Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS)

Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health. Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) is a forecasted funding opportunity on Grants. gov from National Institutes of Health.

Expired PAR-05-163: Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) This notice has expired. Check the NIH Guide for active opportunities and notices. Part I Overview Information Department of Health and Human Services Participating Organizations National Institutes of Health (NIH), ( http://www.

nih. gov ) Components of Participating Organizations National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), ( http://www. nhgri.

nih. gov ) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), ( http://www. nimh.

nih. gov ) Title: Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) This is a modification and re-issuance of PAR-02-021 , which was previously issued November 27, 2001, and PAR-00-101 , issued May 30, 2000. Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued: February 22, 2008 - This PAR has been reissued as (PAR-08-094).

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-05-163 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s) Release Date: September 9, 2005 Letters of Intent Receipt Dates: For P50 center, October 10, 2005; May 1, 2006; May 1, 2007 For P20 developmental center, October 10, 2005; January 1, 2006 and 2007; May 1, 2006 and 2007; September 1, 2006 and 2007 Application Receipt Dates: Application Receipt Dates for P50 center: November 10, 2005; June 1, 2006; June 1, 2007 Application Receipt Dates for P20 developmental center: November 10, 2005; February 1, 2006 and 2007; June 1, 2006 and 2007; October 1, 2006 and 2007 For October-November receipt, February-March review For February receipt, June-July review For June receipt, October-November review For October-November receipt, May Council For February receipt, September Council For June receipt, February Council Earliest Anticipated Start Dates: For October-November receipt, July of following calendar year For February receipt, December of same calendar year For June receipt, April of following calendar year Additional Information To Be Available Date (Url Activation Date): http://www.

genome. gov/10001771 Expiration Date: October 2, 2007 Additional Overview Content The Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) program establishes academic Centers for advanced genome research, using the P50 Specialized Center mechanism. Each CEGS grant supports a multi-investigator, interdisciplinary team to develop innovative genomic approaches to address a particular biological problem.

A CEGS project will address a critical issue in genomic science, proposing a solution that would be a very substantial advance. Thus, the research conducted at these Centers will entail substantial risk, balanced by outstanding scientific and management plans and very high potential payoff.

A CEGS will focus on the development of novel technological or computational methods for the production or analysis of comprehensive data sets, or on a particular genome-scale biological problem, or on other ways to develop and use genomic approaches for understanding biological systems.

Exploiting its outstanding scientific plan and team, each CEGS will nurture genomic science at its institution by facilitating the interaction of investigators from different disciplines, and by providing training of new investigators will expand the pool of professional genomics scientists and engineers. The formation of new groups of investigators to conduct genomic research is particularly encouraged.

As some newly formed groups may require substantial time and support for development and planning before being in a position to submit a high quality Center grant application, a CEGS Planning Grant (P20) is offered to facilitate such planning. NHGRI and NIMH anticipate supporting approximately ten CEGS P50 projects at any one time. The number of P20 projects to be supported is not fixed.

Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the quality, duration, and costs of the high-quality applications received. This announcement uses the P50 Specialized Center and the P20 Exploratory Center mechanisms.

Eligible organizations include: Non-profit organizations; Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories; Units of State government; Units of local government; Eligible agencies of the Federal government; and Domestic Institutions. Eligible Principal Investigators include any individual with the skills, knowledge, experience and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research.

Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs. An applicant may submit only one application per receipt date. See Section IV.

1 for application materials. Telecommunications for the hearing impaired is available at: TTY 301-451-5936 Part I. Overview Information Part II.

Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information 1.

Mechanism(s) of Support Section III. Eligibility Information 2. Cost Sharing or Matching 3.

Other - Special Eligibility Criteria Section IV. Application and Submission Information 1. Address to Request Application Information 2.

Content and Form of Application Submission 3. Submission Dates and Times A. Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates B.

Sending an Application to the NIH C. Application Processing 4. Intergovernmental Review Section V.

Application Review Information 2. Review and Selection Process A. Additional Review Criteria B.

Additional Review Considerations D. Sharing Research Resources 3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates Section VI.

