Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Note: The Research Strategy component of the Research Plan is limited to 6 pages.

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency Review. Awards are made under the authorization of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 20(a) and 21(a) (29 USC 669(a) and 29 USC 670); Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, Section 501(a), 30 USC 951(a); Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

NIOSH recognizes the value of supporting high quality scientific meetings that are relevant to its scientific mission and to the public health. The mission of NIOSH is to generate new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH) and to transfer that knowledge into practice for the betterment of workers. To accomplish this mission, NIOSH conducts and sponsors scientific research, develops guidance and authoritative recommendations, disseminates information, and responds to requests for workplace health hazard evaluations. The conference grant program is integral to the overall mission of NIOSH and an application should address and advance the field of occupational safety and health (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/ and http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/default.html). A scientific meeting is defined as a gathering, symposium, seminar, conference, workshop or any other organized, formal meeting where persons assemble to coordinate, exchange, and disseminate information or to explore or clarify a defined subject, problem, or area of knowledge. Support of such meetings is contingent on fiscal and programmatic interests and priorities of NIOSH (see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ and http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs. Whereas training is often a part of conferences or scientific meetings (e.g., secondary or tertiary objectives), applications for training-only events will not be considered under this announcement.

Healthy People 2020 and other National strategic priorities - This announcement supports occupational safety and health (OSH)-1 and OSH-2 goals for reducing fatal and nonfatal injuries for workers in the U.S. For more information about these and other OSH goals, please visit http://healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx. NIOSH is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 2020. Healthy People 2020 objectives related to occupational safety and health (OSH) are primarily addressed through the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). NORA, established by NIOSH and its partners to stimulate research and improve workplace practices, provides a framework to guide OSH research. The goal of the NIOSH research program is to support research that is relevant, of high quality, and that demonstrates impact in reducing occupational disease and injury. Emphasis is placed on research projects that address needs outlined in NORA. NIOSH has created a Program Portfolio to broadly guide activities by categorizing programs into ten (10) major NORA Sector Programs that represent groups of industrial sectors, and twenty-four (24) cross-sector programs organized around adverse health outcomes, statutory programs and global efforts. Detailed
information about the Program Portfolio can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/.

Applicants must provide a brief statement about which industry sector and which cross-sectors are being addressed and a rationale for how the proposal will contribute to the specified priority area (this information must be placed in the Project Conference Description/Abstract).

Public Health Impact - This announcement will impact occupational safety and health through discussions and follow up actions or recommendations addressing the prevention and reduction of workplace related injury, death, disability and/or illness. Discussions and presentations will advance the state of science, occupational public health practice and/or policy and intervention development. Outputs include research recommendations, identification of scientific knowledge gaps, and efficacy or actions of public health interventions.

Relevant work - CDC NIOSH has sponsored domestic and international scientific meetings addressing a range of OSH topics including for the healthcare industry, engineered nanomaterial risks, epidemiology and surveillance capacity development, and farm safety. For more information, please visit the NIH RePORT website at http://report.nih.gov/

Approach - CDC NIOSH welcomes proposals addressing a broad range of OSH topics including those

supporting NORA goals as well as emerging issues or novel ideas.

Describe the composition and role of the organizing committee, and provide the names and credentials of key participants in the conference, including the basis for their selection and documentation of their agreement to participate.

Estimate the expected size and composition of the audience, as well as the method of selection. Describe the representation of women, racial/ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and other individuals who have been traditionally underrepresented in science in the planning and implementation of, and participation in, the proposed conference/meeting, as appropriate.

Describe plans for publicizing the conference to all interested participants and for publishing the proceedings (with the latter possibility not being required). Identify related conferences held on the subject during the past 3 years and how the proposed conference is similar to, and/or different from these, and why it is still necessary and useful for achieving overall impact. If this is one in a series of periodic conferences held by a permanent sponsoring organization, briefly describe and evaluate the last conference in the series.

Summarize contingency plans for future conferences dependent upon, for example, the outcome of the first year’s conference or other developments.

Objectives/Outcomes Applicants are expected to plan, organize and convene targeted professionals and/or other stakeholders for advancing OSH and potentially the NIOSH Mission in the U.S. Objectives also include meeting outputs or products in varying forms. Outcomes include influencing or compelling stakeholders to use meeting outputs to advance OSH in the U.S. and/or internationally at the organizational, group or/and individual level.

For a multi-year proposal, progressive nature or characteristic objectives/outcomes should be described to ensure continued, progressive impact of funding over budget periods including themes, topics or emerging need.

