```
[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 148 (Monday, August 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41261-41263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20575]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Program Announcement 98100]

Grants for Minority Health Statistics Dissertation Research; 
Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 98 funds for a dissertation research 
grants program for the Minority Health Statistics Grants Program of the 
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC. This program 
addresses the ``Healthy People 2000'' priority area(s), Surveillance 
and Data Systems. The Minority Health Statistics Grants Program was 
established to award grants for (1) the conduct of special surveys or 
studies on the health of racial and ethnic populations or 
subpopulations; (2) analysis of data on ethnic and racial populations 
and subpopulations; and (3) research on improving methods for 
developing statistics on ethnic and racial populations and 
subpopulations. Grants for Minority Health Statistics Dissertations 
advance these purposes by supporting research and by improving the 
quality of minority health statistics dissertation research projects. 
These grants will enable doctoral students to undertake significant 
data gathering, analytic, and methodological research projects. The 
students will also gain invaluable training and research experience 
that will be beneficial to future careers in minority health research. 
The use of data from the National Center for Health Statistics is 
encouraged. More information about NCHS data systems may be obtained 
via the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants may be public or private nonprofit institutions 
that will administer the grant on behalf of the proposed Principal 
Investigator (doctoral candidate). Examples of public and private 
nonprofit organizations include universities, colleges, research 
institutions, hospitals, and other public and private nonprofit 
organizations, State and local governments or their bona fide agents, 
and federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or 
Indian tribal organizations.
    The proposed Principal Investigator must be a registered doctoral 
candidate in resident or nonresident status. All requirements for the 
doctoral degree other than the dissertation must be completed by the 
time of the award.
    Students seeking a doctorate in any relevant research discipline 
are eligible.
    A student enrolled in a doctoral program in a research discipline 
which requires a dissertation based on original research may apply 
through their institution for support to complete the research and 
dissertation. The dissertation must examine and/or develop some aspect 
of statistical research on racial and ethnic populations or 
subpopulations. It should focus on one or more of the following 
research program areas: community-based research, methods and theory 
development, health promotion and data standards development, and data 
analysis and dissemination.
    Prior to submission of the application, the dissertation proposal 
must be approved by the dissertation faculty committee and certified by 
the faculty advisor. This information must be verified in a letter of 
certification from the thesis chairperson and submitted with the grant 
application.

[[Page 41262]]

    Applications from doctoral students who are women, members of 
minority groups, persons with disability, students of Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and 
other predominately minority and minority serving institutions are 
encouraged.
    An applicant institution may be either the degree-granting 
institution or another non-profit institution with which the proposed 
Principal Investigator is professionally affiliated. In determining 
which institution is more appropriate, the Principal Investigator must 
consider the extent to which the resources of the designated 
institution are capable of supporting the proposed research effort.
    The proposed investigator who receives support for dissertation 
research under a grant may not at the same time receive support under a 
predoctoral training grant or fellowship awarded by any other agency, 
or component, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    Note: Pub. L. 104-65 states that an organization described in 
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engages 
in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal funds 
constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, loan 
or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $250,000 is available in FY 98 to fund approximately 
10 awards. It is expected that the average award will be $20,000 
ranging from $15,000 to $30,000. It is expected that the awards will 
begin on or about September 30, 1998. The awards will be made for a 12-
month budget period within a project period of up to 2 years. Funding 
estimates are subject to change.
    Funding support may only be requested for the amount of time 
necessary to complete the dissertation within the authorized project 
period.

Use of Funds

    Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the 
proposed project will be solely that of the proposed Principal 
Investigator (the doctoral candidate).
    The total direct costs must not exceed $30,000 for the entire 
project period. An application that exceeds this amount will be 
returned to the applicant. No supplemental funds will be awarded.
    Allowable costs include: the investigator's salary and direct 
project expenses such as travel, data processing, and supplies. Fees 
for maintaining matriculation or other fees imposed on those preparing 
dissertations are allowable costs, provided the fees are required of 
all students of similar standing, regardless of the source of funding. 
Applicants are expected to work full time on the project. Any level of 
effort that is less than full time must be fully justified.
    Indirect costs under this grant program are limited to eight 
percent of direct costs, excluding tuition and related fees and 
expenditures for equipment. Indirect costs will be awarded at the 
actual indirect cost rate for the institution, if the rate is less than 
eight percent.

D. Program Requirements

    The dissertation constitutes the final report of the grant. The 
dissertation must be officially accepted by the faculty committee or 
university official responsible for the candidate's dissertation and 
must be signed by the responsible officials. Three copies of the 
dissertation shall be submitted to the CDC.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria 
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program 
plan. The narrative should be no more than 25 pages, double-spaced, 
printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font. 
Applications will be eligible for support only during the review cycle 
for which they are submitted. No application can be submitted more than 
once even in revised form.
    Applicants must follow the instructions in the research grant 
application PHS Form 398 in preparing the application with the 
following information/changes:
    1. The graduate student should be identified as the Principal 
Investigator.
