August 7, 2023
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
The purpose of this notice is to inform applicants of a change to the Key Dates in RFA-DA-24-007, "Avenir Award Program for Chemistry and Pharmacology of Substance Use Disorders (DP1- Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and to revise the Matching Requirement Instructions. Specifically, the first receipt date will change from August 9, 2023 to September 6, 2023.
Currently Reads:
Part 1. Overview
Key Dates
Application Due Dates | Review and Award Cycles | ||||
New | Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) | AIDS | Scientific Merit Review | Advisory Council Review | Earliest Start Date |
August 09, 2023 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | November 2023 | January 2024 | April 2024 |
August 09, 2024 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | November 2024 | January 2025 | April 2025 |
August 07, 2025 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | November 2025 | January 2026 | April 2026 |
Modified to Read:
Part 1. Overview
Application Due Dates | Review and Award Cycles | ||||
New | Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) | AIDS | Scientific Merit Review | Advisory Council Review | Earliest Start Date |
September 06, 2023 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | November 2023 | May 2024 | August 2024 |
August 09, 2024 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | November 2024 | January 2025 | April 2025 |
August 07, 2025 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | November 2025 | January 2026 | April 2026 |
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Post Submission Materials
Currently, it reads:
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy
Letters of Reference:
Letters of reference are an important component of the application. Applicants must arrange to have three (and no more than three) letters of reference submitted on their behalf. Applications that are missing letters of reference will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. Late letters will not be accepted. Applicants are responsible for monitoring the submission of their letters to ensure that three letters have been submitted prior to the submission deadline. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their letters in application status page in Commons.
Letters may be submitted beginning July 9 and must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. (local time of applicant organization), August 9.
To submit a letter of reference, the referee will need the following information:
Letters of reference are confidential. Applicants will not have access to the letters. Email confirmations will be sent to both the applicant and the referee. The confirmation sent to the applicant will include the referee’s name and the date and time the letter was submitted. The confirmation sent to the referee will include the referee and applicant’s names, a confirmation number, and the date and time the letter was submitted.
Note: Since email can be unreliable, it is the applicant’s responsibility to check the status of his/her letters of reference periodically in the Commons.
Instructions for Referees:
Letters may be submitted to the Commons at (https://public.era.nih.gov/commonsplus/public/reference/submitReferenceLetter.era) beginning July 9 and must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. (local time of applicant organization), August 9. Late letters will not be accepted and applications with fewer than three letters will not be reviewed. Letters must be submitted electronically paper copies will not be accepted.
The applicant’s name should be placed at the top of the letter. Although signatures are not required, the letter must include a signature block with the referee’s full name, title, institution, and contact information.
In two pages or less, describe the applicant’s qualities that support the applicant’s claim to scientific innovativeness and creativity. When possible, give specific examples that illustrate these qualities. Address the likelihood that the applicant will conduct groundbreaking research in the proposed research area.
Note: The letter submission page can be accessed without signing into the Commons, and referees do not need to be registered in the Commons. Referees must provide the applicant’s Commons User Name (User ID) and the other information below:
REFEREE INFORMATION (the individual providing the letter of reference):
APPLICANT INFORMATION (applicants must send this information to their referees):
Email confirmations will be sent to both the applicant and the referee following submission of the letter. The email confirmation will include a Confirmation Number that will be required only when submitting a revised or changed/corrected letter. Please print the confirmation email for your records.
Revised to read (in bold italics):
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy
Letters of Reference:
Letters of reference are an important component of the application. Applicants must arrange to have three (and no more than three) letters of reference submitted on their behalf. Applications that are missing letters of reference will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. Late letters will not be accepted. Applicants are responsible for monitoring the submission of their letters to ensure that three letters have been submitted prior to the submission deadline. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their letters in application status page in Commons.
Letters may be submitted beginning July 9 and must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. (local time of applicant organization), September 6, 2023, August 9, 2024, or August 7, 2025 for the corresponding application due dates.
To submit a letter of reference, the referee will need the following information:
Letters of reference are confidential. Applicants will not have access to the letters. Email confirmations will be sent to both the applicant and the referee. The confirmation sent to the applicant will include the referee’s name and the date and time the letter was submitted. The confirmation sent to the referee will include the referee and applicant’s names, a confirmation number, and the date and time the letter was submitted.
Note: Since email can be unreliable, it is the applicant’s responsibility to check the status of his/her letters of reference periodically in the Commons.
Instructions for Referees:
Letters may be submitted to the Commons at (https://public.era.nih.gov/commonsplus/public/reference/submitReferenceLetter.era) beginning July 9 and must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. (local time of applicant organization), September 6, 2023, August 9, 2024, or August 7, 2025 for the corresponding application due dates. Late letters will not be accepted and applications with fewer than three letters will not be reviewed. Letters must be submitted electronically paper copies will not be accepted.
The applicant’s name should be placed at the top of the letter. Although signatures are not required, the letter must include a signature block with the referee’s full name, title, institution, and contact information.
In two pages or less, describe the applicant’s qualities that support the applicant’s claim to scientific innovativeness and creativity. When possible, give specific examples that illustrate these qualities. Address the likelihood that the applicant will conduct groundbreaking research in the proposed research area.
Note: The letter submission page can be accessed without signing into the Commons, and referees do not need to be registered in the Commons. Referees must provide the applicant’s Commons User Name (User ID) and the other information below:
REFEREE INFORMATION (the individual providing the letter of reference):
APPLICANT INFORMATION (applicants must send this information to their referees):
Email confirmations will be sent to both the applicant and the referee following submission of the letter. The email confirmation will include a Confirmation Number that will be required only when submitting a revised or changed/corrected letter. Please print the confirmation email for your records.
All other aspects of this FOA remain unchanged.
Sam Ananthan, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: 301-435-2199
Email: [email protected]