Special Projects & Demonstrations for Spinal cord Injuries Program (N)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20202-2575

FY 2007 APPLICATION KIT FOR NEW GRANTS

UNDER

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH

SPINAL CORD INJURY MODEL SYSTEMS

CFDA NUMBER: 84.133N

FORM APPROVED

OMB No. 1820-0027, EXP. DATE 02/28/2007

ED FORM 424, 02/28/2008

DATED MATERIAL - OPEN IMMEDIATELY

CLOSING DATE: XXX X, 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section A Dear Applicant Letter

Section B Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards - CFDA NUMBER: 84.133N-1

Page B-X: Program Requirements

Page B-X: Instructions for Applications

Page B-X: Instructions for Grants.gov

Page B-X: Instructions for Transmitting Paper Copies of the Application

Section C Federal Register Notice Final Priority -- CFDA NUMBER: 84.133N-1

Section D Background Statement

Section E Selection Criteria

SECTION

A

DEAR APPLICANT LETTER

Dear Applicant:

The Secretary invites applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2007 for the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (CFDA 84.133N), authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, to fund demonstration projects that (a) provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to individuals with spinal cord injuries and (b) conduct spinal cord research, including clinical research and analysis of standardized data in collection with other related projects.

Each SCIMS center funded under this program must have a multidisciplinary system for providing rehabilitation services specifically designed to meet the special needs of individuals with SCI. These services include acute care as well as periodic inpatient or outpatient follow-up and vocational services. Centers demonstrate and evaluate existing, new, and improved methods and equipment essential to the care, management, and rehabilitation of individuals with SCI. Centers also demonstrate and evaluate methods of community outreach and education for individuals with SCI in connection with the problems these individuals experience in such areas as housing, transportation, recreation, employment, and community activities. SCIMS centers maintain close working relationships with other governmental and voluntary institutions and organizations to unify and coordinate scientific efforts, encourage joint planning, and promote the interchange of data and reports among SCI researchers.

SCIMS Centers will be funded at varying amounts up to the maximum award based on the numbers of subjects eligible for follow-up in the existing database. Existing centers with significantly larger numbers of subjects will receive higher funding within the specified range, as determined by NIDRR after the applicant is selected for funding. Applicants provide detailed budgets for each research project and for data collection costs associated with the longitudinal database. Funding will be determined individually for each successful applicant, up to the maximum allowed, based upon the documented workload associated with the follow-up data collection, the other costs of the grant, and the overall budgetary limits of the program.

Successful applicants under the SCIMS Centers competition will be invited by letter to apply for funding as a lead center under the SCIMS Multi-Site Research Projects priority. Under this priority, we anticipate funding two collaborative, multi-site research projects in SCI research, with an estimated available funding level of $1.8 million. In addition, $2.66 million is available to support start-up activities associated with mounting these collaborative multi-site research projects.

Page 2 – Dear Applicant

Include a one page abstract. The abstract is a critical component of the proposal, and it should describe the purpose, target population to be served during the project period, planned goals and objectives, innovative strategies utilized, project outcomes, and dissemination.

It is critical that proposals describe expected public benefits, especially benefits for individuals with disabilities and propose projects that are optimally designed to demonstrate outcomes that are consistent with the proposed goals.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

This application kit contains information and the required forms for potential applicants to apply and be considered for a FY 2007 grant award under these competitions, including the published Federal Register notice dated XXday, XXXX, 2007.

Potential applicants are advised to read the materials carefully, particularly the information on the types of organizations that are eligible to apply for these grants, how to prepare an application, the dollar amount for any year, the protection of human subjects, and the appropriate selection criteria (Section E) used by the reviewers to evaluate each application.

These instructions indicate that you can either submit your application electronically through the grants.gov system or you can mail (postmarked) or hand-deliver or by carrier service one original and two copies of your application on or before the application deadline date, to the address list in Section B, Notice Inviting Applications, and Section I - Application Transmittal Instructions. The closing date (application deadline) is XXXday, XXX, 2007.

If you are submitting by paper

Applications must be postmarked by the closing date of XXXday, XXX, 2007, if submitting in paper. Follow the Application Transmittal Instructions for submitting in paper or electronically found in Section I. Please include an electronic copy (disk) with your application. NIDRR would appreciate that you include 9 additional copies of your application to facilitate the peer review process (12 copies in all). In addition, NIDRR requests that you submit a disk copy of your application. Also, we would like to suggest that the original copy of the application be secured with a binder clip in order to facilitate any additional copying that might be required.

Page 3 – Dear Applicant

If you are submitting electronically

We are encouraging you to submit your application electronically. Electronic copies must be uploaded on Grants.gov and then processed by Grants.gov successfully by 4:30 pm, Washington DC time on the closing date. It may take up to several hours for this process. Please allow several hours or a full day because if there is a submission error time will be needed to correct the error and resubmit either electronically or by paper to meet the deadline time and date. For additional information on electronic submission procedures, see the Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants - Section I. A copy of your application must not be emailed directly to the Department only submit it electronically via Grants.gov. We strongly suggest that you carefully check your submission to ensure that you have attached the correct files in the appropriate fields.

