Developing Innovative GastroEnterology Specialty Training (DIGEST) Program POLICIES AND GUIDELINES March 1, 2016
I. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care. The CFF recognizes the growing demand for physicians trained to address the unique gastroenterologic needs of CF patients and the need for a greater GI focus in the clinical research enterprise. To expand the availability of CF-GI experts, the CFF announces the second Developing Innovative GastroEnterology Specialty Training (DIGEST) Program. Accordingly, the CFF releases this Request for Applications (RFA) for training awards to physicians interested in developing expertise in the gastroenterologic care of patients with CF. All awards are subject to the regulations, policies and objectives of CFF governing this form of support and are contingent upon the availability of funds. II. ELIGIBILITY Applicants must be physicians trained in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics with subspecialty training in Gastroenterology. Training and gastroenterologic care of CF patients must be coordinated through one of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited Care Centers or Affiliate programs. A letter of support from the CF Care Center or Affiliate Director AND a letter from the Chief of Gastroenterology must be included. Applicants must be available to attend monthly webinars on the third Thursday of every month from 11 AM-noon (Eastern) and attend a face-to-face meeting in Bethesda, Maryland on Tuesday, June 28 th, 2016, and the annual North American CF Conference (NACFC). The next NACFC is in Orlando, FL October 27-29, 2016. The letter of support from the Division Chief must state this explicitly. III. SUBMISSION INFORMATION APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 25, 2016 at 5:00pm (Eastern) Online submission at ProposalCENTRAL: https://proposalcentral.altum.com/. CFF reviews applications electronically, and only the documents submitted online will be reviewed. The Face Page (system-generated upon submission of the application) must be signed and emailed to grants@cff.org by the same deadline. Late applications will not be accepted. General Timeline Application Deadline..April 25, 2016 Review by CF Foundation May 2016 Applicant Notified.. End of May Start Date...June 15, 2016 DIGEST Meeting in Bethesda, MD June 28, 2016 IV. REQUIREMENTS Training and gastroenterologic care of CF patients must be coordinated through one of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited Care Centers or Affiliate programs. A letter of support from the CF Care Center or Affiliate Director AND a letter from the Chief of Gastroenterology must be included. 2
The CF Care Center Director or Affiliate Director s letter must affirm that the applicant will be integrated into the CF Center Care Program and attend CF clinic on a regular basis. The Division Chief s letter must affirm the applicant s availability for DIGEST webinars and meeting, and the annual North American CF Conference. Please see list below for summarized requirements. 1. In person meetings: in June 2016 for the initial launch with annual meetings at NACFC (or NASPGHAN depending on overlap). 2. Webinars, the third Thursday of every month from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, eastern. 3. CF clinic participation including weekly CF center patient reviews if applicable. 4. Scholarly project during the 3 year award which can include a chapter or article review, or research. 5. Interaction quarterly with assigned senior DIGEST mentor. This can include clinical and/or research discussions and should focus not only on what is working but importantly, what issues the DIGEST awardee needs help with to maximize the experience in this program. 6. Planning for how CF contribution will continue after the 3 year award e.g. designated clinic, research efforts through grant applications, etc. 7. Annual Progress Report. V. BUDGET Up to $30,000 per year may be requested for salary support and for travel to the DIGEST meeting on June 28, 2016 in Bethesda, MD and the annual North American CF Conference, October 27-29 in Orlando, FL https://www.nacfconference.org/about.html. Indirect costs of 8% are allowed. Payments are made quarterly to the sponsoring institution and not to the individual grantee. Payments are subject to various contingencies, such as signed assurances, progress reports, and financial reports. VI. REVIEW AND AWARD The DIGEST Application Review Committee will evaluate all applications and make recommendations to CFF and the Board of Trustees for final approval and funding. CFF considers the availability of funds, the priority score awarded each application, and the committee recommendations when determining awards. The following are among the chief causes for assigning low priority scores to applications during review: Insufficient information or documentation Inadequate/no documentation of the necessary skills/training Failure to meet all of the criteria described in the policies and guidelines statement Failure to describe career goals related to a long-term commitment to CF care/research. VII. APPLICATION COMPONENTS Font: Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11 font. Standard Margins. Each section should be numbered individually. Once all documents are uploaded to Proposal Central, the system will compile them into one PDF file in the correct sequence. 3
