INTERNET CONNECTION FOR MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 24, Number 2, January 20, 1995

RFA: LM-95-001

P.T.

National Library of Medicine

Letter of Intent Receipt Date: April 10, 1995
Application Receipt Date: May 18, 1995

PURPOSE

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is encouraging the development of a communications infrastructure to promote the rapid interchange of medical information nationally and throughout the world. This infrastructure is based upon the Internet, a network of networks that was developed with the support of the National Science Foundation. The proposed evolution of the Internet into the National Research and Education Network (NREN) is a key element in important federal initiatives in High Performance Computing and Communication and a National Information Infrastructure. Internet access provides health professionals engaged in education, research, clinical care, and administration with a means of accessing remote databases, libraries, NLM's Grateful Med, DOCLINE and Loansome Doc, transferring files and images, and interacting with colleagues throughout the world. To accelerate the pace with which health-related institutions become part of the electronic information web, NLM is offering grants to support Internet connections.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This Request for Applications (RFA), Internet Connection for Medical Institutions, is related to the priority area of surveillance and data systems.

Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or "Healthy People 2000" (Summary Report: Stock No 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-783-3238).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Domestic public and private, non-profit institutions engaged in health sciences administration, education, research, and/or clinical care are eligible to apply. "Health sciences" is defined as medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and other sciences related to health. Hospitals are encouraged to apply. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply as Principal Investigators. Domestic applications may not have international components.

Consortia of health-related institutions are also eligible to apply. Consortium applications must be submitted by a single, lead institution; letters of agreement defining mutual responsibilities must be provided in the application and signed by authorized officials of each participating institution.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the National Library of Medicine (NLM) resource grant (G08) mechanism. Indirect costs are not provided. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed one year. The anticipated award date is September 15, 1995.

For single institutions, support is available up to $30,000; consortia may receive up to $50,000. Additional funding may be provided on a case-by-case basis to support development and enhancement of multi-institution networks including extending connectivity to outlying hospitals, or otherwise furthering NLM's goal of expanding information outreach. The overall cost of a campus or local connection to the Internet includes: gateway equipment, associated communication hardware (CSU/DSU), the leased line and its installation, local network user support staff, space, air conditioning, maintenance, and mid-level network management fees. The NLM grant is expected to support the purchase and installation of the gateway system and associated connection hardware and to defray the cost of installation and leasing of communication circuits to connect to the mid-level network. In some cases the award may also be used to defray the cost of mid-level management fees and local network staff. Institutions will usually be expected to fund the local or campus network and support other costs of the gateway system, although in some instances, NLM will consider use of the grant funds to expand access to the Internet in an institution that already has a connection.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

Funds available for this RFA are approximately $600,000; however, expenditure of this amount is conditional upon the receipt of applications of high merit. Number of awards to be made is estimated to be between 10 and 16. Although the PHS budget is expected to permit support of these projects, funding of any applications pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the availability of funds at the appropriate time.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background
The Internet currently is a collection of interconnected networks connected by the NSFnet which was developed with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Internet comprises three types of networks: (1) a national backbone network, (2) mid-level regional networks usually based around some geographical region of the country, and (3) local networks at educational, research and clinical institutions. Individual institutions are connected to a mid-level network in the appropriate geographical region. The mid-level network is in turn attached to the high-speed national backbone network, usually at its network operation center. The backbone is connected to other national networks including the Defense Research Internet, NASA Science Network, and the Energy Sciences Network; these interconnected networks and many others worldwide comprise the Internet. The Internet provides electronic mail service and access to a variety of scientific facilities including: digital libraries, unique databases such as MEDLINE via Grateful Med as well as a host of federal and private sector databases, supercomputers, and remote scientific sensing instruments. The Internet promotes interaction and collaboration with a single, well-integrated connection to end users using the Defense Data Network protocols: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol referred to as TCP/IP.

Network management and operations services as well as information services are provided by each of the levels. The national backbone network provides for technical and information services to the mid-level networks which in turn provide technical expertise and information services, including training and documentation, to local level network administrators. Local network officials provide technical and information services to the overall local network administration and also provide consultative and liaison services to end-users of the network.

