Notice Number: NOT-GM-18-006

Key Dates
Release Date: November 9, 2017

Issued by
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to revise Participant Costs information in PAR-17-053 "Research Education: Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) Program (R25)".

The following is detailed information about the modifications.

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section II. Award Information

Other Award Budget Information

Participant Costs

Current language:
Participants may be paid if specifically required for the proposed research education program and sufficiently justified. Participant costs must be itemized in the proposed budget.

Allowable participant costs depend on the educational level/career status of the individuals to be selected to participate in the program. 

While generally not an allowable cost, with strong justification, participants in the research education program may receive per diem unless such costs are furnished as part of the registration fee. Participants may also receive funds to defray partial tuition and other education-related expenses.

Individuals supported by NIH training and career development mechanisms (K, T, or F awards) may receive, and indeed are encouraged to receive, educational experiences supported by IMSD program, as participants, but may not receive salary or stipend supplementation from a IMSD program. 

Because the R25 program is not intended as a substitute for an NRSA institutional training program (e.g., T32), costs to support full-time participants (supported for 40 hours/week for a continuous, 12-month period) are not allowable

Revised language:
Participants may be paid if specifically required for the proposed research education program and sufficiently justified. Participant costs must be itemized in the proposed budget.

Stipends are not allowable for the IMSD Program. Salary support is allowed for undergraduate (UG) students active participation in student-development and research experiences supported by the program, as long as there is an employee-employer relationship between the student and the institution. The total compensation must be reasonable and commensurate with the institution’s support scale for the work performed provided the following criteria are met: (a) it is the institution’s practice to provide compensation for all students in similar circumstances regardless of the source of support for the activity, (b) the UG student is not supported for more than 15 hours per week during the academic year and not more than 40 hours/week during the summer, and (c) student participation in the specific developmental activity is not a curriculum requirement for graduation. A justification must be provided if the requested support for UG is more than $15 per hour. Support for students is not provided for time spent by the students passively participating in IMSD-sponsored, non-research activities, i.e., group-learning activities, attendance at conferences, etc.

For time spent in hands-on research experiences, graduate (Ph.D.) students are allowed a salary compensation package that includes salary, fringe benefits, tuition and fees consistent with their institution's practices for all graduate students in similar circumstances. The maximum NIH-permitted level of graduate student support is NRSA level 0, as indicated in the Graduate Student Compensation policy, located at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-017.html. (See NIH webpage and the guide notice for current figure https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm; https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-17-003.html). If it is the institution's policy to provide a total salary compensation package for all graduate students in similar circumstances regardless of the source of support for the activity at a lower level than NRSA level 0 for postdoctoral trainees, then the IMSD graduate participants must be paid accordingly.

Any interested students who are not enrolled in the IMSD program at the grantee institution may receive, and indeed are encouraged to receive, educational experiences (e.g. seminar) supported by the IMSD program, as participants, but may not receive salary or other supplementation from a IMSD program

It is the expectation of NIGMS that graduate students will participate in the IMSD program for no more than two years and will seek support from other departmental, federal, or non-federal sources to complete their degrees. Students may not concurrently hold another federally sponsored stipend or fellowship, other federal award that duplicates IMSD support, or supplemental salary support, e.g., from a mentor s federal research grant. However, concurrent with IMSD support, students may make use of federal educational loan funds and assistance under the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act (G.I. Bill), or may receive funds from a Pell Grant, based on financial need. Such funds are not considered supplementation or compensation.

All other aspects of this FOA remain the same.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Sailaja Koduri, Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Telephone: 301-594-3900
Email: Sailaja.Koduri@mail.nih.gov

Veerasamy Ravichandran, Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Telephone: 301-451-9822 
Email: veerasamy.ravichandra@nih.gov