[Federal Register: April 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 68)]
[Notices]
[Page 18580-18588]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08ap04-59]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Grants for Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health;
Notice of Availability of Funds
Announcement Type: New and Competing Continuation.
Funding Opportunity Number: RFA OH05-001.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.263.
Key Dates:
Letter of Intent Deadline: None.
Pre-Application Technical Assistance Conference Call: May 13, 2004
(see Section VIII of this announcement).
Application Deadline: July 1, 2004.
Executive Summary: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
[[Page 18581]]
announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2005 funds for a grant
program for institutional training grants in occupational safety and
health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) is mandated to provide an adequate supply of qualified
personnel to carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act. Projects are funded to support Occupational Safety and
Health Education and Research Center Training Grants (ERCs) and
Training Project Grants (TPGs). ERCs are academic institutions that
provide interdisciplinary graduate training and continuing education in
the industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational
medicine, occupational safety, and closely related occupational safety
and health fields. The ERCs also serve as regional resource centers for
industry, labor, government, and the public. TPGs are academic
institutions that primarily provide single-discipline graduate training
in the industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational
medicine, occupational safety, and closely related occupational safety
and health fields.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority: This program is authorized under section 670(a) of
the Occupational Safety and Health Act [29 U.S.C. 670(a)].
Purpose: The purpose of the program is to provide financial
assistance to eligible applicants to assist in providing an adequate
supply of qualified professional occupational safety and health
personnel. This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus
area of Occupational Safety and Health.
Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the
following performance goal for the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health: Ensure safer and healthier work environments for
Americans through information dissemination, knowledge transfer, and
training.
Activities
In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program,
the awardee will be responsible for the following activities that
define the ERC and TPG programs to be conducted:
1. All Applicants are required to provide Measures of Effectiveness
that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various objectives of
the grant. Measures must be objective/quantitative and must measure the
intended outcomes. These Measures of Effectiveness shall be submitted
with the application and shall be an element of evaluation.
2. ERC Applicants shall be an identifiable organizational unit
within the sponsoring organization. Applicants must plan to conduct the
following activities in order to be considered for an award. If the
activities are not proposed, the application will be considered non-
responsive and will be returned to the applicant without a review.
a. Establish cooperative arrangements with a medical school or
teaching hospital (with an established program in preventive or
occupational medicine), a school of nursing or its equivalent, a school
of public health or its equivalent, or a school of engineering or its
equivalent. It is expected that other schools or departments with
relevant disciplines and resources shall be represented and shall
contribute as appropriate to the conduct of the total program, e.g.,
epidemiology, toxicology, biostatistics, environmental health, law,
business administration, and education. Specific mechanisms to
implement the cooperative arrangements between departments, schools/
colleges, universities, etc., shall be demonstrated in order to assure
that the intended interdisciplinary training and education will be
engendered.
b. Designate an ERC Director who possesses a demonstrated capacity
for sustained productivity and leadership in occupational health and
safety education and training. The Director shall oversee the general
operation of the ERC Program and shall, to the extent possible,
directly participate in training activities. A Deputy Director shall be
responsible for managing the daily administrative duties of the ERC and
to increase the ERC Director's availability to ERC staff and to the
public.
c. Designate Program Directors who are full-time faculty and
professional staff representing various disciplines and qualifications
relevant to occupational safety and health that are capable of
planning, establishing, and carrying out or administering training
projects undertaken by the ERC. Each academic program, as well as the
continuing education and outreach program, shall have a Program
Director.
d. Designate faculty and staff with demonstrated training and
research expertise, appropriate facilities and ongoing training and
research activities in occupational safety and health areas.
e. Establish a program for conducting education and training for
four core disciplines: Occupational physicians, occupational health
nurses, industrial hygienists, and occupational safety personnel. ERC
core academic programs are intended to provide multi-level practitioner
and research training. Core academic programs should offer masters
degrees and, in research institutions, doctoral degrees. There shall be
a minimum of five full-time students or full-time equivalent students
in each of the core programs and a minimum of three full-time students
or full-time equivalent students in each of the component programs,
with a goal of a minimum of 30 full-time students (total in all of core
and component programs together). ERCs are encouraged to recruit and
train minority students to help address the under-representation of
minorities among the occupational safety and health professional
workforce. Although it is desirable for an ERC to have the full range
of core programs, an ERC with a minimum of three academic programs of
which two are in the core disciplines is eligible for support providing
it is demonstrated that students will be exposed to the principles and
issues of all four core disciplines. In order to maximize the unique
strengths and capabilities of institutions, consideration will be given
to the development of new and innovative academic component programs
that are relevant to the occupational safety and health field, e.g.,
ergonomics, industrial toxicology, occupational injury prevention,
occupational epidemiology, health services research, and agricultural
safety and health; and to innovative technological approaches to
training and education. ERCs must also document that the program covers
an occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets
a specific regional workforce need. Each core program curriculum shall
include courses from non-core categories as well as appropriate
clinical rotations and field experiences with public health and safety
agencies and with labor-management health and safety groups. Where
possible, field experience shall involve students representing other
disciplines in a manner similar to that used in team surveys and other
team approaches. ERCs should address the importance of providing
training and education content related to special populations at risk,
including minority workers and other sub-populations specified in the
National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) special populations at
risk category. Further information regarding NORA may be found at the
CDC/NIOSH Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/.
