$$XID RFA AG9201 AG-92-01 P1O1 ***************************************** ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CENTER COMMUNITY OUTREACH EDUCATION PROGRAMS RFA: AG-92-01 P.T. 04; K.W. 0403004, 0715180, 0502017, 0745020 National Institute on Aging Letter of Intent Receipt Date: February 21, 1992 Application Receipt Date: March 24, 1992 PURPOSE The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to invite grant applications for the support of community outreach education programs from recipients of National Institute on Aging (NIA) Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (P50) and Alzheimer's Disease Center Core Grants (P30) and institutions that have equivalent programs. It is anticipated that these education programs will result in increased community efforts related to Alzheimer's disease (AD), earlier detection of dementing disorders, better education and assistance programs for the families, and the systematic application of the best available methods for treatment and care of Alzheimer's disease patients. The primary purpose is to encourage Alzheimer's Disease Centers to expand their role in technology transfer by providing state-of-the-art information about detection, diagnosis, treatment, management and family care of Alzheimer's disease to community professionals and relevant community organizations. Underserved, women, and minority populations should receive high priority in carrying out these objectives. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 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 for setting priority areas. This RFA, Alzheimer's Disease Center Community Outreach Education Programs, is related to the priority area of health promotion: educational and community-based programs. 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) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-783-3238). ELIGIBILITY Research grant applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign, for-profit and non-profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State or local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal Government. Applications from minority individuals and women are encouraged. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT Support of this program will be through the National Institute on Aging Education Projects Grant (R25). Applicants will be responsible for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project. Except as otherwise stated in this RFA, awards will be administered under PHS grants policy as stated in the Public Health Service Grants Policy Statement, DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 90-50,000, revised October 1, 1990. These awards will provide support for the administrative and didactic costs associated with the continuing education sessions. The type of training sessions to be offered may include seminars, workshops, short courses and other appropriate formats that the applicant organization might propose. The production of video tape and film materials is appropriate under the RFA but cannot be the sole activity conducted under the award and must be limited to no more than 50 percent of the annual direct costs. Arrangements must be made to provide continuing medical education (CME) credit for courses when appropriate. This RFA is a one-time solicitation. Future unsolicited competitive continuation applications will compete with all investigator-initiated applications assigned to the NIA and will be reviewed by the NIA Scientific Review Office. If the NIA determines that there is a sufficient continuing program need, a request for competitive continuation and/or new applications will be announced. FUNDS AVAILABLE The NIA will commit up to $500,000 per year for three years to fund applications that are submitted in response to this RFA. Awards will be limited to a maximum of $100,000 per year in direct costs for up to three years of total grant support. The indirect cost rate is limited to eight percent per year. Indirect costs for any consortium or subcontract will also be limited to eight percent. Only one award may be made per institution. It is anticipated that up to five awards will be made. This funding level is dependent upon the receipt of a sufficient number of applications of high scientific and technical merit. The total project period for applications submitted in response to the RFA may not exceed three years. The earliest start date for the initial awards will be September 30, 1992. Although this program is provided for in the financial plans of the NIA, the award of grants pursuant to this RFA is contingent upon the availability of funds for this purpose. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Background Substantial efforts have been devoted to the development and dissemination of materials about AD, both for health care professionals and the public. In spite of these efforts, the level of information about detection, diagnosis, treatment, management, and family care remains low. Information that is now available at the Alzheimer's Disease Centers would have a major impact if widely disseminated at the local community level. Another step in the process of information dissemination is the establishment of educational programs that will transmit state-of-the-art information on Alzheimer's disease to community health professionals who are primarily responsible for providing the majority of care to dementia patients. These educational programs must also include community leaders (e.g., those affiliated with civic, religious, and occupational organizations) who are concerned about improving the diagnosis, treatment, and management of dementing diseases and the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. These individuals and the Alzheimer's Association can access and influence the behavior of large segments of the population. The NIA-designated Alzheimer's Disease Centers are an appropriate location for these outreach education programs since an essential programmatic