NIDA Core "Center of Excellence" Grant Program

NIDA Core "Center of Excellence" Grant Program is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). Intended to bring together investigators to enhance the effectiveness of existing research and extend the focus to drug abuse and addiction.

Expired PAR-23-049: NIDA Core "Center of Excellence" Grant Program (P30 Clinical Trial Optional) This notice has expired. For NIH, in limited situations, applications may be accepted on a case-by-case basis for a short period after expiration to accommodate NIH late or continuous submission policies . Contact the eRA Service Desk for any submission issues.

Check the NIH Guide for active opportunities and notices. Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA ) Funding Opportunity Title NIDA Core "Center of Excellence" Grant Program (P30 Clinical Trial Optional) March 31, 2025 - This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities.

Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. April 04, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025.

See Notice NOT-OD-24-084 NOT-OD-22-189 - Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy NOT-OD-22-195 - New NIH "FORMS-H" Grant Application Forms and Instructions Coming for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2023 NOT-OD-22-198 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023 NOT-OD-23-012 - Reminder: FORMS-H Grant Application Forms & Instructions Must be Used for Due Dates On or After January 25, 2023 - New Grant Application Instructions Now Available Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number Companion Funding Opportunity See Section III.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility . Assistance Listing Number(s) Funding Opportunity Purpose NIDA Core Center of Excellence Grants (P30) are intended to bring together investigators currently funded by NIH or other Federal or non-Federal sources, to enhance and extend existing research relevant to substance use/misuse and addiction and HIV.

Centers are expected to transform the scientific field of study by facilitating research, providing administrative support and a rigorous research climate that promotes new and creative directions. Incremental work should not be the focus of Center activities.

Applications responding to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) are strongly encouraged to integrate and promote research in the funded projects and support interdisciplinary collaborations.

Centers also must focus on providing research opportunities and experiences to new and early career investigators and facilitating collaborations, and linking and sharing data, research findings and resources to achieve the goals of the program. Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) Letter of Intent Due Date(s) 30 days prior to the application due date The following table includes NIH standard due dates marked with an asterisk.

Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the Multi-Project (M) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide , except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced.

Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Part 1. Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I.

Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV.

Application and Submission Information Section V. Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII.

Agency Contacts Section VIII. Other Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I.

Funding Opportunity Description Core Center of Excellence Grants are intended to bring together investigators currently funded by NIH or other Federal or non-Federal sources to enhance the effectiveness of existing research and also to extend the focus of research to substance use/misuse and addiction. A Core Center of Excellence should support innovation and be on the cutting edge of science.

Incremental work should not be the focus of Center Activities. It is expected that research activities will cross a variety of disciplines to bring multiple perspectives and approaches to bear on significant problems. The Center should reflect thematic integration so that the Center does not support a collection of independent research projects.

Multidisciplinary interactions in the Center are expected to have a synergistic effect that results in greater depth, breadth, quality of research and productivity beyond what is possible among individual research projects. The applicant may propose pooling of existing core resources and request additional support for developing a shared research infrastructure.

The research infrastructure support may include, for example, administrative coordination, subject recruitment, equipment, laboratories, statistical analysis, quality control, and database management.

It should be made clear how this Center support would enhance a minimum of 3 separate federally funded research project grants at any time, with at least 2 distinct Program Directors/Principal Investigators PD(s)/PI(s) and result in programmatic coherence, synergy, and integration.

Applicants must demonstrate the potential for the continuation of funding of participating research project grants, and there must be at least two years of funding left for each grant identified at the time of submission. Funds may be requested for pilot research projects.

A NIDA P30 Core Center of Excellence grant must contain an administrative core and one or more research support cores, providing centralized resources and facilities for funded research projects that will be directed to new research in substance use/misuse and addiction.

These may include, but are not limited to, genetics, proteomics, medication development, molecular, cellular, organ, system, developmental, behavioral, clinical, treatment, social, epidemiology, prevention, health services, and HIV research. A Core Center must also contain a core to support pilot projects.

In addition, NIDA P30 research Centers are expected to serve as national research resources in the substance use/misuse research field. They are expected to attract established and promising investigators into substance use/misuse research, as well as for community outreach to enhance effective dissemination of research findings.

In addition, the Center is also expected to provide research opportunities and experiences to new investigators. See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs. Section II. Award Information Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.

