NIMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60)

NIMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60) is sponsored by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant funds multidisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research centers dedicated to promoting minority health and reducing health disparities.

Expired RFA-MD-11-003: NIMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60) This notice has expired. Check the NIH Guide for active opportunities and notices. Department of Health and Human Services Participating Organizations Institutes of Health (NIH), ( http://www.

nih. gov ) Components of Participating Organizations Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) ( http://www. ncmhd.

nih. gov ) Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60) This is a reissue of RFA-MD-08-005 Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued: March 2, 2017 - This RFA has been reissued as RFA-MD-17-005 . May 18, 2011 - See Notice NOT-MD-11-008 The purpose of this Notice is to announce changes in Key Dates.

April 11, 2011 - See Notice NOT-MD-11-005 Notice of Extension of Receipt Date and Correction to Part 2, Section III. Eligibility Information, 3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria, Level of NIH Institutional Funding.

Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-MD-11-003 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s) Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): March 14, 2011 Receipt Date(s): (New Date May 16, 2011 per NOT-MD-11-005 ), Original Date: April 14, 2011 Review Date(s): May/June 2011 Council Review Date(s): (New Date January 2012 per NOT-MD-11-008 ), Original Date: October 2011 Anticipated Start Date: (New Date April 2012 per NOT-MD-11-008 ), Original Date:December 1, 2011 Additional Information To Be Available Date (Url Expiration Date: (New Date May 17, 2011 per NOT-MD-11-005 ), Original Date: April 15, 2011 Additional Overview Content FOA issued by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), solicits grant applications from institutions/organizations that propose to establish an Comprehensive NIMHD Center of Excellence (COE) to support infrastructure and capacity building, building and sustaining novel partnerships, research training, innovative basic biomedical and behavioral clinical, or population-based research and intervention and prevention studies contributing to either the improvement of minority health, the elimination of health disparities, or both.

Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the P60 comprehensive center award mechanism. Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards.

The total amount expected to be awarded in FY 2012 is $24-28 million and the anticipated number of awards are 16-18. For this funding opportunity, budgets up to $ 950,000 direct costs per year and time periods up to five years may be Budget and Project Period. Direct costs are limited to $950,000 per year for a period of up to five years.

The project period may not exceed 5 years. Application Research Strategy Length: The P60 Research Strategy section may not exceed 12 pages, including tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts. See Table of Page Institutions/Organizations.

Institutions/organizations listed in Section III, 1. A. are eligible Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs).

I ndividuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to work with their institution/organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. of PDs/PIs.

More than one PD/PI (i.e., multiple PDs/PIs), may be designated on the application. Number of Applications. Applicant institutions may not submit more than one application.

For institutions of higher education, separate institutions for purposes of this FOA are entities governed by either different Chancellors or Presidents. Resubmissions. Resubmission applications are not permitted in Renewals.

Renewal applications are permitted in respon s e to this FOA. Date(s). This FOA uses non-standard due dates.

See Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates Application Materials. See Section IV. 1 for application Impaired.

Tele communications for the hearing impaired are available Part II Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information 1.

Mechanism(s) of Support 2. Cost Sharing or Matching 3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria Section IV.

Application and 1. Address to Request Application Information 2. Content and Form of Application Submission 3.

Submission Dates and Times B. Sending an Application to C. Application Processing D.

Application Assignment 4. Intergovernmental Review 6. Other Submission Requirements Section V.

Application Review 2. Review and Selection Process 3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates Section VI.

Award Administration 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 - Full Text of Announcement Section I.

Funding Opportunity Description Opportunity and Background The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (COE) program since its inception in 2002, provides support to academic institutions for the conduct of research independently or in formal partnership with one or more institutional partners, research training opportunities to students, researchers and junior faculty from health disparity populations, engagement in health promotion, and health information dissemination activities through established partnerships with community based organizations.

This initiative provides opportunities to accelerate scientific knowledge by providing support for: 1) innovative multi- and trans-disciplinary research to promote minority health and to eliminate health disparities; 2) increasing the numbers of individuals from minority and other health disparity populations engaged in clinical research activities, including clinical trials, 3) research infrastructure and capacity building, 4) establishing or strengthening of exemplary research training/education activities for increasing the numbers of well trained researchers from minority and other health disparity populations; and 5) engaging minority and other health disparity communities in effective and sustainable activities for improving the health of their communities including increasing health literacy and knowledge of health and Budget for Eliminating Health Disparities and the findings of the historic 2008 NIH Summit: The Science of Eliminating Health Disparities , seeks to expand centers of excellence for health disparities and further accelerate extramural efforts to address a clear and pressing national issue of improving minority health and the elimination of health disparities.

