Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
October 19, 2020
PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
The purpose of the NIDCR Dentist Scientist Administrative Supplement Program is to enhance the research careers of dentist-scientists who can contribute vital clinical perspectives to dental, oral and craniofacial research projects, and to build and sustain a dentist-scientist research workforce dedicated to improving dental, oral and craniofacial health.
The program will provide supplemental funds to active NIDCR research grants to support mentored research experiences for outstanding early career dentist-scientists who have recently completed dental specialty or residency training. The program is intended to accelerate the candidate’s transition from primarily clinical activities to predominantly research activities by providing protected time to develop or update research skills, formulate a research career plan, generate preliminary data and seek independent funding.
Dentist scientist candidates for this program are expected to contribute substantially to on-going research by conducting well-defined projects that are within scope of the goals and objectives of the parent grant. The candidate’s research experience is expected to be guided by an experienced investigator(s) and provide a foundation for the candidate’s future research independence. Mentors are expected to work with candidates to develop research experience plans that include the preparation of an independent grant application for NIDCR support and are anticipated to enhance the candidate’s successful competition for independent research support.
An initial request for one year of supplement support will be allowed, with the expectation that the candidate will make research progress and begin preparation of a grant application. An application for a second consecutive year of supplement support will be considered if progress in the initial year is demonstrated, and the need for an additional year of support to achieve the proposed career development goals and submission of an application for an independent support is strongly justified.
Eligible Applicants (Program Director/Principal Investigator)
PDs/PIs of active NIDCR DP2, R01, R21, R35, R37, R42, R43, R44, U01, UG3,and UH3 grants are eligible to apply if there is at least one year of support remaining in the project period, excluding any no-cost extension phase, at time of supplement award.
Only one supplement application will be considered per PD/PI, even if the PD/PI has multiple qualifying awards. For supplements to parent grants that include multiple PDs/PIs, the supplement should be requested by the contact PD/PI and submitted by the awardee institution of the parent grant.
PDs/PIs must have identified an eligible candidate who meets the criteria described below at the time of application. The candidate may be affiliated with either the applicant institution or another university or institution.
Mentors
The application must identify a primary mentor who is associated with the parent grant and a dentist scientist mentor who may also serve as the primary mentor, if applicable. The PD/PI of the award is not required to be the primary mentor, but the primary mentor is expected to have a defined role on the project. For multiple PI awards, the mentor of the candidate may be any or all of the PDs/PIs on the award. Other mentors may be included as needed for the project proposed. The PD/PI of the parent grant must concur with the supplement application.
Mentors are expected to be experienced investigators and have experience mentoring early career dentist scientist or other clinician scientists. If more than one mentor is proposed, each mentor’s role and relationship to the candidate in the proposed research experience plan must be clearly defined. Each mentor’s mentoring track record, including individuals previously mentored (preferably at the candidate’s career level) and their current positions, if applicable, should be described. If the primary mentor is a relatively junior faculty member and has modest research and mentoring experience, including an experienced and more senior co-mentor may be helpful.
Eligible Candidates
Candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements: (1) must have a DDS/DMD or equivalent degree, or have a DDS/DMD-PhD or equivalent research doctoral degree, (2) must have previous research experience at the predoctoral or postdoctoral career level at the time of application, (3) must have recently completed or be in the final year of dental specialty or residency training, (4) must be able to devote a minimum of 75% professional effort to the proposed research experience with the remaining effort devoted to activities related to the development of a successful research career, and (5) must include plans to develop an application for individual support, such as an NIDCR mentored research career development award (K01, K08, K23), a career transition award (K99/R00), a research project grant, or other type of NIDCR independent award to support dental, oral and craniofacial research.
NIDCR is committed to increasing diversity in the dental, oral and craniofacial research workforce and is committed to recruiting scientists who have different backgrounds and life experiences whose participation is vital to accomplishing NIDCR’s mission. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and individuals with disabilities or from disadvantage backgrounds (see NOT-OD-20-031) are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
Application and Submission Information
Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:
Application Due Date(s)
NIDCR accepts and reviews administrative supplement applications on a continuous basis during the fiscal year (October 1 September 30). However, applications must be submitted by 5 pm local time of the grantee institution on July 14 to be considered for funding before the end of fiscal year in 2021 and 2022.
For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-DE-20-035 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form: List the PD/PI, all individuals who will serve as mentors or co-mentors, and the dentist-scientist candidate; include a biographical sketch for each. Ensure the proposed candidate has an eRA Commons profile.
Award Budget
The NIDCR will provide support for the candidate’s annual salary, in accordance with the salary structure of the grantee institution, and consistent with the level of effort, up to $100,000 per year plus allowable fringe benefits. The total salary requested for the candidate must be established on the base salary of a full-time, 12-month staff appointment.
The supplement budget may request up to $25,000 per year for additional research-related costs such as laboratory supplies and core services, as well as costs for the candidate’s travel to a scientific conference. The duration of an initial supplement request must be one year. The parent award must have at least one year, or two or more years remaining on the project period at the time of supplement award. Two or more years would allow a potential second supplement application.
PHS 398 Research Plan form: The Research Strategy section is required to have the following components:
Research Experience Plan (up to 5 pages): Include a summary or abstract and specific aims of the parent grant. Describe the specific research project proposed for the candidate, including how the research is related to one or more of the aims and is within scope of the parent research project. Describe the candidate’s contribution to the proposed research.
Describe the research and research related experiences proposed for the candidate, identifying new experiences and how these experiences will build the candidate’s expertise in rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative approaches and data analysis and interpretation, if applicable. Identify goals that will be achieved during the one-year timeframe of the supplement. These may include acquiring specific preliminary data, submitting manuscripts for publication, and must include plans for applying for independent research funding. Provide a detailed timeline of activities and benchmarks of success or goals over the duration of support.
PD/PI Statement (up to 2 pages): Describe research qualifications, experience and track record in mentoring dentist-scientists or postdoctoral scientists, and the research support for the candidate during the research experience. Describe and confirm the candidate’s eligibility, qualifications, and ability to devote a minimum of 75% protected research time to the project. Describe the mentoring and supervision that will occur during the award period and a plan for monitoring the candidate's progress. Clearly state how the candidate’s project is, or will lead to, a research project independent of the parent grant and the PI’s research area. Include a statement of commitment to provide appropriate guidance and supervision of the candidate’s research experience that supports an independent research career trajectory.
Co-mentor, Consultant, Collaborator Statements (up to 1 page each): Provide signed statements describing the role in the project, qualifications, the nature and frequency of the proposed interactions with the candidate, and a statement of commitment to the candidate. Co-mentors should include their experience and track record in mentoring. If the PD/PI is not the primary mentor, the primary mentor must submit a similar statement.
Candidate’s Personal Statement (up to 3 pages): Describe prior research experiences and accomplishments, short- and long-term research objectives and career goals, including plans for submission of an independent K, R or other type of NIDCR independent award to support dental, oral and craniofacial research and how the supplement research experience will contribute to these goals.
Letter from Another Institution where Research will be Conducted (if applicable): If any of the research is to be conducted at a site other than the grantee institution, submit a letter of support from the institution where the research is to be conducted signed by the PD/PI and the appropriate Authorized Signing Official.
Application Review
NIDCR staff will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research and research career development activities.
Overall Impact
NIDCR will consider the ability of the proposed supplement activities to increase or maintain the parent award’s overall impact within the original scope of award and the following programmatic components:
Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss potential requests prior to submission.
Leslie Frieden, PhD
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Telephone: 301-496-4263
Email:Leslie.frieden@nih.gov