NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING INSTITUTIONAL TRAINING AWARDS Release Date: February 10, 2000 PA NUMBER: PA-00-057 National Institute on Aging Application Receipt Date: May 10, 2000 and succeeding years PURPOSE The National Institute on Aging (NIA) will award new and competing renewal National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grants (T32) to eligible institutions to develop or enhance research training opportunities for individuals, selected by the institution, who are training for careers in specified areas of aging research. The purpose of this announcement is to help ensure a broad cadre of researchers trained in the content and methods of aging research and in the major biomedical, behavioral and social areas of research most closely related to their field of study within aging. NIA supports both predoctoral and postdoctoral training in aging. The Institute also supports short-term research training for students in health- professional programs as part of an overall T32 program. This announcement describes NIA's particular emphases and programs within the overall NRSA program. Full information about eligibility, allowable costs, payback requirements, leave and other NRSA policies is available from the National Research Service Award Guidelines available at: https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm. Potential applicants should consult that document as well as the current program announcement before applying. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 Each NIH PA addresses one or more of 22 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention priority areas identified. These areas can be found via the WWW at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Only domestic, non-profit, private or public institutions may apply for grants to support research training programs. The applicant institution must have a strong research program in the area(s) proposed for research training and must have the requisite staff and facilities to carry out the proposed program. The research training program director at the institution will be responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees to receive NRSA support and for the overall direction of the program. Trainees appointed to the training program must have the opportunity to carry out supervised research on aging with the primary objective of developing or extending their research skills and knowledge in preparation for a research career. TRAINEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Positions on NRSA institutional grants may not be used for study leading to the M.D., D.D.S., or other clinical, health-professional degrees except when those studies are a part of a formal combined research degree program, such as the M.D./Ph.D. Similarly, trainees may not accept NRSA support for studies which are part of residency training leading to certification in a medical or dental specialty or subspecialty, except when the residency program credits a period of full-time, postdoctoral research training toward board certification and the trainee intends to pursue a research career. Students enrolled in health-professional doctoral degree programs may receive support for short-term research training as described above. Additionally, health-professional students may interrupt their studies for a year or more to engage in an extended period of full-time research training before completing their professional degree. Trainees are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis, devoting at least 40 hours per week to the program. Within the 40 hours per week training period, research trainees in clinical areas must devote their time to the proposed research training and must confine clinical duties to those that are an integral part of the research training experience. Citizenship. To be appointed to a training position supported by an NRSA research training grant, an individual must be a citizen or noncitizen national of the United States or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or must be in possession of other legal verification of such status). Noncitizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States (e.g., American Samoa and Swains Island). Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. Predoctoral Trainees. Predoctoral trainees must have received a baccalaureate degree by the beginning date of their NRSA appointment, and must be training at the postbaccalaureate level and enrolled in a program leading to a Ph.D. in science or in an equivalent research doctoral degree program. Health-professional students who wish to interrupt their studies for a year or more to engage in full-time research training before completing their professional degrees are also eligible. Postdoctoral Trainees. Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D., M.D. or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. Eligible doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to, the following: D.D.S., D.M.D., D.O., D.V.M., O.D., D.P.M., Sc.D., Eng.D., Dr. P.H., D.N.Sc., D. Pharm., D.S.W., and Psy.D. Documentation by an authorized official of the degree- granting institution certifying all degree requirements have been met prior to the beginning date of training is acceptable. Short-Term Health-Professional Trainees. To be eligible for short-term predoctoral research training positions, health-professional students must have completed at least one quarter in a program leading to a clinical doctorate prior to participating in the program. Individuals matriculated in a formal research degree program, or those holding a research doctorate or masters degree or a combined health-professional/research doctorate are not eligible for short-term training positions. Within schools of pharmacy, only individuals who are candidates for the Pharm.D. degree are eligible for short-term positions. Before individual health professional trainees are appointed, approval for their appointment must be obtained from NIA. Short-term research training positions should last at least 2 months but must not exceed 3 months. Individual health-professional students selected for appointment should be encouraged to obtain multiple periods of short-term research training during the years leading to their degree. Such appointments may be consecutive or may be reserved for summers or other "off-quarter" periods. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT The mechanism of support will be the Institutional NRSA research training grant (T32). These awards may be made for periods up to 5 years and are renewable. Awards within an approved competitive segment are normally made in 12-month increments with support for additional years based on satisfactory progress and the continued availability of funds. Trainee appointments are normally made in 12-month increments. No trainee may be appointed for less than 9 months during the initial period of appointment, except with the prior approval of NIA or when health- professional students are appointed to approved, short-term research training positions. No individual trainee may receive more than 5 years of aggregate NRSA support at the predoctoral level or 3 years of support at the postdoctoral level, including any combination of support from institutional training grants and individual fellowship awards. Any extension of the total duration of trainee support at either the predoctoral or postdoctoral level requires approval by the director of NIA. Requests for extension must be made in writing by the trainee, endorsed by the director of the training program and the appropriate institutional official, and addressed to the NIA Training Officer. The request must include a sound justification for an extension of the statutory limits on the period of support. PAYBACK PROVISIONS, TRAINEE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND ALLOWABLE LEAVE For provisions governing the above policies applicants should consult the National Research Service Award Guidelines available at: https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm RESEARCH OBJECTIVES NIA recognizes a continuing and expanding need to train new researchers in aging research. Such work includes knowledge of the underlying genetic, biological, neuroscientific, behavioral, social and economic causes of age- related change and stability, of the aging process, of the diseases of old age, of the age, gender, and ethnic structure of the population, and of the interventions that may alleviate problems of aging. The work also includes knowledge of health disparities as they relate to aging, and of the particular challenges of studying diverse older populations. A more complete description of current NIA priorities in research and training is available from the NIA Home Page http://www.nih.gov/nia. That site also includes the NIA Strategic Plan for FY 2001 - 2005 (in draft form at the time of publication of this announcement). It is clear that aging research both benefits from, and contributes to, more general basic research in the life sciences. Therefore programs that integrate teaching of aging research with focused training in the fields of life science research are particularly encouraged. Training that is exclusively focused on aging research as defined by a focus on age differences or changes is also appropriate. Training that targets age- related and age-associated diseases is similarly encouraged where attention is given to factors about aging that contribute to morbidity, the course of disease, the costs of disease, the need for care, the response to treatment, and subsequent mortality. Training may be multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary. Such approaches to training offer potential for new perspectives on aging research and improved methods to resolve problems of aging. At the same time NIA encourages such applications to have a strong central focus through which the perspectives offered by different disciplines can be contrasted, their separate strengths recognized, and the potential, in this context, for combined methods and emergent concepts emphasized. Structural recognition of the combined disciplinary perspectives is also encouraged, such as the presence of joint degree programs. Innovative approaches to integrating training in emerging tools of bioengineering, neuroimaging, computer modeling, and data analysis techniques with training in aging research are particularly encouraged. Applicants intending to focus on neuroscience and aging should also see the announcement: JOINTLY SPONSORED NIH PREDOCTORAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE NEUROSCIENCES Though the breadth of topics covered in a particular application is the choice of the applicants and will reflect local institutional strengths, applicants are reminded that aging research is a very broad field. It is important to choose a focus for the training proposal that reflects a coherent course of instruction and defined goals for the trainees within the field rather than seek to address all fields of aging research in a single application. TRAINEE COSTS (also see: NRSA Stipend Increase and Other Budgetary Changes) Stipends National Research Service Awards provide funds, in the form of stipends, to graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. A stipend is provided as a subsistence allowance to help trainees defray living expenses during the research training experience. It is not provided as a condition of employment with either the Federal Government or the awardee institution. Stipends must be paid to all trainees at the levels approved by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The stipend rates shown are for FY2000. Applicants should contact the individual listed at the end of this announcement or consult the NIH Guide for recent information on stipend rates. Predoctoral Trainees. The stipend for predoctoral trainees in FY 2000 is $15,060 For appointments of less than a year, the stipend will be based on a monthly proration that is $1,255 per month in FY 2000. Postdoctoral Trainees. The current annual stipend for postdoctoral trainees is determined by the number of FULL years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of appointment. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in full-time studies in a health-related field following the date of the qualifying doctoral degree. Postdoctoral stipend rates in FY 2000 are as follows: Postdoctoral Years of Experience 0 $26,916 1 $28,416 2 $33,516 3 $35,232 4 $36,936 5 $38,628 6 $40,332 7 or more $42,300 NIH Policies on administering stipends, on stipend supplementation, on other compensation, on educational loans, on concurrent awards and, on advice on the tax liability of stipends are available from: National Research Service Award Guidelines. Tuition, fees, and health insurance Tuition, fees, and medical insurance, are allowable trainee costs if such charges are required of all individuals in a similar training status at the institution, regardless of their source of support. Family medical insurance coverage is now an allowable cost for trainees with families. Tuition at the postdoctoral level is limited to that required for specific courses in support of the approved research training program. On an annual basis, for each trainee, the training grant will cover 100% of the first $3,000 of the combined cost of tuition, fees, and health insurance and 60% of any amount above $3,000. Institutions are instructed to request the full amount of these costs in competing applications. Noncompeting awards will reimburse tuition, fees, and health insurance costs in the amount paid in the previous award year, unless there is a change in the scope of the award. Other trainee costs Trainee travel, including attendance at scientific meetings that the institution determines to be necessary to the individual's research training, is an allowable trainee expense. NIA allows up to $500 per year per predoctoral trainee and up to $1,000 per year per postdoctoral trainee. In addition, support for travel to a research training experience away from the institution may be permitted. Research training experiences away from the parent institution must be justified considering the type of opportunities for training available, how these opportunities differ from those offered at the parent institution, and the relationship of the proposed experience to the trainee's career stage and goals. This type of research training requires prior approval from NIA. Letters requesting such training may be submitted to NIA at any time during the award period. Institutional costs of up to $2,000 a year per predoctoral trainee and up to $2,500 a year per postdoctoral trainee may be requested to defray the costs of other research training related expenses, such as staff salaries, consultant costs, equipment, research supplies, and staff travel. Under