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RFAs

Information:

Questions:

  1. Will potential applicants have the opportunity to meet with NCI staff to ask questions and obtain advice?
  2. Would it be possible to clarify the eligibility requirements for the PS-OC PI?
  3. How much preliminary data is expected for the PS-OC proposals? What if the preliminary data is demonstrated using systems other than cancer models?
  4. Are PS-OC projects expected to generate clinical interventions by the end of the award?
  5. The RFA does not list any special requirements around the Appendix Materials other than the NOT-OD-07-018 guideline. Because this is a multi-component grant application, can we submit more than the three allowable publications? Also, where are the Appendix materials required to be? For the sake of organization, can we include them after each applicable section in the research plan?
  6. Is it possible to have international participants, even to the point of having a PI from another country?
  7. The RFA says "The PI is encouraged to propose a project manager for the center to manage the day-to-day operations". Would an administrative staff member with training in project management qualify?
  8. Will each application be reviewed as a whole, or will it be taken apart and given to different reviewers?
  9. What is your guidance on how to design compelling trans-network research without knowledge of the network? What about pilot projects, should specific projects be included?
  10. Could one investigator serve as co-PI for more than one application? How about as project/core leaders for more than one application?
  11. The RFA states "Each awarded PS-OC will be a "virtual" center, headed by a Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI), that is composed of laboratories and research facilities which must include two or more collaborating institutions in various sites throughout the country or the world." Is the minimum two institutions in addition to the awarded institute? Is there a minimum level at which the additional institutions must participate in?
  12. Is there a minimum person-months requirement to qualify to be a PI/PD? Senior co-investigator? Project/core leader?

 

Answers:

Q: Will potential applicants have the opportunity to meet with NCI staff to ask questions and obtain advice?
A: Yes, a pre-application meeting is scheduled for January 23 from 10 am - 2 pm EST. (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-CA-09-010.html). The meeting will involve presentations made by NCI program, review, and grants management staff, and time for questions by potential applicants. Questions can be sent via email at anytime to nci.physics@mail.nih.gov.

Q: Would it be possible to clarify the eligibility requirements for the PS-OC PI?
A: In addition to the standard NIH eligibility requirements, the RFA states that "To provide appropriate perceptive and insights, the PI on an application submitted in response to this FOA must be a scientist with formal training and expertise in the physical sciences and/or engineering." This would include scientists that have formal training and/or demonstrated track record in the areas of: physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer sciences, material sciences, and engineering. Please note that a senior co-investigator with expertise in biological and/or clinical sciences needs to be included on an applicant team.

Q: How much preliminary data is expected for the PS-OC proposals? What if the preliminary data is demonstrated using systems other than cancer models?
A: The preliminary data should be sufficient for the reviewers to assess the likelihood of success and the value of the data generated. There should be evidence that the center will be technically capable of generating the proposed data, but it is not expected that full data sets will be available preliminarily. As the RFA states that PS-OCs are expected to "catalyze a fundamentally new understanding of the emergence and behavior of cancer based on a unifying physical-sciences based thematic approach", it is acceptable to incorporate preliminary data obtained using other model systems in demonstrating the scientific merit of the proposed physical-science approach and suggest the potential impact of the approach in addressing major barriers in cancer processes.

Q: Are PS-OC projects expected to generate clinical interventions by the end of the award?
A: No. As described in the RFA, "PS-OCs, individually and together, will support and nurture a new trans-disciplinary environment and research. Ultimately, through coordinated, iterative, trans-Network development and testing of innovative, perhaps non-traditional, approaches to cancer processes, PS-OCs are expected to catalyze and generate new bodies of knowledge and fields of cancer study."

