NIOSH Joins with NIH Institutes to Invite Applications for Grants in Critical NORA Research Areas

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 260-8519
August 19, 1999

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) today joined with eight institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to invite applications for grants to fund new research under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) for preventing job-related illnesses and injuries.

NIOSH’s announcement in conjunction with eight NIH institutes seeks applications for research related to the 21 NORA areas for priority national research in occupational safety and health. Research in these areas is critical to preventing worker injury and illness over the coming decade. NORA was developed by NIOSH and more than 500 other partner organizations and individuals.

NIOSH is soliciting grant applications in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The announcement number is PA No. 99-143.

Under a separate announcement (PA No. 99-144), NIOSH is soliciting applications for grants under two programs to support junior researchers in NORA priority research areas. Grants awarded under the Institute’s Special Emphasis Research Career Award provide an opportunity for researchers to acquire experience and skills under the direction of mentors. Grants awarded under the Institute’s small grant program are intended to stimulate proposals from scientists who are considering research careers in occupational health and safety, and who are pre-doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers, or junior faculty members.

NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related disease and injury. It is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

NORA encompasses 21 research priorities under three categories: 1) disease and injury (allergic and irritant dermatitis, asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease, fertility and pregnancy abnormalities, hearing loss, infectious diseases, low back disorders, musculoskeletal disorders of the lower back, musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities, and traumatic injuries); 2) work environment and workforce (emerging technologies, indoor environment, mixed exposures, organization of work, small business, and special populations at risk); and 3) research tools and approaches (cancer research methods, control technology and personal protective equipment, exposure assessment methods development, health services research, intervention effectiveness research, risk assessment methods, social and economic consequences of workplace illness and injury, and surveillance research methods).

The first submission date for submitting applications for grants under PA No. 99-143 and PA No. 99-144 is October 1, 1999. The announcements, including details on how to submit applications and necessary forms, are available on NIH’s Web Site on the World Wide Web at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/1999/99.08.20/index.html. Information about technical issues relating to the announcements is also available from Roy M. Fleming, Sc.D., Director, NIOSH Research Grants Program, tel. (404) 639-3343.

For additional information on NORA and on NIOSH research, call the NIOSH toll-free information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) or visit NIOSH on the World Wide Web at www.cdc.gov/niosh.