NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
AUTHORIZATION:
Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Title I, Section III,
and Title II, Section 209, Public Law 99- 499, as amended; Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
of 1980, as amended, Section 311(a), Public Law 96-510; Public Health
Service Act, Section 301, Public Law 78-410, as amended; Public
Law 99-500.
To
establish a unique program linking biomedical research with engineering,
geoscience, and ecological research. The goals of the program are
to establish and support an innovative program of basic research
and training consisting of multi-project, interdisciplinary efforts
that may include each of the following: (1) Methods and technologies
to detect hazardous substances in the environment; (2) advance techniques
for the detection, assessment, and evaluation of the effects of
hazardous substances on humans; (3) methods to assess the risks
to human health presented by hazardous substances; and (4) and basic
biological, chemical, and physical methods to reduce the amount
and toxicity of hazardous substances. It is intended to integrate
advanced or graduate training into the multi-disciplinary research
program to provide for training in: (1) Environmental and occupational
health and safety; (2) the engineering aspects of hazardous waste
control; and (3) graduate training in the geosciences (including
hydrogenology geological engineering, geophysics, geochemistry,
and related fields).
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Research grants are intended
to support the direct costs of a project, in accordance with an
approved budget, plus an appropriate amount for indirect costs.
Grants made under this program are for university-based programs,
and the objective is to establish and maintain coordinated, multi-component,
interdisciplinary programs that link basic biomedical research with
related engineering, hydrogenological and ecological studies. No
single-project applications will be accepted. The award and use
of funds are subject to applicable provisions of basic statutory
authorities, appropriations acts, pertinent regulations, and operating
policies of the National Institute of Environmental Health Science
(NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility:
An accredited institution of higher education, as defined in the
Higher Education Act, 20 U.S.C. (annotated) 3381, may submit an
application and receive a grant for support of research by a named
principal investigator. Subcontracts may be made with public and
private organizations, including: generators of hazardous wastes;
persons involved in the detection, assessment, evaluation, and treatment
of hazardous substances; owners and operators of facilities at which
hazardous substances are located; and State and local governments.
Nonprofit organizations which are incorporated under 501(c)(4) are
prohibited from receiving grants.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
Any accredited institution of higher education engaged in biomedical
research and/or engineering and ecological research.
Credentials/Documentation:
Applications must be signed by appropriate officials of the submitting
institution. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular
Nos. A-87 for State and local governments, A-21 for universities,
and A-122 for private nonprofit other than universities. For-profit
organizations, costs are determined in accordance with 48 CFR,
Subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. For other
grantees, costs will be determined by HHS Regulations 45 CFR 74,
Subpart Q.
Pre-application
Coordination: Not applicable. This program is
excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure:
Application forms and instructions for submission are available
from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Education, National
Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda,
MD 20892-7910. Telephone (301)435-0714; e-mail: ASKNIH@odrockml.od.nih.gov
and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (MD
3-01), P.O. Box 12233, 104 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle
Park, NC 27709. The standard application forms, as furnished by
PHS and required by 45 CFR 92, must be used for this program by
those applicants that are State and local units of government.
This program is subject to the provisions of 45 CFR 92 for State
and local governments and OMB Circular No. A-110 for nonprofit
organizations.
Award Procedure:
Grants are made on the basis of a dual review of an investigator-prepared
application. The reviews are made by peer groups: the first by
a study Section for scientific merit; the second by an advisory
council for program relevance. The final approval of these recommendations
and decisions concerning funding is made by the Director, NIEHS.
Deadlines:
Contact Headquarters Office for deadlines information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval
Time: From 8 to 9 months.
Appeals:
A principal investigator (P.I.) may question the substantive or
procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating
with the staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer
Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH home page www.nih.gov/grants/guide/1997/97.11.21/n2.html.
Renewals:
Renewal requests are subject to the same criteria as new applications.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching
Requirements: This program has no statutory
formula or matching requirements.
