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Department of Health and Human Services
Part 1. Overview Information
Participating Organization(s)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

Fogarty International Center (FIC)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)

Funding Opportunity Title

Emerging Global Leader Award (K43)

Activity Code

K43 International Research Career Development Award

Announcement Type

Reissue of PAR-15-292

Related Notices
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number

PAR-17-001

Companion Funding Opportunity

PAR-17-002, K01 Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)

93.989; 93.242; 93.113; 93.313; 93.853; 93.172; 93.398; 93.121

Funding Opportunity Purpose

The purpose of the Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award is to provide research support and protected time (three to five years) to an early career research scientist from a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) who holds a junior faculty position at an LMIC academic or research institution, as defined by the World Bank (http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups, including low-income, lower-middle-income, and upper-middle-income countries). This intensive, mentored research career development experience is expected to lead to an independently funded research career at the LMIC institution or in another LMIC. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications from LMIC scientists from any health-related discipline who propose career development activities and a research project that is relevant to the health priorities of their country under the mentorship of LMIC and U.S. mentors.

Key Dates

Posted Date

October 4, 2016

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

November 14, 2016

Letter of Intent Due Date(s)

30 days before the application due date

Application Due Date(s)

New Dates December 14, 2016; December 14, 2017; and December 4, 2018 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

New Dates December 14, 2016; December 14, 2017; and December 4, 2018 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of AIDS and AIDS-related applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Scientific Merit Review

New Dates March 2017, March 2018, March 2019

Advisory Council Review

New Dates May 2017, May 2018, May 2019

Earliest Start Date

New Dates July 2017, July 2018, July 2019

Expiration Date

New Date December 5, 2018 per issuance of PAR-19-051. (Original Expiration Date: November 29, 2018)

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Career Development Instructions for the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.


Table of Contents

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information


Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

The overall goal of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. In addition to this opportunity, NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of other mentored career development programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence. These other programs may be more suitable for particular candidates. NIH also supports non-mentored career development programs for independent investigators. More information about Career programs may be found at the NIH Extramural Training Mechanisms website. In addition, some ICs support Emerging Global Leader Awards for international scientists.

Program Description

The purpose of the Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award is to provide research support and "protected time" to a research scientist from a low-or middle-income country (LMIC) who holds a junior faculty position at an LMIC academic or research institution as defined in Section III.1. At many LMIC institutions there is little support for junior faculty with long-term research training to launch an independent research career due to lack of protected time for research activities, inadequate pilot research project funding opportunities, insufficient training in advanced research methodology and data analysis, lack of mentorship in manuscript and grant writing and meager institutional support for developing, submitting and administering research applications and awards. This intensive, mentored research career development experience under the guidance of experienced LMIC and U.S. mentors is expected to foster an independently-funded research career for the most promising LMIC junior research scientist faculty. Overall, it is expected that this program will increase the scientific capacity for health research at LMIC institutions and foster long term research collaborations with U.S. scientists.

The award will provide salary and research project support. Awardees are expected to increase their capabilities in advanced research methodology, analysis and data management, research administrative skills, responsible conduct of research, scientific presentation, and manuscript and grant writing. Applications should propose targeted activities and research projects that will propel awardees to become competitive principal investigators for new research project grant funding by the end of the grant period. This FOA invites applications from eligible LMIC research scientists at LMIC academic or research institutions who propose both critically needed career development activities and a research project that is highly relevant to the health priorities of their country. The research activities should take place primarily in the LMIC.

Interests of Participating NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices

The Fogarty International Center (FIC) is interested in applications from individuals at LMIC institutions seeking to become independent investigators and international research leaders in any therapeutic or scientific area of health priority and scientific importance to the LMIC. FIC is dedicated to advancing the mission of the NIH by supporting and facilitating global health research conducted by U.S. and international investigators, building partnerships between health research institutions in the U.S. and abroad, and training the next generation of scientists to address global health needs. FIC supports a diversity of research and research training grants that advance basic to implementation science with a particular focus on LMICs. The Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award is responsive to the FIC Strategic Plan (http://www.fic.nih.gov/about/pages/strategic-plan.aspx) to build research capacity through individuals, institutions and networks by building future research leaders in the U.S. and in LMICs.

