Revision: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipend and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2007

Notice Number: NOT-OD-07-057

Update: The following update relating to this notice has been issued:

  • March 27, 2009 - See Notice NOT-OD-09-075 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipend and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2009.
  • NOT-OD-08-036 - For FY 2008, funds for the NRSA program are held at FY 2007 levels and policies for tuition and training-related expenses established for FY 2007 remain in effect for FY 2008.

Key Dates
Release Date: March 14, 2007

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov/)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), (http://www.ahrq.gov/)
Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), (http://www.hrsa.gov/)

This Notice revises and clarifies NOT-OD-07-052. It explains that the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Training Related Expenses previously announced are applicable only for new and competing renewal institutional Kirschstein-NRSA awards made in FY 2007 and for non-competing institutional training awards in FY 2007 that received competing awards in FY 2006. It also clarifies that the FY 2007 institutional allowances for fellows apply only to competing individual Kirschstein-NRSA awards made in FY 2007.

The stipend levels for FY 2007 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and fellows remain the same as in FY 2006, as shown in the table below. The new Training Related Expenses for trainees and the Institutional Allowance for individual fellows for FY 2007 (previously announced in NOT-OD-06-093) are also summarized below.

The budgetary categories described in this Notice are effective only for Kirschstein-NRSA awards made with FY 2007 funds. Retroactive adjustments or supplementation of stipends or other budgetary categories with Kirschstein-NRSA funds for an award made prior to October 1, 2006 are not permitted.

Stipends

Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after October 1, 2006, the following annual stipend levels apply to all individuals receiving support through institutional research training grants or individual fellowships, including the Minority Access to Research Career (MARC) and Career Opportunities in Research (COR) programs. These awards are made under the authority of Section 487 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

The stipend levels are as follows:

Career Level

Stipend for FY 2007

Undergraduates in the MARC and COR Programs:

Freshmen/Sophomores

$7,812

Juniors/Seniors

$10,956

Predoctoral

$20,772

Postdoctoral

Years of Experience:

0

$36,996

1

$38,976

2

$41,796

3

$43,428

4

$45,048

5

$46,992

6

$48,852

7 or more

$51,036

These stipend levels are to be used in the preparation of future competing and non-competing NRSA institutional training grant and individual fellowship applications. They will be administratively applied to all applications currently in the review process.

The NIH encourages institutions to limit the duration of graduate and postdoctoral training to the extent possible. In most cases, graduate and postdoctoral research training from any source should not exceed 6 years and 5 years, respectively. The NIH retains eight levels of postdoctoral stipends to accommodate individuals who complete other forms of health-related training prior to accepting a Kirschstein-NRSA supported position. The presence of eight discrete levels of experience should not be construed as an endorsement of extended periods of postdoctoral research training.

It should be noted that the maximum amount that NIH will award to support the compensation package for a graduate student research assistant remains at the zero level postdoctoral stipend, as described in NOT-OD-02-017.

Training Related Expenses and Institutional Allowances for Kirschstein-NRSA Recipients

Training related expenses for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees will be paid at the amounts shown below for all competing awards made with FY 2007 funds. These amounts also apply to non-competing awards issued in FY 2007 for programs that received competing awards in FY 2006.

Training Related Expenses on Institutional Training Grants (including health insurance)

  • Predoctoral Trainees: $4,200
  • Postdoctoral Trainees: $7,850

Non-competing continuations of institutional training awards that started in FY 2005 or earlier will continue to receive tuition, fees, health insurance, and training related expenses at the rates set in the initial Notice of Award and calculated in accordance with the policies in place at that time. Further information about the implementation of Kirschstein-NRSA policies for tuition, fees, and health insurance announced in NOT-OD-06-093 can be found in Questions and Answers Related to NOT-OD-06-093 and summarized in the table at the end of this notice.

Institutional allowances for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows will be paid at the amounts shown below for all competing awards made with FY 2007 funds. Institutional allowances for non-competing awards will remain at previously committed levels.

Institutional Allowance for Individual Fellows Sponsored by non-Federal Public, Private, and Non-Profit Institutions (Domestic & Foreign, including health insurance)

  • Predoctoral Fellows: $4,200
  • Postdoctoral Fellows: $7,850

Institutional Allowance for Individual Fellows Sponsored by Federal and For-Profit Institutions (including health insurance)

  • Predoctoral Fellows: $3,100
  • Postdoctoral Fellows: $6,750

Expenses allowed within these cost categories are described in the appropriate program announcements, which can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm.

FY 2007 levels for training-related expenses and institutional allowances are to be used in the preparation of future competing Kirschstein-NRSA institutional training grant and individual fellowship applications, and will be administratively applied to all applications currently in the review process.

Reminder: Implementation of New Kirschstein-NRSA Institutional Training Grant Policies for Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance


The implementation of the new Kirschstein-NRSA policies for tuition, fees, health insurance, and training related expenses for institutional training grants announced in NOT-OD-06-093 is summarized below:

Competing
Award Year

FY 2005

FY 2006

FY 2007

FY 2008

FY 2009

FY05 or earlier

Cost policy applicable at time of competing award

Cost policy applicable at time of competing award

Cost policy applicable at time of competing award

Cost policy applicable at time of competing award

Cost policy applicable at time of competing award

FY06

Cost policy applicable at time of competing award

Recalculated at FY 2007 T/F and TRE levels

Awarded at FY07 T/F and TRE levels

Awarded at FY07 T/F and TRE levels

FY07

Awarded at FY07 T/F and TRE levels

Awarded at FY07 T/F and TRE levels

Awarded at FY07 T/F and TRE levels

Notes on Table: i) The Federal Fiscal Year runs October 1 - September 30. ii) T/F/HI = Tuition/Fees/Health Insurance. iii) T/F = Tuition/Fees. iv) TRE = Training Related Expenses. See NOT-OD-093 for links to Old, Interim, and New Policies.

Inquiries

Questions concerning this notice or other policies relating to training grants or fellowships should be directed to the grants management office in the appropriate NIH Institute or Center, AHRQ, or HRSA.

Inquiries concerning this Notice may be directed to:
Office of Extramural Programs
National Institutes of Health
Email: NIHTrain@mail.nih.gov