Funding-Limited Submission – Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers; January 18, 2011

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) invites applications from qualified institutions for support of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Core Centers. A Core Center Grant is an institutional award to support centralized scientific resources and facilities shared by investigators with existing research projects. The NIEHS plans to commit $6 million for 3-4 awards. New or first-time applicants can apply for up to 4 years of support. New applications are limited to requests for no more than $600,000 in direct costs in the first year; $700,000 in direct costs in the second year; $800,000 in direct costs in the third year; and $900,000 in direct costs in the fourth year and a minimum of $100,000 per year is to be dedicated to the Community Outreach and Education Core (COEC).

General Description and Required Components

The applicant institution must have an identity in Environmental Health Sciences, defined as a substantial base of ongoing, independently supported, peer-reviewed research projects related to the study of environmental health sciences or environmental medicine, a substantial portion of which should be supported by NIEHS. At the time of submission any institution or consortium wishing to qualify for the EHS Core Center grant must have a minimum of three active NIEHS-supported research grants from three distinct principal investigators. Acceptable grant support includes R01, R21, RC1, RC2, R37, P01, P42, P50, Cooperative Agreements (U-grants), and Research Career Development Awards (K-grants), not including administrative extensions, either with or without additional funds.

Required Components are:

1. Center Director:  required commitment is a minimum of 2.4 months annual effort to the Center.

2. Administrative Core:  oversees organizational, budgeting and reporting aspects and provides the leadership for scientific and programmatic activities.

3. Pilot Projects Program:  required and is considered to be an integral part of the support provided. This program provides modest support for new initiatives or feasibility projects for either new investigators or for established investigators who are moving into research areas of direct interest to the EHS Core Centers. Up to 25% of the budget may be allocated to the pilot projects program.

4. Facility Cores:  the major function of the EHS Core Center, sharing facilities, enhancing research or improving cost effectiveness of services, techniques, or instrumentation used by the member investigators. A Center should have a minimum of two facility cores - including the required Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core (see below) - and each facility core must serve at least three users.

The Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core is intended to facilitate translational and clinical investigations, either patient-oriented or population-based research, that enhance translation of basic research findings into practical applications for patients and communities.

5. Career Development Program for Environmental Health Investigators:  emphasis on early stage investigators is strongly encouraged.

6. Community Outreach and Education Core:  serves as a bi-directional resource for information and expertise to surrounding communities, stakeholders, and Center members to further scientific collaborations and dissemination of research results.

See the complete announcement for details:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-11-001.html

Because the NIEHS limits an institution to one application, UK has established an internal selection process and a deadline for receipt of applications. Researchers wanting to submit a proposal to establish an Environmental Health Sciences Core Center are to send the following material electronically to the Office of the Vice President for Research at vpr@email.uky.edu and a copy to their Associate Dean for Research by Tuesday, January 18, 2011:

1. Names and departments of the Project Director(s) and other key personnel of the project team

2. Participating institutions, if any

3. A list of currently active NIEHS-supported and other funded grants relevant to the proposed Core Center (PI name and grant number)

4. Overview – maximum 2 pages.  Identify the central theme, the goals of the Core Center, and expected scientific outcomes and impact on human disease and public health

The Vice President for Research will appoint a committee to review the material and make recommendations as to the University’s applicant.  Deadlines are January 24, 2011 (optional letter of intent) and February 24, 2011 (complete application).

Questions about the submission process may be sent to Ms. Annette Evans in the Office of the Vice President for Research (alevan4@email.uky.edu or 257-1663.)