The NCI's Center for Global Health (CGH) will support intensive, mentored research career development for early stage investigators committed to a cancer research career. CGH is particularly interested in applications that include well-designed epidemiology studies on common risk factors (social, biological, occupational, environmental) for cancer, clinical and translational research, detection and diagnosis, health surveillance including cancer registry development, knowledge sharing, implementation science, informatics, mHealth, or malignancies associated with chronic infection. The research activities should be specifically focused on cancer. The career development plan should include training in advanced scientific skills, research methodology, data management and analysis, grant and manuscript writing, and research administration skills that are appropriate for the LMIC. The proposed career development and mentoring should be focused on developing independent researchers in the field of cancer in a manner that increases the research capacity at the LMIC institution. Mentors should have a track record of research in cancer.

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is interested in applications from individuals pursuing careers as researchers in the area of the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genetics and genomics research or the use of genetics in clinical settings. Examples of topics appropriate for exploration can be found on the ELSI Research Priorities website at: http://www.genome.gov/27543732. NHGRI may also support applications from individuals who are developing methods and research resources that support, or are conducting basic and translational research in: genomic sciences, informatics, implementation of genomics in clinical care (genomic medicine), and cost-effectiveness of genomic interventions. The specific research topic proposed should apply across a broad spectrum of diseases and health conditions and should not be specific to just one disease, except to the extent that a particular disease may serve as a model with projects that capitalize on unique opportunities to use, as models, diseases and conditions that are more difficult to study in the U.S. because of prevalence or other factors will be considered. Examples of such conditions might include, but are not limited to, sickle cell disease and thalassemias, apoA associated kidney disease, and severe adverse drug reactions with higher frequency outside the U.S., such as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is interested in applications with a research focus on dental, oral, or craniofacial conditions that occur more frequently in the LMIC or are of a high public health burden; research addressing health disparities in dental, oral, or craniofacial conditions; and research to achieve national or regional goals in oral and dental health such as those articulated by the World Health Organization. Examples include, but are not limited to: working with local communities to establish the best means of delivering preventive oral health care; establishing successful approaches to deliver fluoride to a local population, particularly in areas without potable water; studying oral pre-malignant lesions associated with betel nut use; and studying the interplay of genes and environment in dental, oral, or craniofacial health by leveraging environments specific to the country. The program and these topics are responsive to goals 2, 3, and 4 of the NIDCR Strategic Plan (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/ResearchPriorities/StrategicPlan/).

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is interested in supporting mechanistic, epidemiological, prevention, translational and clinical research across the spectrum of neurological, neuromuscular and neurovascular diseases and disorders in all ages. In addition to prevalent neurological disorders and stroke, NINDS is also interested in supporting research in areas of rare and neglected neurological diseases that are relevant to the Low- or Middle-Income Countries (NINDS Disorder Index http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/disorder_index.htm).

The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) mission is to improve the health of women, and has made strides in doing so by ensuring that women and diverse populations are included in all clinical studies, sex and gender influences in health and disease are explored, and that women have the opportunity to advance in biomedical careers. ORWH will assess applications for their ability to directly fulfill the goals 4.0 and 6.0 of the NIH Strategic Plan for Women's Health and Sex Differences Research, which can be found at:http://orwh.od.nih.gov/research/strategicplan/ORWH_StrategicPlan2020_Vol1.pdf.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is interested in applications that address or seek to understand how exposures to toxic environmental insults alter biologic processes, are linked to disease initiation, progression or morbidity, and activities that lead to the development of prevention and intervention strategies to reduce environmentally induced diseases in LMICs. Examples of environmental exposures relevant to the mission of the NIEHS include industrial chemicals or manufacturing byproducts, e-waste, metals, pesticides, herbicides, and inhaled toxicants including indoor air pollutants from cooking and other sources (https://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/strategicplan/). Topics and disease outcomes of particular interest include airway diseases, CVD and neurological disorders, children’s environmental health and the unique vulnerability of developing children to harmful environmental exposures including outcomes such as low birth weight or premature birth, and research exploring exposures during early life stages or critical windows of susceptibility that may directly or indirectly affect the risk of developing disease. Career development applications that focus on the effects of alcohol, chemotherapeutic agents, smoking, except when considered as a secondary smoke exposure as a component in the indoor environment (particularly in children), drugs of abuse, pharmaceuticals, dietary nutrients, and infectious or parasitic agents are not of interest to NIEHS.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is interested in applications that focus on mental illness and mental disorders in LMICs, specifically conditions and disorders of brain structure and function that affect cognition, social and emotional processing, and behavior and are leading causes of disease burden worldwide, estimated on the basis of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). For example, disorders of interest include, but are not limited to depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. NIMH is particularly interested in research that addresses disparities in access to mental health care in LMICs, care for chronic, non-communicable diseases and/or implementation science in LMIC contexts. These themes are consistent with goals C, E, and F of the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health (i.e., improve treatments and expand access to care; build human resource capacity; and transform health system and policy responses;http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v475/n7354/pdf/475027a.pdf). NIMH is also interested in applications that target HIV/AIDS related topics of interest such as the epidemiology, natural history and pathogenesis of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and neuropsychiatric disorders before and after treatment initiation in adult and pediatric populations; examination of the neurobehavioral consequences, with respect to in-utero exposure to a dysregulated immune environment and/or antiretroviral medication and consequences of being born to an HIV-positive mother. NIMH encourages development of common standardized assessment instruments with appropriate norms that can provide reliable and valid measurement of the neurobehavioral consequences of HIV and its treatments throughout the age-span in low and medium resource environments; and development of interventions to improve neurobehavioral functioning compromised by HIV/AIDS and its associated conditions that can be implemented in LMICs.

