INITIATIVE FOR MINORITY STUDENTS: BRIDGES TO THE BACCALAUREATE
Release Date: June 1, 2000
RFA: GM-00-004
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: September 1, 2000
Application Receipt Dates: November 14, 2000
PURPOSE
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the Office of
Research on Minority Health (ORMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH),
reannounce opportunities to apply for funding for the Bridges to the Future
Program. The Bridges to the Future Program was established in 1992 to
facilitate specific transitions in the career paths of underrepresented
minority scientists. The mission of the Bridges to the Future Program is to
make available to the biomedical science research enterprise and to the
nation the intellectual talents of an increasing number of underrepresented
minority group members. It does so by facilitating the transition of
students from associate- to baccalaureate-degree granting institutions and
from masters to doctoral degree-granting institutions. The program promotes
effective inter-institutional partnerships that lead to improvement in the
quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students being trained as
the next generation of scientists.
This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits new and renewal applications for
a partnership program involving institutions awarding the associates degree
and institutions awarding the baccalaureate degree. A separate RFA describes
a program targeting the transition from masters to doctoral programs. Former
applicants of unfunded Bridge proposals may submit revised applications in
response to this announcement. Institutions with currently active Bridges
grants may submit renewal applications.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-
led national activity for setting priority areas. This Request for
Applications (RFA), Title of RFA, is related to one or more of the priority
areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
General
Applications may be submitted by domestic, private or public, educational
institutions. State or local systems of higher education (also hereinafter
referred to as institutions) may submit applications as well. An institution
may be involved as a partner in more than one Bridge program, but can be the
APPLICANT institution for only one Bridges to the Baccalaureate program.
Institutions that submit applications in response to this RFA may submit
separate applications for support for the Bridges to the Doctorate (RFA GM-
00-005) if they meet the eligibility requirements. Institutions submitting
their own applications may participate in programs with other applicant
institutions so long as these interactions are consistent with institutional
resources and their institutional plans.
Each proposed Bridge program must consist of a partnership between at least
two institutions. One must be an institution that offers the associates
degree as the only undergraduate degree in the sciences within the
participating departments AND has a significant enrollment of
underrepresented minorities. Another partner must be a college or university
offering the baccalaureate degree in areas relevant to the biomedical
sciences. Thus, all applications must involve a partnership of at least two
colleges or universities, but may involve a consortium of several
institutions and may include several institutions within a single state
system.
One participating institution must be designated as the applicant
institution, must name the program director, and must submit the application.
Each participating institution must name one individual to act as its program
coordinator.
Programs developed or modified under this initiative must specifically target
underrepresented minority students majoring in the sciences, including the
natural, physical, and behavioral sciences, information sciences, and
mathematics. For purposes of this RFA, underrepresented minority students 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 African American, Hispanic Americans,
Native Americans and natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands.
Institutions offering both the associate and baccalaureate degrees may not
use funds from this program for graduates of their own associates degree
programs to enter their own baccalaureate programs, even if the student is
moving from one department, school, or college to another. The program seeks
to promote and enhance partnerships BETWEEN institutions.
For additional requirements see: SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
General
Awards under this RFA will use the institutional education project (R25)
grant. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the
proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. The total requested
project period for applications submitted in response to this RFA may not
exceed three years. Requested direct costs are not to exceed $600,000 for
the three-year period. Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs will be
paid at 8% of the direct costs, minus appropriate exclusions, or actual F&A
costs, whichever is less. A budget for each year must be provided.
Allowable Costs
Requests for equipment, supplies, travel, and other expenses should be
limited to those necessary for program development and must be individually
justified.
Requests for funds for evaluation, including salaries, consultant fees,
technical assistance, and travel, are also allowable.
The budget should include travel funds for the Program Director, a grants
manager from the grantee institution, and the program coordinators from the
participating institutions to travel to the Bridges Program Meeting each
budget year.