Application Types Allowed The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this FOA. Optional: Accepting applications that either propose or do not propose clinical trial(s).

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial? Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 5 years NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA. Section III.

Eligibility Information Higher Education Institutions Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses) City or Township Governments Special District Governments Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement , are allowed. Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award.

All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually . The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.

NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM. gov registration process.

The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application. eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants. gov registration; all registrations must be in place by time of submission.

eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. Grants. gov Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.

gov registration. Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.

If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator) Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement . 3.

Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2. 3.

7. 4 Submission of Resubmission Application . This means that the NIH will not accept: A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.

A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application. An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2. 3.

9. 4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications ). Section IV.

Application and Submission Information 1. Requesting an Application Package The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST or an institutional system-to-system solution. A button to apply using ASSIST is available in Part 1 of this FOA.

See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution. 2. Content and Form of Application Submission It is critical that applicants follow the Multi-Project (M) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide , except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise and where instructions in the Application Guide are directly related to the Grants.

gov downloadable forms currently used with most NIH opportunities. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review. By the date listed in Part 1.

Overview Information , prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information: Descriptive title of proposed activity Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s) Names of other key personnel Participating institution(s) Number and title of this funding opportunity The letter of intent should be sent to: All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Component Type for Submission Pilot Research Project Core The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA. Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.

Revision applications must include an Overall component and the components that are affected by the revision. Therefore, the component requirements listed below may not apply to the revision application. The application should consist of the following components: Administrative Core: required When preparing your application, use Component Type Overall .

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted. SF424(R&R) Cover (Overall) PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement (Overall) Note: Human Embryonic Stem Cell lines from other components should be repeated in cell line table in Overall component. Research & Related Other Project Information (Overall) Follow standard instructions.

Facilities & Other Resources : The application must document availability of appropriate and adequate facilities dedicated to the conduct of administrative, shared resource, and research activities. How does the applicant plan to leverage and capitalize on existing resources to support the Center.

While all members of the Center need not be located physically in facilities controlled exclusively by the Center, there must be a clearly identifiable physical location which insures adequate administrative oversight for the Center and associated core units that are providing shared resources. Describe the types and quality of shared laboratory and clinical facilities.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed. Other Attachments: The following information must be loaded as separate PDF attachments. The filename provided for each attachment will be the name used for the bookmark in the application image.

Center Organizational Structure. Applicants must include a diagram of the organizational structure of the Center. This diagram should demonstrate how the interactions among the Center components will achieve the stated goals of the Center.

The diagram should be attached as a PDF, titled "Center Organizational Structure" Table of Research Core Utilization. A table must be provided that indicates the percentage use of each core relative to the individual projects, if Research Cores are included in the application. The table should be attached as a PDF, titled "Table of Research Core Utilization".

Project/Performance Site Locations (Overall) A summary of Project/Performance Sites in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons compiled from data collected in the other components will be generated upon submission.

Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Overall) Include only the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) and any multi-PDs/PIs (if applicable to this FOA) for the entire application. The PD/PI (Center Director) should be an outstanding, productive, senior researcher, as documented by scientific achievements, publications, patents, honors, and track record of leading large groups and similar indices of stature.

The Center Director should have the ability to lead administrative and operational aspects of the Center, as noted by administrative skills, achievements, and planned activities and there should be evidence of ability to develop or maintain a role for the Center as a national resource.

A summary of Senior/Key Persons followed by their Biographical Sketches in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons will be generated upon submission. A summary of Senior/Key Persons followed by their Biographical Sketches in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons will be generated upon submission.

The only budget information included in the Overall component is the Estimated Project Funding section of the SF424 (R&R) Cover. A budget summary in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons compiled from detailed budget data collected in the other components will be generated upon submission.

PHS 398 Research Plan (Overall) Introduction to Application: For Resubmission and Revision applications, an Introduction to Application is required in the Overall component. Concisely state how the goals and objectives of the NIDA Core Center of Excellence will enhance the research base; include potential impact, any areas of special interest, and any research ideas, disease entities, and target populations to be studied.

Explain how the Center will become a national scientific research resource for substance use research. Introduction to Application: For Resubmission and Revision applications, an Introduction to Application is required in the Overall component.

Specific Aims: Concisely state how the goals and objectives of the NIDA Core Center of Excellence will enhance the research base; include potential impact, any areas of special interest, and any research ideas, disease entities, and target populations to be studied. Research Strategy: Describe how the NIDA Core Center of Excellence will serve its research base, including the required significance, innovation, and approach.