Additional Information

For applications proposing HIV/AIDS research projects, applicants are encouraged to review the NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities, and the NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research for the year they are applying.

Applicants are encouraged to review answers to frequently asked questions about the Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award program at http://www.fic.nih.gov/Programs/Pages/emerging-global-leader.aspx which will be updated on a regular basis.

Citizens, non-citizen nationals and permanent residents of the United States are not eligible for this K43 award but may apply for the International Research Scientist Development Awards (IRSDA (K01) PAR-17-002 or other similar awards (see https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/career-development).

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information
Funding Instrument

Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.

Application Types Allowed

New
Resubmission

The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Clinical Trial?

Clinical Trials Not Allowed for due dates on or after January 25, 2018: Only accepting applications that do not propose independent clinical trials

Note: Applicants may propose to gain experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor/co-mentor as part of their research career development.

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Award Budget

Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses, as described below.

Award Project Period

The total project period should be a minimum of 3 years and may not exceed 5 years.

Other Award Budget Information
Salary

NIH will contribute up to $ 75,000 (for a minimum of 75% effort or 9 person months) per year toward the salary of the career award recipient. Further guidance on budgeting for career development salaries is provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The total salary, however, may not exceed the legislatively mandated salary cap. See: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary.htm.

Other Program-Related Expenses

NIH will contribute up to $ 30,000 per year toward the research development costs of the award recipient, which must be justified and consistent with the stage of development of the candidate and the proportion of time to be spent in research or career development activities.

Research development costs include, but are not limited to, supplies, equipment, technical personnel, non-degree related tuition or registration fees for activities related to the proposed career development plan, fees for statistical and computational services, and travel to research sites, research meetings, or training, as detailed in Section IV.

Salary for mentors, secretarial and administrative assistants, etc. is not allowed.

Indirect Costs

Indirect Costs (also known as Facilities & Administrative [F&A] Costs) are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs.

NIH grant policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)

Foreign Institutions

Only non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) in Low- or Middle-Income Countries are eligible to apply.

LMICs are defined by the World Bank classification system (according to Gross National Income (GNI) per capita as low-income, lower-middle-income, and upper-middle-income (http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups).

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Required Registrations

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

  • Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
  • System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
  • eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
  • Grants.gov Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

International applicants may obtain more information on the registrations required for grants.gov and eRA Commons at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/files/Tips_for_International_Applicants.pdf.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/files/international_support.pdf
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/files/international_qa.pdf
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/preparing_grantsgov_reg.htm

Guidance for International Applicants Blocked from Registration Websites: NOT-OD-11-090.

An NIH supported webinar on Electronic Submission of Grant Applications for Foreign Institutions can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/webinar_docs/webinar_20120927.htm

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Mentors

The primary mentor at the applicant LMIC institution and the primary U.S. mentor must have eRA Commons accounts. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her primary mentors (one U.S.-based and and one LMIC-based) and organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

An applicant must be an LMIC citizen and, at the time of award, may not be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status).

Degree and Research Experience Requirements: The candidate should be the PD/PI of the proposed activities. Candidates must hold at least a masters degree that required a research thesis. Candidates with doctoral research training are preferred. This award cannot support advanced degree training. Individuals who are or have been the PD/PI (direct recipient/grantee) of a multi-year independent research grant from an external research funding organization and awarded by the application due date are not eligible.