element of the Alzheimer's Disease Centers is a role in clinical and research training and in education and information transfer programs for local and regional health care professionals. Other The purpose of this RFA is to provide funding, on a competitive basis, for the development and implementation of Alzheimer's disease education programs for Alzheimer's Disease Centers that have been awarded a P30 or P50 grant by the National Institute on Aging and those institutions that have equivalent programs. These education programs should provide state-of-the-art knowledge related to the detection, diagnosis, treatment, management, and family care of the dementia patient to local and regional health care professionals, community leaders, and staff of relevant community organizations. Topics should be selected on the basis of their relevance to the day-to-day activities and problems of the community health care professionals and to the welfare of AD patients and their families. These outreach programs are intended to be of particular benefit to underserved communities and to areas with disproportionately large populations of older people. High priority local and regional needs for specific types of AD education programs should be addressed by the proposed programs and described in the application. The type of programs, the subject content, and duration will depend upon local priorities, the availability of appropriate resources, and the nature of the target professional and lay populations to be addressed. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS The application must describe examples of specific topics and approaches that might be included in the AD education programs. Emphasis should be given to outreach education topics that would have the greatest impact upon improving the diagnosis, treatment, and management of AD and on improving the quality of life of the AD patient and his/her family. An area of special interest to the NIA is educational programs designed to improve the quality of diagnosis, treatment, and management in women and ethnic, minority, low socioeconomic, and other underserved populations in the U.S. The application must include a detailed budget describing and justifying each category of costs requested, and it must indicate the nature and extent of any institutional contribution to the activities supported by an award as a result of this RFA. STUDY POPULATIONS SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF NIH POLICIES CONCERNING INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDY POPULATIONS NIH and ADAMHA policy is that applicants for NIH/ADAMHA clinical research grants and cooperative agreements are required to include minorities and women in study populations so that research findings can be of benefit to all persons at risk of the disease, disorder or condition under study; special emphasis must be placed on the need for inclusion of minorities and women in studies of diseases, disorders and conditions which disproportionately affect them. This policy is intended to apply to males and females of all ages. If women or minorities are excluded or inadequately represented in clinical research, particularly in proposed population-based studies, a clear compelling rationale must be provided. The composition of the proposed study population must be described in terms of gender and racial/ethnic group. In addition, gender and racial/ethnic issues must be addressed in developing a research design and sample size appropriate for the scientific objectives of the study. This information must be included in the form PHS 398 in Section 2, A-D of the Research Plan AND summarized in Section 2, E, Human Subjects. Applicants/offerors are urged to assess carefully the feasibility of including the broadest possible representation of minority groups. However, NIH recognizes that it may not be feasible or appropriate in all research projects to include representation of the full array of United States racial/ethnic minority populations (i.e., Native Americans [including American Indians or Alaskan Natives], Asian/Pacific Islanders, Blacks, Hispanics). The rationale for studies on single minority population groups should be provided. For the purpose of this policy, clinical research is defined as human biomedical and behavioral studies of etiology, epidemiology, prevention (and preventive strategies), diagnosis, or treatment of diseases, disorders or conditions, including but limited to clinical trials. The usual NIH policies concerning research on human subjects also apply. Basic research or clinical studies in which human tissues cannot be identified or linked to individuals are excluded. However, every effort should be made to include human tissues from women and racial/ethnic minorities when it is important to apply the results of the study broadly, and this should be addressed by applicants. For foreign awards, the policy on inclusion of women applies fully; since the definition of minority differs in other countries, the applicant must discuss the relevance of research involving foreign population groups to the United States' populations, including minorities. If the required information is not contained within the application, the application will be returned. Peer reviewers will address specifically whether the research plan in the application conforms to these policies. If the representation of women or minorities in a study design is inadequate to answer the scientific question(s) addressed AND the justification for the selected study population is inadequate, it will be considered a scientific weakness or deficiency in the study design and reflected in assigning the priority score to the application. All applications for clinical research submitted to NIH are required to address these policies. NIH funding components will not award grants or cooperative agreements that do not comply with these policies. LETTER OF INTENT Prospective applicants are asked to submit by February 21, 1992, a letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed project, the name and address of the Principal Investigator, the names of other key personnel, the participating institutions, and the number and title of the RFA. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of subsequent applications, it is requested in order to provide an indication of the number and scope of the applications to be reviewed. The letter of intent is to be sent to: Dr. Teresa Sluss Radebaugh Chief, Dementias of Aging Branch Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program National Institute on Aging Gateway Building, Suite 3C307 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-9350 FAX: (301) 496-1494 APPLICATION PROCEDURES The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 10/88, reprinted 9/89) must be used in applying for these grants. These forms are available at most institutional business offices; from the Office of Grants Inquiries, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone 301/496-7441; and from the NIH program administrator named below. The RFA label available in the 10/88-9/89 revision of the PHS 398 application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. 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. In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the Checklist, and four signed, photocopies, in one package to: DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS National Institutes of Health Westwood Building, Room 240 Bethesda, MD 20892 At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must also be sent to: CHIEF, SCIENTIFIC REVIEW OFFICE National Institute on Aging Gateway Building, Suite 2C212 7201 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD 20892 Applications must be received by March 24, 1992. If an application is received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant. The Division of Research Grants (DRG) will not accept any application in response to this announcement that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The DRG will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of substantial revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must include an introduction addressing the previous critique. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by NIH staff for completeness and responsiveness. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. If the application is not responsive to the RFA, Institute staff will return the application to the applicant. Applications may be triaged by an NIA peer review group on the basis of relative competitiveness. The NIH will withdraw from further competition those applications judged to be non-competitive for award and notify the applicant Principal Investigator and institutional official. Those applications judged to be competitive will undergo further scientific merit review. Those applications that are complete and responsive will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria stated below for scientific/technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the NIA. Additional materials will not be accepted after the receipt date. The second level of review will be provided by the National Advisory Council on Aging. Review criteria for this RFA include the following: o The quality of the overall proposed approach to outreach education programs and the likelihood that the proposed approach will significantly improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, management, and family care of AD patients in the community. o The quality of topics and the content of specific examples of outreach education programs described in the application. o The extent to which specific and appropriate target groups for the proposed outreach programs are identified and accessed. o The extent to which the proposed programs would augment the ongoing outreach education efforts and/or would initiate new efforts and are linked to and coordinated with the activities of the local chapters of the Alzheimer's Association. o The administrative and scientific qualifications, availability, commitment, and relevant experience of the Principal Investigator and key staff proposed for the outreach education programs. o The availability of appropriate resources and facilities for the proposed activities. o Plans for short-term evaluation of the outcome of the proposed AD education programs in terms of changes in professional and lay knowledge, practice, attitudes, and behavior. o Adequacy of the proposed means for protecting the privacy and welfare of human subjects. o Scientific, technical, or medical significance and originality of proposed research. o Appropriateness and adequacy of the experimental approach and methodology proposed to carry out the research. o Qualifications and research experience of the Principal Investigator and staff, particularly, but not exclusively, in the area of the proposed research. o Availability of resources necessary to perform the research. o Appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the proposed research. AWARD CRITERIA The earliest start date for the initial awards will be September 30, 1992. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries concerning the objectives and scope of this RFA and inquiries about whether or not the specific project would be responsive are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Dr. Teresa Sluss Radebaugh Chief, Dementias of Aging Branch Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program National Institute on Aging Gateway Building, Suite 3C307 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-9350 FAX: (301) 496-1494 Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Mr. Joseph Ellis Grants Management Office National Institute on Aging Gateway Building, Suite 2N212 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-1472 AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.866. 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, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.