We encourage you to read Section I -- Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants 

PROGRAM REGULATIONS

These grants are subject to the requirements of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 97, which set forth general rules affecting the submittal, review, grant award, and post-award administration for Department of Education grant programs.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Pre-Application Meeting: The pre-application meeting will be held on XXXday, XXX, 2007. Interested parties are invited to participate in a pre-application meeting to discuss the funding priority and to receive information and technical assistance through individual consultation. You must contact Donna Nangle in order to participate in this meeting either by conference call or in person at the NIDRR, Potomac Center Plaza, room 6075, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. After the meeting, NIDRR staff also will be available, with prior request, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on that same day to provide information and technical assistance through individual consultation.

If you have any questions about the information in this application packet, please contact Donna Nangle at [email protected] or by telephone at (202) 245-7462. Individuals who use a telecommunications device (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday.

Page 4 – Dear Applicant

If you need help with Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or use the customer support available on the Web site: http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport.

NOTE: Please forward this entire application packet to the individual or office responsible for preparing an application, as they will need the entire packet to complete the grant application.

Thank you for your interest in these programs.

Sincerely,

Steven James Tingus, M.S., C.Phil.

Director,

National Institute on Disability

and Rehabilitation Research

SECTION

B

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE INVITING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW AWARDS

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE INVITING APPLICATIONS (NIA)

HOLDING SPACE

Each NIA includes particular information on the priority. This can include number & amount of award(s); eligibility; indirect cost rate; cost share/matching; how and where to apply.

SECTION

C

FEDERAL REGISTER

FINAL PRIORITY NOTICE

Including the priority for the PRIORITY TITLE

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE OF FINAL PRIORITIES (NFP)

HOLDING SPACE

Each NFP includes particular information on the priority. This includes description of the program; comments/discussion/changes from the Notice of Proposed Priority; and the actual priority.

SECTION

D

BACKGROUND STATEMENT

Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems

Priority Background Statement

FROM THE NOTICE OF PROPOSED PRIORITIES

SECTION

E

SECTION CRITERIA

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Secretary uses the following criteria to evaluate an application from 34 CFR 359.

(a) Project design (20 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) There is a clear description of how the objectives of the project relate to the purpose of the program;

(2) The research is likely to produce new and useful information;

(3) The need and target population are adequately defined;

(4) The outcomes are likely to benefit the defined target population;

(5) The research hypotheses are sound; and

(6) The research methodology is sound in the sample design and selection, the data collection plan, the measurement instruments, and the data analysis plan.

(b) Service comprehensiveness (20 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) The services to be provided within the project are comprehensive in scope, and include emergency medical services, intensive and acute medical care, rehabilitation management, psychosocial and community reintegration, and follow up;

(2) A broad range of vocational and other rehabilitation services will be available to individuals with severe disabilities within the project; and

(3) Services will be coordinated with those services provided by other appropriate community resources.

(c) Plan of operation (15 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) There is an effective plan of operation that ensures proper and efficient administration of the project;

(2) The applicant's planned use of its resources and personnel is likely to achieve each objective;

(3) Collaboration between institutions, if proposed, is likely to be effective;

(4) Participation in the National Spinal Cord Injury Database is clearly and adequately described; and

(5) There is a clear description of how the applicant will include eligible project participants who have been traditionally underrepresented, such as--

(i) Members of racial or ethnic minority groups;

(ii) Women;

(iii) Individuals with disabilities; and

(iv) The elderly.

(d) Quality of key personnel (10 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) The principal investigator and other key staff have adequate training or experience, or both, in spinal cord injury care and rehabilitation and demonstrate appropriate potential to conduct the proposed research, demonstration, training, development, or dissemination activity;

(2) The principal investigator and other key staff are familiar with pertinent literature or methods, or both;

(3) All the disciplines necessary to establish the multidisciplinary system described in Sec. 359.11(a) are effectively represented;

(4) Commitments of staff time are adequate for the project; and

(5) The applicant is likely, as part of its non-discriminatory employment practices, to encourage applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that traditionally have been underrepresented, such as--

(i) Members of racial or ethnic minority groups;

(ii) Women;

(iii) Individuals with disabilities; and

(iv) The elderly.

(e) Adequacy of resources (10 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) The facilities planned for use are adequate;

(2) The equipment and supplies planned for use are adequate; and

(3) The commitment of the applicant to provide administrative and other necessary support is evident.

(f) Budget/cost effectiveness (10 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) The budget for the project is adequate to support the

activities;

(2) The costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the project; and

(3) The budget for subcontracts (if required) is detailed and

appropriate.

(g) Dissemination/utilization (5 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) There is a clearly defined plan for dissemination and

utilization of project findings;

(2) The research results are likely to become available to others working in the field;

(3) The means to disseminate and promote utilization by others are defined; and

(4) The utilization approach is likely to address the defined need.

(h) Evaluation plan (10 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine to what degree--

(1) There is a mechanism to evaluate plans, progress, and results;

(2) The evaluation methods and objectives are likely to produce data that are quantifiable; and

(3) The evaluation results, where relevant, are likely to be assessed in a service setting.