Call for Concept Papers for Research Projects for forthcoming Injury Control Research Center (ICRC) application Purpose & Overview: CDC has announced that, in early 2018, they will release a funding request for Injury Control Research Center (ICRC) applications (see Appendix). In response to this upcoming funding request (RFA-CE-19-001), the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center will submit a proposal for ongoing funding as a CDC Injury Control Research Center. The purpose of this call is to request ideas for small to medium size research projects for inclusion in this center application. CDC permits only one ICRC center application per university. Specifically, we invite UNC-Chapel Hill researchers, and researchers at university and non-university research institutions based in North Carolina, to submit brief concept papers for small to medium size research studies to be included in our center application. Studies should be focused on injury and violence prevention. Preference will be given to concept briefs that address the Research Priorities listed below. Using a peer-review process, the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center will select up to four concept briefs for further development into full proposals. Full proposals will be included in the forthcoming renewal application of the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center for funding as an CDC Injury Control Research Center (ICRC) in response to upcoming RFA-CE-19-001. Submit Concept papers to smarshall@unc.edu by February 12 th, 2018. The subject line of your email should be ICRC Concept Brief. We are issuing this call for project concepts in advance of CDC s release of the request for ICRC applications (upcoming RFA-CE-19-001) to ensure time for development of a highly-competitive center application that includes outstanding project proposals. General Guideline for a Successful ICRC Project: Our general guidance for a successful ICRC project is R01 Significance on a R03 Budget. Thus, based on prior experience, we are particularly interested in receiving concept proposals from well-established investigators for projects that extend, or use methods, tools, or data from, prior research studies. Prior research studies may be recently-completed, in progress, or utilize current or legacy data. For example, an ICRC project may: Adapt existing research or intervention methodologies from another health problem to an injury/violence topic Add an injury/violence outcome to an existing prospective study, randomized trial, or other intervention project that was originally designed to address another health endpoint Extend the scientific scope of prior funded injury/violence project, for example, by developing, testing, or disseminating a policy or practice intervention Repeat a prior survey in order to track progress over time against pre-existing data ICRC research projects need to have strong potential for public health impact by preventing and/or mitigating the impact of injury and violence. Examples of public health impact include potential translation of future research findings into policy or practice, dissemination of a scalable intervention that is to be tested by the project, or evaluation of a policy change such as state legislation. Projects that involve productive multidisciplinary research teams are strongly encouraged. What are Injury Control Research Centers (ICRCs)? ICRCs are CDC-funded academic research centers with three functions: 1) Research: ICRCs conduct and publish cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research on the causes, outcomes, and prevention of injuries and violence. 2) Outreach: ICRCs work with state agencies and local communities to ensure that injury/violence research is translated into prevention activities by providing technical assistance to translate and disseminate research findings, and to facilitate evidence-informed policy, practice and programs. 3) Training: ICRCs play a critical role in training and mentoring the next generation of injury/violence researchers and public health professionals. 1
Nationally, there are ten CDC-funded ICRCs, including the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center. UNC IPRC has been continuously funded by CDC since the inception of the ICRC program, thirty years ago. CDC is forecasting that they will make eight ICRC awards nationally in the next cycle. What are the Probable Constraints on Project Budget and Duration? The details of CDC s forthcoming request for ICRC applications (upcoming RFA-CE-19-001) won t be known until the FOA is released. Based on prior requests for ICRC applications, we project that research projects will have a total budget (both direct and indirect cost) of between $150,000 and $250,000 per year. As a general rule, direct costs per project will be in the range of $100,000 to $160,000 per year. The project period will likely be two to four years. These details are very much subject to change, pending public release of RFA-CE-19-001 for ICRC applications. The earliest start date for projects will be August 1, 2019. Some projects may have a later start date, as ICRCs have a 5-year budget cycle. Key Dates: Submit Concept paper to smarshall@unc.edu 02/12/2018* Response from IPRC to PI 02/28/2018 Estimated Date for Submission of ICRC proposal to CDC* 08/31/2018** Earliest Possible Project Start Date 08/01/2019 *We may continue to accept concept papers after this date. Contact us if you desire an extension. **Date is a rough estimate and is subject to change Our experience suggests that projects with an established base of preliminary research, including empirical evidence of project feasibility, is an important element of successfully competing for the renewal of an ICRC center. Principal Investigators whose concept papers are selected for development into full proposals will have full access to the resources of the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center to conduct feasibility pilots and develop their full proposals. Resources include experienced research staff, statisticians, graphic designers, editors, and mock reviewers. What are UNC IPRC s Research Priorities? Concept papers may focus on any issue relevant to either violence or unintentional injury in human populations. Topics of particular interest to UNC IPRC include: 1. Violence Prevention, including child abuse and neglect (child maltreatment), intimate partner ( domestic ) violence, bullying, school-based violence, sexual violence and assault, suicide and self-harm, teen dating violence, violence involving the use of firearms and other means of lethal force, domestic and global terrorism, and self-radicalization. We are particularly interested in interventions that address cross-cutting risk and protective factors that influence multiple types of violence, and in the relationship among different types of violence. 