NHLBI MINORITY INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM (T32)
Release Date: June 8, 2000
RFA: HL-00-018
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov)
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: July 21, 2000
Application Receipt Date: September 12, 2000
PURPOSE
The NHLBI Minority Institutional Research Training Program is a National
Research Service Award (NRSA) Program intended to support training of graduate
and health professional students and individuals in postdoctoral training at
minority schools having the potential to develop meritorious training programs
in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep disorders. Graduate and
health professional students and individuals in postdoctoral training in
minority schools need further opportunities to develop biomedical and
behavioral research skills. The NHLBI Minority Institutional Research
Training Program is designed to attract students in their developmental
stages; to increase their awareness of cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic,
and sleep disorders research; and to encourage them to pursue research career
opportunities in these areas.
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),
NHLBI Minority Institutional Research Training Program, 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
A. Minority School
The Institution must be a domestic college or university with students from
minority ethnic groups (including Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska
Natives, and Pacific Islanders) comprising a majority (more than 50%) of the
school’s enrollment. It must have the ongoing staff and facilities required
for the proposed program. The program director at the minority school will be
responsible for the selection and appointment of students and the overall
direction of the program.
B. Trainees
Individuals appointed to the training grant must be citizens of the United
States, non-citizen nationals, or lawfully admitted to the United States for
permanent residence (i.e. in possession of a currently valid alien
registration receipt card I-551) at the time of appointment, be enrolled at
the minority institution. Trainees must be training at the post-baccalaureate
level (i.e., predoctoral or postdoctoral level) in a relevant biomedical or
behavioral science and have made a strong commitment to complete a doctoral
degree or equivalent in a biomedical or behavioral science. The NHLBI Minority
Institutional Research Training Program may not support studies leading to a
health professional degree. Research trainees who have or are pursuing
clinical degrees are expected to devote not more than 50% of their time to
research training and to confine clinical duties to those which are a part of
the research training experience.
Students may not spend more than 50% time at the research training center over
the course of the year, including a period of intensive research training
during the summer. Students are expected to pursue their research training on
a full-time basis devoting no less than 40 hours per week as specified by the
sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. Students are
expected to meet the degree requirements at their institution.
C. Research Center
The minority institution must identify and collaborate with a research center
(medical school or comparable institution) that has strong, well-established
cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, or sleep disorders research and
research training programs. Cooperation and collaboration between
institutions is needed to provide each trainee with a mentor who is recognized
as an accomplished investigator in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic or
sleep disorders research and who will assist the advisor at the minority
institution with the trainee's development and research plan. Plans for
summer training as well as academic year training should be developed by the
student and advisor at the trainee's home institution in collaboration with
the mentor at the research center. It is expected that both advisor and
mentor will guide the trainee through the initial training period and continue
this interaction throughout the award. The development of strong mentoring
relationships is essential to the success of the trainees and the program.
The minority institution will identify and complete arrangements with an
established cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, or sleep disorders
research center(s) before submitting an application.
Arrangements between the participating institutions for the recruitment of
trainees and joint selection of trainers for the provision of training, and
for ongoing cooperation and collaboration between the institutions in the
implementation of the program, should be clearly outlined in the application.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional
National Research Service Award (NSRA) mechanism (T32). Responsibility for
the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed training program will
be solely that of the applicant. The total project period for an application
submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed five years. Funds will be
provided on an annual basis to develop and maintain a stable research training
experience for qualified students. Successful applicants may compete for a
second or subsequent awards of up to five years' duration upon completion of
the initial grant period.
Funding beyond the first year of the grant is contingent upon satisfactory
progress during the preceding year and availability of funds. Facilities and
Administrative Costs will be awarded based on 8% of total direct costs
exclusive of equipment, tuition, and fees. The anticipated award date is
April 1, 2001.
Because the research training environment provides a powerful context in which
to promote responsible research practices, all competing applications must
include a description of formal or informal activities or instruction related
to the responsible conduct of research that will be incorporated into the
proposed research training program.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
The estimated funds (total costs) available for the first year of support for
the entire program is expected to be $250,000 in fiscal year 2001. The actual
amount may vary, depending on the response to the RFA and availability of
funds. Two new awards are anticipated.
OBJECTIVES
Background
Many studies have emphasized the need for minority individuals to participate
in research activities to develop their investigative talents. There are
existing programs at the National Institutes of Health such as the Minority
Biomedical Research Support Program, the Minority Access to Research Careers
Program, and the Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities Program
that are designed to address this need. Even though these programs are
successful in meeting their specific objectives and career development goals,
graduate and health professional students and individuals in postdoctoral
training in minority schools need further opportunities to develop biomedical
and behavioral research skills.