Length and Time Phasing
of Assistance: Research Grants may be awarded
for up to 5 years, generally in 12-month budget periods. Currently
the program is operating under a 1-year authorization, no commitment
of funds can be made for budget periods beginning after fiscal
year 1996. Funds are released primarily on the basis of an Electronic
Transfer System.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Annual and final progress reports and financial status reports are
required.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in OMB Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants are subject to
inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal officials.
Records:
Expenditure and other financial and program records must be retained
for 3 years from the day on which the grantee submits the final
financial status report for the report period.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
75-0862-0-1-552.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $37,800,000; FY 02 est $42,454,000; and FY 03 est
$48,936,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
From $876,679 to $2,954,996; Average: $1,989,474.
During fiscal year 2001,
the Superfund Basic Research Program made 19 non-competing awards
to grantees supporting multi-disciplinary approaches in advancing
the understanding of human health effects of environmental exposures
to hazardous substances and in developing innovative technologies
for remediating these contaminants. Research included developing
biomarkers to assess reproductive health, novel approaches using
trees to remediate contaminated sites and the assessment of neurobehavioral
effects of childhood exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls. Over
500 articles were published in peer reviewed journals and grantees
sponsored 14 research conferences on behalf of the Program. The
Program was recompeted during fiscal year 1999. From this recompetition,
seventeen competing awards were funded in fiscal year 2000. It is
expected that 19 non-competing awards will be made in fiscal year
2002 and fiscal year 2003.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND
LITERATURE:
42 CFR 74; NIH Guide to
Grants and Contracts; PHS Grants Policy Statement, DHHS Publication
No. (OASH) 94-50,000 (Rev.) April 1, 1994. Other publications and
application kits are available from the Division of Extramural Outreach
and Information Resources, Office of Extramural Research, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, and NIEHS (MD 3-01), Division
of Extramural Research and Training, NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27709.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local
Office: Not applicable.
Headquarters Office:
Program Contact: Dr. William Suk, Director, Superfund Hazardous
Substance Basic Research and Training Program, Division of Extramural
Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service,
Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27709. E-mail suk@niehs.nih-gov, Telephone:
(919) 541-0797. Grants Management Contact: Dorothy G. Williams,
Grants Management Officer, Grants Management Branch, Division
of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of
Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park,
NC 27709. Telephone: (919) 541-2749; E-mail: Williams@niehs.nih.gov.
Web Site Address: http://www.nih.gov
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
The Superfund Basic Research
Program is university-based basic research and training program
consisting of coordinated, multi-component interdisciplinary programs
that link basic biomedical research with related engineering, hydrogenological
epidemiological, and ecological studies. This interdisciplinary
program supports basic research in the following: (1) Development
and use of methods and technologies to detect hazardous substances
in the environment; (2) development of advanced techniques for the
detection, assessment, and evaluation of the effects of human health
of hazardous substances; (3) development of methods to assess the
risk to human health presented by hazardous substances; and (4)
the development and use of basic biological, chemical, and physical
methods and technologies to reduce the amount of toxicity of hazardous
substances.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Major factors considered
in the evaluation of responsive applications include: (1) Scientific
merit of each proposed project, including the novelty, originality,
and feasibility of the approach and the adequacy of the experimental
design; (2) technical merit and justification of each core unit;
(3) competence of the investigators to accomplish the proposed research
goals, their commitments, and the amount of time they will devote
to the program; (4) scope of the overall effort in relation to the
objective of the program to create unique interdisciplinary programs
to eventually include not only biomedical components but also engineering,
ecological and/or hydrogenological components; (5) adequacy of the
facilities to perform the proposed research; (6) integration of
the various projects and core units into an effective program and
plans for interactions among investigators; (7) adequacy and commitment
of institutional resources to administer an integrated, collaborative
program; (8) appropriateness of the budget for the proposed program;
(9) relevance of proposed research to problems associated with hazardous
waste substances; and (10) progress of program to date for completing
renewal applications.