Between 2003 and 2006, health inequities were estimated to account for 30. 6% of the direct medical care expenditures for African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics. During that same period, the combined costs of health inequities and premature deaths in the United States rose to over 1.

2 trillion dollars (Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies).

The NIMHD Comprehensive COE grant award provides a means through which an institution or consortium of institutions 1) integrate and centralize ongoing minority health and health disparities research and related research-based activities into a single interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research enterprise; 2) establish novel effective partnerships with organizations and communities for conducting original and innovative cutting-edge research leading to improvements in minority health, the elimination of health disparities, or both; 3) develop, enhance or strengthen existing research training activities that prepare researchers from health disparity populations to conduct meritorious minority health and health disparities 4) establish, enhance or strengthen community engagement/outreach and institutional partnerships for improving minority health and the health of health disparity populations.

It is expected that the NIMHD COE program will produce advances in biomedical and behavioral knowledge that will be invaluable for improving minority health and for eliminating health disparities within and across the priority areas of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, mental health, and obesity, as well as lung and liver diseases, psoriasis, scleroderma, and glomerular injury, and other diseases and conditions of public health importance.

New knowledge is also expected to result from the competing renewal and continuation of research initiated under previous NIMHD COE support. Healthy People 2010 identified the following six critical determinants of health: biology, behaviors, the social environment, the physical environment, policies, and access to care.

It is expected that research conducted at an NIMHD COE will discover knowledge on the interactions of significant biological factors with behavioral and social variables, how they affect each other, and how these interactions influence and contribute to minority health conditions and health disparities.

This new knowledge is expected to lead to the development of new interventions, strategies, policies and practices for improving minority health and eliminating health disparities.

In addition to the above, NIMHD anticipates that this program will contribute to increasing the number of individuals from health disparity populations: 1) trained to conduct minority health and health disparities research, 2) enrolling in clinical trials, and 3) engaged in improving the health of their communities though sustained partnerships and programs with NIMHD COE institutions.

of Research, Research Training/Education, and Community Engagement/Outreach An NIMHD Comprehensive COE should propose to conduct original and innovative basic laboratory, behavioral, clinical, or population based research directed toward improving minority health, eliminating health disparities, or both, in any of the following diseases or conditions: cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, mental health, and obesity or other disease or conditions of major public health importance.

Research associated with lung and liver diseases, psoriasis, scleroderma, and glomerular injury is also encouraged when significant disparities for racial and ethnic populations and medically underserved populations are known to exist. Intervention research studies and intervention trials exploring multiple factors that cut across a single or multiple diseases or conditions are of interest.

Translational research is Applicants may want to consider the following research areas and themes when developing activities for the COE. These are examples and are not meant to suggest priority areas, nor are they comprehensive or restrictive.

minority health and health disparities research, including basic, clinical, and behavioral and social sciences research to advance understanding of disease development and progression and the development of interventions for preventing or delaying the onset and progression of one or more diseases or conditions.

and biomedical bases of diseases/conditions affecting minority health and the factors (biological, behavioral, environmental, social, etc.) contributing to or influencing minority health and health disparities. improvement of techniques for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

methodological tools, measures, validated instruments, and novel research designs for disentangling the contribution of biologic factors, behaviors, and social factors to health disparities.

research successfully translating research into interventions, health promotion/prevention programs or policy or behavioral changes in communities, schools, businesses, families, prisons, etc. mechanisms by which biologic and non-biologic determinants contribute to or influence minority health or health disparities.

potential pathways and mechanisms leading to disparities in health outcomes, including but not limited to behaviors and social factors, policy, genetic variations and/or other underlying biological, gender, ethnic and familial factors, and environmental exposures, including, exposure of children or adults to abuse, bias, discrimination or other potential stressors; in particular, studies identifying the biological underpinnings of differential responses to stressors, and to therapies (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, renal transplantation, depression), and the differential prevalence of disease, and co-morbidities.

studies for reducing the incidence and prevalence of health disparities among individuals living in different geographical regions of the US, in particular, the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, U.S.-Mexico Border region, and Tribal Communities, and studies designed to eliminate or decrease the impact of factors, including natural disasters, contributing to the excess risks, morbidity and mortality associated with living in such regions.

influences across the life span; specific health behaviors; discrimination in health processes; psychosocial and socio-cultural influences, and socioeconomic factors (such as, differential access to health care) that have shaped the health care outcomes of the targeted populations.