Award Administration Information 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements Section VII. Agency Contact(s) 1.

Scientific/Research Contact(s) 2. Peer Review Contact(s) 3. Financial/ Grants Management Contact(s) Section VIII.

Other Information - Required Federal Citations Part II - Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description The Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) program establishes academic Centers for advanced genome research, using the P50 Specialized Center mechanism.

Each CEGS grant supports a multi-investigator, interdisciplinary team to develop innovative genomic approaches to address a particular biological problem. A CEGS project will address a critical issue in genomic science, proposing a solution that would be a very substantial advance.

Thus, the research conducted at these Centers will entail substantial risk, balanced by outstanding scientific and management plans and very high potential payoff.

A CEGS will focus on the development of novel technological or computational methods for the production or analysis of comprehensive data sets, or on a particular genome-scale biological problem, or on other ways to develop and use genomic approaches for understanding biological systems.

An extraordinary level of synergy, integration, and potential for advancement of genomics, is expected from each CEGS project; this mechanism will be used only for projects that could not be achieved by using other, more standard grants mechanisms.

Exploiting its outstanding scientific plan and team, each CEGS will nurture genomic science at its institution by facilitating the interaction of investigators from different disciplines, and by providing training of new investigators will expand the pool of professional genomics scientists and engineers. The formation of new groups of investigators to conduct genomic research is particularly encouraged.

As some newly formed groups may require substantial time and support for development and planning before being in a position to submit a high quality Center grant application, a CEGS Planning Grant (P20) is offered to facilitate this planning. The initial goals of the Human Genome Project (HGP) have been met with the completion of the mapping and sequencing of the human genome and the genomes of several important model organisms.

The HGP and the related genomic research supported by NHGRI have been characterized by a focus on efficient data production, the development of new technologies, and large, comprehensive genomic data sets such as genomic maps and complete DNA sequences, catalogs of human DNA sequence variation (e.g., the HapMap project) and pilot projects to annotate all of the functional elements of the human genome (ENCODE).

Once the DNA sequence of an organism becomes available, many new avenues to studying its biology are opened. However, new and improved research tools, approaches, and capabilities are needed to discover and exploit the vast amount of biological information in complete genomic DNA sequences.

Therefore, in 2000, NHGRI established the CEGS program to stimulate the development of such new approaches, which involved computational, instrumental, biochemical, genetic, and analytical technologies and conceptual frameworks. These approaches required the expertise of teams of investigators from different fields as well as substantial infrastructure.

Some of the many important opportunities in genomics are described in A Vision of the Future of Genomics Research (Nature, 2003, 422:835) (available at http://www. genome. gov/11007524 ).

Examples of the kinds of projects that have been supported under the CEGS program to date can be found at http://www. genome. gov/10001771 .

The CEGS program was designed to extend NHGRI's and NIMH's research programs in new directions. While both Institutes continue to support research to generate large data sets at a genomic scale, the purpose of the CEGS program is the support for the development of innovative, basic and potentially large-scale genomics research projects.

The CEGS have explored ways to conduct biological research at a genomic scale and have developed new concepts, methods, approaches, tools, or technologies to make possible novel analyses of biological questions from a genomic perspective. These goals remain the focus of the renewal of the CEGS program called for in this Program Announcement.

As before, some projects may result in new analyses of existing data sets, while others may result in technologies and methods that provide the ability to collect, analyze, and present effectively new types of genomic data sets.

NHGRI and NIMH are committed to continuing to support basic genomic research through investigator-initiated, single-laboratory project grants, using the R01, R21, and other appropriate grant mechanisms, under existing and future programs.

However, the resources needed to conduct the multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary projects that may be required to achieve significant advances in these complex problems are sometimes beyond the scope of the typical R01 grant.

Therefore, the CEGS program was developed as, and remains, an opportunity for applicants to assemble the teams of investigators from diverse disciplines that will be required to approach biological problems using genomics tools in ways that are not possible today.

