GHERI Call for White Papers 25 Jun 2018.pdf

Global Health Engagement Research Initiative (GHERI) FY 2018

Global Health Engagement Research Initiative (GHERI) Fiscal Year 2018 Pre-Application (Call for White Papers)

Program Description

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)); Defense Health Agency (DHA), Research & Development Directorate (J-9); and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Center for Global Health Engagement’s (CGHE’s) Research Division employ a programmatic-focused research strategy for funding Global Health Engagement (GHE) research through the GHE Research Initiative (GHERI).

Objectives: The CGHE Research Division is soliciting White Papers from interested parties for research related to operational efforts and advanced technology development efforts that will meet the needs of the Joint Force in either:

1) Improving the understanding and/or execution of DoD GHE or

2) Utilizing DoD health research activities to engage a partner nation/partner nations (PN/PNs) in support of Theater Campaign Plan (TCP) objectives to further research

The GHERI is funded through Defense Health Program (DHP) RDT&E funds in accordance with guidance from OASD(HA) and DHA J-9. The GHE research needs of the warfighter are expressed by the regular demand signal of the Joint Force through the Joint Staff Surgeon's Office and the Combatant Commands (CCMD) Surgeons' Offices. This demand signal is captured through ongoing coordination between the CCMDs Surgeons’ Offices, the Military Services, and CGHE.

Demand Signal (Research Area): This call for White Papers seeks initial concepts for research to advance the objectives and address at least one element listed under the research area below through a novel approach, technology, methodology, or capability with trans-regional and/or trans-functional applications that will improve the ability of the Joint Force to conduct GHE.

CCMD GHE research priorities

1. AFRICOM:

a. Vector-borne infections (e.g. malaria, zika, chikungunya, rickettsioses, West Nile virus)

b. Respiratory infections (especially avian influenza, tuberculosis, and drug resistant infections)

c. Viral hemorrhagic fevers (e.g. Ebola, Marburg, lassa)

d. Zoonotic infections (e.g. plague, q fever, Brucella)

e. MDR pathogens (especially CRE, Acinetobacter, and pseudomonas)

f. Drug resistance in malaria, tuberculosis, and gram-negatives

g. Seroprevalence studies for zika and other arboviruses

h. Schistosomiasis

i. HTLV and blood-borne pathogens

2. CENTCOM:

a. Military-to-military engagements, and military response support to military-to-civilian engagements

b. Infectious disease and force health protection initiatives

c. Risks to Host Nation (HN) resiliency and Ministry of Defense response, to include risks from displaced populations

d. Initiatives that leverage ongoing efforts focused on lab capabilities, early detection, and host organisms

e. Initiatives that leverage ongoing efforts focused on MERS CoV

3. PACOM:

a. Vaccine development and effective treatment of antibiotic-resistant diseases (e.g. malaria, tuberculosis, dengue)

b. DOD behavioral health issues that reduce readiness of forces in the AOR. (e.g. behavioral health aeromedical evacuation)

4. SOUTHCOM:

a. Development and/or refinement of operational-level monitoring and evaluation for military health

b. Development and/or refinement of tactical-level monitoring and evaluation for military health operations

c. Historical case study evaluations of Continuing Promise

5. EUCOM, NORTHCOM, SOCOM: No additional priority areas specified.

Other Information: GHERI is funded annually subject to availability of funds and pursuant to the needs of the Joint Force. The Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of this announcement. The Government anticipates awarding grants and cooperative agreements pursuant to statutory authority 10 U.S.C.

2113(g)(1)(A). As such, this Call for White Papers is for non-profit entities. Collaboration with industry is encouraged via subawards. Non-Profit entities must submit White Papers through Grants.gov.

Government entities (e.g., DoD Labs, Military Training Facilities, Government/National laboratories, military educational institutions, etc.) are encouraged to submit White Papers for consideration of funding through a direct fund citation (e.g., MIPR, IAA, etc). Government Entities are subject to applicable direct competition limitations. Government entities should submit White Papers directly to Ms. Audrey Berard, aberard@cghe.org.

The maximum period of performance for any award will be three (3) years. Total budgeted costs (direct and indirect) for the entire period of performance should not exceed $950,000 per year, per award. There is no requirement for Cost-Sharing or Matching. Funded recipients must comply with and successfully complete yearly scientific and programmatic reviews in order to continue being funded for the next year. Interim reports will be evaluated for performance/technical merit as part of the Government’s yearly scientific and programmatic reviews and Go/No-Go decisions will be made for continued funding into the next year’s period or performance.

Submission Information

Submission is a two-step process requiring both: 1) a pre-application package (White Paper) and 2) a full application package. The full application package is by invitation only. All documents must be submitted in English.

mailto:aberard@cghe.org

Address to Request Application Package. The application package may be retrieved from the Grants.gov website (https://www.grants.gov/). Everything needed to apply is available on this website. If there are difficulties downloading the attachment, please contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov.

Content and Form of White Paper Submissions. The White Paper package is submitted through http://www.grants.gov. Because the invitation to submit a full application package is based on the White Paper package submission, the title and research objectives should not be changed from the White Paper package submission to the full application package submission. PIs and Organizations identified in the White Paper package submission should be the same as those identified in the full application package submission. If changes are necessary after the submission of the White Paper, please contact the Grants Officer, Melissa Beale via email at Melissa.beale@usuhs.edu.

