RFA-LM-01-002: INTERNET CONNECTION FOR HEALTH-RELATED INSTITUTIONS

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)

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INTERNET CONNECTION FOR HEALTH-RELATED INSTITUTIONS Release Date: April 27, 2001 RFA: RFA-LM-01-002 National Library of Medicine Letter of Intent Receipt Date: May 25, 2001 Application Receipt Date: June 22, 2001 PURPOSE The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is offering grants to health- related institutions that wish to provide Internet access to the professionals and clients of their organization. Internet access provides health professionals and consumers with a means of accessing the medical literature provided by NLM and other databases, of transferring files and images, and of interacting by e-mail with others throughout the world. NLM’s Internet Connection program was created in recognition that many health-related organizations, particularly smaller ones and those in rural and/or urban health-underserved areas, lack resources to initiate Internet access even at a time when such access is available to most. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This Request for Applications (RFA), Internet Connection for Health Institutions , is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/ ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS U.S. public and private, non-profit institutions engaged in health administration, education, research, promotion and/or clinical care are eligible to apply. Health-related includes medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and other activities related to the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of disease. Hospitals, clinics, community health centers, libraries, public health facilities, units of state and local governments are some examples of eligible organizations. NLM expects that many of the applications will come from institutions that serve rural, inner city or other under- served areas. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply.as Principal Investigators for these projects. Groups (or cooperatives) of health-related institutions are also eligible to apply. A single, lead institution must apply on behalf of the group. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT This RFA uses the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Resource Grant (G08) mechanism. Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs are not provided. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed one year. For a single institution, support is available up to $30,000, a group of institutions may receive up to $50,000 to support development of a multi-institution. This RFA is a one-time solicitation issued as a complement to Program Announcement PAR 97-023, entitled NLM Internet Connection . The anticipated award date is September 28, 2001. FUNDS AVAILABLE Funds available for this RFA are approximately $600,000. The number of awards to be made is estimated to be approximately fifteen. Although the financial plans of the NLM provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Although applications for Internet Connection grants are also accepted at the usual submission deadlines for new grants listed at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/dates.htm, applicants interested in these grants are strongly advised to respond to this RFA. OBJECTIVES Background The Internet has become an essential infrastructure in the health environment. It provides an abundance of resources such as: communication services including electronic mail and discussion groups, direct access to scientific and health-related information resources, including digital libraries, MEDLINE via PubMed, and a host of federal and private sector databases, direct tele-health services, and access to supercomputers and remote scientific sensing instruments. Despite its promise as a tool for improving health, the Internet has not been adopted as quickly in health-related organizations as it has in other industries. NLM encourages all varieties of health institutions to use the Internet to gain access to these rich resources, and to one another. Scope The purpose of this RFA is to encourage U.S. health institutions to connect to the Internet. NLM Internet Connection grants can be utilized for any of several related purposes: o Installation of an Internet connection where none now exists. o Extension to other organizations from an institution with an existing connection. o Broadening access within an institution whose existing Internet connection has limited access. Some institutions may belong to organizations that are already connected to the Internet, in such a case, the NLM grant can be used to link a health entity to an existing Internet connection. In other cases, the project will aid the institution in initiating a direct connection to the Internet Service Provider. The NLM Internet Connection grant supports the purchase and installation of equipment and services for connectivity to the Internet, including: gateway system and associated connection and security hardware, the cost of installation and leasing of communication circuits such as leased lines to connect to an Internet Service Provider, and the cost of Internet Service Provider fees during the grant period. The bandwidth selected for connection to the Internet Service Provider is a matter of judgment for each applicant. However, applicants are reminded that broader bandwidths will be more costly to maintain over the years, and should be justified by the intended use. Proposals for wireless connection will be considered for areas where other forms of Internet connectivity are less feasible. Institutions are expected to fund personnel and personal computers. Costs for website development and end-user devices will not be covered by these grants. In general, it is expected that institutions already have a local area network or will use their own funds to install a local area network to distribute