Faculty Position Requirement: Applicants must currently hold an academic junior faculty position or research scientist appointment supported by the applicant LMIC academic or research institution and have been in this position for at least one year at the time the application is submitted. For this FOA, junior faculty are defined as those who hold entry to mid-level academic or research scientist positions, including but not limited to instructors, lecturers and assistant professors.

Applicants from Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI): Junior faculty at institutions awarded under RFA-TW-14-003 "Research Training for Career Development of Junior Faculty in Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Institutions (D43)" may not submit applications focused on HIV/AIDS or the scientific research areas supported by this FOA.

2. Cost Sharing

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility
Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct, and each is from a different candidate.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. An individual may not have two or more competing NIH career development applications pending review concurrently. In addition, NIH will not accept:

  • A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
  • A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
  • An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

Candidates may submit research project grant (RPG) applications concurrently with the K application. However, any concurrent RPG application may not have substantial scientific and/or budgetary overlap with the career award application. K award recipients are encouraged to obtain funding from NIH or other U.S. government sources either as a PD/PI on a competing research grant award or cooperative agreement, or as project leader on a competing multi-project award as described in NOT-OD-08-065.

Level of Effort

At the time of award, the candidate must have a full-time appointment at the applicant LMIC academic or research institution. Candidates are required to commit a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort (i.e., a minimum of 9 person months) to their career development and research training. Candidates may engage in other duties as part of the remaining full-time professional effort not covered by this award, as long as such duties do not interfere with or detract from the proposed career development program.

Mentors

Before submitting the application, the candidate must identify a primary mentor at the applicant LMIC institution and a primary mentor at a collaborating U.S. institution who, together, will supervise the proposed career development and research experience. The LMIC primary mentor must hold a primary appointment at the LMIC applicant institution and should not be a U.S. citizen who holds a joint appointment at the LMIC institution. The institutional affiliation of the mentors should be clear from the biosketch, mentor support letters, and institutional letters. These primary mentors should be active researchers in the area of the proposed research and be committed both to the career development of the candidate and to the direct supervision of the candidate’s research. Candidates are encouraged to identify additional co-mentors to form a mentoring team if this is deemed advantageous for providing expert advice in all aspects of the research career development program. Additional mentors can be from other LMIC or high income countries. The candidate must work with all mentors (primary and co-mentors) in preparing the application.

Institutional Environment

The LMIC institution where the proposed research will be conducted, and the collaborating U.S. institution, if activities at the U.S. institution are proposed, must have strong, well-established records of research and career development activities and faculty qualified in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research to serve as mentors. The research career development program should maximize the use of U.S. and LMIC research institutional environments, including available facilities and resources.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Requesting an Application Package

Buttons to access the online ASSIST system or to download application forms are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Career Development Instructions for the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

Letter of Intent

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

  • Descriptive title of proposed activity
  • Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
  • Names of other key personnel
  • Participating institution(s)
  • Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Christine Jessup, Ph.D
Telephone: 301-496-1653
Fax: 301-402-0779
Email: FogartyK43@nih.gov

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed , with the following additional instructions:

Under PD/PI Contact Information, Position Title is required.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Include the applicant institution and all of the collaborating institutions, both U.S. and LMIC, as performance sites.

Other Project Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile Expanded

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

  • Both the primary LMIC and primary US mentor must insert insert "Other" or "Other Professional" in the Project Role field, and enter "Mentor" in the Other Project Role Category field.
  • When listing other individuals with a substantive role in the project, clearly label roles to distinguish "Co-Mentor", "Consultant", "Collaborator", etc.
  • When listing research support in the Biographical Sketch, clarify PD/PI status (direct recipient) of awards.
R&R Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Applicants should identify specific expenses such as: (a) non-degree related tuition or registration fees for specific PD/PI career development activities; (b) research expenses such as supplies, equipment and technical personnel; (c) statistical and computational services, including technical personnel and computer time; (d) travel for mentors to collaborating institutions; (e) mentor and grantee communication costs; and (f) PD/PI travel and per diem expenses to field research sites, collaborating institutions, research or networking meetings, or research skills workshops or courses in the appropriate budget form category.