Health processes include the technical and interpersonal activities pertaining to disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment that occur between the patient and practitioner, and other health care providers, and consideration of the linguistic abilities of patients and practitioner and its impact on communications between the patient and the practitioner.

sensitivity/competency and its role in health promotion/disease programs for the development of new and future investigators. novel or enhancing existing research training programs and curricula for enriching the biomedical and behavioral research training and competence of researchers and health care providers, especially those engaged in or likely to conduct research on health of minority or health disparities.

sustaining novel partnerships for promoting minority health or reducing health disparities within minority and health disparity communities innovative partnerships between academic institutions and community Dissemination and Education - How to reach minority and health disparity populations and health care provider communities serving these populations with information that will lead to positive changes in behaviors, culture and other variables on recruitment into research studies and clinical trials, utilization of services, adherence to lifestyle and behavioral changes; and understanding individual cultural beliefs and expressions within a multicultural setting.

a full range of health promotion, health services, communication, and information dissemination approaches for improving minority health or eliminating health disparities. See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations , for policies related to this announcement. opportunity will use the P60 award mechanism(s).

The Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed FOA uses Just-in-Time information concepts. It also uses non-modular budget formats described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398. html ). The estimated amount of funds available for support of 16-18 projects awarded as a result of this announcement is $ 24-26 million for FY 20 12 with a maximum of $950,000 direct costs per year for a period of up to 5 years.

Future year amounts will depend on annual 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.

Although the financial plans of the IC(s) 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 administrative costs requested by consortium participants are not included in the direct cost limitation, see NOT-OD-05-004 .

grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in III. Eligibility Information 1. A.

Eligible Institutions organizations/institutions are eligible to apply: Public/State Controlled Institutions of Private Institutions of Higher Education Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the PD/PI is invited to work with his/her institution to develop an application for support.

Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH program support. multiple PDs/PIs, may be designated on the application for projects that require a team science approach and therefore clearly do not fit the single-PD/PI model.

Additional information on the implementation plans, policies and procedures to formally allow more than one PD/PI on individual research projects is available at http://grants. nih. gov/grants/multi_pi .

All PDs/PIs must be registered in the NIH eRA Commons prior to the submission of the application (see http://grants. nih. gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.

htm for instructions). The decision of whether to apply for a grant with a single PD/PI or multiple PDs/PIs is the responsibility of the investigators and applicant organizations, and should be determined by the scientific goals of the project. Applications for grants with multiple PDs/PIs will require additional information, as outlined in the instructions below.

When considering multiple PDs/PIs, please be aware that the structure and governance of the PD/PI leadership team as well as the knowledge, skills and experience of the individual PDs/PIs will be factored into the assessment of the overall scientific merit of the application. Multiple PDs/PIs on a project share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically.

Each PD/PI is responsible and accountable to the grantee organization, or, as appropriate, to a collaborating organization, for the proper conduct of the project or program, including the submission of required reports. For further information on multiple PDs/PIs, please see http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/multi_pi . 2. Cost Sharing or Matching program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement .

3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria Applications. Applicant institutions may not submit more than one application.

For institutions of higher education, separate institutions for purposes of this FOA are entities governed by either different Chancellors or Presidents. An eligible institution may only submit a single application as the sole or lead institution.

If more than one application is received identifying the same institution as the sole applicant or as the lead applicant in a partnership or consortium, all applications from this institution may be returned without review. The NIMHD strongly encourages collaboration of various schools of multi-component institutions by joining together in the submission of a single application.

There are no limitations on the number of inter-institutional partnerships an institution may establish. An applicant may be the lead institution on one application and be a non-leading partner or consortium member on another. However, duplicative costs are not allowed.

Applicants will be required to declare and resolve any real or potential overlap issues prior to the making of an award. Level of NIH Institutional Funding.

To be eligible for establishing an NIMHD Comprehensive COE under this FOA, applicant institutions must have substantial existing federal research support and/or research infrastructure as reflected in a level of NIH institutional funding of more than or equal to $80 million at the time of application.

If the NIH institutional funding level is less than this figure, the applicant institution is ineligible and should consider applying for the NIMHD Exploratory COE (P20) award (RFA-MD-11-002). See the following link maintained by the NIH Office of Extramural Research for determining the level of NIH funding for your institution, http://report. nih.

gov/award/trends/FindOrg. cfm . Current NIMHD Grantees.