f. Establish a specific plan describing how trainees in core and
component
[[Page 18582]]
academic programs will be exposed to the principles of all other
occupational safety and health core and allied disciplines. ERCs that
apply as a consortium (contracting with other institutional partners)
generally have geographic, policy and other barriers to achieving this
ERC characteristic and, therefore, must give special, innovative,
attention to thoroughly describing the approach for fulfilling
interdisciplinary interaction between students.
g. Demonstrate impact of the ERC on the curriculum taught by
relevant medical specialties, including family practice, internal
medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, pathology, radiology, neurology,
perinatal medicine, psychiatry, etc., and on the curriculum of
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education of primary core
disciplines as well as relevant medical specialties and the curriculum
of other schools such as engineering, business, and law.
h. Establish an outreach program to interact with and help other
institutions or agencies located within the region. Programs shall be
designed to address regional needs and implement innovative strategies
for meeting those needs. Partnerships and collaborative relationships
shall be encouraged between ERCs and TPGs. Programs to address the
under-representation of minorities among occupational safety and health
professionals shall be encouraged. Specific efforts should be made to
conduct outreach activities to develop collaborative training programs
with academic institutions serving minority and other special
populations, such as Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically
Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
Examples of outreach activities might include: interaction with other
colleges and schools within the ERC and with other universities or
institutions in the region to integrate occupational safety and health
principles and concepts within existing curricula (e.g., Colleges of
Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture, Law, and Arts and
Sciences); exchange of occupational safety and health faculty among
regional educational institutions; providing curriculum materials and
consultation for curriculum/course development in other institutions;
use of a visiting faculty program to involve labor and management
leaders; cooperative and collaborative arrangements with professional
societies, scientific associations, and boards of accreditation,
certification, or licensure; and presentation of awareness seminars to
undergraduate and secondary educational institutions (e.g., high school
science fairs and career days) as well as to labor, management and
community associations.
i. Establish a specific plan for preparing, distributing and
conducting courses, seminars and workshops to provide short-term and
continuing education training courses for physicians, nurses,
industrial hygienists, safety engineers and other occupational safety
and health professionals, paraprofessionals and technicians, including
personnel from labor-management health and safety committees, in the
geographical region in which the ERC is located. The goal shall be that
the training be made available to a minimum of 400 trainees per year
representing all of the above categories of personnel, on an
approximate proportional basis with emphasis given to providing
occupational safety and health training to physicians in family
practice, as well as industrial practice, industrial nurses, and safety
engineers. Priority shall be given to establishing new and innovative
training technologies, including distance learning programs and to
short-term programs designed to prepare a cadre of practitioners in
occupational safety and health. Where appropriate, it shall be
professionally acceptable that Continuing Education Units (as approved
by appropriate professional associations) may be awarded. These courses
should be structured so that higher educational institutions, public
health and safety agencies, professional societies or other appropriate
agencies can utilize them to provide training at the local level to
occupational health and safety personnel working in the workplace.
Further, the ERC shall conduct periodic training needs assessments,
shall develop a specific plan to meet these needs, and shall have
demonstrated capability for implementing such training directly and
through other institutions or agencies in the region. The ERC should
establish and maintain cooperative efforts with labor unions,
government agencies, and industry trade associations, where
appropriate, thus serving as a regional resource for addressing the
problems of occupational safety and health that are faced by State and
local governments, labor and management.
j. Establish a Board of Advisors representing the user and affected
population, including representatives of labor, industry, government
agencies, academic institutions and professional associations, shall be
established by the ERC. The Board should meet at least annually to
advise an ERC Executive Committee and to provide periodic evaluation of
ERC activities. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the ERC
Director and Deputy Director, academic Program Directors, the Director
for Continuing Education and Outreach and others whom the ERC Director
may appoint to assist in governing the internal affairs of the ERC.