Student remuneration is limited to underrepresented minorities matriculated
at the associate partner institution(s) and may include salary/wages and/or
other forms of compensation paid in lieu of wages for participation in
research experiences. Expenditures for tuition remission (or other forms of
compensation paid in lieu of wages) are allowable provided the following
conditions are met:
o the student is performing necessary work,
o there is an employer-employee relationship between the student and the
institution,
o the total compensation is reasonable for the work performed, and
o it is the institution's practice to provide compensation for all students
in similar circumstances, regardless of the source of support for the
activity.
Salaries for students should be requested as an hourly rate, based on the
prevailing scale at the institution.
The proposed budget should include funds to defray the costs of data
acquisition and data entry into the Electronic Student Tracking and Reporting
system (E-STAR) each year. E-STAR is a program developed by NIGMS to
facilitate the administration and evaluation of this program by the grantees
and the agency. Access to E-STAR is through Internet and the World Wide Web.
Minimum computer needs for E-STAR access include an IBM-compatible 386 with 4
meg of RAM, with Microsoft Windows(tm) 3.1 and WIN32S or a Macintosh 68020
with 4 meg of RAM; a 14.4 kb/s modem, and internet access.
In summary, allowable costs include, but are not limited to, salary, wages,
and fringe benefits for students and faculty; tuition remission; supplies;
equipment (including computer hardware); travel; and other expenses.
UNALLOWABLE COSTS:
Stipends, housing, food, tuition (unless as stated above), and fees are not
allowable costs under this program. Salary support for faculty to support
their research is also not allowable.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
An estimated total $13 million will be available for the term of awards made
in response to this solicitation and awards in response to RFA GM-00-005
(Bridges to the Doctorate). NIH staff anticipate making a combined total of
20 to 40 new and competing continuation awards for these RFAs, provided NIH
receives sufficient numbers of highly meritorious applications and sufficient
funds for this purpose.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Background
Many underrepresented minority students enter community colleges or
associates degree-granting institutions to gain new skills. Recent data show
that over half of the underrepresented minority college students in the
United States are enrolled in associate degree-granting institutions. Many
of these students have the desire and potential to pursue careers as research
scientists, and their needs should be addressed through improvement of
skills, challenging curricula, outstanding mentoring, active research
experiences, guidance and advising, and financial support. The Bridges to
the Baccalaureate Program supports partnerships between institutions offering
terminal associates degrees and institutions offering baccalaureate programs
in areas related to biomedicine.
Bridges to the Baccalaureate seeks above all to increase the number of
underrepresented minority biomedical scientists. To do so, it is also
critical to improve the ability of educational institutions to train and
graduate promising underrepresented minority students in the biomedical
sciences, including the behavioral, physical and quantitative sciences. It
is the premise of the program that this can best be accomplished by
developing partnerships that support and facilitate underrepresented minority
students at a key point in their educational careers the transition to a
baccalaureate program.
Bridges grants are institutional and must reflect institutional plans and
priorities as well as the collective plans and priorities of the partnership.
Collaborative agreements should take the form that best fits the needs and
situations of the institutions involved. The challenge for the participating
partners is to create a partnership program, or enhance an existing program,
that will focus attention and adequate resources to the associates degree-
granting institution(s) and enhance the academic competitiveness of its
graduates in the sciences.
Additional Information
Bridges to the Baccalaureate programs must address the needs and requirements
of the underrepresented minority students enrolled in the partner associates
degree program. Activities which may be supported include, but are not
limited to, the following:
o providing laboratory research experiences at the baccalaureate
institution, other research institutions, or industrial laboratories for
students enrolled in the two-year institution (students may receive
compensation for these activities);
o establishing a mentoring program with faculty at the baccalaureate
institution;
o providing research opportunities at the baccalaureate institution for
faculty of the two-year college;
o enriching the curriculum at the two-year institution;
o enabling students from the two-year institution to take courses and/or
participate in seminar programs at the baccalaureate college;
o developing visiting lectureships at the two-year college by science
faculty from the baccalaureate institution;
o developing courses at the two-year college jointly taught by faculty of
both institutions;
o guaranteeing acceptance as juniors into the participating baccalaureate
program(s) for students who participated successfully in the enhancement
program;
o academic counseling (e.g., guidance in course selection, tracking and
providing assistance to students who express an interest or show special
aptitude for science);
o additional enrichment activities, such as tutoring, to enhance the
student's transition to the baccalaureate program.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Applicants should describe the criteria to be used in the selection and
retention of the student participants as well as the criteria for selecting
participating faculty. An applicant with a different existing transition
program should describe that program and explain the relationship of that
program to the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program. Applicants should
describe the methods and facilities available for tracking student
participants.