Include an overview of the scientific focus of the ongoing research projects in the research base of the Core in sufficient detail to allow reviewers to judge the extent and the interrelationships of ongoing research.

There should be a clear integration of the Center and its components -Cores and Projects- around an overarching theme that integrates and focuses the Center, as well as the presence of an essential relationship of each research project and core component to the theme.

How Center members interact, the quality and productivity of the research programs, demonstrated or potential interdisciplinary collaborations, and how establishment of a Core Center will further extend, stimulate and provide added dimensions to the current research activities are all important considerations.

The qualifying research projects have been through peer review, establishing the quality of the individual funded projects, so important aspects will be: (1) interactions and interrelationships of the research efforts; (2) uses and benefits of core services; and (3) plans to continue/develop productive collaboration among Core investigators.

Documentation of a collaborative environment may be included (listing co-authored publications from PDs/PIs). It is suggested that each of these activities be presented under separate subheadings in the Research Strategy.

Explain how each core support will enhance ongoing research projects beyond currently available resources, promote collaborative research and/or attract new investigators to the field, provide enhanced or increased efficiency of services, and/or offer services that are new, unique or otherwise unavailable on individual grants. Describe how each individual core fit in and contribute to the innovation of the overall Core Center.

Discuss the relevance and integration of the the separately funded ongoing research projects to the central theme of the Core Center of Excellence. Explain how meaningful collaborations are going to be established between the Core Center and the greater substance abuse research community to make the Center a national resource.

In addition, describe innovative ways the Core Center will communicate, allocate resources to promote new cross-departmental or multi-disciplinary collaborations, or integrate activity across basic and clinical fields. Discuss how the translational components are designed to enhance potential collaborations leading to public health advances.

If present, describe how translational components are well designed to enhance potential collaborations leading to public health advances. No single core should be used more than 50% of the time by a single PD/PI. If a proposed core is not to be used 100% of the time by all of the investigators associated with the Center explain why.

Provide a table of the ongoing research projects that will interact with the Center. The required minimum number of qualifying research projects in the research base of a Core Center is three, and each must have at least two years of support remaining at the submission date of the P30 application.

Use columns for the PD/PI’s last name, the PD/PI’s % effort on the project, the funding source e.g., R01 DA999999, the project end date (not just the current year of support), the annual direct cost, and the project title. Use one row for each project (a PD/PI holding more than one grant will appear on more than one row), and wrapping text within columns is allowed.

For listed qualifying projects that are not funded by NIDA, add a justification sentence at the bottom of the table for each, stating how it relates to NIDA’s mission areas. If relevant, a second table may be included for Additional Funded Projects planning some use of Core facilities.

Preliminary Studies/Progress Report: This part of the Research Strategy is especially important for renewals or revisions; for new applications, this section may be shorter and may include examples of previous/ongoing services/techniques that have provided increased productivity within the research environment.

Renewal applications use this section to document the impact the NIDA Core Center of Excellence has had on research accomplishments, shared resources, new collaborations, and other outcomes enabled by the core as well as providing services as a national resource. Provide information on core usage and other benefits to the scientific research enterprise and note any specific problems in core administration and management.

For Renewal Applications Only: Renewal applications must document progress in the Approach part of the Research Strategy section. A Progress Report should describe the impact of the Center, including evidence of PD/PI interactions with each other and recruitment of additional investigators to the substance abuse field.

A Renewal application should also include: a summary of major accomplishments that can be attributed to the Core Center program, clearly emphasizing accomplishments beyond those possible from the existing support to the individual grants in the research base.

Include the significance of the resources contributed by the Research Support Cores to the projects in the research base; provide evidence that the Core Center shared resources effectively and efficiently and of the extent of core use by individual PD/PIs in the research base; describe the effectiveness of the Core Center in facilitating collaborations or helping to attract investigators to substance abuse research.

Any data-sharing activities undertaken as part of the Core activities should be described and any other information that is considered directly attributable to the use and conduct of the Core Center. It is especially important that a renewal propose innovative work for the new funding period.

Changes in the Specific Aims, including termination of Research Components or Cores, should be described and justified and major findings presented with clear descriptions of the importance of these findings to advances in the field.