High priority will be given to projects that integrate multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary approaches to a focused scientific problem, especially those that can meld computational and experimental approaches. A CEGS will develop new approaches that will ultimately foster the integration of genomics with biomedical research.

It must investigate novel ways to apply existing genomic-scale, comprehensive technologies to studying a biological problem, or develop new concepts, methods, technologies, or ways to analyze data, that will advance the state of the art in applying genomic approaches to biological studies. It must be tightly focused on a single biological problem or on an approach to solving biological problems, using genomic concepts and methods.

The research plan for a CEGS must encompass a very high level of innovation. The product of CEGS research is expected to dramatically enhance the biomedical research community's capabilities for conducting comprehensive, cost-effective, high-throughput biomedical studies related to the DNA sequence and sequence products of organisms, with particular focus on human biology and disease.

Proposing to change the way genomic science is done in the future entails a substantial level of risk because the research will, by definition, not be incremental. To balance this risk, the application must present a well developed scientific and management plan to achieve a high pay-off result.

Collaborations to develop genomic approaches require proficiency in several disciplines; a CEGS proposal should engage the expertise of a multi-disciplinary team, drawing from specialists in a wide range of fields such as biology, genetics, clinical medicine, physical sciences, mathematics, computer science, and engineering, as appropriate for the project.

Applications that employ state-of-the-art science that fill in knowledge but do not break substantially new ground are unresponsive to this solicitation. This PAR does not provide a list of examples of possible Center themes because of the desire not to limit applicants' imaginations and to solicit truly new ideas for genomic approaches to biological problems, as they pertain to the goals discussed above.

Investigators who wish to propose developing such novel approaches are strongly encouraged to discuss their ideas with program staff prior to submitting an application, to ensure that applications will be responsive to the CEGS program.

Biomedical research has entered an era in which the solutions to many important problems require the collection and analysis of large data sets, such as an entire genome, an entire set of expressed RNAs or proteins, an entire gene family from a large number of species, the variation within a population of a genomic region of substantial size, or a class of gene regulatory or chromatin organizational elements.

Therefore, the unifying theme for this program will be that the Centers will address important biological problems on a "genomic scale."

In this context, the term genomics is not limited to studies directly related to DNA sequence, but instead encompasses global, comprehensive, high-throughput, cost-effective approaches to studying biological systems, including for example DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and regulatory and biochemical pathways and networks.

The genomic approaches and technologies that are proposed to be developed under CEGS support should be applicable to a wide variety of cell types or organisms, and should be usable in a global, high-throughput, cost-effective manner. Methods and concepts that are applicable only to a particular genetic locus, disease, or organ system will not be supported under this program.

Model systems, such as a limited number of gene families, regulatory networks, or pathways, may be used to develop the genomic approach, as long as the approach is scalable and broadly applicable. The grant application must clearly justify how the model study will be expandable beyond the particular model(s) used in the developmental research, to ultimately support global analyses.

For example, if a particular pathway is being modeled, the application must explain how the modeling algorithms will be extended to other pathways. To the extent that cost-effective, global approaches can be developed and also applied within the context of the CEGS budget, such application of the new approach is acceptable.

However, the budget limits under this PA may preclude both developing and globally applying the genomic approach that is the subject of the research. NIMH is especially interested in novel genomic approaches that have high potential for accelerating our understanding of the genetic basis of the nervous system and mental disorders.

Thus, these systems may provide appropriate models for developing the genomic approach, as described above, and similarly, CEGS project outcomes are generally expected to advance these goals because of their broad applicability. Cost and data quality are central issues in the development and application of genomic approaches.

Therefore, each CEGS proposal must address these factors in the grant application and must implement those plans under CEGS support.

These cost and quality concerns must be addressed both in terms of any utilization of conventional technologies for the collection of trial data sets within the CEGS research plan (if such data collection is required), and of the manner in which novel technologies and concepts generated by the CEGS would be applied in the future.

The cost of collecting global data sets is often very high; therefore, a CEGS application to very significantly reduce the cost of collecting a data set that, today, can be collected only at great expense, could be substantially enabling to the genomics community, and is therefore considered responsive to this PAR. It is anticipated that a CEGS may employ large amounts of data to accomplish its goals.

