NIH: Framework Programs for Global Health

Sponsor: The National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Fogarty International Center (FIC) and collaborating Institutes (NCI, NIEHS, NINDS, and NIBIB) invite applications for up to three years of support for the creation of new, multidisciplinary programs that will foster Global Health research and teaching within and between institutions, to be called Framework Programs for Global Health. Specifically, the objectives of this FOA are (1) to increase interactions and joint activities among investigators already engaged in Global Health teaching and research within a campus and among institutions; (2) to encourage new investigators from diverse faculties and disciplines and new institutions to enter the Global Health field; and (3) to build curricula and develop educational opportunities that will engage the next generation of scientists and health workers to consider careers in Global Health. The activities initiated under this award will create a framework of support for Global Health initiatives within an institution.

Two core activities will be to create an administrative framework to bring multiple schools (engineering, economics, business, law, arts and sciences, communications, public health, medicine, nursing, veterinary sciences, environmental studies, agriculture, and others) together on the topic of Global Health and to develop multidisciplinary Global Health curricula at the undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and/or professional school levels. Each program should leverage and enhance currently funded Global Health projects at the institution, supported by NIH and other sponsors, as well as encourage new training opportunities, collaborations and research areas. To ensure that institutions support the Framework at the highest level, letters from the University President, Provost, or other Institutional Director will be required.

Background

As the world becomes an increasingly global community, there is a need for new, integrated, and multidimensional approaches to Global Health. Health concerns have become the shared concerns of many nations and health crises can rapidly spread from one country to another. These health threats include infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and drug-resistant tuberculosis, as well as emerging and re-emerging diseases such as SARS and the threat of pandemic influenza. In addition, because of the demographic transition in the developing world, non-communicable diseases and conditions such as those related to trauma and injury, obesity, tobacco use, adverse impacts of the environment, neurological disorders, mental health, cancer, and cardiovascular disease represent an increasing disease burden on a global scale. These health challenges encompass biomedical, social, environmental, political and economic dimensions and, consequently, may be best addressed through multidisciplinary teams and interdisciplinary approaches.

Universities and other institutions of research and teaching in the U.S. and abroad play critical roles in conducting Global Health research and in training the next generation of scientists and professionals in Global Health. To fully harness the expertise in these institutions and include faculties of law, medicine, public health, engineering, journalism and others, new strategies are required. Greater coordination among faculties would energize the Global Health enterprise. At the same time, by bringing multiple schools together around a common concern for Global Health, it would be expected that undergraduates and graduate students would become engaged in this field. An increasing number of institutions have begun to recognize the inherent research interest of Global Health problems and welcome the opportunity to use their substantial creative resources to make a contribution to global welfare by further expansion of Global Health activities.

The purpose of this award is to catalyze and support the efforts of universities and other educational institutions with significant activities in Global Health that are ready to commit to shaping an integrated Program in this area. For the purposes of this FOA, “Global Health activities” are defined as research, teaching, clinical care, prevention, and outreach activities directed towards addressing health concerns that contribute a significant burden of disease and disability in low- and middle-income countries and are of general concern to the international health community. U.S. awards in Global Health are expected to involve partnerships and interactions with institutions in the affected countries.

Framework Programs

Core Activities: Curricula Development and Administration of the Framework Program

A core activity of the Framework Programs should be development of new curricula and educational opportunities in Global Health areas at the undergraduate, graduate, and/or postgraduate levels. Curricula may be developed for a single institution or involve joint curricula or joint degree programs developed for use by all Framework partners (see Eligible Institutions, below). Curricula should be multi- or inter-disciplinary, provide opportunities for hands-on experience, and encourage interactions between disciplines and, if appropriate, institutions that have not traditionally worked together on Global Health issues. A variety of approaches and models are encouraged. It is expected that, in many cases, the Framework Program will be pedagogically innovative at the institution(s).

Under “Core Activities,” applicants should address each of the three areas that follow:

1. Purpose and Goals of the Curricula to Be Developed: What are the specific goals that the institution wishes to address through the curricula to be developed? How will the set of proposed offerings contribute to the Framework for an integrated program in Global Health? In light of the specific goals of your institution in initiating a Global Health Program, how would the opportunities at the institution change if the proposed curricula were implemented?

2. Course Content: Applicants should describe the courses (both didactic and experiential) to be developed through the Framework award, as far as they can be anticipated. You should be as specific as possible in describing the proposed program, including courses to be offered, length of courses or workshops, frequency of classes, who will teach the courses and under what departmental or other auspices, selection criteria for participants entering the Program, and target enrollment once the program is established. What process will be used to determine which new courses will be developed under this program? Where distance learning courses are proposed, you must include opportunities for individual mentoring and interaction with students, as well as address infrastructure requirements to access the courses. Finally, you should describe the approval process for new courses at the institution(s), how this will be navigated for the Framework courses in aggregate, and how this might impact pilot courses and workshops to be implemented during the grant period.

The application must propose the development of new courses. Current offerings at the institution may be included in support of the Framework, but simply listing these together would not be sufficient. In addition, for all institutions, but particularly for institutions in which there is already a strong foundation in Global Health curricula and activities, the value added by the Framework Program must be explicitly discussed.

3. Administration of the Framework Program: All applications should describe how the Framework Program would be administered in a way that would maximize contributions from three or more Schools at the University and from any potential partners. As activities must be coordinated across the entire campus or among several institutions, it may be useful to appoint a Program Administrator or develop a Framework Administrative Group. Such a resource may provide significant added value to new and ongoing research training grants at the institution, facilitate logistics and integration of foreign students into Framework activities, help with preparations for courses and conferences, match potential trainees and opportunities, arrange for lectureships and other activities of the Framework, and provide a useful point of contact for those interested in learning more about Global Health.

Supporting Activities

Activities that complement and expand upon the proposed curricula development or provide further collaborative opportunities across multiple Schools and research programs should be proposed. They should contribute to creating a Framework identity and more visibility for Global Health on campus and at all collaborating institutions, as well as bring new researchers and new students into the Global Health discussion by increasing activity, interactions, and information in the Global Health area.

Structure of the Proposed Framework Program

Applicants should describe the structure of the proposed Framework program. All participating Departments, Schools, and partner institutions should be described and plans for how these diverse entities will be coordinated and integrated must be discussed. If details of these entities are provided in the Resources or another earlier section, that information should not be repeated here. Rather, refer to that information and instead focus on issues of coordination and integration. For example, if partnering between units at distant sites, how will communication between the parts be coordinated and maintained so as to produce integrated curricula and training activities? Will there be a continuing liaison with the University leadership? Are there any practical challenges within the University structure that must be overcome in order to initiate a Framework program, such as credit for junior faculty who participate in the program outside their Departments, faculty release time to work on curricula, coordination of academic structure (e.g. quarters versus semester systems) between participating units, course approval for cross-listed courses, administrative challenges, and others? How will these be tackled?

Amount: Because the nature and scope of the proposed research education program will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. Although the financial plans of the FIC and collaborating Institutes (NCI, NIEHS, NINDS, and NIBIB) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

The total project period for an application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed three years. Although the size of award may vary with the scope of the research education program proposed, budgets may not exceed $125,000 direct costs annually. Applications that exceed these limits will not be reviewed.

Deadline: Release/Posted Date: May 3, 2007

Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): August 20, 2007

Application Submission/Receipt Date(s): September 20, 2007

Expiration Date: September 21, 2007

For further information, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TW-08-001.html