Target population - The ultimate beneficiaries are workers in the U.S. However, to achieve this, the scientific meeting/conference might target professionals, academia, researchers, employers, contractors, unions, and other stakeholders for participation in these meetings.

Collaboration/Partnerships CDC NIOSH highly encourages the formation and improvement of collaborative working relationships for advancing multidisciplinary OSH research and public health practice

Applicants are encouraged to list any confirmed and preliminary federal agencies and other organization’s co-sponsorship of the conference/meeting, by year. Documentation of federal agency support of co-sponsorship must be summarized and provide supporting documentation in the application e.g., co-sponsorship agreement, letters of collaboration.

Evaluation/Performance measurement Formal rigorous public health evaluation is beyond the scope of the announcement; however, a basic assessment of the planning and meeting using effectiveness indicators including agenda content and dissemination activities is expected. Performance measures should be meaningful, measurable and possibly scalable to meet the needs of the project. Survey findings of attendees regarding agenda and meeting outputs are examples of performance indicators. Accumulative or progressive approaches of evaluation should
be considered for a multi-year award.

Translation plan Translation strategies and approaches may be appropriate especially for the dissemination plan for each year’s outputs e.g., improving public health or employer practice, development and recommendations for policy, improved reporting or surveillance, etc.

HHS/CDC grants policies as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement (http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/grantsnet.html) will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations
• Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)
• Bona Fide Agents: a Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a legal, binding agreement from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Attach with "Other Attachment Forms" when submitting via www.grants.gov.

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): FFRDCs are operated, managed, and/or administered by a university or consortium of universities, other not-for-profit or nonprofit organization, or an industrial firm, as an autonomous organization or as an identifiable separate operating unit of a parent organization. A FFRDC meets some special long-term research or development need which cannot be met as effectively by an agency’s existing in-house or contractor resources. FFRDC's enable agencies to use private sector resources to accomplish tasks that are integral to the mission and operation of the sponsoring agency. For more information on FFRDCs, go to http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=512ff78311f427c00454772dcf21523a&rgn=div8&view=text&node=48:1.0.1.6.34.0.1.18&idno=48.

Both domestic and international conferences may be supported; however, an international conference can be supported only through the U.S. representative organization of an established international scientific or professional society. An individual is not eligible to receive a cooperative agreement in support of a conference.

Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.

For this FOA, applicants may include collaborators or consultants from foreign institutions. All applicable federal laws and policies apply.

Special Eligibility Requirements: Conference cooperative agreement applications are reviewed three times per year (Feb/June/Oct). NIOSH will only accept applications with at least an eight-month span of time between a standard application submission date (April/Aug/Dec) and the date of the scientific meeting. Interested applicants should refer to the respective Standard Submission Dates and Earliest Meeting Dates listed below: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

Standard Submission Date	Earliest Meeting Date
April 12	April 1 of following year
August 12	August 1 of following year
December 12	December 1 of following year

Number of Applications. Applicants may submit more than one application, provided each application is scientifically distinct.

Resubmissions. Applicants may submit a resubmission application. Such application must include an Introduction addressing the previous peer review critique (Summary Statement).

Renewals. Applicants may submit a renewal application. A competitive renewal application will be reviewed with all other eligible applications.

Responsiveness: Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the CDC Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) and responsiveness by PGO and the Center, Institute or Office of the CDC. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

• Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• (System for Award Management (SAM) must maintain current registration in SAM (the replacement system for the Central Contractor Registration) to be renewed annually, http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step2.jsp.
• Grants.gov
• eRA Commons

Universal Identifier Requirements and Central Contractor Registration

All applicant organizations must obtain a DUN and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the Universal Identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number is a nine-digit number assigned by Dun and Bradstreet Information Services. An AOR should be consulted to determine the appropriate number. If the organization does not have a DUNS number, an AOR should complete the US D&B D-U-N-S Number Request Web Form or contact Dun and Bradstreet by telephone directly at 1-866-705-5711 (toll-free) to obtain one. A DUNS number will be provided immediately by telephone at no charge. Note this is an organizational number. Individual Program Directors/Principal Investigators do not need to register for a DUNS number.

All applicant organizations must register with Grants.gov. Please visit www.Grants.gov at least 30 days prior to submitting your application to familiarize yourself with the registration and submission processes. The one-time registration process will take three to five days to complete. However, it is best to start the registration process at least two weeks prior to application submission. Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Additionally, all applicant organizations must register in the System for Award Management (SAM), the replacement system for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. which requires renewal at least annually. Organizations must maintain the registration with current information at all times during which it has an application under consideration for funding by CDC and, if an award is made, until a final financial report is submitted or the final payment is received, whichever is later. SAM is the primary registrant database for the Federal government and is the repository into which an entity must provide information required for the conduct of business as a recipient. Additional information about registration procedures may be found at the SAM internet site at https://www.sam.gov/index.html.

