NIH Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) (P30)
Please distribute this information to your faculty to determine if they have an interest in submitting a proposal to this program.
WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) (P30)
WHO: Texas A&M University faculty. Agriculture, Engineering and TTI personnel may wish to submit internal proposals through their own agency.
WHY: Applicants may request budgets with annual direct costs up to $800,000 for a maximum period of five years.
WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of February 9, 2009.
HOW: TAMU faculty should submit internal proposal via email for review by the internal selection committee.
THE FINE PRINT:
The funding agency, NIH, has limited the number of proposals to one per institution.
BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) (P30) Program is designed to increase scientific knowledge that will lead to better ways to maintain or restore independence in older persons. An OAIC, in a given area of focus, should: provide intellectual leadership and innovation; stimulate translation between basic and clinical research, e.g., research to develop or test interventions or diagnostics tests based on new findings from basic aging research or other basic research, or studies to improve understanding of mechanisms contributing to clinical or functional findings; facilitate and develop novel multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research strategies; stimulate incorporation or emerging technologies, methods and scientific advances into research designs as appropriate; serve as a source of advice and collaboration to other institutions regarding technology, methodology, analysis or other expertise; and provide career development for future research leaders. As such, each OAIC should promote a sustained research program in an area of focus through which the center will accomplish the innovation, leadership, collaborative and career development functions described above.
Possible areas of research focus include: aging-related issues concerning a specific condition contributing to loss of independence in older persons; causes, assessment, prevention and treatment of a specific type of disability in older persons; causes, prevention and treatment of a geriatric syndrome that is related to multiple pathologies and/or disabilities; specific aging related physiologic changes, other risk factors and/or interventions that affect risk for multiple conditions or disabilities in old age; interactions of multiple diseases, disabilities and interventions in older persons and their relationship to risk of morbidity, progression of disability and efficacy of prevention or treatment strategies; and factors contributing to amelioration or delay of multiple deleterious aging changes by modulating risk factors or fundamental aging mechanisms.
An OAIC application should not include major foci on cognition or behavioral and social sciences, as these are more appropriate for other NIA programs that also use the Center mechanism. On the other hand, OAICs are encouraged to support a multidisciplinary approach that includes research in these areas as they relate to the theme or focus of the OAIC.
In addition, the minimum components required to qualify for an OAIC Award are: a Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC), a Research Career Development Core (RCDC) and one or more Resource Cores (RC). One or more Pilot/Exploratory Studies Cores (PESC) is optional. The LAC will support research planning and evaluation activities for the Cores, the OAIC as a whole and other administrative activities. The RCDC will support career development activities and infrastructure for junior faculty who are conducting pilot studies, developmental projects or working on independently funded projects. The RCs will provide resources to enhance or support projects funded primarily by other mechanisms, as well as develop and validate model systems to advance aging research. The PESC will support research to acquire information needed to select or design future crucial studies in the OAIC area of focus.
The following are also required of OAIC applications. Each OAIC must support a significant amount of clinical research with human subjects. The Principal Investigator for the OAIC application should be the Core Leader for the LAC. Participation of OAIC investigators and Coordinating Unit leadership at an annual scientific meeting is mandatory. At least some of the junior faculty and research associates selected for support through the RCDC should hold a clinical doctoral degree. Further, an applicant may not propose a Resource Core unless it will support at least two projects. These projects may be external projects with funding from other NIH mechanism or developmental projects proposed as a part of the Resource Core.
A budget may include request for direct costs up to $800,000 per year. Within this budget: up to $150,000 in direct costs per year may be requested for Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC) activities; a maximum of $450,000 in first-year direct costs may be requested for the Research Career Development Core (RCDC); a proposed Resource Core (RC) may request support of up to $70,000 in direct costs per year for developmental projects; up to $250,000 in direct first-years costs for the Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core (PESC); and a minimum of $25,000 in direct first-year costs may be requested for the Pilot/Exploratory Studies.
The full announcement can be found at the web page of the sponsor here.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCEDURES AND DEADLINES
February 6, 2009: Deadline for an email of intent, including the names of the PI and co-PIs, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project. Send email of intent.
February 9, 2009: Deadline to obtain approval from your department head and college dean and to submit an internal proposal to the Research Policy and Development Support Office for review by the internal selection committee. The internal proposal should include:
(1) An executive summary, up to three pages, based on the proposal description as outlined in the NIH Program Announcement;
(2) Project and Management Plans (including team members);
(3) Summary budget.
The form for completing the internal proposal is here.
This completed form, including signatures, should be submitted electronically for review by the internal selection committee.
*Once your internal proposal has been received with all of the necessary signatures, you will receive an email indicating it will be reviewed by the internal selection committee. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please call 5-1812.*
Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program here.
Selection of internal proposals will be based on National Institutes of Health guidelines. Meeting the needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account. During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments. They may also request additional information from PI’s.
February 20, 2009: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.
February 24, 2009: NIH Deadline for optional, but recommended, letter of intent.
March 24, 2009: NIH Deadline for full proposal.
