Pre-Application Information Webinar for HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HEALthy BCD) Study

HEALthy BCD FOAs

• Q: Can one institution submit multiple applications to either or both Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), provided the PIs are different?
  A: Yes, a single institution can apply to both the single or the linked announcement, provided the PI is different.
• Q: Can an investigator be a PI on more than one application?
  A: An investigator can be a PI, or multi-PI (MPI) on one application and a collaborator or co-I on another application but cannot be PI or MPI on two or more applications.
• Q: Can linked applications use the common 11 pages to expand on the expertise of a single site?
  A: No, the common part of the application (11 pages) must be identical for all linked applications.  The expertise of a single site is to be described on the 12th page of the application.
• Q:  Will linked applications receive the same score?
  A:  No, each application will receive an independent score based on the specifics of the individual application.
• Q:  Is there a limit to the number of linked applications that can be submitted.
  A:  No, there is no limit.
• Q:  What is meant by "postnatal" exposure to opiates etc. - through breastmilk? Other kinds of direct exposure? Or indirect exposure to parental use of substances?
  A:  Post-natal exposure can include breastmilk, secondhand exposure, as well as the environment where the drugs are being used.
• Q:  What is the lowest acceptable threshold of time/effort of the primary investigator?
  A:  No minimum effort is stated on the RFAs.  It is expected that reviewers will assess if effort is sufficient for the work proposed.    
• Q:  Will the same reviewers review each linked application or will linked applications be reviewed by different reviewers?
  A:  Applications will be reviewed through assignment to the reviewers with the appropriate expertise.  It is possible that some linked applications will be reviewed by the same reviewers and some will not.  
• Q:  Is this RFA connected to the NICHD HEAL Initiative: Antenatal Opioid Exposure Longitudinal Study Consortium (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-19-025.html)?
  A:   No.  These are distinct funding opportunities. Applicants may apply to either or both RFAs.   However, NIH will be interested in harmonizing measures with the NICHD and other large cohort studies (e.g., ECHO: https://www.nih.gov/research-training/environmental-influences-child-health-outcomes-echo-program) for the Phase II HBCD project.  
• Q:  For the planning grant, is it OK to focus only on selected measures (i.e., not including all domains described) - would that lower the scores?
  A:   Yes, it is OK to focus on select measures/domains.  The intent of the RFAs are to address all of the areas identified in the funding announcement, but a single application does not need to do so. 
• Q:  Is each site of a linked application to receive $225K/year in direct cost budget?
  A:  Each award is capped at $225,000 in direct costs per year. The period of performance for the planning phase (Phase I) will be 18 months, so the maximum allowable direct costs for the -02 year (6 months) would be $112,500. 
• Q:  Could we include preliminary data to demonstrate expertise in the 11-common section pages for linked applications?
  A:  Preliminary data can be included to demonstrate expertise, but the focus of the application is on planning with an emphasis on the areas identified in the RFA.
• Q:  Can linked applications be from the same geographic catchment area, such that one site will focus on recruitment and the other on imaging?
  A:  Yes.