The NHLBI Minority Institutional Research Training Program makes research
training grant awards in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep
disorders research to minority schools to enable qualified graduate and health
professional students and individuals in postdoctoral training to participate
in research programs. It is expected to attract students in their
developmental stages, increase their awareness of these diseases, and to
encourage them to pursue career opportunities in research related to the
mission of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Provisions of the Award
The trainees may be appointed for 9 - 12 months at any time during the course
of the budget period. Students must be enrolled on a full-time basis. A
strong interest in a cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, or sleep disorder
research career must be evident. Short-term training positions for health
professional students are allowed under this program.
Predoctoral trainees appointed to the grant may receive support for up to five
years. Postdoctoral trainees appointed to the grant may receive support for up
to three years. The trainee and his or her faculty advisor at the minority
institution will jointly select a faculty mentor at the research center. A
written commitment to the training plan signed by the intended faculty mentors
at the research center, the department(s) involved and countersigned by both
institutional officials, must be part of the application.
Funds may be requested for:
A. Stipends - The current stipend level for graduate and health professional
student trainees at all levels of experience is $15,060 per year. Current
stipend levels for postdoctoral trainees are as follows:
Years of Experience Per Annum Stipend
0 $26,916
1 $28,416
2 $33,516
3 $35,232
4 $36,936
5 $38,628
6 $40,332
7 or more $42,300
B. Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance - The combined cost of tuition, fees,
and health insurance (either self-only or family as appropriate) will be
offset at the following rate: 100% of all costs up to $3,000 and 60% of costs
above $3,000. Costs associated with tuition and fees are allowable only if
they are required for specific courses in support of the research training
experience supported by the fellowship. A full description of the tuition
policy is contained within the NRSA Policy Guidelines on the NIH website at:
http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsaguidelines/nrsa_toc.htm
C. Trainee Travel Costs - The institution may request funds to cover the costs
of trainees travel, including attendance at scientific meetings, that are
necessary to the individual's training. The maximum allowable per student per
year is $800. Funds for commuting expenses that are clearly in excess of
those incurred during the usual home to work travel of the trainee may also be
requested.
D. Training-related Expenses - Institutional costs of $2,000 a year per
predoctoral trainee and $2,500 a year per postdoctoral trainee may be
requested to defray the costs of other research training related expenses,
such as staff salaries, consultant costs, equipment, research supplies, and
staff travel. If the fellow is not enrolled or engaged in training for more
than 6 months of the award year, only one-half of that year’s allowance may be
charged to the grant.
E. Facilities and Administrative Costs - The Notice of Grant Award will
provide facilities and administrative costs based on 8% of total direct costs,
exclusive of equipment, tuition, and fees.
Procedures for annual evaluation of the program should include plans to
measure the impact of the program on the individual student and plans to
measure the trainee’s progress. The evaluation procedures should also
describe plans to monitor the future career course of individual trainees, to
evaluate the effectiveness of the overall program, and assess the impact of
the training program on the institution. It should also include plans for
assessing the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship and the training
plan.
Payback Agreement - As specified in the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, NRSA
recipients incur a service payback obligation only during their first 12
months of postdoctoral support. Additionally, the NIH Revitalization Act of
1993 specifies that the second and subsequent years of postdoctoral NRSA
training will serve to pay back a postdoctoral service payback obligation.
Accordingly, the following guidelines apply:
Predoctoral trainees are not required to sign the payback agreement and do
not incur a service payback obligation.
Postdoctoral trainees in the first 12 months of postdoctoral NRSA support
must sign the payback agreement form (PHS form 6031) before initiating an
appointment. Postdoctoral trainees in their first 12 months of support
will incur a period of service payback obligation equal to the period of
support.
Postdoctoral trainees in the 13th and subsequent months of NRSA
postdoctoral support are not required to sign the payback agreement form
and will not incur a service payback obligation.
The 13th and subsequent months of postdoctoral NRSA support are considered
acceptable payback service for prior postdoctoral support. For example,
postdoctoral trainees who continue under that award for 2 years have
fulfilled the obligation incurred during the first 12 months of support by
the end of the second year. Service payback obligations can also be paid
back by conducting health-related research or teaching averaging more than
20 hours per week of a full work year after terminating NRSA support.