2. Opioid Addiction and Overdose, including innovative studies utilizing existing healthcare records (particularly in combination with other data sources), evaluations of state programs and state laws, establishing or accessing new databases to facilitate research, community-based and clinical strategies for preventing opioid overdose, strategies for optimizing overdose response (including distribution of reversal agents such as naloxone and programs that link reversals to substance abuse treatment), optimizing access to, and the effect of, substance abuse treatment, strategies to limit access to opioids, strategies to improve the health of drug users (injecting and non-injecting), and managed care strategies such as lock-in programs and counselling. 3. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), including novel and innovative studies addressing concussion and mild TBI, severe TBI, concussion in youth sports, behavioral and cultural determinants of concussion disclosure and care-seeking, changing the culture around concussion identification and disclosure, long-term outcomes, clinical diagnosis and management. 4. Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries, including studies that bring a novel and interdisciplinary approaches to child passenger safety, seat belt use, impaired driving, phone use and other distracted driving, pedestrian safety, teen drivers, and older adult drivers. 2
Within each of the above areas, IPRC has interests in a) systems science and systems perspectives, b) translational research, and c) policy research. These terms are defined below: a) Systems Science and Systems Perspectives: Research projects that utilize systems perspectives and/or systems science tools. Systems science is an interdisciplinary field that examines the nature of systems from a holistic perspective. Systems science allows researchers to study complex interactions between actors within a system, and to study the behavior of systems that are dynamic and changing over time. Of particular interest are models of complex dynamic systems to inform or evaluate policy decisions relevant to injury/violence science, or that generally advances injury/violence research through the use of systems perspectives and concepts. b) Translational Research: To make an impact on the public s health, evidence-based interventions must be disseminated broadly, supported by training and technical assistance, adopted widely, and implemented as designed. Many effective injury prevention interventions have been identified but too few have gained wide community acceptance and little is known about the best ways to encourage their broader use. Translational research includes: (a) translating an efficacious intervention into a practical prevention program; (b) building capacity to promote dissemination and use; (c) understanding strategies to support successful adoption and implementation; and (d) disseminating an effective intervention widely, based on known properties of the delivery channels and the intervention users or intended recipients. c) Policy Research: Policy provides an organizing structure for collective and individual behavior changes to improve public health. It may be defined as a legislative or regulatory action taken by federal, state, city, or local governments, government agencies, or non-governmental organizations such as schools or corporations. Policy may be conceptualized at three levels: (a) formal written codes, regulations, or decisions bearing legal authority, (b) written standards that guide choices, (c) unwritten social norms that influence behavior. Policy research includes those studies that focus on identifying relevant policies, the determinants of establishing policy, the process of developing and implementing policy, and the outcomes of policies once they are implemented. What is the Format for the Concept Briefs? Concept briefs should between 3 and 5 pages in length, and should follow the format below: Component Description Suggested Length Title Name of project 1 sentence Summary Thumbnail overview 2-5 sentences PI & Research Team Names, Departments As needed Area of Focus and What is the injury problem you are addressing; why is ½ page Significance it important? Brief Specific Aims What the Project will do ½ page Prior Research How this Project builds on prior work (if applicable) ½ page Overview of Strategy Overview of key methodologic elements. Be upfront ½ to 1.5 pages & Approach about project limitations. Public Health Impact Potential of the project to lead to prevention ¼ to ½ page In addition, include a Biosketch for the PI. You can also include Biosketches for other key members of the research team. Biosketch(es) can be in any format. Submit Concept papers to smarshall@unc.edu by February 12 th, 2018. The subject line of the email should be ICRC Concept Brief. Who is Eligible? The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a faculty member at UNC-CH, or hold a comparable appointment at a research university or research institution in North Carolina. Our experience is that ICRC review panels tend to place considerable emphasis on 1) an existing body of relevant prior research and 2) a strong track record of publications in relevant area(s). We strongly 3
