Notice of Change in Country Eligibility for Fogarty International Training Grants


Notice Number: NOT-TW-12-011

Key Dates

Release Date: May 11, 2012

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NOT-TW-17-002
PAR-16-407
RFA-TW-16-002
PAR-16-082
RFA-TW-16-001
PAR-16-045
PAR-15-292
PAR-16-279
PAR-16-281
Issued by

Fogarty International Center (FIC)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

Purpose

Background and Intent:

The Fogarty International Center (FIC) has historically limited eligibility for research training grants to institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), as defined by the World Bank (http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups). With the rapid growth of research training opportunities funded by national governments in emerging economies around the world, this broad categorization today has become less meaningful in the context of FIC’s biomedical research capacity-building goals. In particular, many countries in the Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC) bracket today have large and growing national research training programs and fellowship opportunities of their own. As a result, FIC is revising its eligibility criteria in our research training programs for a subset of these nations, such that their participation is consistent with the traditional eligibility rules for Upper Income Country Institutions. That is, they may participate as training partners, but may not receive support for their own trainees.

Specific Change:

Beginning with receipt dates after January 1, 2013, the following change in eligibility will take effect for competing and re-competing research training grant applications (D43, D71, U2R mechanisms) to FIC. With the exception of Sub-Saharan African countries, FIC will no longer accept research training applications from, or research training applications that involve training of scientists from UMICs that are also members of the G20 major economies (http://www.g20.org/en/members). Based on the classifications above, this change currently applies to the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and the Upper Middle Income European Union member countries Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. This list may change over time as countries change categories within these classifications.

This change does not preclude involvement of G20 UMIC countries as partners in FIC research training programs where the goal is to train scientists from eligible LMICs and to build research capacity at the LMIC institutions. This change would not apply to a D43 application submitted in follow up to a successful planning grant application that had been received prior to January 1, 2013. This change does not affect eligibility for FIC Research grant programs (generally R and U mechanisms). Neither does this change affect the eligibility rules for any other grant from any other component of the National Institutes of Health. Finally, this does not preclude UMIC G20 country trainees from eligibility for FIC research training programs if their participation is specifically outlined in a bi-lateral agreement between FIC and international partner funding organizations for cooperative funding of such activities. Such agreements will be identified specifically in relevant funding opportunity announcements.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Dr. Joshua Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Acting Deputy Director
Office of the Director
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Email: FICENQ@mail.nih.gov
Website for FAQS: http://www.fic.nih.gov/Grants/Pages/country-eligibility.aspx