However, the application of genomic technologies for data production per se is not the purpose of a CEGS, and the CEGS program is not intended primarily to build infrastructure for the application of current genomics technologies. Applicants may use data sets collected under other funding, if the CEGS project's purpose is to develop novel, integrated analyses that extend the interpretation and utility of those data.

Decisions by NIH to embark on the large-scale implementation of any new tools developed by a CEGS to generate large data sets will require careful consideration, with advice from the scientific community. Partnerships may consist of investigators at a single institution or at multiple different institutions (e.g., center-without-walls).

As is true for any team that is being assembled for a CEGS project, the constitution of a geographically-distributed team must be well justified, and steps that are required to mitigate the effects of geography should be clearly stated.

Involvement of private sector companies, while not required, is acceptable and may be included to the extent that expertise for conducting and disseminating the results of CEGS research may reside outside of academia. Leveraging of genomic resources: Preference will be given to the development of genomic methods for eukaryotes where genome sequence is available.

Methods development or pilot studies using other systems (e.g., eukaryotes whose genomes have not been sequenced, or prokaryotes for which the genomic sequence is known) will be considered with adequate justification; direct applicability of methods and concepts developed in such a project to the analysis of eukaryotic genomes must be evident.

Where appropriate, integration with other NIH genomics initiatives (e.g., NHLBI genomics program [ http://www. nhlbi. nih.

gov/resources/pga/ ], the Mammalian Gene Collection [ http://mgc. nci. nih.

gov ], ENCODE (ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements) [ http://www. genome. gov/10005107 ] and SNPs/HapMap [ http://www.

genome. gov/10001688 ]) will be considered advantageous. A CEGS has two related training objectives.

The first is the training of all Center-associated investigators, and the broader research community at the institution, in the development and use of genomics approaches to the study of biology and medicine. The second is the training of minorities who are underrepresented in genomics. Requirements for both are described in this section.

The costs associated with the broader training goals are to be incorporated within the $2 million CEGS cost cap. Additional funds may be requested for the training of minority scientists, as further described below. 1.

General Genomics Training Component. Each CEGS application is required to have a training component that leverages the strengths of the Center and its investigators to train the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists who will bring creativity to studying biological problems through a genomic approach.

There is a widely recognized shortage of investigators who have the interdisciplinary skills needed to conduct most effectively the types of genome-scale research described in this PAR. One reason for the lack of adequately qualified personnel is that there are too few appropriate environments available to support this kind of training.

The CEGS program is intended to help to alleviate this shortage by supporting the development of Centers that can serve as academic foci for genomics, and thereby to increase the cadre of investigators qualified to participate in the development of new genomics approaches to biomedical research.

Therefore, a CEGS proposal must demonstrate that an effective program can be established at an institution that does not yet have substantive programs in genomics, or that a new program adds significant value to the genomics capabilities that exist at an institution in which genomics is already well established.

To maximize the impact of these Centers, they should integrate the training of new investigators and broaden the training of established investigators. This might include plans to recruit into genomics investigators who are already trained and accomplished in other fields of research and engineering.

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, at a minimum, should participate in the research; however, such participation alone will be considered insufficient to meet the training goals of the CEGS program.

NHGRI and NIMH expect applicants to develop creative approaches, using a combination of the standard training vehicles used by academic institutions (e.g., training grants, fellowships, research education programs, seminar programs, course work) and more novel avenues.

This training program should take advantage of unique aspects of the research program, the combination of participating investigators' talents, and other unique institutional resources that underpin the CEGS, to offer innovative, substantive training opportunities for pre-doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and other investigators.

The CEGS will therefore become an additional opportunity, beyond those previously developed by NHGRI and NIMH (see e.g., http://www. genome. gov/10000950 and http://www.

nimh. nih. gov/researchfunding/training.

cfm ), for expanding the cadre of investigators working in the field of genomics. 2. Minority Action Plan.