    2. A questionnaire may be included as an appendix if it is 
essential to evaluate the proposal. A list of literature cited is 
required and may be included in the appendix. No other material should 
be provided in an appendix.
    3. A letter from the faculty committee or the university official 
directly responsible for supervising the dissertation research must be 
submitted with the grant application. The letter must certify that (a) 
the committee has approved the formal proposal for the dissertation, 
(b) the grant application represents the dissertation proposal, and (c) 
the applicant will complete all requirements for the doctoral degree 
except the dissertation by the anticipated date of the grant award.
    4. The application must identify all members of the faculty 
committee by listing the names on Form BB. A brief biographical sketch 
for each should be provided as explained in Form 398, page FF.
    5. Applicants should give special attention to the sections of the 
application dealing with human subjects, protection and gender and 
minority representation by addressing the applicability and method of 
compliance.
    6. The project description in the application must describe the 
scientific significance of the work, including its relationship to 
other current research, and the design of the project in sufficient 
detail to permit evaluation. It should also present and interpret 
progress to date if the research is already underway.
    7. A detailed budget must be provided identifying the items for 
which funds are requested and their estimated costs. A budget 
justification explaining the necessity of these expenses for the 
research should also be included.
    8. Statements of ``Current and Pending Support'' for both the 
student and the dissertation advisor must be identified on Form GG.

F. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    The LOI should identify program announcement number 98100, and the 
name of the principal investigator. The letter of intent does not 
influence review or funding decisions, but it will enable CDC to plan 
the review more efficiently. The LOI should be submitted on or before 
August 17, 1998, to: David Elswick, Grants Management Specialist, 
Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement 
98100, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 321, 255 
East Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E13, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209.

Application

    Submit the original and five copies of PHS-398 (OMB Number 0925-
0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for 
PHS 398). Forms are in the application kit. On or before August 31, 
1998, submit the application to: David Elswick, Grants Management 
Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Announcement 98100, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
Room 300, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E13, Atlanta, Georgia 
30305-2209.
    If your application does not arrive in time for submission to the 
independent

[[Page 41263]]

review group, it will not be considered unless you can provide proof 
that you mailed it on or before the deadline (i.e., receipt from U.S. 
Postal Service or a commercial carrier; private metered postmarks are 
not acceptable).

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Proposals are judged on the basis of their scientific merit, the 
theoretical importance of the research question and the appropriateness 
of the proposed data and methodology to be used in addressing the 
question.
    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.
    1. Significance and originality of the research.
    2. Knowledge of research relevant to the topic.
    3. Appropriateness of methods and data, including a description and 
justification of the analytic techniques that will be employed and a 
discussion of the methodological problems that might be encountered.
    4. Availability and adequacy of data.
    5. Organization of the project.
    6. Adequacy of facilities and resources. Human subjects involvement 
and protection (when appropriate).
    7. Representation of women and minorities (when appropriate).
    8. Appropriateness of the budget.
    In evaluating applications and making recommendations reviewers 
assess the applicant's potential for making significant contributions 
to the field of minority health statistics research.
    Three factors influence the final funding decisions on applications 
for support of dissertations: (1) Reviewers' evaluation of the 
application; (2) the potential of the applicant to contribute to the 
field; and (3) the general needs of the field.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
    1. Annual progress reports;
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period; and
    3. Final financial status and performance reports, no more than 90 
days after the end of the project period.
    Send all reports to David Elswick, Grants Management Specialist, 
using the address information listed under Section J of this program 
announcement entitled ``Where to Obtain Additional Information.''
    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I. included 
in the application kit.

AR98-1  Human Subjects Requirements
AR98-2  Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic 
Minorities in Research
AR98-4  HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Provisions
AR98-9  Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR98-10  Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR98-11  Healthy People 2000
AR98-12  Lobbying Restrictions
AR98-13  Prohibition on Use of CDC Funds for Certain Gun Control 
Activities
AR98-14  Accounting System Requirements
AR98-15  Proof of Non-Profit Status

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under section 306(m) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242k(m)), as amended. The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.283.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    To receive additional written information call 1-888-GRANTS4. You 
will be asked to leave your name, address, and phone number and will 
need to refer to Announcement 98100. You will receive a complete 
program description, information on application procedures, and 
application forms. CDC will not send application kits by facsimile or 
express mail.
    Please refer to announcement number 98100 when requesting 
information and submitting an application.
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained by 
contacting: David Elswick, Grants Management Specialist, Grants 
Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement 98100, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 300, 255 East 
Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305-2209, telephone 
(404)842-6521.
    See also the CDC home page on the Internet: http://www.cdc.gov
    For program technical assistance, contact: Audrey L. Burwell, M.S., 
Minority Health Statistics Grants Program Director, National Center for 
Health Statistics, CDC, 6525 Belcrest Road, Room 1100, Hyattsville, MD 
20782, Telephone: (301) 436-7062, extension 127, Email: [email protected] 
Website: www.cdc.gov/nchswww/about/grants/grants1.htm.

    Dated: July 28, 1998.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 98-20575 Filed 7-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
```