You didn't indicate if you have used the NIH Guide search engine at

http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html

If you haven't, you should try this.  For instances a general search
on "program project" got 392 hits.  A more narrowly defined search on
the titles got 12 hits.

There is also a website search engine at

http://search.info.nih.gov/cgi-bin/hunter

A search on "P01" in Full Text yielded 905 hits!

A certain amount of commiseration is also forwarded, since you'll
probably find no single source for guidelines.  If, in fact, the PA
or RFA refers to "previously published guidelines" and the document
(usually in the NIH Guide) is not clearly identified (so you can find
it on the web using the search engine), I would call the
administrative person identified on the PA or RFA and ask them what
guidelines they're talking about.  Good luck!

--------------------------------------------------------
Evelyn J. Ford, Research Administrator
Center for Neurosciences Research
Allegheny University of the Health Sciences
Allegheny Campus, Pittsburgh PA 15212-4772
voice 412.359.4475
fax 412.359.4499
xxxxxx@pgh.auhs.edu

>>> Charlie Hathaway <xxxxxx@RF1.CPMC.COLUMBIA.EDU> - 11/17/97
10:00 AM >>>
Hi-
In the past few months, I have had several investigators request the
"rules" for the various "P" mechanisms for NIH funding.  These are
the Program Project and Center grants (e.g. P01, P20, P30, P50, P60)
which are large, often huge, grants for "broadly based,
multidisiplinary, often long-term research programs".  While specific
PAs and RFAs for which these mechanisms are appropriate may include
considerable description of the types of projects sought and how they
should be organized, many do not and many questions are left
unanswered.  Furthermore, some refer to publications which give the
NIH-wide guidelines for these different mechanisms.  Does anyone know
how to get these?
I believe that part of the problem is that each NIH institute has its
own rules; some have made these available (i.e. NIDA Research
Center Grant Guidelines).  Others have not (?).  For the investigator
who wishes to submit, for example, an unsolicited P01 application for
which there is no clear institute as target (NIAAA?  NIDA? NINDS?),
the need for written guidelines is clear.
I would love to have someone out there FAX me all this info or point
me to a URL or Fed Reg notice....but commiseration will be accepted.
Thanks.
Charlie Hathaway
Charles Hathaway, Ph.D.
Grants Development
Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene
New York State Psychiatric Institute
722 W. 168th St.
New York, NY 10032
(212) 543-5807