Support for Baccalaureate education
Students who complete the associates degree and enter the partner
baccalaureate program should receive financial support, if needed, from the
baccalaureate institution while they are progressing satisfactorily in their
studies. The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program does not provide funds to
students in the baccalaureate program. Applicants should describe the
type(s) of institutional support that would be available to students who
transfer.
Evaluation
Evaluation is a mandatory component of every Bridges to the Future program.
Each applicant institution must set specific goals and measurable objectives
that can be used to develop the program and to measure progress. The NIGMS
recognizes that minority and minority-serving institutions have diverse
missions, opportunities, and environments. Therefore, the emphasis of the
evaluation activities of the Bridges to the Future Program will be on
improvement as defined in the specific goals and measurable objectives that
the applicant institution sets.
Central to each application are (1) a clear statement of program and
institutional goals and (2) a set of measurable objectives which track
progress toward those goals, (3) a plan for evaluating whether or not those
objectives have been met, and (4) a measure of the efficacy of specific
interventions.
Unified Plan
If an institution is involved in more than one Bridge program, the applicant
or the institution's program coordinator must describe how the various Bridge
programs interact and are consistent with the overall goals of the program.
Institutions with active or pending NIH grants for the Support for Continuous
Research Excellence (SCORE), Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement
(RISE), or Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) programs or with other
sources of funds, such as the National Science Foundation or the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, may also apply to the Bridges to the Future
Program. The application must describe how the programs complement each
other and how the students and faculty supported by each will interact.
Consortium Agreements
Each applicant institution should delineate appropriate agreements and
consortium arrangements with the other partner institutions consistent with
its own unified institutional plan. The following statement, accompanied by
signatures of the appropriate administrative officials from EACH of the
collaborating institutions, must be included as part of the application:
"THE APPROPRIATE PROGRAMMATIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL OF EACH
INSTITUTION INVOLVED IN THIS GRANT APPLICATION ARE AWARE OF THE NIH
CONSORTIUM GRANT POLICY AND ARE PREPARED TO ESTABLISH THE NECESSARY
INTER-INSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT(S) CONSISTENT WITH THAT POLICY."
In addition, letters signed by the appropriate institutional official and
program coordinator acknowledging participation in the program are required
from each participating institution.
Information on NIH policy regarding consortium agreements can be found at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/part_iii_5.htm#Consortium
Reporting Requirements
A progress report will be required at the end of each calendar year after
the award is made. A final report will be required 90 days after the
termination date of the award and must include information for each student
participant (E-STAR may be used to satisfy part of these requirements) and a
summary of the impact of the program.
Student Population and Career Tracking
Applicants must describe the associates degree-granting institution's success
in training students in the sciences, including information on the numbers of
minority students receiving the associates degree and data on subsequent
careers or education of their graduates.
Applicants should describe a system for tracking the students, including
their future careers. Applicants should maintain data to show the impact of
this program on retention rates, graduation rates, transfer rates to the next
higher degree program, and graduation rates from the next higher degree
programs. These data should be compared to those of the non-minority
students and the minority students who were not in the Bridges program.
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 are 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 was published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR
59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23, No.
11, March 18, 1994, and is available on the web at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS
It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by
the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for
receipt dates after October 1, 1998.
All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the Inclusion of Children as Participants in
Research Involving Human Subjects that was published in the NIH Guide for
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html
Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff
listed under INQUIRIES. Program staff may also provide additional relevant
information concerning the policy.
