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Advance CIREN Notice (NHTSA) FAQs

1) What is the Advance CIREN Notice?

The Advance CIREN Notice is an early, pre-solicitation announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is meant to gather comments from the scientific community and health providers on planned updates to the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) program and to gauge interest in participating in the next open competition.

2) Is this notice a formal grant solicitation?

No. The notice explicitly states it is not a solicitation and does not accept proposals. It is intended to test readiness and gather feedback before NHTSA releases a formal cooperative agreement competition.

3) What is the expected timing for the future competition and awards?

NHTSA expected to release a formal cooperative agreement competition in fall 2009, with anticipated awards beginning June 1, 2010.

4) What is the overall purpose of the planned CIREN competition?

The planned competition is intended to support CIREN's collaborative crash investigation, clinical injury documentation, and research activities that link real-world crashes to injury mechanisms and vehicle safety improvements.

5) What kinds of organizations are identified as eligible respondents in this notice?

The notice broadly identifies eligible respondents as the scientific community and health providers, with additional eligibility clarification referenced in the full announcement.

6) What funding instrument and program type are associated with this opportunity?

The grant record lists this as a discretionary program using the cooperative agreement funding instrument, under science and technology and other research and development.

7) How many awards were anticipated?

NHTSA anticipated eight awards.

8) Is cost sharing or matching required?

Yes. The grant record indicates that cost sharing or matching is required.

9) What are the listed award floor and ceiling amounts?

The listed award floor and ceiling were $5,000,000 to $15,000,000.

10) What comments deadline is stated in the notice?

The posting date was August 27, 2009, and comments were due by September 10, 2009 (archive date October 10, 2009).

11) What is the key proposed redesign to the CIREN network structure?

The notice describes a redesigned network with two center types funded in equal numbers: Data Centers and Analytical Centers.

12) What is a CIREN Data Center expected to do?

Data Centers are intended to be the high-volume enrollment engines of the network. They would focus on prospectively enrolling a large number of eligible crash occupants and conducting detailed crash investigations.

13) What is a CIREN Analytical Center expected to do?

Analytical Centers are expected to enroll and investigate cases as well (at lower volume than Data Centers) and also take on broader network-level responsibilities such as crash data analysis, applying engineering science, and helping assign injury causation across cases.

14) Is there a conflict-of-interest restriction mentioned in the notice?

Yes. Across both center types, respondents and their team members must not be engaged in expert witnessing.

15) What is the primary site requirement for a Data Center?

NHTSA planned to require that a Data Center's primary site be an American College of Surgeons (ACS) certified Level I trauma center.

16) How many cases per year is a Data Center expected to collect?

Each Data Center would collect detailed crash and injury information on roughly 60 to 70 motor vehicle crash occupants per year who meet CIREN inclusion criteria.

17) What are the inclusion criteria for crash occupants described in the notice?

The criteria emphasize serious injury and relatively newer vehicles. Occupants must be in a vehicle no more than six years old (relative to the collection year) and must have sustained either (a) at least one AIS 3+ injury (Abbreviated Injury Scale 90/98) or (b) two AIS 2 injuries in different body regions. Occupants must also be admitted to the primary facility (or an affiliated/partnering facility as described).

18) Can a Data Center partner with another trauma center to meet case volume needs?

Yes. To ensure sufficient case volume, a Data Center may partner with up to one additional ACS trauma center (Level I or Level II), subject to conditions described in the notice.

19) What partnership conditions does NHTSA highlight for Data Centers?

The partner must be within feasible operating distance, must have an established prior academic or business relationship with the primary center, and must support consistent governance and data access. NHTSA also highlights expectations including universal IRB controls, uniform access to patient data, uniform access to digital radiology including DICOM capability, and written verification of real-time online electronic medical records and online digital radiology. A seamless transfer of enrollee data from the secondary to the primary center is required.

20) What trauma registry data are Data Centers expected to provide?

Data Centers must provide three years of trauma registry data for both the primary and partner facilities showing annual counts of qualifying motor vehicle admissions.

21) What annual volume of qualifying admissions is expected for a Data Center system?

NHTSA indicates the combined system is expected to have around 1,000 qualified admissions per year to reliably meet enrollment targets.

22) Is there a minimum share of cases that must come from the Data Center's primary trauma center?

Yes. At least 60 percent of collected cases must come from the primary trauma center.

23) What are the basic structural requirements for an Analytical Center?

Analytical Centers are described as being based at a university with a biomechanical engineering lead and must partner with an ACS certified Level I trauma center to support case identification and clinical data capture.

24) How many cases per year is an Analytical Center expected to collect?

Analytical Centers are expected to collect detailed crash and injury information on roughly 30 to 40 eligible occupants per year using the same general inclusion criteria.

25) Can an Analytical Center partner with multiple trauma centers?

Yes. An Analytical Center may partner with up to two trauma centers to reach needed volume. At least one partner must be ACS Level I, and the second may be Level I or Level II.

26) What geographic and relationship requirements apply to Analytical Center partnerships?

All partner trauma centers must be within feasible geographic distance of the university-based team, and partnerships must be grounded in an established prior relationship.

27) What operational expectations are noted for Analytical Center partnerships?

Partnerships must ensure consistent IRB controls, uniform patient data access, and uniform digital radiology access (including DICOM), along with seamless data transfer between institutions.

28) What trauma registry data are Analytical Center partners expected to provide?

Analytical Center partners must provide three years of trauma registry data demonstrating a sufficient pool of qualifying cases.

29) What annual volume of qualifying admissions is estimated for an Analytical Center to meet enrollment expectations?

NHTSA estimates an Analytical Center should have access to at least 600 qualified admissions per year to meet enrollment expectations.

30) What change is planned for CIREN case reviews?

The notice describes a shift from locally conducted monthly case reviews to an enhanced process using real-time video streaming so that NHTSA, other CIREN centers, and additional relevant participants can observe and contribute.

31) When must the streamed case reviews occur?

The notice specifies that streamed case reviews must occur between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

32) How many cases per month are Data Teams expected to present?

Under the planned cadence, complete Data Teams would present about five cases per month.

33) How many cases per month are Analytical Teams expected to present?

Analytical Teams would present about three cases per month and are also scheduled to participate regularly in monthly case discussions across presented cases.

34) What streaming software and bandwidth does NHTSA mention?

NHTSA notes it tested streaming using Wirecast (or similar software) and found centers need about 6 Mbps upload bandwidth for reliable streaming.

35) Will there be a designated streaming server host within CIREN?

Yes. NHTSA indicates it wants an active CIREN center to host and maintain the streaming server.

36) Is additional funding mentioned for the streaming server hosting function?

Yes. The notice indicates additional funding would be available beyond core CIREN activities to cover hardware, software, and support for hosting the streaming server.

37) What responsibilities would the hosting center have for streaming?

The hosting center would be responsible for its own IT support, real-time troubleshooting during scheduled sessions, and securing and controlling access to streaming equipment and the video stream.

38) What longer-term research directions does NHTSA highlight for future CIREN work?

NHTSA emphasizes closer alignment with the agency's vehicle safety priorities. Potential areas mentioned include on-scene real-time crash investigations, computer modeling, advanced research data models leveraging CIREN data, applying CIREN findings to biomechanical testing and research, and injury prediction efforts tied to crash data and Advanced Crash Notification (ACN) systems.

39) Who is the contact listed for access issues, and what information is provided?

The notice provides a contact for access issues: Catherine A. McCullough, CIREN Program Analyst, NHTSA. Phone: 202-366-4734. Fax: 202-366-1767.