In the Budget Justification, provide detailed information about the total current salary amount that serves as the basis for calculating the salary support requested. Confirmation of LMIC institutional salary may be required prior to the issuance of an award.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed

PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form

The PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form is comprised of the following sections:

  • Candidate
  • Research Plan
  • Other Candidate Information
  • Mentor, Co-Mentor, Consultant, Collaborators
  • Environment & Institutional Commitment to the Candidate
  • Human Subjects Sections
  • Other Research Plan Sections
  • Appendix

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Candidate Section

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Candidate Information and Goals for Career Development

Candidate s Background

  • Describe the candidate's commitment to a health-related research career in an LMIC.
  • Describe prior training and research efforts, and how they relate to the objectives and long-term research career plans of the candidate.
  • Provide evidence of the candidate's potential to develop into a successful independent researcher (such as lead authorship of and/or significant contribution to research publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at international meetings, prior research interests and experience, research fellowships, and letters of reference).
  • Include a description of all the candidate's professional responsibilities at the grantee LMIC institution and elsewhere and show the relation of these responsibilities to the proposed activities on the research career development award.
  • Justify the candidate's need for an additional mentored research experience to become an independent research scientist.
  • Describe how this award will relieve the candidate of current duties so that a greater portion of the candidate’s effort (75% full-time professional effort or 9 person months) may be devoted to research and related career development activities.
  • Career Goals and Objectives
  • Describe the candidate’s career goals and the specific objectives to reach each goal under this award, indicating linkages to prior experience and current research support.
  • Explain how the career development award will contribute to career goals, and further the candidate’s global health research career.

Candidate s Plan for Career Development/Training Activities During Award Period

  • Describe a systematic detailed plan that: (1) shows a logical progression from prior research and training experiences to the research and research career development activities proposed; (2) justifies the need for further research career development to become an independent researcher; and (3) utilizes the relevant research and educational resources of the LMIC institution and U.S. institution (if activities at the U.S. institution are proposed). The candidate and the mentors are jointly responsible for the preparation of the career development plan.
  • The plan should include a description of the primary mentors, any secondary co-mentors, and any collaborators, contributors or consultants, as appropriate for the research and career development of the candidate.
  • Provide a detailed description of proposed career development activities, including plans to obtain the necessary research skills and experience to launch an independent global health research career. The description of the career development plan should include items such as advanced level courses, seminars, and opportunities for interaction with other scientists. Training in career skills, such as grant-writing and making effective scientific presentations, is strongly encouraged. The career development plan must be tailored to the needs of the individual candidate and the ultimate goal of achieving independence as a researcher.
  • Describe how the candidate plans to fulfill the requirement that he/she spend at least 75% effort conducting research or participating in research career development activities during each year proposed. A timeline that includes activities and time spent in the LMIC and in the U.S., if proposed, is recommended.
  • Applicants are encouraged to describe plans for outreach and dissemination of research findings both in the LMIC and in the U.S.

Research Plan Section

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy

  • Applicants may propose research in any health related discipline.
  • A sound research project that is consistent with the candidate s level of research development and the objectives of his/her career development plan must be provided. The research description should demonstrate the quality of the candidate’s research capabilities thus far, and the proposed research question, design and methodology should be novel, scientifically significant and creative in approach.
  • Applicants should provide a detailed explanation of the relevance of the proposed research to the health priorities of the LMIC. Applicants should conduct most of the proposed research activities in the LMIC.
  • The application must also describe the relationship between the mentors' research and the candidate’s proposed research plan. The respective areas of expertise and responsibility should be described for both mentors. Although the candidate's research strategy may be related to the research activities of the mentors, it should not duplicate the mentors' research.
  • Applicants are encouraged to propose research related to ongoing NIH and U.S. government supported research initiatives in the LMIC.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

  • All applications must include a plan to fulfill NIH requirements for instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). See SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for instructions.

