Full Text PAR-97-067 MBRS RESEARCH INITIATIVE FOR SCIENTIFIC ENHANCEMENT (RISE) NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 20, June 13, 1997 PA NUMBER: PAR-97-067 P.T. 14, FF Keywords: Educational Instruction Programs Biomedical Research, Multidiscipl National Institute of General Medical Sciences Application Receipt Dates: February 1, June 1, October 1 PURPOSE The purpose of the MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program is to enhance the research environment at minority serving institutions. The goal is to increase the opportunities for underrepresented minority faculty and students to become acquainted with, and motivated to pursue biomedical research careers. The RISE program replaces and expands upon the student development component of the traditional MBRS (S06) program and the MBRS program for undergraduate colleges (S14). The RISE program should provide enhanced flexibility in faculty and student development activities, as well as provide the opportunity for development of the institution's research and research education capability. In addition, NIGMS recognizes that minority and minority-serving institutions are diverse in institutional environment and mission. Therefore, with respect to evaluation activities, this program requires that the institution set its own specific goals and measurable objectives. ELIGIBILITY To be eligible for a grant under this program, an applicant must be located in a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone, Guam, American Samoa, or the successor States of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau), and be one of the following: a. a public or private nonprofit university, two-year or four-year college, or other institution offering undergraduate, graduate, or health-professional degrees, with a traditionally high (more than 50 percent) underrepresented minority student enrollment; b. a public or private nonprofit university, two-year or four-year college, or other institution offering undergraduate, graduate, or health-professional degrees with a student enrollment, a significant proportion of which (but not necessarily more than fifty per cent) is derived from underrepresented minorities, provided the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services determines that said institution has a demonstrated commitment to the special encouragement of, and assistance to, underrepresented minority faculty, students, and investigators; or c. an Indian tribe that has a recognized governing body and that performs substantial governmental functions, or an Alaska Regional Corporation (ARC), as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). For the purposes of this announcement, underrepresented minorities are individuals belonging to a particular ethnic or racial group that has been determined by the grantee institution to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research. Historically, individuals who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research include, but are not limited to, U.S. citizens who are Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans (including Alaskan natives) and natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands A written statement containing the following information is required in order to establish eligibility: a. the total student enrollment at the institution and percentages of various underrepresented minorities in the total student population (i.e., Native American, African American, Hispanic American, or natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands); b. number of underrepresented minority students in science departments; c. evidence of the institution's commitment to the advancement of underrepresented minority faculty and investigators, including numbers of underrepresented minority faculty in science departments; and d. evidence of efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented minority students and faculty in the participating departments. The RISE Program replaces the student involvement category of the traditional MBRS program (S06) and the faculty and student enrichment portion of the undergraduate (S14) program. Therefore, institutions currently funded for the student involvement category in the traditional S06 program and the S14 program are eligible and are encouraged to apply for a RISE Program award with a start date to coincide with the end of their current project period. In general, existing policies and provisions will remain in effect for current S14 and S06 recipients until completion of the non-competing years of their current project period. June 1, 1998 will be the final date for submission of new and competitive renewals of traditional MBRS (S06) and S14 grant applications. Institutions supported by the Initiative for Minority Student Development (NIH Guide, Vol. 25, No. 4, 1996) are not eligible for the RISE Program. Institutions may have only one active RISE program. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT Awards under this program will use the institutional education project (R25) grant mechanism. Responsibility for the planning, direction, execution, and tracking for evaluation of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant institutions. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this program announcement may not exceed four years and is renewable. A budget for each year must be provided. Facilities and Administration (F&A) costs will be paid at 8% of the direct costs, minus appropriate exclusions, for faculty and student development activities. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES As of 1992, underrepresented minorities constituted only 4.5 percent of the postdoctoral fellows in the life sciences and less than 2.7 percent of the principal investigators of NIH research grants. In addition, the number of underrepresented minority applicants for research grants and training positions is very low. In the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, NIH was encouraged to increase the number of underrepresented minorities participating in biomedical and behavioral research. In response to the Act, the goal of this initiative is to increase the opportunities for underrepresented minority faculty and students to become acquainted with and motivated to pursue biomedical research careers. The MBRS RISE program supports faculty, student and institutional development activities at both undergraduate and graduate institutions. Applicants may propose any one or more of the following: Faculty and Student Development Activities Applicants should provide detailed information on their plans to provide opportunities for faculty and students to prepare for, and participate in, biomedical research. The applicant institution should describe, if applicable, specific arrangements for providing faculty and students with off-campus research experiences. For each activity proposed include: o specific and measurable objectives; o rationale for and feasibility of the approach chosen for each faculty and student development activity; o detailed description of the activity; o information on the student pool, and a plan for attracting and retaining the desired student pool; o information on participating faculty; o information on personnel and