k. Establish a plan to incorporate research training into all
aspects of training and, in research institutions, as documented by on-
going funded research and faculty publications, a defined research
training plan for training doctoral-level researchers in the
occupational safety and health field. The plan will include how the ERC
intends to strengthen existing research training efforts, how it will
integrate research training activities into the curriculum, field and
clinical experiences, how it will expand these research activities to
have an impact on other primarily clinically-oriented disciplines, such
as nursing and medicine, and how it will build on and utilize existing
research opportunities in the institution. Each ERC is required to
identify or develop a minimum of one, preferably more, areas of
research focus related to work environment problems. Consideration
should be given to the CDC/NIOSH priority research areas identified in
the National Occupational Health Research Agenda (NORA). The research
training plan will address how students will be instructed and
instilled with critical research perspectives and skills. This training
will emphasize the importance of developing and working on
interdisciplinary teams appropriate for addressing a research issue. It
should also prepare students with the skill necessary for developing
research protocols, pilot studies, outreach efforts to transfer
research findings into practice, and successful research proposals.
Such components of research training will require the ERCs to strive
toward developing the faculty composition and administrative
infrastructure essential to being Centers of Excellence in Occupational
Safety and Health Research Training that are required to train research
leaders of the future. The plan should address the incremental growth
of such elements and evaluation of the plan commensurate with funds
available. In addition to the research training components, the plan
will also include such items as specific strategies for obtaining
student and faculty funding, plans for acquiring equipment, if
appropriate, and a plan for developing research-oriented faculty.
l. Document evidence of support from other sources, including other
Federal
[[Page 18583]]
grants, support from States and other public agencies, and support from
the private sector including grants from foundations and corporate
endowments, chairs, and gifts.
3. TPG Applicants must plan to conduct an academic program that
covers an occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or
meets a specific regional workforce need. There shall be a minimum of
three full-time students or full-time equivalent students in each
academic program. Applicants should address the importance of providing
training and education content related to special populations at risk,
including minority and disadvantaged workers. The types of training
currently eligible for support are:
a. Graduate training for practice, teaching, and research careers
in occupational safety and health. Priority will be given to programs
producing graduates in areas of greatest occupational safety and health
need. Strong consideration will be given to the establishment of
innovative training technologies.
b. Undergraduate and other pre-baccalaureate training providing
trainees with capabilities for positions in occupational safety and
health professions.
c. Special technical or other programs for long-term training of
occupational safety and health technicians or specialists.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant.
Fiscal Year Funds: 2005.
Approximate Total Funding: $6,500,000. See Funding Preferences
below for a breakdown of funding and awards by category.
Approximate Number of Awards: 20.
Approximate Average Award: $656,000 for ERCs and $83,000 for TPGs.
(This amount is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes both
direct and indirect costs).
Floor of Award Range: None.
Ceiling of Award Range: None.
Anticipated Award Date: July 1, 2005.
Budget Period Length: 12 months.
Project Period Length: Maximum of 5 years. Throughout the project
period, CDC's commitment to continuation of awards will be conditioned
on the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the
recipient (as documented in required reports), and the determination
that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal
Government.
Funding Preferences: These awards are intended to augment the
scope, enrollment, and quality of training programs rather than to
replace funds already available for current operations.
Funding for ERCs: Approximately $4,660,000 of the total funds
available will be utilized as follows:
1. Approximately $3,250,000 is available to award five competing
continuation or new ERC grants. This includes a total of $190,000 to
augment the support of trainees in occupational medicine residency
programs. Awards will range from $500,000 to $800,000 with the average
award being $650,000.
2. Approximately $180,000 is available to award three competing
continuation or new training grants; two of the awards are planned for
$120,000 for Hazardous Substance Academic Training (HSAT) Programs and
one of the awards is planned for $60,000 for a Hazardous Substance
Training (HST) Program. The awards are to support the development and
presentation of continuing education and short courses (HST Programs),
and academic curricula (HSAT Programs) for trainees and professionals
engaged in the management of hazardous substances. Program support is
available for faculty and staff salaries, trainee costs, and other
costs to provide training and education for occupational safety and
health and other professional personnel engaged in the evaluation,
management, and handling of hazardous substances.
3. Approximately $70,000 is available to award one competing
continuation or new grant to support the enhancement of the ERC
research training mission through the support of pilot project research
training programs.