Q: The RFA does not list any special requirements around the Appendix Materials other than the NOT-OD-07-018 guideline. Because this is a multi-component grant application, can we submit more than the three allowable publications? Also, where are the Appendix materials required to be? For the sake of organization, can we include them after each applicable section in the research plan?
A: (Provided by NCI Review Staff) All paper PHS 398 applications must provide appendix material on CDs only, and include five identical CDs in the same package with the application (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-031.html). Do not use the Appendix to circumvent the page limitations of the Research Plan component. An application that does not observe the required page limitations may be delayed in the review process. A few suggestions: 1) URLs need to be used when they are available. These can be placed in the Literature Cited or within individual Biosketches. 2) No more than 3 papers per research project. These must be limited to publications that are without a URL or are in press manuscripts. Manuscripts under review are not acceptable. 3) Appendix items must NOT be placed in the body of the application. Dividers or section pages can be used in the appendix to delineate which items align with individual projects. 4) For submission of appendices in .pdf format: In this case the use of folders on the CD or bookmarks within a unified .pdf file can be used to delineate the projects to which specific items apply.

Q: Is it possible to have international participants, even to the point of having a PI from another country?
A: NIH policies concerning grants to Foreign (non-U.S.) organizations can be found here (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/
nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part12.htm#_Toc54600260). As stated, it would be allowable to have international participants, as long as the instructions for "Foreign Organization" are followed as stated in the RFA (Section IV. 2). However, they would not be able to serve as PI as the policy states that "Foreign institutions and international organizations are not eligible to apply for center grants. However, some mechanisms [including this RFA] may support projects awarded to a domestic institution with a foreign component."

Q: The RFA says "The PI is encouraged to propose a project manager for the center to manage the day-to-day operations". Would an administrative staff member with training in project management qualify?
A: Yes.

Q: Will each application be reviewed as a whole, or will it be taken apart and given to different reviewers?
A: There will probably be 15-30 reviewers assigned to each application. Reviewers' expertise will be matched with expertise involved in the project to determine review assignments. The application will be reviewed as a whole, and then its individual components will be evaluated, just like any other multicomponent project.

Q: What is your guidance on how to design compelling trans-network research without knowledge of the network? What about pilot projects, should specific projects be included?
A: Both pilot and trans-network project proposals will be generated after the PS-OCs are awarded. As described in the RFA, we are not asking applicants to propose trans-network projects at this time, but rather to propose and develop processes, mechanisms, and strategies of how these projects will be developed after award and include a standard set-aside budget form described by NCI OGA during the pre-application meeting (see presentation slides here[hyperlink]). This is also the case for pilot projects, but if applicants chose to propose specific pilot projects, please keep in mind they may be included in discussion during peer review.

Q: Could one investigator serve as co-PI for more than one application? How about as project/core leaders for more than one application?
A: Yes, provided that his/her participation on the various applications is scientifically distinct. In addition, the investigator must ensure that they have informed, prior to the application submission deadline, each application PI and/or each project/core leader of his/her distinct roles and the investigator's institution's business official.

Q: The RFA states "Each awarded PS-OC will be a "virtual" center, headed by a Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI), that is composed of laboratories and research facilities which must include two or more collaborating institutions in various sites throughout the country or the world." Is the minimum two institutions in addition to the awarded institute? Is there a minimum level at which the additional institutions must participate in?
A: No, the minimum would be the awarded institute plus one additional institution outside of the awarded institute. There is no minimum level of participation for the additional institution(s) and could serve as collaborators on any PS-OC projects, cores, or units.

Q: Is there a minimum person-months requirement to qualify to be a PI/PD? Senior co-investigator? Project/core leader?
A: No, there is no minimum person-months requirement for individuals identified as a PI/PD. The reviewers will assess whether the level of effort is adequate to achieve the proposed goals. If there are deficiencies in this regard, it will negatively impact the score. This also applies, for this RFA, to the co-investigator and project/core leaders. The inclusion of individuals that appear to have questionable qualifications and expertise or insufficient contribution or role on the project or within the leadership of the PS-OC will be reflected in the score.

 

 
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