Program for Adult Care Excellence (PACE) Policies and Guidelines March 9, 2016
PROGRAM FOR ADULT CARE EXCELLENCE (PACE) I. POLICIES AND GUIDELINES The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 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. As the average life expectancy of patients continues to increase, CFF recognizes the growing demand for physicians trained to address the unique medical needs of adult CF patients and the need for greater participation from adult care programs in the clinical research enterprise. In order to expand the scope of adult care programs by increasing the number of adult caregivers, CFF will recruit another cohort of caregivers to the Program for Adult Care Excellence (PACE). Accordingly, CFF has released this Request for Applications for PACE training awards to physicians interested in developing expertise in the care of adult patients with CF. Successful applicants will receive funding of up to $41,142 per year, for three years, to include: Salary of.15 FTE up to the Federal salary cap ($185,100 for 2016) Fringe benefits up to 30% of salary Travel up to $2,000 Indirect Costs up to 8% All awards are subject to the regulations, policies and objectives of CFF concerning this form of support, and are contingent upon the availability of funds. II. ELIGIBILITY Applicants must be physicians trained in Internal Medicine or Medicine and Pediatrics. The sponsoring institution should have a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited Care Center or Affiliate program, and the Care Center or Affiliate must have an existing Adult Program or meet the requirements for an Adult Program (at least 20 CF patients 18 years of age or older). A letter of support from the CF Care Center Director or Affiliate Director must be included to confirm that the applicant will work in the Adult CF Clinic. The Mentoring Plan should not exceed two (2) pages. All applicants must be either a citizen of the United States or have a permanent resident visa. Proof of citizenship status is required at time of application. Previous PACE awardees are ineligible to apply. III. SUBMISSION INFORMATION APPLICATION DEADLINE: MONDAY, May 2, 2016 at 5:00pm (Eastern) Applications must be submitted at Proposal Central: https://proposalcentral.altum.com/. CFF reviews applications electronically, and only the documents submitted online will be reviewed. The Face Page (generated at the end of the application) must be signed, scanned, and emailed to grants@cff.org by the same deadline. Late applications will not be accepted. IV. REQUIREMENTS Training and care of adult CF patients must take place in one of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundationaccredited Care Centers or Affiliate programs. The CF Care Center Director or Affiliate Director must provide a letter confirming that the applicant will be integrated into the Adult Care Program and attend CFF PACE Guidelines 2016 2
CF clinic on a weekly basis. The applicant must describe career goals related to a long-term commitment to CF research and care. V. FUNDING Up to $38,094.50 per year may be requested for salary support and for travel to the annual North American CF Conference. In addition, indirect costs of up to 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 An external 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 in determining awards. The following are among the chief causes for low priority scores of applications: Insufficient information or documentation Failure to document the necessary skills/training Failure to meet all of the criteria described in the policy statement for a given award Failure to describe career goals that may be related to a long-term commitment to CF care/research General Timeline Application Deadline..May 2, 2016 Review by CF Foundation early-june 2016 Applicant Notified.. mid-june 2016 Earliest Start Date.July 1, 2016 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 order. 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 by the deadline to grants@cff.org. No hardcopy is required. Co-Principal Investigators do not need to sign, but a signed letter of collaboration from each should be included in the Appendix. B. BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION Personnel Salary support and fringe benefits for the applicant. CFF PACE Guidelines 2016 3
Travel The applicant should attend the annual North American CF Conference October 27 30, 2016 in Orlando, Florida and funds of up to $2,000 may be requested for related travel costs. C. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH AND OTHER SUPPORT The applicant s biographical sketch must be attached (maximum 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/FUTURE PLANS Provide a brief description of previous clinical training and a summary of future plans (maximum 2 pages). This section should note your prior and anticipated involvement in the care of adult CF patients, and participation in clinical research. E. PROPOSED MENTORING PLAN This section should be completed in conjunction with the CF Care Center or Affiliate Director. Outline the plan for mentoring the applicant in the care of adult CF patients (maximum 2 pages). Include participation in the annual North American CF Conference and any supplemental course work or special seminars. F. NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF REFERENCES A letter of support from the CF Care Center or Affiliate Director is mandatory. The application will not be reviewed without this letter. Letters of reference from other individuals familiar with the applicant s interests and abilities are encouraged but optional. Complete Section 6 early. Enter the names and email addresses of the Director 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 uploaded before you submit the application. G. PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP OR PERMANENT RESIDENCE A copy of your US Passport or Birth Certificate, or your Permanent Resident Visa must be submitted as an appendix. If, at the time of application, permanent resident visa is pending, please state Status Pending and add the expected notification date. VIII. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 2, 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. CFF PACE Guidelines 2016 4
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 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 301-841-2614. (Please write PACE inquiry in the subject line.) CFF PACE Guidelines 2016 5