If an award is granted, the grantee organization must notify potential sub-recipients that no

organization may receive a subaward under the grant unless the organization has provided its

DUNS number to the grantee organization.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the applicant organization. All registrations must be successfully completed and active before the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed conference/meeting as the PD/PI is invited to work with his/her 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 support. More than one PD/PI, or 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 and policies and procedures to formally allow more than one PD/PI on individual research projects is available at https://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://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.htm for instructions).

The decision of whether to apply for a single PD/PI or multiple PD/PI grant is the responsibility of the investigators and applicant organizations. Applications for multiple PD/PI grants will require additional information, as outlined in the instructions below. When considering the multiple PD/PI option, 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 will 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 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi.

in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement (http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/grantsnet.html).

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

As defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement,(http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/grantsnet.html), applications received in response to the same funding opportunity announcement generally are scored individually and then ranked with other applications under peer review in their order of relative programmatic, technical, or scientific merit. HHS/CDC will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.

NIOSH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed within the past thirty-seven months except for submission as follows:

• To an RFA as an investigator-initiated application but not paid; or
• Of an application with a changed grant activity code.

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

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

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

• Descriptive title of proposed activity
• Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
• Names of other key personnel
• Participating institution(s)
• Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be emailed or postal mailed to:

Joan Karr, PhD
MPH
NIOSH Office of Extramural Programs
Mailstop E74
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
jkarr@cdc.gov

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed. For this specific FOA, the Research/Meeting Strategy component of the Research/Meeting Plan narrative is limited to 6 pages. Supporting materials for the Research/Meeting Plan narrative included as appendices may not exceed 10 PDF files with a maximum of 50 pages for all appendices.

Designed to maximize system-conducted validations, multiple separate attachments are required for a complete application. When the application is received by the agency, all submitted forms and all separate attachments are combined into a single document that is used by peer reviewers and agency staff. Applicants should ensure that all attachments are uploaded to the system.

CDC requires all text attachments to the Adobe application forms be submitted as PDFs and that all text attachments conform to the agency-specific formatting requirements noted in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (Part I, Section 2) (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/url_redirect.htm?id=12000).

The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, required and optional. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide includes instructions for applicants to complete a PHS 398 Research Plan that consists of 16 components. Not all 16 components of the Research Plan apply to all Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs). Specifically, some of the following 16 components are for Resubmissions or Revisions only. See Part I, Section 5.5 of the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/url_redirect.htm?id=12000) for additional information. Please attach applicable sections of the following Research Plan components as directed in Part 2, Section 1 (Funding Opportunity Announcement Description). Follow the page limits stated in the SF 424 unless otherwise specified in the FOA. As applicable to and specified in the FOA, the application should include the bolded headers in this section and should address activities to be conducted over the course of the entire project, including but not limited to:

• Introduction to Application (for Resubmission ONLY) - provide a clear description about the purpose of the proposed research and how it addresses the specific requirements of the FOA.
• Specific Aims state the problem the proposed research addresses and how it will result in public health impact and improvements in population health.
• Research Strategy the research strategy should be organized under 3 headings: Significance, Innovation and Approach. Describe the proposed research plan, including staffing and timeline. Describe the proposed research/conference plan, planning and agenda development process, pre-meeting marketing and post-meeting dissemination objectives, and timeline. Describe the composition and role of the organizing committee, and provide the names and credentials of key participants in the conference/meeting, including the basis for their selection and documentation of their agreement to participate.
• Inclusion Enrollment Report - Not applicable
• Progress Report Publication List (for Continuation ONLY)

Other Research Plan Sections

• Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan.
• Consortium/Contractual Arrangements
• Letters of Support including NIOSH Program(s) Letter of Support or Collaboration or agency co sponsorship document
• Resource Sharing Plan(s)
• Appendix

Component 4 (Inclusion Enrollment Report) applies only to Renewal and Revision applications for clinical research. Clinical research is that which is conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator (or colleague) directly interacts with human subjects. Excluded from this definition are in vitro studies that utilize human tissues that cannot be linked to a living individual. Patient-oriented research includes: (a) mechanisms of human disease, (b) therapeutic interventions, (c) clinical trials, and (d) development of new technologies). Follow the page limits in the SF 424 unless otherwise specified in the FOA.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/SF424_RR_Guide_General_Adobe_VerB.pdf)

must be followed along with any additional instructions provided in the FOA.

