Here are some clarifications from Vicky Whittemore, most of which we added to
http://www.meaction.net/2016/04/07/nih-calls-for-additional-research-proposals-to-study-mecfs/
We asked about whether this program is primarily targeted at grants that were already about ME/CFS or targeted at new researchers. We also asked about the total number of grants and dollar amounts across all institutes.
Responses from the five program officers on the announcement (Joe Breen, Yolanda Vallejo-Estrada, Vicky Whittemore, Martha Matocha, and Wen Chen):
"The administrative supplements have to “supplement” an existing NIH grant, and the proposed research has to be within scope of the original grant. Each NIH Institute involved will review and rank the administrative supplements received, and then the Trans-NIH ME/CFS Working Group will review all of the applications to make a recommendation for funding. The actual number to be funded hasn’t been decided – it will depend on the number and quality of the applications we received.
Any investigator with an NIH grant can submit an administrative supplement for their grants using a standard mechanism (see:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-14-077.html ). We are using the Notice to get the word out that we would like to fund administrative supplements as a way to stimulate and support additional research in the short-term. More long-term programs will be announced once we have approval to do so."
And in response to a follow-up question to clarify the intention of the program:
"The objective is to stimulate more research! So, it can be either someone already doing ME/CFS research who has an idea they would like to expand on that is related to their funded grant, or it could be someone who is developing a new technique or technology that could be applied to the study of ME/CFS. "