A. Face Page The Face Page is populated automatically with data entered (applicant s name, institution, title of application, etc.) in the online application. After you hit the Validate button for your completed application, you will be able to download the face page. The Face Page must be signed by the Principal Investigator and Authorized Institutional Official. Scan and email the signed Face Page to grants@cff.org by the deadline. No hardcopy is required. B. Budget Details Personnel Salary support and fringe benefits for the applicant. Travel Awardees are required to attend the DIGEST meeting in Bethesda on June 28, 2016 and the annual North American CF Conference (NACFC) October 27-29 in Orlando, FL. Up to $3,000 may be requested for related travel costs. Total - $30,000 (Direct Costs), plus 8% Indirect Costs. C. Biographical Sketch and Other Support The applicant s biographical sketch must be attached (maximum length: 2 pages). Clearly identify the results of past CFF support (if any) such as subsequent funding from other sources, journal articles, and invited presentations. List publications and mark in bold those related to CF. You may use an NIH Biosketch. List all other support. The NIH Other Support Form may be used. D. Description of Previous Training/Personal Statement Provide a brief description (not exceeding 2 pages) of previous clinical training and a summary of future plans. This section should note previous and anticipated involvement with care of adult cystic fibrosis patients and participation in clinical or basic research. The personal statement should include descriptions of the following: Area(s) of focus in gastroenterology and interest in CF Opportunity to see CF patients clinically and involvement with the CF Center Current clinical and research obligations and how you see clinical care of CF patients fitting into your current obligations Career goals related to a long-term commitment to CF research and care. E. Proposed Mentoring Plan This section should be completed in conjunction with the CF Care Center or Affiliate Director. It should outline the plan for mentoring the applicant in the gastroenterologic care of patients outside of the DIGEST curriculum (not exceeding 2 pages). Participation in local CF Center teaching activities, care conferences, quality improvement activities, attendance at the annual North American CF Conference and any other mentoring activities should be included. F. Letters of Support A letter of support from the CF Care Center or Affiliate Director and another from the Gastroenterology Division Chief must be submitted. The application will not be considered without these letters. 4
Letters of reference are encouraged but optional from individuals who familiar with the applicant s prior work record, interests and abilities. Complete Section 6, Letters of Reference early. Enter the names and email addresses of the Director and Division Chief, and of your referee(s). A system-generated email will request each to submit a letter of support/reference online and provide instructions. All letters must be uploaded at Proposal Central by each of those individuals, preferably a week before the deadline. These letters must be already uploaded at the time you submit the application. VIII. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES DEADLINE: APRIL 25, 2016 by 5:00pm (Eastern) Applications must be submitted online at ProposalCENTRAL: https://proposalcentral.altum.com/. Email the signed Face Page to grants@cff.org by the same date. Register at Proposal Central if you have not already done so. If you have registered already, and cannot remember your password, click on the Forgot Password button. Funding opportunities, including this, are listed on the opening screen, but you must be logged in first to see the APPLY NOW button appear next to the program name. Click on that button to begin. Instructions and templates are provided for review/download in related sections of the application. If you need tech support, please use the contact information that is repeated on each screen. You may stop at any point, each time remembering to SAVE your entries, and continue/revise until you have actually hit the SUBMIT button. When you log in again to continue, click on the blue tab, Manage Proposals, and then the Edit button next to your application s title. If you wish to designate access to another registered individual, such as an assistant, do so in Section 3, Enable Other Users to Access This Proposal. Enter the full name and email address and in the Permissions column, then use the pulldown menu to select the type of access you wish to give. An application will be considered incomplete if it fails to comply with instructions, or if the submitted material is insufficient to permit adequate review. CFF reviews applications electronically, and only documents submitted online at Proposal Central will be reviewed. Late applications will not be accepted, and the deadline will not be waived. Upon validating your application, follow the prompts to print the system-generated face page. Please hit the SUBMIT key to complete the application process. Sign, scan and email the Face Page to grants@cff.org by the deadline date. You will receive an email from Proposal Central, not CFF, to confirm that your application has 5
been successfully uploaded. This email will be your only acknowledgment. If you do not receive it, please contact ProposalCENTRAL to assist you to make sure the application is properly submitted. For technical support: Proposal CENTRAL at pcsupport@altum.com or 800-875-2562 on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) For program/content information: CFF Grants & Contracts at grants@cff.org or 301-841-2637. 6