SF 424 (R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations Component: The performance site(s) is the location of the institution(s) seeking NIOSH funding.

In the Project Description and Research Strategy sections, using concise statements an applicant should identify:

• Date(s) and venue, city, state or country of the planned meeting/conference
• Target audience including number of federal and non-federal attendees
• Co-sponsor organization(s) including their role, activities, outputs, and accountability
• Proposal alignment with NIOSH sector and/or cross sector programs
• Proposal alignment with NORA and/or Healthy People 2020 OSH goals
• Expected outputs/products for each meeting/conference
• Anticipated short and intermediate term outcomes e.g., actions taken by stakeholders

Note: the budget data must identify detailed costs for conference planner (including hourly rate), meeting space or venue, registration website, audio visuals, and speaker fees, when applicable.

When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing Planned Enrollment Reports as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/), the online portal to find and apply for grants or cooperative agreements across all Federal agencies. The eRA Commons systems retrieve the application from Grants.gov and check the application against CDC business rules. If no errors are found, the application will be assembled in the eRA Commons for viewing by the applicant before moving on for further CDC processing.

If errors are found, the applicant will be notified in the eRA Commons. They must make required changes to the local copy of their application and submit again through Grants.gov. Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Once you can see your application in the Commons, be sure to review it carefully as this is what the reviewer will see. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/url_redirect.htm?id=11123).

Information on the submission process is provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Note: HHS/CDC cooperative agreement submission procedures do not provide a period of time beyond the cooperative agreement application due date to correct any error or warning notices of noncompliance with application instructions that are identified by Grants.gov or eRA systems (i.e. error correction window).

The application package is not complete until it has passed the Grants.gov/eRA Commons validation process. This process and email notifications of receipt, validation or rejection may take two (2) business days.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to allocate additional time prior to the submission deadline to submit their applications and to correct errors identified in the validation process. Applicants are encouraged also to check the status of their application submission to determine if the application packages are complete and error-free. Applicants who encounter system errors when submitting their applications must attempt to resolve them by contacting the Grants.gov Contact Center (1-800-518-4726; support@grants.gov). If the system errors cannot be resolved, applicants must contact CDC PGO TIMS at 770-488-2700; www.pgotim@cdc.gov for guidance at least 3 calendar days before the deadline date.

After submission of your application package, applicants will receive a submission receipt email generated by Grants.gov. Grants.gov will then generate a second e-mail message to applicants which will either validate or reject their submitted application package. This validation process may take as long as two (2) business days. A third and final e-mail message is generated once the applicant’s application package has passed validation and the grantor has confirmed receipt of the application.

Unsuccessful Submissions:

If an application submission was unsuccessful, the applicant must:

Track his/her submission and verify the submission status (tracking should be done initially regardless of rejection or success).

If the status states rejected, do #2a or #2b.

Check his/her emails from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons for rejection notices.

If the deadline has passed, he/she should email the Grant Management Specialist listed in the FOA (pgotim@cdc.gov) explaining why the submission failed.

If there is time before the deadline, he/she should correct the problem(s) and resubmit as soon as possible.

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

All NIOSH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement at (http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/grantsnet.html

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.

Important reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the CDC Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) and responsiveness by PGO and the Center, Institute or Office of the CDC. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the CDC mission (http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm), all applications submitted to the CDC in support of public health research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the CDC peer review system.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Significance

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

Does the conference plan address a scientific problem of great importance to public health research and/or practice? Are the goals and objectives evident and clear and measurable? Will the work be influential in that it will lead others to investigate the problem, open new areas of research, or change the research/scientific approach or public health practice? Does the plan describe, and how will this improve and be of value to occupational public health? If successful, do the conference/meeting outputs have the potential to be scalable and reach a large portion of the worker population at risk?

For a multi-year proposal, did the approach or plan describe possible progressive developments or contributions arising from the prior year’s conducted meetings to that might stimulate significant topics or planning? And exert a strong, sustaining influence on OSH?

Investigator(s)

Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? Have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project? When appropriate, do the collaborators include trans-disciplinary perspective and contributions to advance the field of occupational safety and health?

Are the key personnel and selected speakers appropriate and well suited for their described roles in the conference/scientific meeting?

Innovation

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Is the proposed conference/meeting innovative and promising in potential impact, and for applicability and relevance for NIOSH goals? Does the proposal have the potential to increase efficiency or take cost considerations into account?? Does the conference/meeting draw together appropriate experts who may otherwise not have an opportunity to meet?

