Key Dates

Related Announcements

PAR-21-075 - Research Experience in Genomic Research for Data Scientists (R25)

Issued by

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to revise the funding opportunity description and eligibility information for Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) PAR-21-075 Research Experience in Genomic Research for Data Scientists (R25) .

The following sections of PAR-21-075 Research Experience in Genomic Research for Data Scientists (R25) have been modified:

Currently Reads:

Part 2. Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The overarching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

The over-arching goal of this NHGRI R25 program is to support educational activities thatencourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

• • Research Experiences: For students currently enrolled in master’s degree programs in data science (including programs in statistics/biostatistics, mathematics, computer science or equivalent fields) to provide hands-on exposure to genomics data sets as a substrate for their analytical skills. Through this announcement, NHGRI hopes to attract such students to the genomics workforce. NHGRI also seeks to both encourage data scientists who plan to opt for a terminal master’s degree to join genomics research, as well as reinforce the intent of current master’s degree students who are considering entering a doctoral program with an eventual dissertation focused on genomic data science.

This FOA is explicitly intended to support the entry of master’s degree students in data science into the genomics workforce. Undergraduate or doctoral students will not be supported under this FOA. The following groups explicitly cannot be supported under this announcement:

• • Data scientists who have completed an undergraduate degree but are not enrolled in a data science master’s degree.
  • Data scientists currently with extensive genomics research experience.
  • Master’s degree students currently enrolled in genomics programs who are interested in gaining exposure to data science.

For this FOA, genomics research is defined as biological investigation at the scale of the complete genome without having a focus on a single gene, a group of genes, a particular genomic locus, or a specific disease or organ system. Genomics programs are defined as research or educational programs that have a complete or substantial focus on genomics research, including both experimental and computational approaches towards genomics. Programs that focus on biological research or education with genetics topics included without a specific focus on genome-scale topics will ordinarily be considered outside the scope of genomics programs .

Data science programs are defined as those training students to obtain master’s degrees in statistics, mathematics, computer science or equivalent quantitative or analytical fields, but without an existing genomics component. Existing master’s degree programs which focus on bioinformatics (or more specifically, genome informatics) are outside the scope of this funding opportunity announcement, which is intended to bring more data scientists into the genomics community who have very little or no previous experience working with genomics data sets.

Research education programs may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those training and education programs currently receiving Federal support. R25 programs may augment institutional research training programs (e.g., T32, T90) but cannot be used to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.

Modified to Read (changes shown in bold italics):

Part 2. Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The overarching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

The over-arching goal of this NHGRI R25 program is to support educational activities thatencourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

• • Research Experiences: For students currently enrolled in master’s degree programs in data science (including programs in statistics/biostatistics, mathematics, computer science or equivalent fields) to provide hands-on exposure to genomics data sets as a substrate for their analytical skills. Through this announcement, NHGRI hopes to attract such students to the genomics workforce. NHGRI also seeks to both encourage data scientists who plan to opt for a terminal master’s degree to join genomics research, as well as reinforce the intent of current master’s degree students who are considering entering a doctoral program with an eventual dissertation focused on genomic data science.

This FOA is explicitly intended to support the entry of master’s degree students in data science into the genomics workforce. Undergraduate or doctoral students will not be supported under this FOA. The following groups or activities explicitly cannot be supported under this announcement:

• • Data scientists who have completed an undergraduate degree but are not enrolled in a data science master’s degree.
  • Data scientists currently with extensive genomics research experience.
  • Master’s degree students currently enrolled in genomics programs who are interested in gaining exposure to data science.
  • Summer only programs

For this FOA, genomics research is defined as biological investigation at the scale of the complete genome without having a focus on a single gene, a group of genes, a particular genomic locus, or a specific disease or organ system. Genomics programs are defined as research or educational programs that have a complete or substantial focus on genomics research, including both experimental and computational approaches towards genomics. Programs that focus on biological research or education with genetics topics included without a specific focus on genome-scale topics will ordinarily be considered outside the scope of genomics programs .

Data science programs are defined as those training students to obtain master’s degrees in statistics, mathematics, computer science or equivalent quantitative or analytical fields, but without an existing genomics component. Existing master’s degree programs which focus on bioinformatics (or more specifically, genome informatics) are outside the scope of this funding opportunity announcement, which is intended to bring more data scientists into the genomics community who have very little or no previous experience working with genomics data sets.

Research education programs may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those training and education programs currently receiving Federal support. R25 programs may augment institutional research training programs (e.g., T32, T90) but cannot be used to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.

Currently Reads:

Part 2. Section III. Eligibility Information
Additional Information on Eligibility

Participants

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit only one application.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• • A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
  • A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
  • An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

Program Faculty

Researchers from diverse backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and women are encouraged to participate as preceptors/mentors. Mentors should have research expertise and experience relevant to the proposed program. Mentors must be committed to continue their involvement throughout the total period of the mentee’s participation in this award.

Participants

Participants must be master’s degree data science students, who may have limited previous genomics research exposure, who will benefit from the proposed Research Education program.

This program does not support undergraduate or doctoral students.

Participants may receive support for 10-15 hours a week during the academic year and while they are fulfilling their course requirements, and 40 hours a week during the summer if no courses are being taken.Participants are allowed tuition remission as part of a compensation package.

Program-supported students may not concurrently hold another federally sponsored stipend or fellowship, other federal award that duplicates support, or supplemental salary support, e.g., from a mentor’s federal research grant. However, concurrent with 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.

Programs are encouraged to build a diverse participant team with participants from diverse backgrounds. (NIH’s Interest in Diversity).

Unless strongly justified on the basis of exceptional relevance to NIH, research education programs should be used primarily for the education of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Modified to Read (changes shown in bold italics):

Part 2. Section III. Eligibility Information
Additional Information on Eligibility

Participants

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit only one application.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• • A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
  • A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
  • An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

Program Faculty

Researchers from diverse backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and women are encouraged to participate as preceptors/mentors. Mentors should have research expertise and experience relevant to the proposed program. Mentors must be committed to continue their involvement throughout the total period of the mentee’s participation in this award.

Participants

Participants must be full-time master’s degree data science students receiving their degree from the grantee institution, who may have limited previous genomics research exposure, who will benefit from the proposed Research Education program.

This program does not support undergraduate or doctoral students.

Participants may receive support for 10-15 hours a week during the academic year and while they are fulfilling their course requirements, and 40 hours a week during the summer if no courses are being taken.Participants are allowed tuition remission as part of a compensation package.

Program-supported students may not concurrently hold another federally sponsored stipend or fellowship, other federal award that duplicates support, or supplemental salary support, e.g., from a mentor’s federal research grant. However, concurrent with 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.

Programs are encouraged to build a diverse participant team with participants from diverse backgrounds. (NIH’s Interest in Diversity).

Unless strongly justified on the basis of exceptional relevance to NIH, research education programs should be used primarily for the education of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

.

All other aspects of this FOA remain the same.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Shurjo K. Sen, Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Phone: 301-827-7028
Email: sensh@mail.nih.gov