NHGRI and NIMH are committed to increasing the number of individuals from underrepresented minority groups who have the training to pursue careers in genome and ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) research. Genome research offers tremendous challenges and opportunities for improving human health and ELSI research offers the chance to explore some of the most profound ethical, legal and social issues of our time.

NHGRI and NIMH want the best minds to participate in this work. There are extraordinary career opportunities in genome and ELSI research in which all should share. The very nature of genome and ELSI research demands the inclusion of a diversity of points of view and scientific interests.

One of the major emphases of genomics is to investigate how DNA sequence variation affects phenotypic differences, especially differences in susceptibility to disease among various groups. The significant societal ramifications of this research will also need to be addressed.

It is clearly desirable to have individuals involved who bring diverse perspectives to this research, including an interest in understanding diseases that disproportionately affect some populations. Genome research will affect all populations and thus all groups need to participate in setting the research agenda and examining the broader issues raised by it.

Unfortunately, despite a number of ongoing training and recruitment activities, success has been limited in attracting underrepresented minorities into genomics and ELSI research to date.

To begin the process of addressing this issue, on April 16-17, 2001, the NHGRI convened a meeting to explore new and innovative ideas and models for increasing the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing research careers in genomics and related sciences. Subsequently, various programs have been funded, and these programs have been monitored and adjusted at least annually.

A summary of the planning and currently-funded activities may be found at the Minority Action Plan portal [ http://www. genome. gov/14514219 ], and information for applicants is available at: http://www.

genome. gov/10003996 The scope and importance of research conducted in CEGS is anticipated to provide an outstanding opportunity for the training of underrepresented minority scientists. Moreover, the research infrastructure of CEGS institutions provides ideal training environments for short- and long-term training opportunities.

NHGRI and NIMH require all CEGS programs to include training of underrepresented minorities. Therefore, in addition to developing an overall training plan, applicants should describe their specific plans for training of underrepresented minorities.

Whereas training of underrepresented minorities at all career levels is appropriate, applicants are encouraged to establish programs that give priority to the undergraduate through professional career levels. These activities must be integrated in the ongoing research activities of the CEGS.

For CEGS research projects that raise substantial ethical, legal, or social concerns (e.g., the study of sequence variation in specific populations), a component of the Center focusing on analysis of such concerns as they relate to the particular research proposed is strongly encouraged.

To be considered for funding as part of the CEGS grant, the ELSI research must be extensively and effectively integrated with and highly relevant to the research plan. Current information on the NHGRI ELSI program is available at http://www. genome.

gov/10001618 . Please note that CEGS applications are not required to have an ELSI component. Information pertaining to NHGRI's Centers of Excellence in ELSI Research (CEERS) program is available at http://www.

genome. gov/15014773 . Competing renewal grant applications are being accepted in this program.

The criteria for accepting renewals are essentially the same as for new applications. A key issue for evaluating renewals concerns the level of innovation that is expected. CEGS projects were originally envisioned as taking up to 10 years to complete.

In most grant programs, a renewal application for a grant that is meeting its originally-proposed timeline would be considered successful. However, for a CEGS grant it is not sufficient to maintain course.

The field of genomics has seen remarkable advances since earlier CEGS grants were awarded, Projects seeking renewal must continue to propose to advance the state of the art of genomics and its applications to biomedicine, substantially beyond what exists at the time of the renewal application.

Renewal applications, like new applications, should tackle the hardest problems in the area of their focus, because those are the problems that are impeding significant progress in biomedical research. Renewals will also have established a track record in genomics training in general and in their Minority Action Plan programs specifically, so they will be held to a high standard for those essential CEGS components.

The CEGS program, and projects that have been funded under this program, are extremely ambitious. Nevertheless, even for applications that receive outstanding priority scores, the budget will be scrutinized with care, and the award may not be for the full amount that the program allows applicants to request.

For example, activities that are related to, but not essential for the focal activities of that CEGS will be deleted at the time of award. Similarly, a project may not be funded for the full five years that applicants are permitted to request if, e.g., that duration of support is not deemed critical to achieving essential goals or if progress needs to be formally evaluated after fewer years.