Mentor, Co-Mentor, Consultant, Collaborators Section

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Plans and Statements of Mentor and Co-mentor(s)

  • Statements from the primary LMIC mentor at the applicant instituion, the primary U.S. mentor, as well as any co-mentors, are expected to provide 1) an assessment of the candidate’s qualifications and potential for an independent research career; 2) information on the mentor's research qualifications and previous experience as a research supervisor; 3)documention of a record of success in training LMIC researchers, in particular, those who have gone on to become independent researchers in the LMIC that is the focus of the application; 4) a plan that describes the nature of the supervision and mentoring that will occur during the proposed award period; 5) a plan for career progression for the candidate to move from the mentored stage of his/her career to independent research investigator status during the project period of the award; and 6) a plan for monitoring the candidate’s research, publications, and progression towards independence.
  • Together, the mentors should provide evidence of sufficient independent research support to cover the costs of the proposed research project in excess of the allowable costs of this award. Each mentor statement should describe the research support, if any, that will be available to support the proposed candidate research project.
  • Where feasible, women, individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups, and individuals with disabilities should be involved as mentors to serve as role models.
  • The primary LMIC mentor statement should include a statement that the candidate will commit at least 9 person-months (75% of full-time professional effort) to the career development program and related career development activities.
  • Mentors should clearly describe how they will coordinate mentoring of the candidate with other proposed mentors, both primary and secondary co-mentors.
  • Mentor statements should describe the mechanism(s) and frequency of communication with the candidate, including the frequency of face to face meetings.
  • Both primary mentors (U.S. and LMIC) must agree to provide annual evaluations of the candidate’s progress as required in the annual progress report.

Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors and Consultants

Signed statements must be provided by all additional collaborators and/or consultants confirming their participation in the project and describing their specific roles. Collaborators and consultants generally do not need to provide biographical sketches. However, information should be provided clearly documenting the appropriate expertise in the proposed areas of consulting/collaboration. Collaborators/consultants are generally not directly involved in the development of the career of the candidate as an independent researcher.

The U.S. Institutional Commitment letter should also be included in this section, following page limit requirements for this section. It should provide a statement of commitment to the candidate's development into a productive, independent researcher and provide assurances that appropriate time and support for the proposed mentor(s) and/or other staff consistent with the career development plan will be provided.

All letters should be combined and submitted as a single PDF.

Environmental and Institutional Commitment to the Candidate

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Description of Institutional Environment

  • Describe the scientific environment at the LMIC institution, resources and facilities that will be available to the candidate, research and career development programs related to the candidate's area of interest and key faculty members and researchers capable of productive collaboration with the candidate.
  • If the candidate plans activities at the collaborating U.S. institution, a description of the relevant U.S. institutional environment must also be provided.

Institutional Commitment to the Candidate’s Research Career Development

  • Appropriate officials at the LMIC institution (and the U.S. institution if activities are proposed there) must provide statements of commitment to the candidate's development into a productive, independent global health researcher and to meeting the requirements of this award.
  • The LMIC institution must provide commitment to at least 75% (9 person months) release time for the award recipient to conduct the proposed research and participate in the proposed career development activities, and agree to retain the candidate in his/her current position for the period of the award. It should be clear that the institutional commitment to the candidate is not contingent upon receipt of this career development award.
  • The LMIC institution (and the U.S. institution if activities are proposed there) must provide assurances that appropriate time and support for any proposed mentor(s) and/or other staff consistent with the career development plan will be provided.
  • The institution must provide assurance that the candidate will have appropriate office and laboratory space, equipment, and other resources and facilities (including access to clinical and/or other research populations) to carry out the proposed research plan.
  • The U.S. Institutional Commitment letter should be submitted via "Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors, and Consultants", following page limit requirements. The LMIC Institutional Commitment letter should be submitted here.

Appendix

Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

PHS Inclusion Enrollment Report

When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions for completing PHS Inclusion Enrollment Report as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

Form only available in FORMS-E application packages for use with due dates on or after January 25, 2018.

When involving NIH-defined human subjects research, clinical research, and/or clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered "Yes" to the question "Are Human Subjects Involved?" on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or a Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed with the following additional instructions:

  • For FOAs that do not allow independent clinical trials, do not complete Section 4 - Protocol Synopsis information or Section 5 - Other Clinical Trial-related Attachments.

Delayed Onset Study
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Letters of Reference

Candidates must carefully follow the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including the time period for when letters of reference will be accepted. Applications lacking the appropriate required reference letters will not be reviewed. This is a separate process from submitting an application electronically. Reference letters are submitted directly through the eRA Commons Submit Referee Information link and not through Grants.gov.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and Times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies) using ASSIST or other electronic submission systems. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date. and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Guidelines for Applicants Experiencing System Issues. For assistance with application submission contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management (SAM). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete or non-compliant will not be reviewed.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow our Post Submission Application Materials policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

Important Update: See NOT-OD-18-229 for updated review language for due dates on or after January 25, 2019.