Approach

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed?

Is there a description of conference/meeting expected outputs, their specificity by intended audience/stakeholder group, who will ensure their completion and how disseminated, and for assessing outputs effectiveness or impact?

If the project involves clinical research, are there plans for 1) protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members of both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

Is the pre-conference/meeting promotion plan adequate, reasonable and justified? Is the post-conference/meeting dissemination plan adequate, well-conceived, and justified? Was a framework for dissemination described including identification of partnerships, methods and medium(s), and active and/or passive dissemination activities for target audience(s)?

Did the applicant identify and summarize the location and physical venue for the meeting in year one and beyond, and why or how this would be conducive for all types of intended stakeholders (including the public, as appropriate) to attend?

Environment

Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Protections for Human Subjects

It is anticipated that most conference/meeting proposals will not be research proposals involving human subjects.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

When the proposed project involves clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for inclusion of minorities and members of both genders, as well as the inclusion of children. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the policy on the Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research (http://isp-v-maso-apps.cdc.gov/Policy/Doc/policy17.pdf) and the policy on the Inclusion of Persons Under21 in Research (http://aops-mas-iis.cdc.gov/Policy/Doc/policy496.pdf).

Resubmissions

When reviewing a Resubmission application (formerly called an amended application), the committee will evaluate the application as now presented, taking into consideration the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group and changes made to the project.

Renewals

For Renewals, the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Provision of Family Care Facilities

Attendance for some stakeholders will be dependent on the availability of resources for family care. An applicant will need to describe plans to identify resources for child care and other types of family care at or in support of the conference site to allow individuals with family care responsibilities to attend. If the meeting does not involve public stakeholders or individuals, please state so.

Resource Sharing Plans

HHS/CDC policy requires that recipients of cooperative agreement awards make research resources and data readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication. Please see: http://www.cdc.gov/maso/Policy/ReleasingData.pdf. Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a plan on sharing research resources and data.

Budget and Period of Support

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed project. The applicant can obtain guidance for completing a detailed justified budget on the CDC website, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group, in accordance with CDC peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

• Will undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review), will be discussed and assigned an overall impact/priority score
• Will receive a written critique

Applications will be assigned to the appropriate HHS/CDC Center, Institute, or Office. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review
• Availability of funds
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.

Any applications awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements. If the application is under consideration for funding, HHS/CDC will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement (http://www.hhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/hhsgps107.pdf).

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the Grants Management Officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be allowable as an expanded authority, but only if authorized by CDC.

Overview of Terms and Conditions of Award and Requirements for Specific Types of Grants

All HHS/CDC grant and cooperative agreement awards include the HHS Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the HHS Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of Award (http://www.hhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/hhsgps107.pdf).

Awardees must comply with the administrative requirements (AR) outlined in 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 74 or Part 92, as appropriate, as well as any additional requirements included in the FOA.

Specific requirements that apply to this FOA are the following

Generally applicable ARs:

AR-1: Human Subjects Requirements

AR-2: Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research

AR-9: Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements

AR-10: Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements

AR-11: Healthy People 2020

AR-12: Lobbying Restrictions

AR-13: Prohibition on Use of CDC Funds for Certain Gun Control Activities

AR-14: Accounting System Requirements

AR-16: Security Clearance Requirement

AR-21: Small, Minority, And Women-owned Business

AR-22: Research Integrity

AR-24: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Requirements

AR-25: Release and Sharing of Data

AR-26: National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

AR-28: Inclusion of Persons Under the Age of 21 in Research

AR-29: Compliance with EO13513, Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging while Driving , October 1, 2009

AR-30: Information Letter 10-006, - Compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

AR 31 - Distinguishing Public Health Research and Public Health Nonresearch

AR 32 FY 2012 Enacted General Provisions

For more information on the Code of Federal Regulations, visit the National Archives and Records Administration at: http://www.archives.gov/

To view brief descriptions of relevant CDC requirements visit: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/additional_req.shtm

Additional Policy Requirements

The following are additional policy requirements relevant to this FOA:

HHS Policy on Promoting Efficient Spending: Use of Appropriated Funds for Conferences and Meetings, Food, Promotional Items and Printing Publications

This policy supports the Executive Order on Promoting Efficient Spending (EO 13589), the Executive Order on Delivering and Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government (EO 13576) and the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum on Eliminating Excess Conference Spending and Promoting Efficiency in Government (M-35-11). This policy apply to all new obligations and all funds appropriated by Congress. For more information, visit the HHS website at:

http://www.hhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/acquisition/effspendpol_memo.html)

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006

Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 as amended (FFATA), requires full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving Federal funds including grants, contracts, loans and other assistance and payments through a single publicly accessible Web site, www.USASpending.gov (http://www.usaspending.gov/). For the full text of the requirements, please review the following website: https://www.fsrs.gov/

Plain Writing Act

The Plain Writing Act of 2010 was signed into law on October 13, 2010. The law requires that federal agencies use "clear Government communication that the public can understand and use" and requires the federal government to write all new publications, forms, and publicly distributed documents in a "clear, concise, well-organized" manner. For more information on this law, go to: http://www.plainlanguage.gov/plLaw/index.cfm.