4. Approximately $1,160,000 is available to award five competing
continuation or new grants to support the enhancement of the ERC
research training mission through the support of National Occupational
Research Agenda (NORA) research support programs. The ERCs represent a
variety of strengths and approaches that are required in order to
promote high quality research in occupational safety and health, and
are a major vehicle for the development of future leaders in
occupational safety and health research. They are structured to foster
development of interdisciplinary research skills that are needed to
effectively address the NORA priority areas and are a critical link to
practicing occupational safety and health professionals and others to
translate research findings into interventions that prevent illness and
injury in the workplace. Examples of activities that support the
implementation of the National Occupational Research Agenda include:
Assessing regional needs for research and research training in NORA
areas; providing administrative and technical support for conducting
research, including the administrative support of Pilot Project
Research Training Programs; coordinating interdisciplinary research
among graduate students; training graduate students in research
principles, including students whose theses are in NORA priority areas,
and training students who become occupational safety and health
professionals to implement NORA findings in evidence-based practice;
and, administering outreach and continuing education activities that
bring NORA-related research findings to those who can effect changes
that will reduce worker illness and injury.
Funding for TPGs: Approximately $1,200,000 is available to fund
fourteen competing continuation or new TPG grants. Awards will range
from $40,000 to $250,000, with the average award being $85,000. This
includes a total of $75,000 to augment the support of trainees in
occupational medicine residency programs. These awards will support
academic programs in the core disciplines (i.e., industrial hygiene,
occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational
safety and ergonomics) and relevant component programs (e.g.,
occupational injury prevention, industrial toxicology, and ergonomics).
Funding for ERCs and TPGs: Approximately $750,000 is available to
fund three competing continuation or new grants for occupational health
services research training programs. Awards will range from $200,000 to
$290,000, with the average award being $250,000. This program is
intended to encourage new occupational health services research
training programs and will only support doctoral-level training and
trainees.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible applicants
Any public or private non-profit university, college, educational
or training institution that has demonstrated competency in the
occupational safety and health field and is located in a State, the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands, Wake Island, Outer Continental Shelf lands defined in the
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Johnston Island, and any other U.S.
Territory or Trust Territory not named herein are eligible to apply for
an institutional training grant.
[[Page 18584]]
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Matching funds are not required for this program.
III.3. Other
If your application is incomplete or non-responsive to the
requirements listed in this section, it will not be entered into the
review process. You will be notified that your application did not meet
submission requirements.
Applicants must demonstrate competency by providing within the
grant application, documentation of faculty training and experience in
the occupational safety and health field being proposed, and an
approved curriculum with course work in the occupational safety and
health field.
Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that
an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal
Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to
receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.
IV. Application and Submission Information
IV.1. Address To Request Application Package
To apply for this funding opportunity use application form CDC
2.145A (OMB Number 0920-0261). Application forms and instructions are
available on the CDC Web site, at the following Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section
(PGO-TIM) staff at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to
you.
IV.2. Content and Form of Submission
Application: You must submit a project narrative with your
application forms. The narrative must be submitted in the following
format:
Maximum number of pages: 15 pages single-spaced
per program. If your narrative exceeds the page limit, only the first
pages which are within the page limit will be reviewed.
Font size: 12 point unreduced.
Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches.
Page margin size: One inch.
Printed only on one side of page.
Held together only by rubber bands or metal
clips; not bound in any other way.
Use standard size, black letters that can be
clearly copied. Do not use photo reduction. Prepare all graphs,
diagrams, tables, and charts in black ink. The application must contain
only material that can be photocopied. Do not include course catalogue
and course brochures. When additional space is needed to complete any
of the items, use plain white paper (8.5 x 11 inches), leave one inch
margins on each side, identify each item by its title, and type the
name of the program director and the grant number (if the application
is a competitive renewal) in the upper right corner of each page. All
pages, including Appendices should be numbered consecutively at least
one-half inch from the bottom edge.
Your narrative should address activities to be conducted over the
entire project period, and must include the items specified in the
``Recommended Outline for Preparation of Competing New/Renewal Training
Grant Applications (CDC 2.145A)'' available at the CDC Internet address
listed in Section IV.1. The budget and budget justification pages will
not be counted in the stated page limit. Additional information may be
included in the application appendices. The appendices will not be
counted toward the narrative page limit.
You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the Federal government. The DUNS number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities.
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a
DUNS number, access http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-
5711.
For more information, see the CDC Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/pubcommt.htm
.
If your application form does not have a DUNS number field, please
write your DUNS number at the top of the first page of your
application, and/or include your DUNS number in your application cover
letter.
Additional requirements that may require you to submit additional
documentation with your application are listed in section VI.2.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements.
IV.3. Submission Dates and Times
Application Deadline Date: July 1, 2004.