other resources; o letters of commitment and other expressions of interest by on-campus or off-campus scientists' laboratories and/or institutions, including the qualifications of the scientists to mentor and train students and faculty, and their current research support; and o evaluation plans for faculty and student development activities; Examples of these activities are: (1) an interdisciplinary biomedical seminar series for faculty and students; (2) on-campus or off-campus workshops, specialty courses, etc., for faculty and students on biomedical research techniques or methodologies (the objective of this activity is to provide an opportunity for faculty and/or students to enhance their research skills); (3) travel to scientific meetings for both faculty and students; (4) off-campus research experiences for science faculty during the academic year and/or during the summer (this allows faculty to engage in biomedical research in established laboratories of research intensive universities, government and industry); (5) support for students to engage in on-campus research experiences in established laboratories during the academic year (this allows students to engage in biomedical research in established laboratories of researchers supported by other funding sources (such as the MBRS S06, R01, NSF grants, etc.), as well as laboratories of other research intensive universities, government and industry); and (6) support for students to engage in off-campus research experiences during the summer (this allows students to engage in biomedical research in established laboratories of research intensive universities, government and industry). Institutional Development An important objective of this program is the strengthening of the institution's capabilities to support research and research-related activities. Examples of the types of activities supported include remodeling or renovating an existing facility (up to $40,000) to provide space for an investigator(s) to carry out developmental activities. In addition, small pieces of equipment for classroom demonstration projects, or other justifiable uses are allowable. For each activity proposed include: o detailed description and justification of the renovation, remodeling activity or equipment, including price quotations; o specific and measurable objectives in terms of added value of the renovation, remodeling, or equipment to the goals of the institution; and o evaluation plans. INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103 43). All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, Number 11, March 18, 1994. APPLICATION PROCEDURES An application must be made in the name of an institution, not an individual. It must have the approval of the institution's chief executive or an official designee. The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) and supplemental MBRS RISE program instructions should be used in applying for these grants. Applications 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, telephone 301/710-0267, email: ASKNIH@odrockm1.od.nih.gov; and from the MBRS program office listed under INQUIRIES. Applications that do not comply with the PHS form 398 and/or the supplemental instructions will be returned without review. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the Checklist, and three photocopies of the signed application in one package to: DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20872-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) Application receipt dates are February 1, June 1 and October 1. At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must also be sent to the Chief, Office of Scientific Review listed under INQUIRIES. Applicants are urged to contact MBRS program staff at an early stage for assistance and guidance in developing an application. ALLOWABLE COSTS Costs for overall development of the program are allowable, provided that adequate justification is given, and include: salary support (up to 25 percent effort) for the Program Director for that portion of time or effort specifically employed in directing the MBRS program; salary support for secretarial or clerical help when directly related to support of the MBRS program; and support for evaluation activities. Allowable costs for developmental activities include support for technical assistance salaries, consultant fees, equipment, travel (when benefits are provided to the program), renovations, supplies, alteration and renovation costs (up to $40,000) when strongly justified, animal maintenance, publication costs, computer charges, equipment maintenance, service contracts, tuition remission in lieu of salary, consortium arrangements, and contractual costs for support services. Faculty salaries: Support for faculty salaries, with justification, are allowable. The MBRS RISE program provides funds to cover that portion of the academic-year salary that is proportionate to the time spent on the MBRS developmental activities (defined as percent effort), and that is consistent with the institution's policy. The maximum summer-salary support provided by the program cannot exceed the equivalent of three months at 100 percent effort, or time specified by the institution as its policy; Grant funds may not be used to increase or supplement faculty salaries above the institutional scale for an individual's salary. Summer salary support can be paid when the institution's academic schedule permits such release, when the institution approves, and when the investigator will engage in research and research-related activities at the agreed-upon level of participation. Student Salaries: Students participating in the MBRS student development activities are eligible to receive compensation. The maximum amount of MBRS funds to be paid as salary to a student should not exceed the salary levels normally paid to employees doing comparable work at the same institution. Students who participate in research may also be compensated for work-related activities such as workshops and other on-campus developmental activities. Graduate students are allowed tuition costs as part of a compensation package. When requesting support for a graduate student, the applicant institution should provide in the budget justification section of the application the basis for the compensation level. If not provided, this information will be obtained from the institution's business office for any request that appears excessive. NIGMS staff will review the requested compensation level and, if it is reasonable, will award the actual amount requested, up to a maximum of $23,000 (NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 8, March 15, 1996). UNALLOWABLE COSTS Undergraduate tuition, housing, food, or recruitment expenses of any kind are not allowable costs under this program. Salary support solely for faculty mentoring is not allowable. Renovation costs above $40,000 are not allowable. UNIFIED PLAN Institutions with active or pending Support for Continuous Research Excellence (SCORE), Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) USTAR (NIH Guide, Vol. 25, No. 4, 1996), Bridges to the Future Program (NIH Guide Vol. 25, No. 34, 1966), Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI, NIH Guide Vol. 24, No. 12, 1995), and/or other minority