support the development of junior faculty with interests in injury/violence prevention; however, we caution that junior investigators who have not been a PI on a federal grant will need to include a senior-level investigator as a member of their research team. A senior mentor is not required for the concept brief. Will UNC IPRC provide Pilot Funds for the Selected Projects? As needed, UNC IPRC may support limited pilot feasibility work for the selected projects during CY2018. Where I get some more guidance? Investigators are strongly encouraged to communicate with Drs. Marshall and Moracco as they develop their concept briefs. Please contact either: Steve Marshall, PhD Director, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, CB #: 7505 Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Email: smarshall@unc.edu Or Beth Moracco, PhD MPH Associate Director, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, CB #: 7505 Research Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior Email: moracco@email.unc.edu What is UNC IPRC s Internal Scientific & Programmatic Review Process? Each project proposal will be evaluated by a Review Committee of IPRC-affiliated independent researchers. Review criteria will include scientific quality, potential to be developed into a larger project, relevance for the field of injury and violence prevention, and qualifications of the research team. We will also assess programmatic fit with 1) the five Research Priorities areas (Violence Prevention, Opioid Addiction and Overdose, Traumatic Brain Injury, Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries, and Systems Science and Perspectives); and 2) whether the project addresses a component of systems, translational or policy research. The Review Committee will evaluate the applications using a process modeled after NIH reviews. Each proposal will receive an assessment score, based on modified NIH criteria. Final decisions rest with the IPRC Director and Associate Director. Reviewers will evaluate the following content: 1. Significance 2. Qualifications of the investigator(s), including plans for mentoring 3. Innovation 4. Approach 5. Feasibility 6. Fit with CDC research agenda Is there Potential for Adjustment of Scope & Budget During Project Development? Yes. Preparing a center grant involves many inter-related components, and IPRC leadership may need to adjust scope, budget, timing, and other details of project proposals during proposal development. Some adjustments in scope and/or budget may be needed after CDC releases the request for ICRC applications. What if My Concept Brief isn t Accepted for Development into a Full Proposal? We will provide reviewer feedback and comments. Even if your concept brief isn't a good fit for the ICRC submission, we may be able to suggest other possible avenues for funding. Submission Information: Submit Concept papers to smarshall@unc.edu by February 12 th, 2018. The subject line of the email should be ICRC Concept Brief. We may continue to accept concepts after this deadline. Please request an extension if you need one. 4
Appendix: CDC Forecast for ICRC Applications (information has been edited) RFA-CE-19-001 Injury Control Research Centers Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA Document Type: Opportunity Number: Opportunity Title: Funding Instrument Type: Category of Funding Activity: Grants Notice RFA-CE-19-001 Injury Control Research Centers Cooperative Agreement Health Expected Number of Awards: 8 CFDA Number(s): Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: 93.136 -- Injury Prevention and Control Research and State and Community Based Programs No Description: The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is seeking applications from qualified organizations for Injury Control Research Center (ICRC) grants. These centers will conduct high quality research and help translate scientific discoveries into practice for the prevention and control of fatal and nonfatal injuries and violence that support NCIPC s priorities and mission. ICRCs are expected to blend Outreach, Training and Education, and Research activities into a program to reduce the number, risk, and public health impact of injury and violence in the U.S. The over-arching goals for the NCIPC ICRC program are to: Build the scientific base for the prevention and control of fatal and nonfatal injuries and violence. Integrate, in the context of a national program, professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, medicine, biostatistics, public health, health economics, law, criminal justice, and engineering to perform research and provided technical expertise in order to prevent and control injuries and/or violence more effectively. Encourage investigators to propose research that involves intervention development or translation of effective programs among individuals, organizations, or communities. Provide technical assistance to injury and/or violence prevention and control programs in their geographic region, including other researchers; universities; medical institutions; community groups; state and local government agencies, public health agencies; and policy makers. Act as sources of injury and/or violence prevention and control information for their constituents and stakeholders at the local, state, tribal, national, and global levels. ICRCs are expected to have a high caliber of scientific and technical competency, be forward looking, be innovative, provide regional leadership, and collaborate with stakeholders and community partners (including state and local health agencies and non-profit, community and non-governmental organizations) in the development and delivery of relevant interventions to improve the prevention and control of injuries and/or violence. Center structure should take advantage of diverse scientific resources and focus on local, regional, and national issues. Center functions should include developing holistic approaches that link prevention, intervention, translation, outreach, education, and evaluation. The implementation of innovative, evidence-based solutions that address important injury and/or violence prevention and control problems in a collaborative manner is expected.