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Overall Impact

Reviewers should provide their assessment of the likelihood that the proposed career development and research plan will enhance the candidate s potential for a productive, independent scientific research career in a health-related field, taking into consideration the criteria below in determining the overall impact score.

Scored Review Criteria

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact.

Candidate

  • Does the candidate have the potential to develop as an independent and productive researcher addressing scientifically significant topics that reflect the health priorities of the LMIC?
  • Are the candidate's prior training and research experience appropriate for this award?
  • Does the candidate have the research experience and skills needed to carry out the proposed research?
  • Is the candidate’s academic, clinical (if relevant), and research record of high quality?
  • Is there evidence of the candidate’s commitment to meeting the program objectives to become an independent researcher?
  • Do the letters of reference from at least three well-established scientists address the candidate’s potential for becoming an independent researcher?
  • Does the candidate justify the need for three to five years of mentored research experience in order to become an independent scientist?

Career Development Plan

  • What is the likelihood that the career development plan will contribute substantially to the scientific development of the candidate leading to research independence?
  • Are the content, scope, phasing, and duration of the career development plan appropriate when considered in the context of prior training/research experience and the stated training and research objectives for achieving research independence?
  • Are there adequate plans for mentors to monitor and evaluate the candidate’s research and career development progress?
  • Does the career development plan demonstrate a clear commitment to a research career in LMIC settings?

Research Plan

  • Is there a strong scientific premise for the project?
  • Has the candidate presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed?
  • Are the proposed research question, design, and methodology novel, scientifically significant, creative, and of technical merit?
  • Is the research plan relevant to the candidate’s research career objectives?
  • Is the research plan appropriate to the stage of research development and as a vehicle for developing the research skills described in the career development plan?
  • If applicable, are there adequate plans for data and safety monitoring of clinical trials?
  • Does the research plan address an area of health priority and scientific importance to the LMIC?

Mentor(s), Co-Mentor(s), Consultant(s), Collaborator(s)

  • Are the primary LMIC mentor's and the primary U.S. mentor's research qualifications in the area of the proposed research appropriate?
  • Do the primary mentors and any co-mentors adequately address the candidate’s potential and his/her strengths and areas needing improvement?
  • Is there adequate description of the quality and extent of the primary LMIC mentor's and primary U.S. mentor's proposed role in providing guidance and advice to the candidate?
  • Are the mentors' descriptions of the elements of the research career development activities adequate?
  • Is there evidence of the primary LMIC mentor's and the primary U.S. mentor's, any secondary co-mentors, consultant s, collaborator’s previous experience in fostering the development of independent researchers in the LMIC proposed?
  • Is there evidence of previous research productivity and peer-reviewed support?
  • Is active/pending support relevant to the candidate's proposed research project appropriate and adequate?
  • Are there adequate plans for monitoring and evaluating the career development awardee’s progress toward independence?
  • If a Mentoring Team is proposed, are the qualifications of the co-mentors, the quality of the planned roles for advice, and scheduled meeting frequency of the Mentoring Team with the candidate adequate?

Environment & Institutional Commitment to the Candidate

  • Is there clear commitment of the LMIC institution to ensure that a minimum of 9 person-months (75% of the candidate’s full-time professional effort or 30 hours per week) will be devoted directly to the research and career development activities described in the application, with the remaining percent effort being devoted to an appropriate balance of research, teaching, administrative, and clinical responsibilities?
  • Are the institutional commitments from the LMIC institution and the U.S. collaborating institution to the career development of the candidate and for the mentors appropriately strong?
  • Are the research facilities, resources and training opportunities at the U.S. and LMIC institutions, including faculty capable of productive collaboration with the candidate, adequate and appropriate?
  • Is the environment for scientific and professional development of the candidate of high quality?
  • Is there assurance that the LMIC institution intends the candidate to be an integral part of its research program?
Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Protections for Human Subjects

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: (1) risk to subjects, (2) adequacy of protection against risks, (3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, (4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and (5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: (1) the justification for the exemption, (2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and (3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.

Vertebrate Animals

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Biohazards

Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.

Resubmissions

For Resubmissions, the committee will evaluate the application as now presented, taking into consideration the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group and changes made to the project.

