Notice of Special Interest: Administrative Supplements to NIH-funded T32 and TL1 Training Grants to Better Integrate Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) with other Health-Related Sciences
Notice Number:
NOT-OD-22-141

Key Dates

Release Date:

June 6, 2022

First Available Due Date:
July 11, 2022
Expiration Date:
July 12, 2022

Related Announcements

NOT-HL-22-033 - Notice of NHLBI Participation in NOT-OD-22-141 "Notice of Special Interest: Administrative Supplements to NIH-funded T32 and TL1 Training Grants to Better Integrate Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) with other Health-Related Sciences"

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

Issued by

Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Purpose

OBSSR is interested in supporting the integration of health-related behavioral and social sciences (BSS) with other biomedical methodological and scientific disciplines (e.g., genetics, immunology, metabolomics, molecular biology, microbiome, biochemistry, or physiological sciences). The goal is to train a research workforce that has the integrated content expertise and skills to meaningful address gaps in scientific advancement that are not well served by a more siloed approach to research. To support this goal, the OBSSR is soliciting applications for a one-time administrative supplement to existing NIH T32 and TL1 training grants for the enhancement of activities that support the acquisition of expertise and skills that are foundational to conducting multidisciplinary science that integrates BSS with biomedical approaches, methods, paradigms, and outcomes. Activities may include activities designed to better prepare students for multi-disciplinary research careers in a variety of venues, such as academia, industry, government, or entrepreneurial enterprises. Applicants are encouraged to develop activities that can be easily shared with other training programs. Applicants can respond to this announcement by adding curricula from biomedical disciplines to T32s and TL1s that are primarily focused on BSS or by adding BSS curricula to T32s and TL1s that are primarily focused on biomedical sciences. Enhancements to existing grants should have the goal of developing skills and expertise in integrated and multidisciplinary research that includes BSS; applicants should discuss how the module will increase interest in the T32/TL1, and how the training module will impact trainee careers. The cross-discipline curricula added to a T32 or TL1 could focus on training in discipline-specific methods, measurement approaches, research paradigms, and/or discipline specific subject matter expertise.

Applicants should note that this NOSI provides an opportunity to request only one year of support, and the funds from this supplement must be expended during the 12-month budget period of the award. Some NIH institutes may have restrictions on the year in which the award can be made, so please consult with the program officer on your parent grant. Application budgets are limited to no more than $80,000 direct costs (unless the cost of the parent grant is less than $80,000 at which point the request cannot exceed the cost of the parent grant) and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Applicants should also note that funds from this supplement are for added curricula development and implementation and are not intended to support additional trainee slots, nor should the funds be used to support faculty salaries.

Activities supported by this NOSI may vary by the NIH Institute funding the parent award. Please see institute-specific interests below.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application to this NOSI, provided that each is sufficiently distinct from any other administrative supplement currently under consideration by the awarding NIH Institute or Center. However, only one supplement request per parent award will be accepted.

  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

NCATS supports predoctoral and postdoctoral training through the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (TL1/T32). The goal of the NRSA training program at NCATS is to train the next generation of the clinical and translational science workforce that improves the efficiency, quality and impact of the process for turning observations in the laboratory, clinic and community into interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. Note about the Award Project Period: Supplement project and budget periods are limited to the remaining active budget period that started in FY23 for the existing parent award. To be eligible, the parent award must be active (i.e., not be in an extension period), and the activities proposed in the supplement must be accomplished within the remaining active budget period that started in FY22 for the existing parent award.

  • National Cancer Institute

The NCI is interested in curricula/training opportunities to enhance (1) statistical andmethodological methods, and (2) capacity of researchers to advance priority areas by fostering the integration of cancer prevention and control and biomedical research. Examples include, but are not limited to, (a) geospatial thinking and analysis, (b) computational modeling and/or data science methods to understand the predictors, mediators and moderators of behavior including outcomes such as tobacco use, sedentary behavior, physical activity, sun safety, alcohol use, medication adherence and diet/nutrition, (c) multi-level models/theories that examine the effects of multiple and potentially interacting factors ranging from biology to the built environment and the impact of policy on behavior, and (d) training in newly established data collection efforts, including crowdsourcing and citizen science, wearables, sensors, smartphones and the internet. Training in techniques to merge and/or link different data sets to answer novel cancer control-related research questions is also a priority.

