Key Dates

Related Announcements

PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

RFA-LM-20-001 -Regional Medical Libraries for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (UG4) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Issued by

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Purpose

The National Library of Medicine is issuing this Notice to announce the availability of Administrative Supplements for the NNLM Data Science and Services Center. The purpose of the Center is to provide leadership and national coordination of NNLM efforts to develop capacity of individuals and institutions in the health information community to perform data science and deliver data services. The Center works closely in partnership with the NNLM Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs), Offices, and Centers, and the NLM to accomplish goals. This administrative supplement will provide funds to an active UG4 award.

Background

In 2018, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) published A Platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data-Powered Health: Strategic Plan 2017-2027. The Plan identified several overarching goals to help unleash the potential of data and information to accelerate and transform discovery and improve health and healthcare. The first of these stated goals was to “accelerate discovery and advance health by providing the tools for data-driven research,” which contained several objectives, including Objective 1.2, “Advance research and development in biomedical informatics and data science.” Additionally, Strategic Plan Goal 3, “Build a workforce for data-driven research and health,” included Objective 3.1, “Expand and enhance research training for biomedical informatics and data science,” and Objective 3.2, “Assure data science and open science proficiency.”

To pursue these goals, in August 2020, NLM published Opportunities for Building Capacity in the Library and Information Science Community to Support Data-Driven Research and Health. The document identifies specific areas where librarians and health information professionals can support data-driven research and health, as well as specific skills and competencies which may be useful in those efforts. The three primary areas of activity: (A) Accelerating Discovery through Data Science, (B) Advancing Health and Healthcare through the Application of Data-Centric Clinical Informatics, and (C) Supporting the Research Enterprise with Effective Data Management.

In the 2016-2021 UG4 grant cycle, data capacity activities occurred at the local, regional, and national level. Throughout the grant cycle, RMLs have offered funding opportunities for professional development and institutional capacity, and, in some cases, have developed and delivered new data-related training opportunities. Starting in January 2018, the NNLM Training Office (NTO) developed and offered the “Biomedical and Health Research Data Management for Librarians” training program, designed to introduce librarians to data issues and policies, with the goal of implementing or enhancing data services at their institution. Since 2017, the NNLM Research Data Management Working Group (RDM WG) has maintained the NNLM Resources for Data-Driven Discovery (RD3) website, established annual goals and activities for national NNLM activities in research data management, and provided a level of coordination for NNLM activities in this area nation-wide, though the continuing evolution and growth in this field certainly leaves room for additional strategic efforts. Additionally, while NNLM data-related efforts in the 2016-2021 grant cycle were primarily focused on research data management, Opportunities for Building Capacity (referenced above) identifies new opportunities to expand the scope of Network efforts into the broader domains of data science and data services.

Center Objectives

The Center is responsible for

1. program planning, coordination, and strategy development for the Network, with a primary focus on developing individual capacity (and secondary focus in developing institutional capacity) to conduct data science and/or deliver data services in support of data-driven research and health);
2. conceptualizing, developing and delivering training, education, and other programs to develop data-related skills and expertise in the health information community and among NNLM staff;
3. providing input on the development of subaward funding opportunities offered by RMLs, in the area of developing individual (and institutional) capacity to conduct data science and/or deliver data services; and
4. supporting NIH priorities in the domain of data science, data services, and data governance; including helping individuals and organizations facilitate compliance with NIH policies related to research data.

The Center is expected to accomplish these objectives by:

1. conducting needs assessments to inform program planning and strategy;
2. developing and maintaining online educational materials, tools, and resources in the domains of data science and data services; coordinate persistent maintenance of materials with NNLM RMLs, Offices, and Centers;
3. evaluating NNLM capacity building efforts in the domains of data science and data services, in collaboration with the NNLM Evaluation Center (NEC);
4. establishing and managing partnerships with national organizations and related institutions (such as Library and Information Science (LIS) programs); soliciting and incorporating feedback from advisory groups and partners; and
5. coordinating and implementing local, regional, and national programs and activities through cooperation and collaboration with other NNLM RMLs, Offices, and Centers; leadership of the NNLM RDM WG (or similar entity); coordinating and consulting with NNLM RMLs, Offices, and Centers on data-related matters; and participation in the Steering Committee and Program Committee.

Existing tools, resources, and procedures from the NNLM Evaluation Center (NEC), NNLM Training Office (NTO) and NNLM Web Services Office (NWSO), as well as others developed or recommended by NNLM or NLM, should be used where applicable.

Applicants are permitted and encouraged to seek out partnerships with other organizations and institutions as part of a plan to accomplish these objectives.

Budget: A total amount of $525,000 per year is available for an administrative supplement to support the Data Science and Services Center for June 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022, and for each year from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2026. Requests must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. Categorical budgets must be used.

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

• PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:

• Application Due Date – May 14, 2021, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
• For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT-LM-21-006” (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.
• Applicants may request up to 5 years of support.
• Application budgets should not exceed $525,000 in total costs per year.
• Applications can include support for subawards.
• The Research Strategy section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
• Eligibility: Only existing awardees of the Network of the National Library of Medicine program (RFA-LM-20-001) are eligible to apply.
• Only one application will be accepted per active UG4 award; multiple applications from the same UG4 award will not be accepted.
• Only electronic submissions will be accepted for this funding opportunity. Use one of the methods described in PA-20-272. Paper submissions and applications submitted as email attachments will be rejected without review.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact at NLM that a request has been submitted in response to this FOA in order to facilitate efficient processing of the request.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Alan Vanbiervliet, PhD
National Library of Medicine/Extramural Programs
Telephone: 301-594-1297
Email: [email protected]