Funding decisions will also incorporate programmatic considerations of balance and the desire to initiate new, bold projects within the funds available to the program. See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations , for policies related to this announcement. Section II.

Award Information 1. Mechanism(s) of Support This funding opportunity will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) P50 Specialized Center and P20 Exploratory Grant mechanisms. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.

For administrative reasons, all applications received in response to this solicitation will be initially assigned to NHGRI. After discussions between the two participating NIH Institutes and after review and prior to award, the most programmatically relevant applications may be reassigned to NIMH.

All funded applications, regardless of their eventual assignment, will be managed administratively in accordance with the goals and objectives established by NHGRI for the CEGS program. This funding opportunity uses the just-in-time budget concepts. It also uses the non-modular budget format described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants.

nih. gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398. html ).

A detailed categorical budget for the "Initial Budget Period" and the "Entire Proposed Period of Support" is to be submitted with the application. NHGRI and NIMH anticipate supporting approximately ten CEGS P50 projects at any one time. Information on currently funded projects is available at http://www.

genome. gov/10001771 . Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary.

The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the quality, duration, and costs of the applications received, and the existing investment in the program. P50 Specialized Center Grants Applicants may request up to $2 million direct costs for any year for continuing operations (e.g., personnel, standard laboratory equipment, supplies, travel, consortia, and other expenses).

Inflationary adjustments above $2 million will not be allowed. Under this cap, it is anticipated that the size and duration of the awards will vary because the nature and scope of research programs will vary. Facilities and administrative costs requested by consortium participants are not included in the direct cost limitation, see NOT-OD-05-004 .

Because of the unusual nature of these Centers, they may need to acquire specialized equipment. Funds for such specialized equipment may be requested in excess of the $2 million operating costs limit if very well justified. Specialized equipment in excess of $500,000 over the life of the grant will generally not be permitted.

The additional exception to the $2 million direct costs cap for general operating funds is support for the Minority Action Plan (see below, under Section IV. 6 , entitled GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS FOR P50 CENTER GRANTS ), which may request up to $300,000 direct costs annually (for details on the MAP budget, see http://www. genome.

gov/10003996 ). NHGRI and NIMH anticipate supporting approximately ten CEGS at steady state, and therefore expect that one to four P50 awards will be made per year. Ongoing and new CEGS compete for the same funds.

Although the financial plans of the ICs provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Awards will begin approximately nine months after the corresponding application receipt date. A P50 Center grant application may request up to five years of support.

The length of award will be determined through the peer review and Council advisory processes.

Genomics is a rapidly changing field, and it is anticipated that most projects that can be initiated now are likely to have a limited lifetime during which support as a CEGS will be appropriate, either because the project goals will have been accomplished or the Center will have developed to the point that support from another source will be more appropriate.

Therefore, the total length of support for any P50 Center under this program will not exceed ten years. In general, each CEGS will receive an administrative site visit during the third year of each competing cycle. The fifth year of funding will depend on the outcome of that administrative review, and the Principal Investigator (P.

I.) will receive advice about the NHGRI's and NIMH's interest in accepting a competing renewal application to extend the initial award. A high priority under this program is the establishment of new academic Centers in which state-of-the-art genomics research can be conducted.

At some institutions, the nucleus of a well-functioning collaborative research group that could conduct the research described in this PAR may already exist, and such groups will be able to submit suitable P50 applications for this program directly.

However, some groups of investigators may require an opportunity to collect preliminary data, enhance their collaborative network by strengthening and establishing new multi-investigator or interdisciplinary relationships, demonstrate effective collaborations, explore organizational concepts, develop courses or curricula, or refine and fully develop the vision of the proposed P50 CEGS project.

The Exploratory Grant (P20) mechanism should be used when the applicant wishes to request a period of planning and preliminary investigation prior to preparing a P50 Center application. The planning grant application must explicitly demonstrate how the planning grant activities will lead to the P50 application and describe in substantial detail a vision of the research to be conducted under the subsequent P50