Tobacco and Nutrition Policies

The CDC supports implementing evidence-based programs and policies to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure, and to promote healthy nutrition. CDC encourages all awardees to implement the following optional evidence-based tobacco and nutrition policies within their organizations. These policies build on the current federal commitment to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, which includes The Pro-Children Act, 20 U.S.C. 7181-7184 that prohibits smoking in certain facilities that receive federal funds.

Tobacco:

Tobacco-free indoors no use of any tobacco products (including smokeless tobacco) or electronic cigarettes in any indoor facilities under the control of the applicant.

Tobacco-free indoors and in adjacent outdoor areas no use of any tobacco products or electronic cigarettes in any indoor facilities, within 50 feet of doorways and air intake ducts, and in courtyards under the control of the applicant.

Tobacco-free campus no use of any tobacco products or electronic cigarettes in any indoor facilities and anywhere on grounds or in outdoor space under the control of the applicant.

Nutrition:

Healthy food service guidelines that at a minimum align with Health and Human Services and General Services Administration Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations for cafeterias, snack bars, and vending machines in any facility under the control of the recipient organization and in accordance with contractual obligations for these services. The following are resources for healthy eating and tobacco free workplaces:

http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/Guidelines_for_Federal_Concessions_and_Vending_Operations.pdfhttp://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/toolkits/tobacco/index.htmhttp://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/guidelines/food-service-guidelines.htm

Applicants should state whether they choose to participate in implementing these two optional policies. However, no applicants will be evaluated or scored on whether they choose to participate in implementing these optional policies.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local Governments are eligible to apply), and other HHS, PHS, and CDC grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which CDC NIOSH substantial programmatic or scientific involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the HHS/CDC purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; CDC Project Officer is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in planning and implementation activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardees for the project as a whole including steering and reporting elements, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and CDC NIOSH personnel as defined below.

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for the following:

• Awardees will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and CDC policies
• Overall direction and steering of the planning and organizing decision making process in cooperation with the project planning group
• Facilitating and negotiating topics (e.g., intellectual properties, authorship, appointment of sub group leaders, if needed, selection of keynote or invited speaker, identification of possible professional or financial conflict for members for public-intended materials or resources funded through the cooperative agreement, etc.)
• Grant management of sub awards (i.e., execute the intent of the HHS Grants Policy Statement) including the scheduling and conduct of key meetings and action items, when applicable
• When appropriate, review, signature and co-execution of federal co sponsorship agreement
• Comply with all cooperative agreement terms and conditions of award and other grant regulations including reporting to CDC PGO and NIOSH OEP

CDC NIOSH staff may have substantial programmatic or scientific involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

• Nomination and participation in the meeting planning committee
• Review and comment for draft and final version meeting agenda, program booklet, outputs/products
• Participate in negotiations involving NIOSH co authorship and related topics
• Submission and co selection of NIOSH-authored presentations and manuscripts in support of a conference proceeding or journal special edition
• Keeping the NIOSH Extramural Office apprised of key developments, issues, planned site visit, etc. in cooperation with the Principal Investigator
• When appropriate, plan, draft and submit and execute a federal co sponsorship agreement in accordance with CDC conference approval policy
• NIOSH Extramural Scientific Program Official will be responsible for normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice. Further involvement may increase, as appropriate

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

• Participation in joint meetings, teleconferences, webinars, etc.
• Adherence to planning schedules and timelines
• Constructive collaboration and cooperation for agree to joint publication and other materials
• Timely exchange of key planning and other information that would have a major impact on the project and its timeline
• Communication for scientific integrity, conflicts of interest, public health ethics or project financial integrity. Completing a co sponsorship agreement, as appropriate and required by CDC
• Cooperation regarding NIOSH clearance of materials or recommendations, as appropriate
• Complete and submit after-conference data and information in accordance with CDC conference policy.
• Submit data for CDC conference approval or annual reporting

Awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

A final progress report, invention statement, equipment inventory list and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

Although the financial plans of the HHS/CDC CIO(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity depend upon 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.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later.