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be received in the CDC
Procurement and Grants Office by 4 p.m. eastern time on the deadline
date. If you send your application by the United States Postal Service
or commercial delivery service, you must ensure that the carrier will
be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing date
and time. If CDC receives your application after closing due to: (1)
Carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee
for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather
delays or natural disasters, you will be given the opportunity to
submit documentation of the carriers guarantee. If the documentation
verifies a carrier problem, CDC will consider the application as having
been received by the deadline.
This announcement is the definitive guide on application submission
address and deadline. It supersedes information provided in the
application instructions. If your application does not meet the
deadline above, it will not be eligible for review, and will be
discarded. You will be notified that your application did not meet the
submission requirements.
CDC will not notify you upon receipt of your application. If you
have a question about the receipt of your application, first contact
your courier. If you still have a question, contact the PGO-TIM staff
at: 770-488-2700. Before calling, please wait two to three days after
the application deadline. This will allow time for applications to be
processed and logged.
IV.4. Intergovernmental Review of Applications
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.
IV.5. Funding Restrictions
Restrictions, which must be taken into account while writing your
budget, are as follows:
At least 50 percent of the funds awarded for
each grant must be used for direct trainee expenses. Post-doctoral
trainee support is discouraged with the exception of occupational
medicine residents. Under this announcement, only one award will be
made to any single institution or organization.
Trainee appointments for support can only be
made for students enrolled in academic programs that have been
recommended for approval by NIOSH, as noted in the Summary Statement.
Indirect costs under the training grant program
will be reimbursed at 8 percent of total allowable direct costs
exclusive of tuition and related fees, and equipment, or at the actual
indirect cost rate, whichever results in a lesser dollar amount.
Awards will not allow reimbursement of pre-award
costs.
Guidance for completing your budget can be found on the CDC Web
site, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm
.
[[Page 18585]]
IV.6. Other Submission Requirements
Application Submission Address: Submit the original and two hard
copies of your application by mail or express delivery service to:
Technical Information Management--RFA OH05-001, CDC Procurement and
Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341.
Applications may not be submitted electronically at this time.
V. Application Review Information
V.1. Criteria
You are required to provide measures of effectiveness that will
demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified objectives of
the grant. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the performance
goals stated in the ``Purpose'' section of this announcement. Measures
must be objective and quantitative, and must measure the intended
outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be submitted with the
application and will be an element of evaluation.
Your application will be evaluated against the following criteria:
The Special Emphasis Panel will evaluate each application against
the following criteria:
1. ERC Comprehensive Evaluation Criteria are as follows:
a. Plans to satisfy the regional needs for training in the areas
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and current workforce populations. Special consideration
should be given to the development of programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities among occupational safety and health
professionals. Indicators of regional need should include measures
utilized by the ERC such as previous record of training and placement
of graduates. The need for supporting students in allied disciplines
must be specifically justified in terms of user community requirements.
b. Are plans proposed for day-to-day management, allocation of
funds and cooperative arrangements designed to effectively achieve the
Characteristics of an Education and Research Center (see Activities: 2.
ERC Applicants).
c. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific
regional workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed programs,
consideration should be given to the developing nature of the program
and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such workforce
needs.
d. Does the curriculum content and design include formalized
training objectives, minimal course content to achieve degree, course
descriptions, course sequence, additional related courses open to
occupational safety and health students, time devoted to lecture,
laboratory and field experience, and the nature of specific field and
clinical experiences including their relationships with didactic
programs in the educational process?
e. Academic training including the number of full-time and part-
time students and graduates for each core and component program, the
placement of graduates, employment history, and their current location
by type of institution (academic, industry, labor, etc.). Previous
continuing education training in each discipline and outreach activity
and assistance to groups within the ERC region.
f. Methods in use or proposed methods for evaluating the
effectiveness of training and outreach including the use of placement
services and feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers,
innovative strategies for meeting regional needs, critiques from
continuing education courses, and reports from consultations and
cooperative activities with other universities, professional
associations, and other outside agencies.
g. Competence, experience and training of the ERC Director, the
Deputy ERC Director, the Program Directors and other professional staff
in relation to the type and scope of training and education involved.
h. Institutional commitment to ERC goals. An example of
institutional commitment to the long-term stability of ERC programs is
the commitment of tenured or tenure-track faculty positions to each
participating academic program.
i. Academic and physical environment in which the training will be
conducted, including access to appropriate occupational settings.
j. Is the budget adequate, justified, and consistent with the
intended use of the grant funds? This includes a separate budget for
the academic staff's time and effort in continuing education and
outreach.
k. Evidence of the integration of research experience into the
curriculum, and field and clinical experiences. In institutions seeking
funds for doctoral level research training, evidence of a plan
describing the research and research training the ERC proposes. This
should include goals, elements of the program, research faculty and
amount of effort, support faculty, facilities and equipment available
and needed, and methods for implementing and evaluating the program.
l. Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement
the ERC grant funds including other Federal grants, support from States
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and
gifts.
m. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the ERC and
its programs have had on the region served by the Center. Examples
could include a continuing education needs assessment and action plan,
a workforce needs survey and action plan, consultation and research
programs provided to address regional occupational safety and health
problems, the impact on primary care practice and training, a program
graduate data base to track the employment history and contributions of
graduates to the occupational safety and health field, and the cost
effectiveness of the program.
n. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Peer Review Summary Statement and the grant application Progress
Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
2. ERC Specialty Program Evaluation Criteria are as follows:
a. Hazardous Substance Training Program in Education and Research
Centers:
(1) Relevance of the proposed project to each element of the
characteristics of a hazardous substance training program.
(2) Comprehensiveness and soundness of the training plan developed
to carry out the proposed activities. This is based on a documented
need for the training and evidence to support the approach used to
provide the required training. It includes descriptions of the scope
and magnitude of the hazardous substance problem in the region served
by the ERC and current activities and training efforts.
(3) Education and experience of the Project Director, faculty, and
staff assigned to this project with respect to handling, managing or
evaluating hazardous substance sites and to the training of
professionals in this field.
(4) Creativity and innovation of the project leadership with
respect to marketing the courses, structure in attracting trainees and/
or providing incentives for training.
(5) Has the applicant considered the work of relevant agencies
involved in hazardous substance activities, including EPA, and
cooperated with
[[Page 18586]]
these agencies in developing and implementing this training program?
(6) Suitability of facilities and equipment available for this
project.
(7) Is the budget adequate, justified, and consistent with the
intended use of the grant funds?
b. Hazardous Substance Academic Training Program in Education and
Research Centers:
(1) Evidence of a needs assessment directed to the overall
contribution of the proposed training program toward meeting the needs
of the job market, especially within the applicant's region. The needs
assessment should consider the regional requirements for hazardous
substance training, information dissemination and special industrial,
labor or community training needs that may be peculiar to the region.
(2) Evidence of a plan to satisfy regional needs for training in
the areas outlined by the application, including Program projected
enrollment and recruitment and current workforce populations.
(3) Does the HSAT curriculum content and design include: formalized
training objectives; minimal course content to achieve a degree or
successful completion of the specialty area requirements; course
descriptions; course sequence; additional related courses open to
occupational safety and health students; time devoted to lecture,
laboratory, and field experience; and the nature of specific field and
clinical experiences including their relationships with didactic
programs in the educational process?
(4) Evidence that all trainees supported in the HSAT program have
successfully completed a 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations training
course, or equivalent, to meet the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.120
(e)(3)(i). This training requirement may be accomplished prior to
enrollment in the HSAT program of study.
(5) Previous record of academic and/or short course training
delivered in the hazardous substances field, including the number and
type of students trained. Previous record of hazardous substances
outreach activity and assistance to hazardous substance groups within
the ERCs region.
(6) Methods in use or proposed for evaluating the effectiveness of
training and services including the use of placement services and
feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers, student
evaluations from academic and continuing education courses, and reports
from consultations and cooperative activities with other universities,
professional associations, and other outside agencies.
(7) The competence, experience and training of the Program Director
and other professional staff in relation to the type and scope of
training and education involved.
(8) Institutional commitment to HSAT Program goals.
(9) Academic and physical environment in which the training will be
conducted.
(10) Is the budget adequate, justified, and consistent with the
intended use of the grant funds? This includes the budget required to
support the training courses developed, as well as accounting for the
academic staff's time.
(11) Evidence of a plan describing the hazardous substances
academic training the Center proposes. This should include goals,
elements of the program, faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
(12) Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement
the ERC grant funds including other federal grants, support from states
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and
gifts.
(13) Has the applicant collaborated with state and federal agencies
having hazardous substance management functions, including the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and has the applicant cooperated with
the agencies in developing and implementing this program?
c. ERC Pilot Project Research Training Programs:
(1) Relevance of the proposed program, including objectives that
are specific and consistent.
(2) Adequacy of the plan proposed to conduct the pilot projects
program, including procedures for reviewing and funding projects, the
scientific review mechanism, and program quality assurance.
(3) Does the applicant demonstrate collaboration with other
research training institutions in the region, including NIOSH Training
Project Grantees?
(4) Education and experience of the proposed Research Training
Program Director and faculty in the occupational safety and health
field, including the utilization of pilot projects as a research
training mechanism.