White Papers: The following information comprises the White Paper submission package. Applicants with successful White Paper reviews will be invited to submit a full application. The following must be completed and submitted in order to be eligible for a White Paper review. White papers should be no more than 4 pages in total comprised of a cover page (1 page), project abstract (2 pages) and Research Budget (1 page).

1. Section A – Cover Page: Title, Period of Performance, Total Estimated Budget of Effort (Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)), Name of Company and Key Contact(s) Information, and Research Area being addressed (CCMD GHE research priorities or Joint GHE CBA gaps/shortfalls).

2. Section B - Project Abstract: Include the research project’s specific aims, scientific abstract/technical summary and relevance to the objectives and Demand Signal outlined herein. The specific CCMD to be engaged or visited (i.e. PACOM, SOCOM) should be listed at the beginning of the abstract, as applicable. Note: All overseas engagement/visits supported by a GHERI award must be coordinated through the CCMDs; CGHE will assist in coordination upon request.

3. Section C - Research Budget: White Papers must provide a ROM of their proposed budget.

Include a ROM estimate for the entire period of performance of funding requested. ROMs should provide top level estimates for each year by cost element (labor, travel, materials, equipment, sub-awards, etc.). Indirect costs should be budgeted in accordance with the organization’s negotiated indirect rate. No budget will be approved by the Government exceeding $950,000 per year or using an indirect rate exceeding the organization's negotiated indirect rate, if any (all direct and indirect costs of any sub-award must be included in the total direct costs of the primary award). A more detailed budget will be required for applicants with successful White Paper submissions.

Each applicant may submit up to two White Papers within the parameters of this Call. The purpose of this Call for White Paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of any applicant whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government. Those White Papers found to be consistent with the intent of this Call and of interest to the Government may be invited to submit an application. Complete instructions for application preparation and submission will be forwarded with any application invitation, if any. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting applicant will be awarded a subsequent grant or cooperative agreement.

Other Submission Requirements. Prior to submission of the White Paper package, check the status of the applicant’s Entity registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). Allow 3 to 4 weeks to complete the entire SAM registration process. An organization can register in SAM online at https://www.sam.gov.

Collecting the information (Employer Identification Number [EIN] or Tax Identification Number [TIN]) can take 1 to 3 days (on average). If your organization does not have either an EIN or TIN, allow at least 2 weeks to obtain the information from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. If you have the necessary information, online SAM registration will take approximately 1-2 hours to input, depending upon the size and complexity of your organization.

mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=GRANTS.GOV%20Support%20Center http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:Melissa.beale@usuhs.edu

NOTE: Applications will be rejected by Grants.gov IF: (1) the organization’s Entity registration in SAM is not active, and (2) during the registration process, the organization did not answer “Yes” when asked, “Do you want to be eligible for grants and other federal assistance?”

The Government utilizes the Exclusions within the System for Award Management (SAM), formerly the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), to identify individuals and organizations unqualified to receive federal awards. More information about Exclusions reported in SAM is available at https://www.sam.gov/.

Submission Dates and Times. The Pre-Application White Paper Package must be submitted through Grants.gov no later than 1 Aug 2018. The Government anticipates Invitations to Submit Full Application Packages on or about 27 Aug 2018.

Each White Paper submission must include a completed package. If the applicant does not follow the submission guidelines or submits an incomplete package, the application will not be accepted or reviewed scientific merit. Allowances or exceptions cannot be made resulting from delays in submission due to applicant organization system or technology problems.

White Paper Review Information

All White Papers will be reviewed by CCMD Surgeons’ Offices to determine technical merit and relevance to the GHERI Objectives and current Demand Signal (Research Area). White Papers will be reviewed based on the following criteria for acceptability or non-acceptability:

1. The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the White Paper.

2. The potential contributions of the proposed approach to overall GHERI Objectives

3. The feasibility of the ROM and schedules.

No further evaluation criteria will be used in the selection process. Each application is evaluated for its own merit, independent of other applications.

Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

Only an appointed Grants Officer may obligate the government to the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of the government should be inferred from discussions with any other individual. The award document signed by the Grants Officer is the official authorizing document.

Technical/programmatic questions regarding this Call should be submitted to:

Col Rachelle Paul-Kigari Director, CGHE Research Division

Email: rpkagiri@cghe.org Tel: 301-294-1476

Audrey Berard Research Coordinator, CGHE

Email: aberard@cghe.org Tel: 301-294-1479

For administrative/business questions, please contact Melissa Beale at: Melissa.Beale@usuhs.edu mailto:Melissa.Beale@usuhs.edu

For questions related to pre-application submission through Grants.gov, please direct questions to the Grants.gov Contact Center, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (closed on U.S. Federal holidays).

Phone: 800-518-4726; (international) 1-606-545-5035 Email: support@grants.gov

Other Information

Proprietary Information. Do not include proprietary information in the submission package, unless it is required. Proprietary information should only be included in a full application as necessary for evaluation.

When including proprietary information, please ensure the information is clearly and legibly marked and distinguished from non-proprietary content.

Proprietary information submitted in an application may be disclosed outside the government for the sole purpose of technical evaluation. Evaluators must agree that proprietary information in the application will be used for evaluation purposes only and will not be further disclosed or used.

All applications may be subject to public release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the extent that they are incorporated into an award document. Applications that are not selected for funding will not be subject to public release.