Current NIMHD COE, Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI), and Building Research Infrastructure and Capacity (BRIC) grantees with project periods which end in FY 2012 or FY 2013 are eligible to apply to this FOA. Prior to making a COE award to eligible applicants holding a current RIMI or BRIC award, NIMHD will negotiate the phasing-out of the existing RIMI or BRIC award.

An institution, as defined by this FOA, cannot have more than a single NIMHD COE award nor have an active RIMI or BRIC award and a COE award at any one time. Resubmissions. Resubmission applications are not permitted in response to this FOA.

Renewals. Renewal applications are permitted in response with Public Law 106-525 Criteria for Award Eligibility. There are specific eligibility criteria established by statute that must be satisfied in order to receive an award under this FOA.

Pursuant to Public Law 106-525, awards under this program may only be made to institutions of higher education that meet the following criteria: Had a significant number of members of health disparity populations enrolled as students in the institution, including individuals accepted for enrollment in the institution.

Health disparity populations are defined as African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, low socioeconomic status, and rural populations, Been effective in assisting students from health disparity populations to complete a program of study or training and receive the advanced Made significant efforts to recruit and enroll health disparity population students into and graduate from the institution, which may include providing means-tested scholarships and other financial assistance as Made significant recruitment efforts to increase the number of members of health disparity populations serving in full-time faculty or administrative positions at the institutions IV.

Application and Submission Information Request Application Information application instructions are available at http://grants. nih. gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.

html in an interactive format. Applicants must use the currently approved version of the PHS 398. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: [email protected] .

Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 2. Content and Form of Application Submission applications using the PHS 398 application forms and in accordance with the PHS 398 Application Guide ( http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398. html ). must have a D&B Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements.

The D&B number can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at http://www. dnb. com/us/ .

The D&B number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 number of this funding opportunity must be typed in item (box) 2 only of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be checked. NIMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60), Applications with Multiple PDs/PIs proposed, use the Face Page-Continued page to provide items 3a 3h for all PD/PIs.

NIH requires one PD/PI be designated as the contact PD/PI for all communications between the PD/PIs and the agency. The contact PD/PI must meet all eligibility requirements for PD/PI status in the same way as other PD/PIs, but has no special roles or responsibilities within the project team beyond those mentioned above. The contact PD/PI may be changed during the project period.

The contact PD/PI should be listed in block 3 of Form Page 1 (the Face Page), with all additional PD/PIs listed on Form Page 1-Continued. When inserting the name of the PD/PI in the header of each application page, use the name of the Contact PD/PI, et. al.

The contact PD/PI must be from the applicant organization if PD/PIs are from more All individuals designated as PD/PI must be registered in the eRA Commons and must be assigned the PD/PI role in that system (other roles such as SO or IAR will not give the PD/PI the appropriate access to the application records). Each PD/PI must include their respective eRA Commons ID in the eRA Commons User Name field.

PD/PI Leadership Plan : For applications designating multiple PDs/PIs, the section of the Research Plan entitled, Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan , must be included. A rationale for choosing a multiple PD/PI approach should be described.

The governance and organizational structure of the leadership team and the research project should be described, and should include communication plans, process for making decisions on scientific direction, and procedures for resolving conflicts. The roles and administrative, technical, and scientific responsibilities for the project or program should be delineated for the PDs/PIs and other collaborators.

budget allocation is planned, the distribution of resources to specific components of the project or the individual PDs/PIs should be delineated in the Leadership Plan. In the event of an award, the requested allocations may be reflected in a footnote on the Notice of Award. is available in the PHS 398 grant application instructions .

Submission Dates and Times received on or before the receipt date described below ( Section IV. 3. A ).

Submission times N/A. 3. A.

Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates of Intent Receipt Date(s): March Application Receipt Date(s): April 14, 2011 Peer Review Date(s): May/June 2011 Council Review Date(s): October 2011 Anticipated Start Date(s): December are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information: Descriptive title of proposed research Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator Names of other key personnel Participating institutions Number and title of this funding 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.

The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed The letter of intent should be sent to: Extramural Activities and Scientific Programs National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities Blvd. , Suite 800 , MSC 5465 E-mail: [email protected] prepared using the forms found in the PHS 398 instructions for preparing a research grant application.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, and three signed photocopies in one package to: Center for Scientific Review National Institutes of Health 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710 Bethesda, MD 20892-7710 (U.S. Postal Service Express Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service; Personal deliveries of applications are no longer permitted (see http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-040. html ). the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and all copies of the appendix material must be sent to: Activities and Scientific Programs National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities Blvd.

