Dear Potential Applicant:

            You are invited to submit an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Health for collaborative research on cancer vaccines or blindness and visual impairment in accordance with the enclosed Request for Applications (RFA) # 08-07-07.

            All questions regarding this RFA must be directed in writing to the Manager, Health Research Program, through email at ra-healthresearch@state.pa.us no later than 2:30 p.m. on August 10, 2009 . All questions should include the specific section of the RFA about which the potential applicant is questioning. A pre-application conference will be held at 1:00 p.m. on August 27, 2009 in the conference room of the Bureau of Health Statistics and Research, 6^th Floor Forum Place Building , 555 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101-1914 . Since facilities are limited, it is requested that you limit your representation to two individuals. Pre-registration is not required. Answers to all questions will be posted at www.emarketplace.state.pa.us.  Click on ‘Solicitations’ and search for the above RFA number.

            A Letter of Intent shall be submitted to the Director, Division of Contracts, Bureau of Administrative and Financial Services, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Room 824, Health and Welfare Building , 625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0701 . The Letter of Intent shall be prepared using the Letter of Intent form provided in Part Two, Appendix H of this RFA. The Letter of Intent shall arrive in the designated room at the above address no later than 2:30 p.m. on September 23, 2009 . Faxed Letters of Intent will not be accepted.  If the Letter of Intent is not received using the form provided on or before this date and time, your application will not be accepted.

            Please submit your application in the following format:

1.      Six (6) CD-R or DVD compact disks containing an electronic copy of the following parts of the application: Appendix A – Attachment 1, Cover Page, submitted in Microsoft Word; Appendix A – Attachment 2, Strategic Plan, submitted in Microsoft Word; Appendix A – Attachment 3, Research Proposal, submitted in PDF; Appendix A – Attachment 4, Letters of Support, submitted in PDF; and Appendix C – Budget submitted in Microsoft Excel.

2.      One (1) original and five (5) paper copies of the remaining parts of the application (all documents listed in Part Two of the RFA except Appendix A and Appendix C).