Compliance with this law is primarily the responsibility of the Federal agency. However, two elements of the law require information to be collected and reported by recipients: 1) information on executive compensation when not already reported through the Central Contractor Registry; and 2) similar information on all sub-awards/subcontracts/consortiums over $25,000. It is a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable CDC grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the HHS Grants Policy Statement (http://www.hhs.gov/asfr/ogapa/aboutog/hhsgps107.pdf) for additional information on this reporting requirement.

Submission of Reports

The Recipient Organization must provide HHS/CDC with an original, plus one hard copy of the following reports:

Yearly Non-Competing Grant Progress Report, (for multi-year awards) Form PHS 2590, posted on the HHS/CDC website, http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/forms.htm and at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm, is due 90 to 120 days prior to the end of the current budget period. The progress report will serve as the non-competing continuation application. Although the financial plans of the HHS/CDC CIO(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon 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.

Annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) SF 425 is required and must be submitted through eRA Commons within 90 days after the end of each budget period.

A final progress report, invention statement, equipment/inventory report , and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report (FFR) Standard Form ( SF ) 425 Form are required within 90 days of the end of the project period.

Content of Reports

Yearly Non-Competing Grant Progress Report: The grantee’s continuation application/progress report should include:

Description of Progress during Annual Budget Period: Current Budget Period Progress reported on the PHS 2590 (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm: Detailed narrative report for the current budget period that directly addresses progress towards the Measures of Effectiveness included in the current budget period proposal.

Research Aims: list each research aim/project

Research Aim/Project: purpose, status (met, ongoing, and unmet), challenges, successes, and lessons learned

Leadership/Partnership: list project collaborations and describe the role of external partners.

Translation of Research. When relevant to the goals of the research project, the PI should describe how the significant findings may be used to promote, enhance, or advance translation of the research to policy or practice. This section should be understandable to a variety of audiences, including policy makers, practitioners, public health programs, healthcare institutions, professional organizations, community groups, researchers, and other potential users. The PI should identify the research findings that were translated into public health policy or practice and how the findings have been or may be adopted in public health settings. Or, if they cannot be applied yet, this section should address which research findings may be translated, how these findings can guide future research or related activities, and recommendations for translation. If relevant, describe how the results of this project could be generalized to populations and communities outside of the study. Questions to consider in preparing this section include:

How will the scientific findings be translated into occupational public health policy or practice?

How will the project improve or effect the translation of research findings into policy or practice?

How will the research findings help promote or accelerate the dissemination, implementation, or diffusion of improvements in public health programs or practices?

How will the findings advance or guide future research efforts or related activities?

Public Health Relevance and Impact (1 page maximum). This section should address improvements in public health as measured by documented or anticipated outcomes from the project. The PI should consider how the findings of the project relate beyond the immediate study to improved practices, prevention or intervention techniques, policy, or use of technology in public health. Questions to consider in preparing this section include:

How will this project lead to improvements in public health?

How will the findings, results, or recommendations been used to influence practices, procedures, methodologies, etc.?

How will the findings, results, or recommendations contributed to documented or projected reductions in morbidity, mortality, injury, disability, or disease?

Current Budget Period Financial Progress: Status of obligation of current budget period funds and an estimate of unobligated funds projected provided on an estimated FFR.

New Budget Period Proposal:

• Detailed operational plan for continuing activities in the upcoming budget period, including updated Measures of Effectiveness for evaluating progress during the upcoming budget period. Report listed by Research Aim/Project.
• Project Timeline: Include planned milestones for the upcoming year (be specific and provide deadlines).
• New Budget Period Budget: Detailed line-item budget and budget justification for the new budget period. Use the CDC budget guideline format.
• Publications/Presentations: Include publications/presentations resulting from this CDC grant only during this budget period. If no publication or presentations have been made at this stage in the project, simply indicate Not applicable: No publications or presentations have been made.
• IRB Approval Certification: Include all current IRB approvals to avoid a funding restriction on your award. If the research does not involve human subjects, then please state so. Please provide a copy of the most recent local IRB and CDC IRB, if applicable. If any approval is still pending at time of APR due date, indicate the status in your narrative.

Annual Federal Financial Reporting

The Annual Federal Financial Report (FFR) SF 425 is required and must be submitted through eRA Commons within 90 days after the end of each budget period. The FFR should only include those funds authorized and disbursed during the timeframe covered by the report. The final FFR must indicate the exact balance of unobligated funds and may not reflect any unliquidated obligations. There must be no discrepancies between the final FFR expenditure data and the Payment Management System's (PMS) cash transaction data.