, Suite 800 , MSC 5465 E-mail: [email protected] Applications must be received on or before the application receipt date described above ( Section IV. 3. A.

). If an application is received after that date, the application may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed. Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the CSR and for responsiveness by the reviewing Institute.

Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications will not be reviewed. accept any application in response to this funding opportunity that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.

However, when a previously unfunded application, originally submitted as an investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to a funding opportunity, it is to be prepared as a NEW application.

That is, the application for the funding opportunity must not include an Introduction describing the changes and improvements made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes from the previous unfunded version of the application. status of an application should be checked by the Principal Investigator in the eRA Commons at: https://commons. era.

nih. gov/commons/ . 4.

Intergovernmental Review This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The Grants Policy Statement can are allowable.

A grantee may, at its own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget period of a new or renewal award if such costs: 1) are necessary to conduct the project, and 2) would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior approval.

If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost.

NIH prior approval is required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget period of a new or of pre-award costs in anticipation of a competing or non-competing award imposes no obligation on NIH either to make the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the pre-award costs incurred.

NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not impair the grantee's ability to accomplish the project objectives in the approved time frame or in any way adversely affect the conduct of the project (see NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants. nih. gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part6.

htm .) The NIMHD will not support more than three research subprojects during the 5 year project period.

extenuating circumstances as discussed below, NIMHD funds may not be used to support any research project (regardless of the size of the budget or the length of the project period) that was not requested in the application, peer reviewed by NIH, and approved for funding by NIMHD at the time of grantee may seek to replace a research project due to the departure of a PI from the institution.

The institution must submit a written request, with sufficient justification, seeking to replace the current research project with a new research project and PI. Prior approval from NIMHD ensures that any applicable requirements for a change in scope or aims or deviation from award terms and conditions have been met. In such cases grantees are advised to discuss pending developments with the designated program official and grants 6.

Other Submission Requirements Modify the PHS 398, starting with the Table of Contents, to include the following and in the following order: Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Entire Project, 398 Form Page for Entire Proposed Period (398-Form Page 5) Pertaining to Consortium/Contractual Arrangements (Initial and Entire Period) and Budget Justification (by Core, and for each Research project or Activity within a Core) Sketches Key Personnel, etc. Public Law 106-525 - Criteria for Award Eligibility Description of the Proposed NIMHD COE Report (required for renewals only) for Project 1 (2, and 3, if applicable) PHS398 Research Plan Sections application instructions outlined in the PHS398 Application Instructions are to be followed, with the following additional requirements: Aims is limited to 1 page.

Strategy, including tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts is limited to 12 pages.

See Table of Page Supplemental instructions for applicant must provide documentation addressing the Compliance with Public Law 106-525 - Criteria for Award Eligibility specified under Section Description of the Proposed NIMHD Comprehensive Center of Excellence Narrative Overview of the Proposed NIMHD Comprehensive Center of Excellence must provide an overall description of the proposed COE.

The scientific focus must be minority health, health disparities, or both.

The description should also include, for example, the specific aims/goals and objectives, its mandatory cores, the type of research to be conducted, disciplines involved, disease/conditions, risk factors or determinants, etc. To the extent possible, discuss the expected improvement (such as a reduction in a disparity) over any relevant baseline for the proposed disease, condition, or significant activity.

Describe the dedicated facilities to be utilized by the COE. NIMHD, through this FOA, will make a substantial investment in each COE and expects similar commitments of the institution(s) to the COE.

Discuss and provide evidence (for example, a letter from the provost) of the institutional commitments to the center, including the recognition of the center as a formal organizational component, the provision of space, administrative, faculty and staff positions and discretionary resources, the authorities of the director; the status of the director in comparison to department chairs; institutional lines of authority, and responsibilities of institutional leaders to ensure the long-term stability (viability) of the center, and the plans for assuring the continued commitment of the center in the event of a change in directorship.

establishing a partnership, discuss briefly the history of previous partnerships with the proposed partners, if any, and the rationale, scientific or geodemographic, for partnering. Describe what steps were taken to ensure that the partnership is equitable given the roles and responsibilities of each partner and how it will be sustained beyond the grant project period.

Describe how the partnership was established, and describe the complementary institutional strengths and expertise; for example, strengths and expertise in basic, clinical, or population-based research, research training, community engagement, etc, as appropriate, that contribute to the likelihood that this partnership will achieve the proposed scientific goals and objectives and thereby make significant contributions to improving minority health or eliminating health disparities.

Describe