student/faculty support programs may also apply for the MBRS RISE Program. However, the institution must describe how the funds from the RISE program will complement these other awards. In particular, describe how the students and faculty supported by each will interact. EVALUATION Institutions should note that evaluation is a mandatory component of every MBRS program; this program requires that each institution set its own specific goals and measurable objectives. The NIGMS recognizes that minority and minority-serving institutions are diverse in institutional environment and mission. Therefore, the emphasis of the evaluation activities of the MBRS RISE Program will be on improvement as defined in the specific goals and measurable objectives which the applicant institution sets for itself to fulfill the objectives of this announcement. NIGMS is hoping to achieve a significant increase in the numbers of underrepresented minorities going on to biomedical research careers. At each competitive and non-competitive renewal, in the progress report, the investigators will describe what difference the award has made towards meeting this goal. A central aspect of each grant application (that distinguishes it from previous programs) is that each successful application specifies MEASURABLE objectives, provides a plan to evaluate whether those objectives have been met and a measure of the efficacy of specific interventions. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Upon receipt, NIH staff will administratively review applications. Incomplete and/or unresponsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. Those applications that are complete and responsive will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria stated below for scientific and technical merit by appropriate peer review groups. The National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council will provide the second level of review. General Review Criteria In carrying out the scientific and technical merit review of the overall application, the initial review group will take into account: o the difference that the program will make as defined by the stated goals and specific measurable objectives relative to the institutional baseline of the previous 4 years; o the merit of the institution's plan and the likelihood that the activities proposed will make a significant difference; o the degree to which the institution's plan may be expected to meet the goals of this announcement; o the appropriateness of the plan for evaluating the impact of the program, including a system to track the future course of program participants; o qualifications of the Program Director and faculty to carry out the proposed program; o availability of significant numbers of underrepresented minority students in the participating science departments interested in further study in biomedical and health-related fields, and a plan for attracting and retaining the desired student pool; o evidence of underrepresented minority student graduates progressing to, and completing, higher education in the biomedical sciences; o evidence of institutional commitment to promote the development of underrepresented minority faculty potential to become participants in biomedical research, and to enhance the career potential of underrepresented minority students in the sciences; and o appropriateness of the administrative plan for managing the proposed program, including space for workshops, additional courses, and research training; and the budget and cost effectiveness of the program, including its appropriateness to the scope of the program, benefit to the students, number of students involved, and reasonable personnel costs. Review Criteria for Faculty and Student Development Activities In carrying out the scientific and technical merit review of faculty and student development activities, the initial review group will take into account: o inclusion of specific and measurable objectives; o adequacy of the plans to provide opportunities for faculty to upgrade their research skills and to initiate collaborative research with scientists at major biomedical research laboratories; o adequacy of the plans to provide opportunities for students to become acquainted with and engage in biomedical research; o letters of commitment and other expressions of interest by on-campus or off-campus scientists' laboratories and/or institutions, including the qualifications of the scientists to mentor and train students and their current research support; and o evaluation plans for student development activities Review Criteria for Institutional Development Activities In carrying out the scientific and technical merit review of institutional development activities, the initial review group will take into account: o the relevance of the proposed alternations, renovations, equipment, etc., to the objectives stated in the application; and o the ability of the institution to maintain the requested equipment. AWARD CRITERIA The MBRS program's mission is to increase significantly the number of underrepresented minorities conducting biomedical research. Towards this end, the goal of the MBRS program is to strengthen the biomedical research capability of institutions with significant underrepresented minority enrollments. Priorities for funding will be based on the technical merit of the application, and the likelihood that the applicant institution can further the goals of the MBRS program. Awards will be made only to institutions with financial management systems and management capabilities that are acceptable under PHS policy. Awards will be administered under the PHS Grants Policy Statement. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Questions on the program and its policies should be directed to: Ernest D. Marquez, Ph.D. MBRS Branch National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Suite 2AS.37, MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594-3900 FAX: (301) 480-2753 Email: marqueze@gm1.nigms.nih.gov Questions on the review of applications should be directed to the Chief, Office of Scientific Review, Helen R. Sunshine, Ph.D. Office of Scientific Review National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 1 AS.13, MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594-2881 FAX: (301) 480-8506 Email: sunshinh@gm1.nigms.nih.gov Questions on grants management and fiscal matters should be directed to: Antoinette Holland Grants Management Office National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 2AN.50, MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594-5132 FAX: (301) 480-2554 Email: hollanda@gm1.nigms.nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93-375. Awards are authorized by sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR part 52c, 45 CFR part 74, and 45 CFR part 92. See also Senate Appropriations Committee Report, No. 92-316, July 29, 1971, Executive Order 12900 , Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans February 22, 1994, and Executive Order 12876, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, November 1, 1993. Applications are not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. 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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