exceptional circumstances, which can include providing accommodations for a trainee with disabilities, it is possible to request institutional costs above the standard rate. Requests for additional costs must be explained in detail and carefully justified in the application. Consultation with NIA program staff in advance of such requests is strongly advised. The institution may receive up to $167 per month to offset the cost of tuition, fees, health insurance, travel, supplies, and other expenses for each short-term, health-professional research training position. A facilities and administration allowance (indirect cost allowance) based on 8 percent of total allowable direct costs (this excludes amounts for tuition, fees, health insurance, and equipment) may be requested. Applications from State and local government agencies may request full indirect cost reimbursement (see PHS Grants Policy Statement). APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applications are to be submitted on grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98). Section V of that form contains special instructions for Institutional National Research Service Awards (T32). Application kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, Phone (301) 710-0267, Email: GRANTSINFO@NIH.GOV. Applications are also available on the internet at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html . Applicants planning to submit an investigator-initiated new (type 1), competing continuation (type 2), competing supplement, or any amended/revised version of the preceding grant application types requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year in response to this announcement are advised that they must contact NIA program staff before submitting the application, i.e., as plans for the study are being developed. Furthermore, applicants must obtain agreement from NIA staff that the Institute will accept the application for consideration for award. Finally, applicants must identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, the staff member, with address, who agreed to accept assignment of the application. This policy requires applicants to obtain agreement for acceptance of both any such application and any such subsequent amendment. Refer to the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 20, 1998 at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-030.html Applications Requesting Short-term Training for Health Professional Students. Applicants who wish to include a request for short-term research training positions should identify short-term positions separately within the "stipends" and "training related expenses" categories on the budget page. Under "stipends," short-term positions should be listed in the "other" category. Tuition, fees, health insurance, and trainee travel, and other expenses, are to be included in "training related expenses." The description of the short-term research training program should be included in the application for the regular research training program, but should be separated from the description of the regular program within each section of the application. In addition to the information requested in the "program plan" section, the applicant should address the relationship of the proposed short-term program to the regular research training program and provide assurance that the short-term program will not detract from the regular program. Applicants must observe the 25-page limit on the narrative section. Submit a signed, printed, original of the application, including the checklist and five signed photocopies in one package to: CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) The title and number of the program announcement must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Applications will be assigned on the basis of established Public Health Service referral guidelines. Applications that are complete will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened in accordance with NIH peer review procedures. As part of the initial merit review, all applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the appropriate national advisory council or board. Applications are evaluated for merit by NIH initial review groups based on the following criteria: o Past research training record of both the program and the designated preceptors as determined by the success of former trainees in seeking further career development and in establishing productive scientific careers. Evidence of further career development can include receipt of fellowships, career awards, further training appointments, and similar accomplishments. Evidence of a productive scientific career can include a record of successful competition for research grants, receipt of special honors, a record of publications, receipt of patents, promotion to scientific positions, and any other measure of success consistent with the nature and duration of the training received. o recruitment and selection plans for trainees and the availability of high quality candidates; o objectives, design, and direction of the research training program; o caliber of preceptors as researchers, including successful competition for research support; o the institutional training environment, including the level of institutional commitment, quality of the facilities, availability of appropriate courses, and availability of research support; o record of the research training program in retaining health-professional postdoctoral trainees for at least 2 years in research training or other research activities; o when appropriate, the concomitant research training of health-professional postdoctorates (i.e., individuals with the M.D., D.O., D.D.S., etc.) with basic science postdoctorates (i.e., individuals with a Ph.D., etc.) or linkages with basic science departments. Short-Term Research Training Positions: In addition to the above criteria, applications that request short-term research training positions will also be assessed using the following criteria: o quality of the proposed short-term research training program including the commitment and availability of the participating faculty, program design, availability of research support, and training environment; o access to candidates for short-term research training and the ability to recruit high quality, short-term trainees from the applicant institution or some other health-professional school; o characteristics of the research training program that might be expected to persuade short-term trainees to consider academic/research careers, particularly in clinical areas; o success in attracting students back for multiple appointments (competing continuation applications); o effect of the short-term training program on the quality of the regular research training program or any existing, stand-alone short- term research training program; including the appropriateness of the number of short-term positions, and the plan to integrate the short-term training program into other existing programs; o plan to follow former short-term trainees and to assess the effect of such research training on their subsequent careers. Additional Review Considerations Minority Recruitment Plan: The NIH remains committed to increasing the participation of individuals from underrepresented minority groups in biomedical and behavioral research. As first announced in 1989, all competing applications for institutional NRSA research training grants must include a