Failure to submit the required information in a timely manner may adversely affect the future funding of this project. If the information cannot be provided by the due date, you are required to submit a letter explaining the reason and date by which the Grants Officer will receive the information. All CDC Financial Expenditure data due on/after October 1, 2012 must be submitted using the FFR via the eFSR/FFR system in the eRA Commons. All Federal Reporting in the Payment Management System is unchanged. All new submissions should be prepared and submitted as FFRs.

CDC’s implementation of the FFR retains a financial reporting period that coincides with the budget period of a particular project. However, the due date for annual FFRs will be 90 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the budget period ends. Note that this is a change in due dates of annual FFRs and may provide up to 60 additional days to report, depending upon when the budget period end date falls within a calendar quarter. For example, if the budget period ends 1/30/2012, the annual FFR is due 6/30/2012 (90 days after the end of the calendar quarter of 3/31/2012). Due dates of final reports will remain unchanged. The due date for final FFRs will continue to be 90 days after the project period end date.

Grantees must submit closeout reports in a timely manner. Unless the Grants Management Officer (GMO) of the awarding Institute or Center approves an extension, grantees must submit a final FFR, final progress report, and Final Invention Statement and Certification within 90 days of the end of grant period. Failure to submit timely and accurate final reports may affect future funding to the organization or awards under the direction of the same Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI).

FFR (SF 424) instructions for CDC grantees are now available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm. For further information, contact GrantsInfo@nih.gov. Additional resources concerning the eFSR/FFR system, including a User Guide and an on-line demonstration, can be found on the eRA Commons Support Page: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/eramain.shtm.

FFR Submission: The submission of FFRs to CDC will require organizations to register with eRA Commons (Commons) (https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/). CDC recommends that this one time registration process be completed at least 2 weeks prior to the submittal date of a FFR submission.

Organizations may verify their current registration status by running the List of Commons Registered Organizations query found at: http://era.nih.gov/commons/. Organizations not yet registered can go to https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/registration/registrationInstructions.jsp for instructions. It generally takes several days to complete this registration process. This registration is independent of Grants.gov and may be done at any time.

The individual designated as the PI on the application must also be registered in the Commons. The PI must hold a PI account and be affiliated with the applicant organization. This registration must be done by an organizational official or their delegate who is already registered in the Commons. To register PIs in the Commons, refer to the eRA Commons User Guide found at: http://era.nih.gov/commons/index.cfm.

Final Reports: Final reports should provide sufficient detail for CDC to determine if the stated outcomes for the funded research have been achieved and if the research findings resulted in public health impact based on the investment. The grantee’s final report should include:

Research Aim/Project Overview: The PI should describe the purpose and approach to the project, including the outcomes, methodology and related analyses. Include a discussion of the challenges, successes and lessons learned. Describe the collaborations/partnerships and the role of each external partner.

Translation of Research Findings: The PI should describe how the findings will be translated and how they will be used to promote, enhance or advance the research findings and the impact on public health policy and practice. This section should be understandable to a variety of audiences, including policy makers, practitioners, public health programs, healthcare institutions, professional organizations, community groups, researchers and other potential end users. The PI should also provide a discussion of any research findings that influenced policy or practice during the course of the project period. If applicable, describe how the findings could be generalized and scaled to populations and communities outside of the funded project.

Public Health Relevance and Impact: This section should address improvements in public health as measured by documented or anticipated outcomes from the project. The PI should consider how the findings of the project related beyond the immediate study to improved practices, prevention or intervention techniques, policy, and technology or systems improvement in public health.

Publications; Presentations; Media Coverage: Include information regarding all publications, presentations or media coverage resulting from this CDC funded activity. Please include any additional dissemination efforts that did or will result from the project.

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

Finding Help Online: https://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html

TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: commons@od.nih.gov

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages)
Contact CenterTelephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

Joan F. Karr, PhD
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Phone: 404-498-2506
Email: JKarr@cdc.gov

Price Connor, Ph.D.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Telephone: 404-498-2511
Email: PConnor@cdc.gov

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Peter E. Grandillo Jr., MBA, CGMS, GMC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Telephone: 412.386.6834
Email: PGrandillo@CDC.gov

All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency Review. Awards are made under the authorization of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 20(a) and 21(a) (29 USC 669(a) and 29 USC 670); Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, Section 501(a), 30 USC 951(a); Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.