Office of Naval Research, 800 North Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660

A -- BASIC AND APPLIED MEDICAL RESEARCH IN MILITARY OPERATIONAL MEDICINE SOL 00-008 DUE 053100 POC LCDR D. Schmorrow, (703) 696-0360, E-mail schmord@onr.navy.mil; Brian D. Glance Code 252, (703) 696-2596, E-mail glanceb@onr.navy.mil (1) General Statement of Research Need The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is soliciting preproposals directed at basic and applied medical research focusing on military operational medicine, which addresses adverse health and performance effects from conditions encountered in operational environments under conditions from peacetime to warfighting. Of specific interest are topics related to undersea medicine, aviation medicine, and occupational health and toxicology. The goals of the ONR Military Operational Medicine program are presented in more detail on the Internet at http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/personnel/. The following aspects of undersea medicine related to areas of diving and submarine medicine and special operations forces issues are of particular interest (POC: Dr. J. Thomas, 703-696-0369, E-mail thomasj@onr.navy.mil): (1) Thermal stress: understand the mechanisms involved in the body's response to extreme thermal stress and the development of thermal acclimatization; (2) Hyperbaric oxygen toxicity: understand biochemical and physiological mechanisms involved in oxygen toxicity; this includes the development of methods to predict/prevent onset of oxygen toxicity; (3) Operational performance sustainment: understand the biochemical and physiological mechanisms leading to operational performance exposure decrements due to extreme environmental stress; also development of countermeasures to protect against degradation in cognitive and physiological mission performance resulting from environmental/operational stress; (4) Decompression injury: understanding basic physical and physiological mechanisms involved in the onset of decompression injury; also development of methods to predict/prevent decompression injury risk; (5) Medical readiness: development of methods for operational fitness, physical selection, and training programs to reduce incidence of injuries, enhance recovery from injury, and maximize individual readiness during military training and operations. The following aspects of aviation medicine and human performance issues are of particular interest (POC: LCDR D. Schmorrow, 703-696-0360, E-mail schmord@onr.navy.mil): (1) Acceleration: understand physical and physiological mechanisms and effects of low frequency-low amplitude (ship platform motion), high frequency-high amplitude (tactical air), and high frequency-low amplitude (platform vibrations translated to musculo-skeletal system) acceleration environments. Understand motion adaptation symptoms and disorders, how they are manifested, methods for prevention, prophylaxis, and treatment. This includes understanding visual-vestibular coupling and spatial disorientation. (2) Tissue/Organ Integrity: understand human tissue and organ limitations to exotic energies, i.e., directed (agile wavelength laser threat) and immediate and apoptotic (acousto-mechanical). Develop methods and countermeasures for prevention of tissue/organ damage prior to exposure to exotic energy source; develop methods for rescue and treatment after exposure to exotic energy source. (3) Naval Aviation Selection: develop selection standards, screening tools, and testing methodology to reduce and prevent advanced stage training fleet attritions and mishaps. The following aspects of occupational health and toxicology issues are of particular interest (POC: CAPT D. Macys, 703-696-4257, E-mail macysd@onr.navy.mil): (1) Hazard Identification: understand the properties of toxicants or physical agents that result in adverse physiological or biochemical events, and which could result in capabilities (computational models) to predict such effects; (2) Dose/Response Assessment: understand the physiological, biochemical, and molecular biological processes that result in manifestation of observed adverse health or performance deficits, and which could result in capabilities to predict such effects; (3) Exposure Assessment: understand the processes by which personnel interact with hazardous agents, and the characteristics of individuals or population subgroups which represent increased risk factors; and develop measures or markers of exposure/effect, and of susceptibility; and (4) Risk Characterization: understand the interaction of humans and hazardous agents in sufficient depth to develop improved methods and models for understanding, preventing or mitigating the exposure conditions and/or their effects, and to develop improved equipment and models for identifying, quantitating and evaluating exposures and their effects. It is not the intent of this solicitation to establish new facilities; investigators should be able to demonstrate the required research capability and the necessary facilities. Preproposals/proposals whose main objectives are to conduct analyses, literature reviews, or program evaluations are not encouraged. (2) Instructions for Preparation of Proposals Offerors are invited to submit five (5) copies of a preproposal formatted as described on the Internet at http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/personnel/. The preproposal should not exceed three pages of text and should include an estimate of overall costs (including indirect) for a three year effort. A curriculum vitae of the principal investigator(s) should be appended together with any supporting information, such as reprints or preprints, that will assist in the evaluation of the preproposal. Offerors submitting the most promising preproposals will be invited to submit a full technical and cost proposal on all or part of their preproposal submission. However, any such invitation does not assure a subsequent award. Any offeror may submit a full proposal even if its preproposal was not identified as promising or if no preproposal is submitted; however any full proposal submission would be made without the benefit of feedback prior to full proposal submission. The initial deadline for preproposals will be 1600 EST, 18 February 2000 for the next funding cycle that begins 1 October 2000. Full proposals will be required by 1600 EDT, 31 May 2000, with a completed DoD Animal Use Protocol when animals are employed. Any proposal that involves the experimental use of human subjects must include a separate evaluation, by the organization's committee for protection of human subjects, of proposed technical approaches and associated risks. This evaluation must conform with current Department of the Navy instructions relating to the use of human subjects. Proposal format instructions are also provided at the above Web site. Offerors must state in their preproposals and full proposals that it is submitted in response to this BAA. Exceptionally meritorious proposal submissions may be considered for funding prior to 1 October 2000. Preproposals received after 1600 EST, 18 February 2000, or proposals received after 1600 EDT, 31 May 2000, may still be considered for the next funding cycle if funds are available. This BAA provides no funding for preproposals or subsequent proposal development purposes. All preproposals will be acknowledged. Preproposals will not be returned after evaluation. (3) Criteria for Selecting Proposals, their Relative Importance, and the Method of Evaluation Preproposal and full proposal submissions will be evaluated on the 1) overall basis of innovation and scientific merit; 2) programmatic relevance of the proposal; 3) the qualifications and experience of the proposed principal investigator and key personnel; 4) the offeror's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique combinations of these that are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives; 5) socio-economic merits of the proposal and 6) realism of the proposed cost and availability of funds. For awards made as contracts, the socio-economic merits of each proposal will be evaluated based on the extent of commitment in providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small business, HUB zone small business, small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business concerns, and historically black colleges and universities and minority institutions (HBCU/MI). The standard industrial classification code is 8731 with the small businesssize standard of not to exceed 500. In addition, contract proposals that exceed $500,000 submitted by all but small businesses must be accompanied by a Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9. HBCU/MI's, as determined by the Secretary of Education to meet requirements of 34 CFR Section 608.2 and 10 U.S.C. Paragraph 2323(a)(1)(C), are particularly encouraged to participate, though no portion of this BAA has been set aside. This CBD notice itself constitutes the BAA as contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2). Awards may take the form of a contract, cooperative agreement, grant, or other agreement. Unless otherwise stated herein, additional written information is not available. No formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement will be issued. Requests for the same will be disregarded. Preproposals and proposals should be submitted by the due dates cited in the BAA to the responsible POC at the Office of Naval Research, Attention 341 (the responsible POC), Room 823, 800 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660. The listed technical POC should be used for express mail purposes. Questions regarding contractual matters relating to this BAA should be directed to: Office of Naval Research, Attention Brian Glance (Code 252), Room 720, Ballston Towers One, 800 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660, by telephone (703) 696-2596, or by e-mail to glanceb@onr.navy.mil. Posted 02/01/00 (W-SN420651). (0032)

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