specific plan to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities in the training program. In addition, all competing continuation applications also must include a report on the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities during the previous award period. If an application is received without a plan, or without a report on the previous award period, the application will be considered incomplete and will be returned to the applicant without review. Additional information on this requirement was published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 22, Number 25, July 16, 1993. As indicated above, competing continuation applications must include a detailed account of experiences in recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups during the previous award period. Information must be included on successful and unsuccessful recruitment strategies. The report should provide information on the racial/ethnic distribution of: o students or postdoctorates who applied for admission or positions within the department(s) relative to the training grant, o students or postdoctorates who were offered admission to or a position within the department(s), o students actually enrolled in the academic program relevant to the training grant, o students or postdoctorates who were appointed to the research training grant. For those trainees who were appointed to the grant, the report should include information about the duration of research training and whether those trainees have finished their training in good standing. After the overall educational and technical merit of an application has been assessed, peer reviewers will examine and evaluate the minority recruitment plan and any record of recruitment and retention. For competing continuation applications, the reviewers will examine and evaluate the record of the program in recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority trainees during the previous award period. The panel also will consider whether the experience in recruitment during the previous award period has been incorporated into the formulation of the recruitment plan for the next award period. The findings of the panel will be included in an administrative note in the summary statement. If the minority recruitment plan or if the record of recruitment and retention of minorities is judged to be unacceptable, funding will be withheld until a revised plan that addresses the deficiencies is received. Staff within the NIH awarding component, with guidance from the appropriate national advisory committee or council, will determine whether amended plans and reports submitted after the initial review are acceptable. Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research: Every predoctoral and postdoctoral NRSA trainee supported by an institutional research training grant must receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. (For more information on this provision, see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 21, Number 43, November 27, 1992.) Applications must include a description of a program to provide formal or informal instruction in scientific integrity or the responsible conduct of research. Applications without plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research will be considered incomplete and may be returned to the applicant without review. o Although the NIH does not establish specific curricula or formal requirements, all programs are encouraged strongly to consider instruction in the following areas: conflict of interest, responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects, and data management. Within the context of training in scientific integrity it is also beneficial to discuss the mutual responsibilities of the institution and the graduate students or postdoctorates appointed to the program. o Plans must address the subject matter of the instruction, the format of the instruction, the degree of faculty participation, trainee attendance, and the frequency of instruction. o The rationale for the proposed plan of instruction must be provided. o Program reports on the type of instruction provided, topics covered, and other relevant information, such as attendance by trainees and faculty participation, must be included in future competing continuation and noncompeting applications. The NIH encourages institutions to provide instruction in the responsible conduct of research to all graduate students and postdoctorates in a training program or department, regardless of the source of support. NIH initial review groups will assess the applicant's plans on the basis of the appropriateness of topics, format, amount and nature of faculty participation, and the frequency and duration of instruction. The plan will be discussed after the overall determination of merit, so that the quality of the plan will not be a factor in the determination of the priority score. Plans will be judged as acceptable or unacceptable. The acceptability of the plan will be described in an administrative note on the summary statement. Regardless of the priority score, applications with unacceptable plans will not be funded until a revised, acceptable plan is provided by the applicant. The acceptability of the revised plan will be judged by staff within the NIH awarding component. Following initial review, applications are also reviewed by the appropriate NIH institute or center council, board, or other advisory group. These advisory groups will consider, in addition to the assessment of the scientific and educational merit of the research training grant application, the initial review group's comments on the recruitment of individuals from underrepresented minority groups into the research training program and the plan for instruction in the responsible conduct of research. Review Schedule Application Initial Council Earliest Receipt Date Review Review start date May 10 Oct./Nov. February May 1 Award Criteria Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications for institutional training grants. The following will be considered in making funding decisions: o Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review o Availability of funds o Program priority. INQUIRIES Additional information on NIH training programs and policies is available at the NIH training web site: https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm c . Inquiries are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Robin A. Barr, D. Phil. NIA Training Officer National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2C218 MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 Telephone: (301) 496-9322 FAX: (301) 402-2945 Email: rb42h@nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Mr. Joe Ellis Grants and Contracts Management Office National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2N212, MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 Telephone: (301) 496-1472 FAX: (301) 402-3672 Email: je14j@nih.gov Authority and Regulations NRSA Institutional Research Training Grants are made under the authority of Section 487 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 288). Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 66, is applicable to this program. This program is also described under the following number in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: 93.866. The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.
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