(5) Is the budget adequate, justified, and consistent with the
intended use of the grant funds?
(6) Adequacy of the plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the
proposed pilot projects program.
(7) Gender and minority issues--Are plans to include women, ethnic,
and racial groups adequately developed (as appropriate for the
scientific goals of the pilot projects)? (See AR-2, Requirements for
Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research.)
d. ERC NORA Research Support Programs:
(1) Adequacy of a detailed plan at the ERC level that will promote
high quality NORA research and research training activities within the
ERC and the region.
(2) Does the plan outline the approaches and mechanisms that will
be used by the ERC to carry out interdisciplinary research and research
training activities?
(3) Education and experience of the proposed Program Director,
faculty, and staff in the occupational safety and health research
training field.
(4) Academic and physical environment, including laboratories and
equipment, in which research training will be conducted.
(5) Is the budget adequate, justified, and consistent with the
intended use of the grant funds? Training grant funds may not be used
to fund research projects. Some examples of how funds may be used for
NORA-related research project technical support include laboratory
supplies, training-related equipment, data entry/analysis, and
technicians who work on multiple projects and thus enhance faculty
ability to carry out training.
3. TPG Evaluation Criteria are as follows:
a. Need for training in the program area outlined by the
application. This should include documentation of a plan for student
recruitment, projected enrollment, job opportunities, regional need
both in quality and quantity, and for programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities in the profession of occupational safety
and health.
b. Potential contribution of the project toward meeting the needs
for graduate or specialized training in occupational safety and health.
c. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific
regional workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed programs,
consideration should be given to the developing nature of the program
and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such workforce
needs.
d. Curriculum content and design which should include formalized
[[Page 18587]]
program objectives, minimal course content to achieve degree, course
sequence, related courses open to students, time devoted to lecture,
laboratory and field experience, nature and the interrelationship of
these educational approaches. There should also be evidence of
integration of research experience into the curriculum, and field and
clinical experiences.
e. Previous records of training in this or related areas, including
placement of graduates.
f. Methods proposed to evaluate effectiveness of the training.
g. Degree of institutional commitment: Is grant support necessary
for program initiation or continuation? Will support gradually be
assumed? Is there related instruction that will go on with or without
the grant? An example of institutional commitment to the long-term
stability of TPG programs is the commitment of tenured or tenure-track
faculty positions to each academic program.
h. Adequacy of facilities (classrooms, laboratories, library
services, books, and journal holdings relevant to the program, and
access to appropriate occupational settings).
i. Competence, experience, training, time commitment to the program
and availability of faculty to advise students, faculty/student ratio,
and teaching loads of the program director and teaching faculty in
relation to the type and scope of training involved. The program
director must be a full-time faculty member.
j. Admission Requirements: Student selection standards and
procedures, student performance standards and student counseling
services.
k. Advisory Committee: Membership, industries and labor groups
represented; how often they meet; who they advise, role in designing
curriculum and establishing program need. The Committee should meet at
least annually to provide advice and periodic evaluation of TPG
activities.
l. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the program
has had on the region. Examples could include a workforce needs survey
and action plan, consultation and research programs provided to address
regional occupational safety and health problems, a program graduate
data base to track the employment history and contributions of
graduates to the occupational safety and health field, and the cost
effectiveness of the program.
m. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Peer Review Summary Statement and the grant application Progress
Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
n. Is the budget adequate, justified, and consistent with the
intended use of the grant funds?
4. ERC and TPG Evaluation Criteria for Occupational Health Services
Research Training Programs are as follows:
a. Evidence of a plan to satisfy the need for training in the area
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and job opportunities. Indicators of need may include
measures utilized by the Program such as previous record of training
and placement of graduates. Indicate the potential contribution of the
project toward meeting the need for this specialized training.
b. Are plans included for day-to-day management, allocation of
funds and cooperative arrangements designed to effectively achieve the
program requirements.
c. Evidence of a plan describing the academic and research training
the program proposes. This should include goals, elements of the
program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
d. Does the curriculum content and design include formalized
training objectives, minimal course content to achieve degree, course
descriptions, course sequence, additional related courses open to
students, time devoted to lecture, and clinical and research experience
addressing the relationship with didactic programs in the educational
process?
e. Is the program effort capable of supporting the number and type
of students proposed?
f. Has the program initiated collaborative relationships with
external agencies and institutions to expand and strengthen its
research capabilities by providing student and faculty research
opportunities?
g. Evidence of previous record of training in health services
research and occupational safety and health, including placement of
graduates and employment history.
h. Does the program document methods in use or proposed methods for
evaluating the effectiveness of the training, including the use of
feedback mechanisms from graduates and employers, placement of
graduates in research positions, research accomplishments of graduates
and reports from consultations and cooperative activities with other
universities, professional associations, and other outside agencies?
i. Competence, experience and training of the Program Director,
faculty and advisors in relation to the type and scope of research
training and education involved.
j. Degree of institutional commitment to Program goals.
k. Adequacy of the academic and physical environment in which the
training will be conducted, including access to appropriate
occupational health research resources.
l. Is the budget reasonable, adequately justified, and consistent
with the intended use of the grant funds?
m. Evidence of a plan for establishment of an Advisory Committee,
including meeting times, roles and responsibilities.
