.
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.
- Also access the Genes and the Environment Initiative (GEI) Web page.
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.
- Also access the Multiple Investigators Web page.
- Direct questions to: multi_PI@mail.nih.gov.
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.
- Also access the Regional Seminars Web page.
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.
- See the NIH press release.
- Also access the Cancer Genome Atlas Web site.
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