Objectives and Scope
The purpose of this RFA is to encourage U.S. medical institutions including medical research institutions, health science schools, and hospitals to connect to the Internet. Some institutions may belong to organizations that are already connected to the Internet, for example, medical schools adjacent to university campuses. In such a case, the NLM grant can be used by a health science school or hospital to connect to an existing campus network. In other cases, the project will aid the institution in connecting directly to the mid-level regional network. In general, it is expected that institutions will use an existing local or campus network to distribute access to the Internet, or will build a new local or campus network and connect it to the Internet. A local or campus network is connected to the Internet by installing an IP router/gateway.

his gateway will link the campus or local network to an appropriate mid-level network by means of leased or dial-up communication circuits of varying speeds (9600 bits per second to 1.5 million bits per second). The resultant connections to the Internet provided by the gateway should be made widely available to all appropriate health professionals, -- researchers, faculty, students, clinicians, and administrators. Ideally the institution will have installed a high-speed campus or local area network and have adopted the TCP/IP protocols as the standard communication protocol. Where other networking protocols are used, the institution will be responsible for the installation of any additional network gateway systems required to resolve the protocol conversion issues so as to provide connectivity to the Internet gateway.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by pril 10, 1995, a letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed project, the name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of other key personnel in the sponsoring institution and in participating institutions, the identities of consultants, and the number and title of this RFA. It is particularly helpful if consortia provide complete lists of key people who will be associated with the project for all participants. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows NLM staff to estimate the potential review workload and avoid conflict of interest in the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Ms. Frances E. Johnson at the address listed under INQUIRIES.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 9/91) is to be used in applying for these grants. These forms are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research; from the Office of Grants Information, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone 301-594-7248; and from the program administrator listed under INQUIRIES.

Supplemental Application Guidelines
Applicants should not feel constrained by the emphasis on research in the language used by the forms. It may be useful for an applicant to read "project" whenever the form refers to "research". NLM considers these grants to be projects, not research applications, and will evaluate the applications in that spirit. NLM recommends that those writing the application keep the "project" concept in mind. Internet uses may support administration, education, research and/or patient care endeavors. Applicants are encouraged to include their health science library in the proposed Internet connection.

"Resources and Environment," form page (HH). Other applicable headings may be substituted such as computers, communications, and networking resources in place.

"Biographical Sketch," form page (FF). Include computer, communications, and networking skills.

In Section 4 of the "Research Plan" (read "Project Plan") also provide: (1) plans for user training and user support and (2) plans for future support. The success of an Internet connection depends upon training users in establishing accounts and passwords and in teaching Internet capabilities. Describe user training plans including topics to be covered and the personnel who will provide the training and follow-up training. Library involvement in user training is strongly encouraged. In regard to future support, the Internet Connection Grant is intended to provide seed money to initiate an Internet connection; therefore, plans for budgeting ongoing costs for Internet access must be described.

All applicants, particularly those relatively unfamiliar with the application review form and with NIH procedures, are encouraged to consult Ms. Frances Johnson (address below) for assistance as needed in completing the application.

Additional Application Procedures
The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 9/91) application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the application such that it may not reach the review committee in time for review. In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2a of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the Checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in one package to:

Division of Research Grants
National Institutes of Health
5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 240
Bethesda, MD 20892

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must also be sent to Ms. Frances E. Johnson at the address listed under INQUIRIES.

The mailing address given for sending applications to the Division of Research is the central mailing address for the National Institutes of Health. Applicants who use express mail or a courier service are advised to follow the carrier's requirements for showing a street address.

The address for the Westwood building is:

5333 Westbard Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20816.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the NIH Division of Research Grants (DRG) and responsiveness by NLM. Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated for merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the NLM in accordance with the review criteria stated below.

As part of the review procedure, a triage process will be used by the initial review group in which applications will be determined to be competitive or non-competitive based on merit relative to other applications received in response to the RFA. Applications determined to be non-competitive will be withdrawn from further consideration; the Principal Investigator and the official signing for the applicant organization will be notified. Applications judged to be competitive will be discussed by the review group and assigned a priority score.

Review Criteria

AWARD CRITERIA

In addition to the review criteria identified above, awards depend upon available funds and programmatic priorities.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues, address the letter of intent and mail two copies of the application to:

Ms. Frances E. Johnson
Division of Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Building 38A, Room 5S-520
Bethesda, MD 20894
Telephone: (301) 496-4221
FAX: (301) 402-0421
Email: FRANCES_JOHNSON@OCCSHOST.NLM.NIH.GOV

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Ruth Bortz
Division of Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Building 38A, Room 5N-515
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Telephone: (301) 496-4253
FAX: (301) 402-0421
Email: BORTZ@LHC.NLM.NIH.GOV

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

The Resource Grant Program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under Medical Library Assistance, Chapter 93.879.

Grants will be awarded under the authority of the Public Health Service Act, Section 474(42 USC 286b-5) and administered under PHS grant policies and Federal Regulations, most specifically at 42 CFR Part 59a and 45 CFR Part 74.
This program is not subject to the inter-governmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The Public Health Service (PHS) strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

NLM HyperDOC / Internet Connection RFA / 25 January 1995