URLS IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES
All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within
specified page limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH
solicitation, internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide
information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation
to view the Internet sites. Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are requested to submit, by September 1, 2000, a
letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed plan, the
name, address, and telephone number of the program director, the names of
other key personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title
of the RFA. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and
does not enter into the review of subsequent applications, the information
that it contains is helpful in planning for the review of applications. It
allows NIH staff to estimate the potential review workload and to avoid
conflict of interest in the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent to the program director listed under
INQUIRIES.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used in
applying for these grants. These forms are available at most institutional
offices of sponsored research; 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:
grantsinfo@nih.gov. The forms are also available on at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html.
The RFA label in the PHS 398 application form must be affixed to the bottom
of the face page of the application. Failure to use this label could result
in delayed processing of the application such that it may not reach the
review committee in time for review. In addition, the RFA number and title
must be typed on line 2 of the face page form, the "YES" box must be marked.
The RFA label and line 2 of the application should both indicate the RFA
number. The sample RFA label available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been modified to
allow for this change. Please note this is in pdf format.
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and five photocopies of the signed application in one package to:
CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, SUITE 1040, MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
Applications must be received by November 14, 2000. Applications postmarked
after that date will be returned to the applicant.
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
Upon receipt, NIH staff will administratively review applications.
Incomplete and/or unresponsive applications will be returned to the applicant
without further consideration. Applications that are complete and responsive
to the RFA will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an
appropriate peer review group convened by the CSR in accordance with the
review criteria stated below. As part of the initial merit review, all
applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which
only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit,
generally the top half of the applications under review, will be discussed,
assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the National
Advisory General Medical Sciences Council.
Review criteria:
The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health. In
the written comments, reviewers will be asked to discuss the following
aspects of the application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed
program will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals. Each
of these criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall
score, weighting them as appropriate for each application. Note that the
application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely
to have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For
example, an investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its
nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field forward. New and
competing applications will be judged for merit according to the following
criteria:
(1) Significance: If the aims of the program are achieved, what impact will
they have on the diversity of the scientific workforce? Is a thorough
evaluation plan, including specific goals and measurable objectives, in
place?
(2) Approach: Is the application adequately developed, well integrated, and
appropriate to the aims of the program? Does the program address the
specific needs of the targeted population? Does the application demonstrate
knowledge of current literature and practice on effective intervention
strategies? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and
consider alternative tactics? Does the program make good use of the skills
and resources at the participating institutions?
(3) Innovation: Does the project employ novel approaches or methods to
recruiting, retaining, training, or mentoring students? Does the project
challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?
(4) Investigator: Is the program director appropriately trained and well
suited to carry out this work? Does the program director have the necessary
leadership skills? Do the program director and coordinators have the
qualifications and experience to carry out the proposed program?
(5) Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be
done contribute to the probability of success? Is there evidence of
institutional commitment at each institution? Is the strength of the
collaborations sufficient to foster professional training of underrepresented
minority students?
(6) Pool Size: Are there sufficient numbers of underrepresented minority
students in the participating science departments who are interested in
studying further in biomedical science? Is there evidence that
underrepresented minority students at the participating institutions progress
to higher education?
(7) Administration: Is the proposed system for tracking program participants
adequate to monitor the effectiveness of the program? Is the administrative
plan, including adequacy of space and other resources, adequate?
AWARD CRITERIA
The anticipated date of award is July 1, 2001. Award decisions will be based
on the technical merit of the applications, the geographical distribution of
the awardee institutions, and diversity of underrepresented minority student
participants. Awards can be made only to institutions with financial
management systems and management capabilities that are acceptable under NIH
policy. Awards will be administered under the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Schedule
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: September 1, 2000
Application Receipt Date: November 14, 2000
Council Review: May 2001
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July 2001
INQUIRIES
Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. The
opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is
welcome.
Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:
Irene Eckstrand, Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 2AS-25K, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594-5402
FAX: (301) 480-2228
Email: EckstraI@nigms.nih.gov
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
Antoinette Holland
Grants Management Specialist
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, Room 2AN.50B MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: 301-594-2554
Fax: 301-480-3423
Email: HollandA@nigms.nih.gov
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
No.93.960, Special Minority Initiatives Program. Awards are made under
authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as
amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies and
Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. This program is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372
or Health Systems Agency review.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant 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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