Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs (SNRP)

What is SCCA?

The Specialized Center Cooperatives Agreement Programs (SCCA) is an initiatives program that is currently divided into two efforts:

• The Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs (SNRPs)
• The Stroke Prevention/Intervention Research Programs (SPIRPs)

The SNRP and SPIRP programs currently utilize the cooperative agreement (U54) mechanism to augment and strengthen the research capabilities of faculty, students, and fellows at minority institutions by supporting the development of new, and/or the enhancement of ongoing, basic and clinical neuroscience research projects and programs.

SNRPs are intended "to enhance the research capacity of a group of academic institutions that historically have not been major participants in NIH [neuroscience] programs- specifically, institutions with predominantly minority student enrollments. An important long-term goal has been to foster the capability of minority institutions to compete successfully within the NIH peer review process for research grants. Substantial scientific and/or technical interaction between NIH administrators and SNRP awardees comprise an active partnership designed to facilitate progress and assist awardees in achieving program goals."¹  SNRPs were designed to achieve the following programmatic goals:

• To assist in infrastructure development leading to well-established, state-of-the-art neuroscience research programs;
• To foster innovative and effective partnerships and collaborations between minority institutions and established neuroscience laboratories; at federal and non-federal research institutions;
• To create, support, and maintain a stimulating academic and intellectual milieu to inspire and prepare students and fellows to pursue research centers in neuroscience; and
• To provide support to develop and sustain competitively funded neuroscience research projects and programs.

SPIRPs were implemented as part of the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health (NIH) goal to counter the high occurrence of stroke in the medically under-served populations. The program will identify racial and geographical disparities related to stroke and cerebrovascular disease and also establish prevention/intervention programs aimed at reducing or eliminating these disparities. The SPIRP currently has four major program components:

• An administrative core will direct, coordinate, and evaluate the overall program related to the SPIRP and serve as a regional resource in stroke education and intervention.
• A community interaction core will develop research programs that can conduct population-based community studies of risk factors, prevention, incidence, prevalence, natural history, treatment, and rehabilitation of cerebrovascular disease in the African American community.
• Training for stroke investigators and community and primary health care providers, including the development of a clinical stroke program at Morehouse and at two local teaching hospitals, will be centered in the program's development core.
• The program's database core will develop an integrated database that will be used to track stroke occurrence and/or recurrence, stroke outcome, and patient adherence to education.

Six participating institutes cooperate to plan, coordinate, and direct research and research training programs to attract, retain, and develop future minority neuroscience health and research professionals. They are:

	National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD)
	National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
	National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
	National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
	Office of AIDS Research (OAR)
	National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)   NINDS Office of Minority Health & Research

¹ Adapted from §1.1 SNRP and CMIARD Program Descriptions of the "Feasibility Study to Evaluate Minority Institutions Research Development Programs Awarded as Cooperative Agreements: Final Report." (01/31/2001, PDF) prepared for the NIH.

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