  • National Human Genome Research Institute

NHGRI supports research training in its three scientific mission areas: 1) Genomic Sciences with a focus on the quantitative sciences, bioinformatics, and technology development; 2) Genomic Medicine with a focus on using genomics to advance the science of medicine and incorporating genomics to improve the effectiveness of healthcare ; and 3) Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genetic and Genomic Research with a focus on developing multi-disciplinary conceptual and methodological skills necessary to pursue independent careers as ELSI researchers. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NHGRI Program Staff to discuss potential supplement applications prior to submission.

  • National Institute on Aging

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) promotes interdisciplinary and collaborative research across disciplinary boundaries to advance research on aging, including research on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-related Dementias (ADRD). Applicants to this NOSI are encouraged to: 1) develop curricula/courses that integrate behavioral and social science perspectives and approaches (from e.g., psychology, cognitive science, economics, sociology, demography, behavioral medicine, anthropology, public health, community health, social epidemiology, and health services research) into training program curricula that are primarily focused on biomedical sciences; and/or 2) develop curricula/courses that help train behavioral and social science researchers in allied fields important for advancing innovative aging research, such as bioinformatics, genetics, epigenetics, neuroscience, inflammatory mechanisms, immunology, physiology, and clinical research design. Particularly encouraged are curricula/courses that 1) add a lifecourse approach to the study of aging processes; 2) incorporate the importance of social determinants of health for understanding observed minority health and health disparities at older ages and for devising solutions to eliminate these disparities at structural, community, interpersonal and individual levels; and 3) increase the number of future investigators with the skills to advance AD/ADRD research using the tools of the behavioral and social sciences. Applicant resources include information about the research programs of NIA’s four extramural Divisions, NIA’s Strategic Directions, the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework, and NIA’s AD/ADRD Research Implementation Milestones.

  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

NIAMS funds Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grants (T32) to enable institutions to support pre-doctoral and postdoctoral research training for individuals in the fields of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases. The primary goal of the NIAMS T32 program is to prepare individuals to pursue careers in research that will ultimately improve the health of persons with arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases. NIAMS is interested in applications that propose to integrate transdisciplinary training in the behavioral and social sciences, with the goal of increasing the number of future investigators with content area expertise and skills in best practice designs, measurements, and analytic methods of behavioral and social science research.

  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

The mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives. The NIEHS supports training programs focused on examining the biomedical effects of environmental exposures, as well as programs in population health and epidemiology, biostatistics and other quantitative approaches. Through the curriculum supplements offered by this program, the NIEHS seeks to integrate the health-related behavioral and social sciences into environmental health science programs to prepare trainees for careers in multidisciplinary research. Conversely, applications from biomedically focused training programs may submit supplements to develop and increase the curricula in the behavioral and social sciences, as defined by the OBSSR, relative to the focus of their program. Supplement applications deemed responsive to this announcement will promote the formation of new partnerships, bring in new faculty to reach beyond faculty and expertise currently associated with the training program, and bring in new cross-training experiences to students that are not currently available. Applications should also address how the new curricular material will be sustained after development by the supplement. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss potential applications with NIEHS Program staff prior to submitting.

  • National Institute of Nursing Research

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) supports research to solve pressing health challenges and inform practice and policy - optimizing health and advancing health equity into the future. NINR discovers solutions to health challenges through the lenses of health equity, social determinants of health, population and community health, prevention and health promotion, and systems and models of care. Drawing on the strengths of nursing’s holistic, contextualized perspective, core values, and broad reach, NINR funds multilevel and cross-sectoral research that examines the factors that impact health across the many settings in which nurses work, including homes, schools, workplaces, clinics, justice settings, and the community. Observational, intervention, and implementation research are of interest.

  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH):

NCCIH is interested in applications to develop curricula that integrates behavioral and social science with biomedical approaches, methods, paradigms, and outcomes within the context of complementary and integrative heath approaches. Activities may include development of novel cross-discipline curricula and/or adaptation of existing curricula to be easily shared and implemented across other training programs. The curricula should support development of multidisciplinary skills and expertise in areas of science relevant to the NCCIH Strategic Plan on Mapping a Pathway to Research on Whole Person Health. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss potential applications with NCCIH Program staff prior to submitting.

Description of circumstances for which administrative supplements are available.

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(s) July 11, 2022 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
  • For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-OD-22-141 (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.
  • Requests may be for one year of support only.
  • The Research Strategy section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
  • Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact at the Institute supporting the parent award 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:

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences (OBSSR) does not accept assignment of applications or manage awards that are funded. Please contact one of the ICs listed below for inquiries regarding the suitability of the proposed project for the FOA and the IC's research portfolio.

Erica L. Spotts, PhD.
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Telephone: 301-594-2105
Email: spottse@od.nih.gov