V.2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Procurement
and Grants Office (PGO) staff, and for responsiveness by the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Incomplete applications
and applications that are non-responsive to the eligibility criteria
will not advance through the review process. Applicants will be
notified that their application did not meet submission requirements.
The initial peer review will be conducted by a Special Emphasis
Panel (SEP) appointed by CDC. SEP members are extramural peer reviewers
with occupational safety and health expertise in the program areas
under review. An application will be considered a complete document for
review purposes. Thus, there will not be any other form of
communication between the applicant and the reviewers. In special
circumstances, site visits may be made by a SEP for all applications of
a given type, but such site visits are not routine or anticipated and
will only be conducted where it is essential to observe activities of
the applicants that NIOSH determines are necessary for an adequate
review. Such site visits would not be for the applicants to add new
information or clarify issues in their applications. Each of the review
criteria will be addressed and considered by the peer reviewers in
assigning the overall priority score, weighting them as appropriate for
each application. If an application is deemed responsive, a priority
score will be assigned using a range of 100-500 representing adjectival
equivalents from outstanding (100) to acceptable (500). Note that an
application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged
likely to have a major scientific impact and receive a good priority
score.
[[Page 18588]]
The secondary peer review will be conducted by the NIOSH Secondary
Review Committee which evaluates how the applications will contribute
to the purpose for this program as stated at the beginning of this
announcement.
V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Award notification dates are expected to be June 1, 2005 with award
start dates of July 1, 2005.
VI. Award Administration Information
VI.1. Award Notices
Successful applicants will receive a Notice of Grant Award (NGA)
from the CDC Procurement and Grants Office. The NGA shall be the only
binding, authorizing document between the recipient and CDC. The NGA
will be signed by an authorized Grants Management Officer, and mailed
to the recipient fiscal officer identified in the application.
Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of
the application review by mail.
VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
45 CFR Part 74 and Part 92
For more information on the Code of Federal Regulations, see the
National Archives and Records Administration at the following Internet
address: http://www.access. gpo.gov/nara/ cfr/cfr-table-search. html.
The following additional requirements apply to this project:
AR-1* Human Subjects Requirements
AR-2* Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial
and Ethnic Minorities in Research
AR-3* Animal Subjects Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11 Healthy People 2010
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
*Applies only to ERC Pilot Project Research Training Program.
Additional information on these requirements can be found on the
CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/ARs.htm
.
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
You must provide CDC with an original, plus two hard copies of the
following reports:
1. Initial interim progress report is due December 1, 2004. This
report is required on December 1, on an annual basis. The progress
report will serve as your non-competing continuation application, and
must contain the following elements:
a. Current Budget Period Activities Objectives.
b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity Objectives.
d. Budget and justification.
e. Additional Requested Information.
f. Measures of Effectiveness.
2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of
each budget period. The initial report is due September 30, 2006.
3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days
after the end of the project period. These reports must be mailed to
the Grants Management or Contract Specialist listed in the ``Agency
Contacts'' section of this announcement.
VII. Agency Contacts
For general questions about this announcement, contact:
Technical Information Management Section, CDC Procurement and
Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770-
488-2700.
For program technical assistance, contact:
John T. Talty, Program Officer, Office of Extramural Programs,
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Mailstop C-7,
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998, Telephone: (513) 533-8241, E-mail:
jtt2@cdc.gov.
For financial, grants management, or budget assistance, contact:
Cynthia Y. Mitchell, Grants Management Specialist, CDC Procurement and
Grants Office, 626 Cochrans Mill Rd., Mailstop P05, Pittsburgh, PA
15236, Telephone: (412) 386-6434, E-mail: CMitchell@cdc.gov.
VIII. Other Information
A pre-application technical assistance conference call will be held
from 2 to 3 p.m. (eastern time) on May 13, 2004, to allow potential
applicants the opportunity to ask questions about this announcement.
The call in number is 1-866-524-1250, and the participant passcode is
469181.
Dated: April 2, 2004.
William P. Nichols,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-7936 Filed 4-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P