wide access to the Internet within their organization. . Grant funds can be used to help local area network development only in unusual circumstances for which a strong justification can be furnished. A local area network is connected to the Internet by installing an IP router/gateway. This gateway will link the local area network to an appropriate Internet Service Provider by means of leased or dial-up communication circuits of varying speeds. The resultant connections to the Internet provided by the gateway should be made widely available to all appropriate personnel. Ideally the institution will have installed a high-speed local area network and have adopted TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) as its standard communication protocol. Where other networking protocols are used, the institution will be responsible for the installation of any additional network gateway systems required to resolve the protocol conversion issues so as to provide connectivity to the Internet gateway. URLS IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site. LETTER OF INTENT Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by May 25, 2001, a letter of intent that includes the name, address and telephone number of the Project Director and the number and title of this RFA. The letter of intent is not required, is not binding and does not enter into the review of subsequent applications. However, such a letter is encouraged because the information allows NLM staff to estimate the potential review workload and to plan the review. The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Valerie Florance at the address listed under inquiries. APPLICATION PROCEDURES The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used in applying for these grants. These forms are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/710-0267, email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov. The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the application. In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked. The sample RFA label available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been modified to allow for this change. Please note this is in PDF format. Applications must be received by June 22, 2001. Applications not received as a single package on the receipt date or not conforming to the instructions, including page limitations and font size, contained in PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) will be judged non-responsive and will be returned to the applicant. Suggestions And Guidelines For Completing PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) Applicants should not feel daunted by the emphasis on research in the application form used for Internet Connection grants. It may be useful for an applicant to think "project" whenever the form and instructions refer to "research". Internet Connection grants are projects, not research applications, and applications will be evaluated in that spirit. Proposed uses of the Internet may support administration, education, research, patient care endeavors and health-related community outreach. Applicants are encouraged to include their library in the implementation activities PHS 398 (rev.4/98) contains a number of parts. The following section outlines what is required in the project proposal. For tips on the submission process, visit the Frequently Asked Questions section at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/faq.html. Advice on preparing the project plan is provided in the Toolkit at http://phpartners.org/toolkit.html. a. Specific Aims Clearly state the project’s aims and relate them to the purposes of NLM"s Internet Connection Grant Program as published in this RFA. Make sure to include among the stated objectives the training of users and, if necessary, technical staff. b. Background and Significance State the current situation in terms of unmet needs. Describe the target populations and potential uses for your Internet Connection project, along with your assessment of the project’s impact in terms of types and numbers of users who would benefit from Internet access. Provide this information for each site of a multiple-site application. c. Preliminary Studies/Progress Report Describe the status of the existing local area network (intranet), the kinds of current and future users, and the extent of in-house technical expertise, to demonstrate Internet "readiness . Report accomplishments to date in preparing for Internet connectivity, such as bringing a planning committee together. d. Research Design and Methods For each Specific Aim, explain how it will be achieved. Detail how Internet access will be implemented, that is, what tasks (such as obtaining name domain, assigning passwords, converting to TCP/IP) will be performed, who will perform them. Address each of the review criteria listed in the next section of this RFA. The application must include a timetable for the training and implementation tasks. e. and f. Not applicable g. Literature Cited As appropriate, include some references for Internet use that support your goals. h. Consortium/Contractual Arrangements A Memorandum of Understanding is acceptable to define responsibilities of unaffiliated institutions participating in the Internet connection project. i. Consultants If consultants will be used, attach letters confirming their participation. j. Future Support Describe plans for financing Internet connection after NLM grant support ends. Estimate ongoing annual costs. Include commitment letter from administrator at each participating institution. Form Pages AA-HH: In addition to the project proposal outlined above, PHS 398 requires information about the applicant and project participants. Detailed instructions are provided with the application form. The following sections of PHS 398 should be tailored to the Internet Connection Grant as indicated. Form Page DD Though project personnel are not funded on Internet Connection grants, include their names and percentage of effort that will be contributed to the Internet Connection project. Across the budget columns type Contributed". Form Page EE For "Justification" describe role of all project personnel. If consultants are requested, provide a rationale for their involvement. Also describe equipment requested. Form Page FF In the biographical sketch, include relevant skills of project personnel, such as Internet training, library skills, TCP/IP skills, networking expertise. Form Page HH Complete a copy of this page for each participating site. Delete left margin headings. Provide a description of the institution including numbers and types of potential users. Under "Major Equipment" describe the existing local area network (or Intranet) and indicate the number of personal computers that are connected. Attach a network diagram if one is available. