NIH International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) [U01]

WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the NIH International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) (U01)

WHO:  Texas A&M University faculty, including TAES, TEES and TTI personnel.

WHY:  Applicants may request up to $600,000 in direct costs for each year for a maximum period of five years.

WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of October 22, 2007.

HOW:  Faculty should submit internal proposal via email for review by the internal selection committee.   

THE FINE PRINT:

The funding agency, NIH, has limited the number of proposals to one per institution.

BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  The NIH International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) Program is designed to address the interdependence of biodiversity exploration for potential applications in health, agriculture and energy, with investments in research capacity that support sustainable use of these resources, the knowledge to conserve them and equitable partnership frameworks among research and development organizations in the U. S. and low and middle income countries.  The participating agencies for this program include the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the U. S. Department of Energy.

Research training supported through this award may take place in the host country or in the United States and may be linked to degree-earning programs.  Training may include, but is not limited to:  practical and applied short-term courses or workshops for professionals or technicians; course work, laboratory or field training in essential research skills for technical assistants, graduate degree candidates or professionals; and fellowships for one or more years for degree candidates or post-doctoral trainees to conduct research related to the goals of the Group.

The four major objectives of the ICBG Program are to:  discover and promote development of plants, animals and micro-organisms and their molecular constituents toward health and either energy or agricultural uses; undertake biodiversity inventory and promote conservation and bioresource planning and policy in collaborating countries; train U. S. and developing country research scientists and transfer research tools related to the scope of the work of this RFA to collaborating research institutions in the developing world; and establish models for ethical and practical scientific collaboration with biogenetic resources.

ICBG Groups should be multi-disciplinary, including individuals and organizations with expertise in various relevant disciplines of the biological and physical sciences, as well as areas such as economics and sociology, and may include those who have not collaborated in programs of this type in the past.  In addition, groups will be international in scope with participation of developing country institutions to the greatest extent possible.  The active participation of the private sector is encouraged and may include companies, large and small, non-profit drug development organizations or a combination of these.

Applicants may request up to $600,000 in direct costs for reach year for a maximum period of five years.  If foreign organizations are part of a group’s application, their indirect cost rate is 8%.  Very limited renovation of existing facilities, but not construction of new facilities, is allowable under this RFA.  USDA funds may not be used for renovation.  All activities at foreign sites will be restricted until cleared by the U. S. State Department.  Further, all collections of biodiversity specimens at foreign sites and associated research on collected material will be restricted until cleared by NIH staff. 

More information can be found here.        

Internal Selection Procedures and Deadlines

October 19, 2007:  Deadline for an email of intent, including the names of the PI and co-PIs, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project.  Send email of intent.     

October 22, 2007: Deadline to obtain signatures of approval from your department head and college dean to submit an internal proposal to the Office of Sponsored Projects for review by the internal selection committee.  The internal proposal should include:

1. An executive summary, up to three pages, based on the proposal description as outlined in the NIH program announcement
2. Summary budget
3. Project and Management Plans (including team members)

The form for completing the internal proposal is here.

This completed form should be submitted electronically for review by the internal selection committee.

Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program here.    

Selection of a proposal will be based on NIH guidelines.  The needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account. 

During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments.  They may also request additional information from PIs.

November 2, 2007: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.

November 6, 2007:  Deadline for optional, but recommended, letter of intent.

December 4, 2007:  Deadline for full proposal.