Seminar and Workshops for Grantwriting

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This is a total small business set-aside.

This solicitation number is 1380668 and solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-27. Delivery and acceptance will be at Bethesda, Maryland.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse on behalf of the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) has a requirement a seminar and workshops for Grantwriting. The NIMH Division of Intramural Research Program, Office of Fellowship Training is responsible for the oversight of the postdoctoral process for approximately 250 NIMH trainees enrolled in either clinical or basic science research fellowships training experience. One of the functions of the NIMH/DIRP Office of Fellowship Training is to develop a core course in Grantsmanship. This includes a series of seminars and a practicum taught by extramural scientists and consultants with extensive grant writing and reviewing experience.

To support the training of the postdoctoral fellows, the DIRP is in need of a series of two-day workshops that will provide the cornerstone of the grants didactic experience. These seminars will be geared to completing an application for a Public Health Service Grant, PHS 398, including Research Career Awards and Institutional National Research Service Awards.



Objectives:

A. Provide the base or core curriculum in grant writing for NIMH DIRP Fellows. The distinctive nature of the Seminars derive from the practical nature of the materials provided which deals not only with overviews of the extramural review process and the development of research ideas and proposals, but also with tips on the preparation of each of the sections of the PHS 398 grant application which includes presentation of the Research Plan and formulation and justifications of the research budget.

B. Furnish afternoon breakout sessions, which addresses specific issues related to the preparation of both clinical and basic grant applications.

C. Provide lectures by experts on the extramural grant review process, as well as funding sources to expand on the application preparation portion of syllabus. Taken together, this series of workshops will provide the core of the formal didactic in Grantsmanship.



Scope:

The one, two-day workshop, the one three-day seminar and 10-week practicum will meet the diverse needs of the NIMH DIRP Training Program, which encompasses new tenure-track investigators, research fellows, clinical fellows, postdoctoral fellows (IRTAs), and visiting fellows (VFs).

Specific Tasks:



The workshop will focus on how to generate novel ideas, preparation of the application itself, and the most common reasons for the failure to write a fundable application. The seminars will encompass the following topics:

Workshop Phase I (2 days)

Fundamentals of good grant writing

General preparation i.e., specific aims, research design, budgets

Submission of the application

Analysis of reviews and strategies for rebuttal and reapplication

The extramural Program Officer

The Scientific Review Administrator

Career Development Awards

The National Science Foundation Grant Award Programs

The Private Foundations as funding source

Workshop Phase II (3 days)

Preparation of the Specific Aims Page

Creation of the Significant Paragraph

The Grant Review: The NIH Process

Workshop Phase III (10-12 Week Tutorial)

This component of the workshop series entails an individual tutorial on the writing of an RO1 grant application using the PH398 application format. The tutorial will require approximately 10 weeks to complete. The tutorial will focus on the following six topics:

Specific Aims Revisited: The Application Blueprint

Construction of a Preliminary Studies Section

Development and Presentation of an Experimental Design and Methods Section

Preparation of the Background and Significance

Budget and Budget Justification

Abstract and Submission Letter



Place of Performance:

The seminar will take place in the Building 40 first floor conference rooms (Phase I) and Building 45 Room D (Phase II) and Building 10 Room 4A15 (Phase III).

Period of Performance: One 2-day workshop; One 3-day seminar and a ten-week tutorial.

Phase I: January 26, 2010

Phase II: March 16-17, 2010

Phase III: April 1-July 1, 2010



The provisions at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial, applies to this acquisition. The provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation Commercial Items, is applicable. Specific evaluation criteria are: (1) Ability to provide seminars and workshops on grantwriting, (2) Past performance, (3) Ability of staff to train on federal grant funding and (4) Availability on the dates of period of performance. Offers will also be evaluated on best value in relation to price.

Offerors must include a completed copy of the provisions at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, with its offer. Clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Condition Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. Clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.