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the Checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in one package to: CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) Applications must be received by the application receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA If an application is received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review. The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of substantial revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must include an introduction addressing the previous critique. At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application should be sent to: Merlyn Rodrigues, M.D., Ph.D. Office of Scientific Review Division of Extramural Programs National Library of Medicine Rockledge One Building, Suite 301 6705 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892 REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the NIH Center for Scientific Review, and for responsiveness by NLM. Incomplete and non-responsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated for scientific merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the NLM in accordance with the review criteria stated below. As part of the merit review, all applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by NLM’s Board of Regents. For more information on peer review and an explanation of priority scores, see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/faq2.html#Peer. REVIEW CRITERIA Standard review criteria for NIH grant applications include: (1) Significance (2) Approach (3) Innovation (4) Investigator (5) Environment Additional Review Considerations The NIH review criteria were developed for biomedical research applications. Because Internet Connection applications are resource projects rather than investigation, NLM has modified its review criteria accordingly. To satisfy NLM’s reviewers, applicants should cover the following points in appropriate sections of the application: o Significance of proposed uses, and the nature of the benefits anticipated from Internet access. The Review Committee will pay particular attention to intended use and perceived value. o Involvement of library staff in Internet training and user assistance. o Extent and kind of local infrastructure, including plans to provide broad internal institutional access once the Internet gateway is installed. o Plan for offering user services and proposed training of new users and, if needed, of technical staff. o Technical expertise in computer networking of existing staff (especially TCP/IP based networking) or plans to provide such expertise including coordination with appropriate Internet service provider. o An explanation of security measures to be taken if the connection will be used to transmit personal health information. o Plans for future support of the network connection once grant funding has ended. o Availability of local Internet service Provider. o Method for assessing successful completion of each specific aim. AWARD CRITERIA Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include: O scientific merit (as determined by peer review) O availability of funds O programmatic priorities SCHEDULE Letter of Intent Receipt Date: May 25, 2001 Application Receipt Date: June 22, 2001 Scientific Peer Review Date: August 2001 Award Date: September 2001 INQUIRIES Written, electronic, and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are welcome. Applicants are encouraged to contact the National Network of Medical Libraries (NN/LM) member in their region to discuss the grant, to request samples of funded Internet Connection Grants, or for a letter of support. Contact information for NN/LM libraries is available at 1-800-338-7657 or at http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/. All applicants, particularly those relatively unfamiliar with the application form and with NIH procedures, should consult NLM staff for assistance as needed. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Dr. Valerie Florance Division of Extramural Programs National Library of Medicine Rockledge One Building, Suite 301 6705 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 594-4882 FAX: (301) 402-2952 Email: floranv@mail.nlm.nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Ms. Arnita Miles Grants Management Specialist Division of Extramural Programs National Library of Medicine Rockledge One Building, Suite 301 6705 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-4221 FAX: (301) 402-0421 Email: milesa@mail.nlm.nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS The Resource Grant Program is described in the "Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance" under Medical Library Assistance, Chapter 93.879. Grants will be awarded under the authority of the Public Health Service Act, Section 474(42 USC 286b-5) and administered under PHS grant policies and Federal Regulations, most specifically at 42 CFR Part 59a and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the inter- governmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

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