Renewals

Not Applicable

Revisions

Not Applicable

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Reviewers will assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or augment existing U.S. resources.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

All applications for support under this FOA must include a plan to fulfill NIH requirements for instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Taking into account the level of experience of the applicant, including any prior instruction or participation in RCR as appropriate for the applicant’s career stage, the reviewers will evaluate the adequacy of the proposed RCR training in relation to the following five required components: 1) Format - the required format of instruction, i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups (a plan with only on-line instruction is not acceptable); 2) Subject Matter - the breadth of subject matter, e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, research ethics; 3) Faculty Participation - the role of the mentor(s) and other faculty involvement in the fellow’s instruction; 4) Duration of Instruction - the number of contact hours of instruction (at least eight contact hours are required); and 5) Frequency of Instruction instruction must occur during each career stage and at least once every four years. Plans and past record will be rated as ACCEPTABLE or UNACCEPTABLE, and the summary statement will provide the consensus of the review committee. See also: NOT-OD-10-019.

Select Agent Research

Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including (1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, (2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, (3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and (4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Resource Sharing Plans

Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: (1) Data Sharing Plan; (2) Sharing Model Organisms; and (3) Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS).

Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources

For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.

Budget and Period of Support

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s), in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

  • May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score
  • Will receive a written critique.

Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the FIC Advisory Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

  • Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
  • Availability of funds.
  • Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
  • Geographic balance considerations.
  • Relevance to the interests of co-funding organizations.
  • Potential to contribute other NIH- and U.S. government-supported research initiatives in LMICs.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants. More specifically, for K Awards, visit the Research Career Development ( K ) Awardees section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure equal access to their programs without regard to a person’s race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion. This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with limited English proficiency. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/index.html. The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html; and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/laws-regulations-guidance/index.html. Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html. Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care, including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.

3. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The Supplemental Instructions for Individual Career Development (K) RPPRs must be followed. Both primary mentors are required to provide annual evaluation statements of the candidate s progress.

A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.4. Evaluation

In carrying out its stewardship of human resource-related programs, the NIH may request information essential to an assessment of the effectiveness of this program from databases and from participants themselves. Participants may be contacted after the completion of this award for periodic updates on various aspects of their employment history, publications, support from research grants or contracts, honors and awards, professional activities, and other information helpful in evaluating the impact of the program.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)

Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Web ticketing system: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx
Email: support@grants.gov

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)

Telephone: 301-945-7573

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Christine Jessup, Ph.D
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Telephone: 301-496-1653
Email: Christine.Jessup@nih.gov

Jennifer L Troyer
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Telephone: 301-402-2852
Email: troyerj@mail.nih.gov

Carol Shreffler, Ph.D.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-1445
Email: shreffl1@niehs.nih.gov

Ishmael Amarreh
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone:(301) 451-5132
Email: ishmael.amarreh@mail.nih.gov

Lynn King, Ph.D.
National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-594-5006
Email: Lynn.King@nih.gov

Claudia S. Moy, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Telephone: 301-496-9135
Email: moyc@ninds.nih.gov

Jennifer Plank-Blazinet, Ph.D.
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
Telephone: 301-496-8931
Email: Jennifer.plank@nih.gov

For inquiries related to the career development aspects, contact:

Susan Lim, PhD
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-5630
Email: lims@mail.nih.gov

For inquiries related to the HIV and AIDS Malignancy research aspects, contact:

Geraldina Dominguez, PhD
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 301-496-4995
Email: domingug@mail.nih.gov

For inquiries related to broader global health research aspects, contact:

Shannon Silkensen, PhD
Center for Global Health (CGH)
Telephone: 240276-5810
Email: shannon.silkensen@nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Seetha Bhagavan, Ph.D.
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Telephone: 301-237-9838
Email: bhagavas@csr.nih.gov .

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Mollie Shea
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Telephone: 301-496-9750
Email: Mollie.Shea@.nih.gov

Dianne Patterson
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Telephone: 301-435-7861
Email: pattersond@mail.nih.gov

Barbara J. Gittleman
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-0585
Email: gittlemanbj@mail.nih.gov

Tamara A. Kees
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-8811
Email: tkees@mail.nih.gov

Diana Rutberg
National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-504-4798
Email: rutbergd@mail.nih.gov

Tijuanna E. DeCoster, PhD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Telephone: 301-496-9231
Email: decostert@mail.nih.gov

Sean Hine
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6291
Email: hines@mail.nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Authority and Regulations

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301, 307, and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241, 284, and 287(b)) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 45 and 75

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