The application should also address any significant organizational changes and provide a summary of the career development opportunities and mentoring provided to junior investigators as well as results of education and dissemination activities. Centers that conduct clinical trials must also provide a summary of results and conclusions based on the clinical trials supported by the Center. Include letters of support if appropriate.

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan.

All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Only limited items are allowed in the Appendix. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide; any instructions provided here are in addition to the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide instructions.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information (Overall) When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions: If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved?

on the R&R Other Project Information form, there must be at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or a Delayed Onset Study record within the application. The study record(s) must be included in the component(s) where the work is being done, unless the same study spans multiple components.

To avoid the creation of duplicate study records, a single study record with sufficient information for all involved components must be included in the Overall component when the same study spans multiple components. Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed. PHS Assignment Request Form (Overall) All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

When preparing your application, use Component Type Admin Core. All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted. SF424 (R&R) Cover (Administrative Core) Complete only the following fields: PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement (Administrative Core) Enter Human Embryonic Stem Cells in each relevant component.

Research & Related Other Project Information (Administrative Core) Human Subjects: Answer only the Are Human Subjects Involved? and 'Is the Project Exempt from Federal regulations? questions.

Vertebrate Animals: Answer only the Are Vertebrate Animals Used? question. Project Narrative: Do not complete.

Note: ASSIST screens will show an asterisk for this attachment indicating it is required. However, eRA systems only enforce this requirement in the Overall component and applications will not receive an error if omitted in other components. Project /Performance Site Location(s) (Administrative Core) List all performance sites that apply to the specific component.

Note: The Project Performance Site form allows up to 300 sites, prior to using additional attachment for additional entries. Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Administrative Core In the Project Director/Principal Investigator section of the form, use Project Role of Other with Category of Center Director and provide a valid eRA Commons ID in the Credential field.

In the additional Senior/Key Profiles section, list Senior/Key persons that are working in the component. Include a single Biographical Sketch for each Senior/Key person listed in the application regardless of the number of components in which they participate. When a Senior/Key person is listed in multiple components, the Biographical Sketch can be included in any one component.

If more than 100 Senior/Key persons are included in a component, the Additional Senior Key Person attachments should be used. Budget (Administrative Core) Budget forms appropriate for the specific component will be included in the application package.

In developing the budget, applicants should take into account funds currently available through existing collaborating grants and explain how these funds might be reconfigure d to maximize efficient resource utilization. The Center is intended to provide reasonable support for activities clearly related to the specialized research needs of the Center. It is expected that the Center director will commit at least 2.

4 person months effort to Center administration including the Administrative Core Note: The R&R Budget form included in many of the component types allows for up to 100 Senior/Key Persons in section A and 100 Equipment Items in section C prior to using attachments for additional entries. All other SF424 (R&R) instructions apply.

PHS 398 Research Plan (Administrative Core) Introduction to Application: For Resubmission and Revision applications, an Introduction to Application is allowed for each component.

Specific Aims: Concisely describe the goals and objectives of the Administrative Core Center Research Strategy: The Administrative Core is expected to have a scientifically and administratively qualified Center Director with responsibility for the scientific, administrative, budgetary, and operational aspects of the Center.

Describe how the Center Director will be responsible for overall coordination and development of the Center with the responsibility to provide leadership essential to the success of the Center program, to ensure interaction and collaboration among scientists conducting research, to monitor ongoing research and identify (with the assistance of colleagues) research and educational activities to be expanded or decreased and needs for additional resources or reallocation of resources.

Describe how the Administrative Core will have appropriate and effective administrative and organizational capabilities to support multidisciplinary research, to foster synergy, and to support planning and evaluation activities.

Describe how administrative and organizational arrangements should promote joint planning and evaluation activities as well as collaborations and interactions within, between and among programmatic elements of the center.

This should include: (a) an overall programmatic structure that effectively promotes scientific interactions, provides for internal quality control of research and publications, generation of future grant applications, and also takes maximum advantage of the Center’s substance use/misuse research capability (the description of these attributes is particularly important when there are multiple participating institutions in the Center); (b) an administrative organization that has clear lines of authority, is managed efficiently and cost effectively, and enables effective use and leverage of resources; (c) the use of an external advisory structure that is charged to provide appropriate and objective advice and evaluation, as needed, to the Center Director; (d) an internal advisory, decision-making, and priority