Recipients with service obligations must begin to provide service on a
continuous basis within two years of termination of NRSA support. The
period for undertaking payback service may be delayed for such reasons as
temporary disability, completion of residency requirements, or completion
of the requirements for a graduate degree. Requests for an extension must
be made in writing to the NIH specifying the need for additional time and
the length of the required extension.
Recipients of NRSA support are responsible for informing the NIH of changes
in status or address.
For individuals who fail to fulfill their obligation through service, the
United States is entitled to recover the total amount of NRSA funds paid to
the individual for the obligated period plus interest at a rate determined
by the Secretary of the Treasury. Financial payback must be completed
within 3 years beginning on the date the United States becomes entitled to
recover such amount.
Under certain conditions, the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (or those delegated this authority) may extend the period
for starting service or repayment, permit breaks in service, or in rare
cases in which service or financial repayment would constitute an extreme
hardship, may waive or suspend the payback obligation of an individual.
Officials at the awardee institution have the responsibility of explaining
the terms of the payback requirements to all prospective training
candidates before appointment to the training grant. Additionally, all
trainees recruited into the training program must be provided with
information related to the career options that might be available when they
complete the program. The relationship of the positions available and the
training provided must also be discussed along with the applicability of
these positions to any outstanding service payback obligation.
INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN STUDY POPULATIONS
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 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 at the
following URL address:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html
NIH POLICY AND GUIDELINES ON THE 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 asked to submit, by July 21, 2000, a letter of
intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed research, the name,
address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of
other key personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title
of the RFA in response to which the application may be submitted. 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
NHLBI staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. C. James Scheirer at the address
listed under APPLICATION PROCEDURES by the letter of intent receipt date
listed.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
The PHS grant application Form PHS-398 (Rev. 4/98) and its Additional
Instructions for Preparing Institutional National Research Service Award
Applications (Pages V-1 - V-8; Substitution Pages NN - PP) is to be used in
applying for these grants. This form is available at most institutional
offices of sponsored research, and from the:
Division of Extramural Outreach
and Information Resources
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910
Bethesda, MD 20892-7910
Telephone 301-435-0174
E-mail: grantsinfo@nih.gov
Internet address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
The RFA label found in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application form must be
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. In addition, the
RFA title (NHLBI MINORITY INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM) and number
RFA-00-018 must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form,
and the YES box must be marked.
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 label is in pdf format.
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application and three signed
photocopies in one package to:
CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for courier service)
At the time of submission, send two (2) additional copies of the application
to:
Dr. C. James Scheirer
Director, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Affairs, NHLBI
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 7216, MSC 7924
Bethesda, MD 20892-7924
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
Telephone (301) 435-0266
FAX: (301) 480-3541
Internet Address: js110j@nih.gov
It is important to send these two copies at the same time as the original and
three copies are sent to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR). These copies
are used to identify conflicts and help ensure the appropriate and timely
review of the application.
Applications must be received by September 12, 2000. If an application is
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The
CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one
already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of substantial
revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must include
an introduction addressing the previous critique.
Applicants who wish to include a request for short-term research training
positions should identify short-term positions separately within the
"stipends" and "training related expenses" categories on the budget page.
Under "stipends," short-term positions should be listed in the "other"
category. Tuition, fees, health insurance, and trainee travel, and other
expenses are to be included in "training related expenses." The description
of the short-term research training program should be included in the
application for the regular research training program, but should be separated
from the description of the regular program within each section of the
application. In addition to the information requested in the "program plan"
section, the applicant should address the relationship of the proposed short-
term program to the regular research training program and provide assurance
that the short-term program will not detract from the regular program.
Applicants must observe the 25-page limit on the narrative section.
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and
responsiveness by the NHLBI. Incomplete and/or non-responsive 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 a Special Emphasis Panel in the Division of
Extramural Affairs, NHLBI, 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 Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory
Council.
Review Criteria
The following criteria will be considered in the evaluation of the proposed
NHLBI Minority Institutional Research Training Program:
o Design of the proposed training program;
o Qualifications, dedication, and previous training record of the program
director and all participating faculty, particularly with regard to prior
experience with similar programs;
o Adequacy of facilities, environment, and resources for the proposed research
training, both at the minority institution and the collaborating research
center;
o Adequacy of the cooperative arrangements between the minority institution
and the collaborating research center;
o Recruitment and selection plans for trainees, and the availability of high
quality candidates;
o Methods for retaining promising students in the program and methods for
tracking students;
o Commitment of the relevant faculty and the two institutions to the goals of
the training program; and
o Procedures for evaluation of the impact of the program on the trainees
involved.
AWARD CRITERIA
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
o Scientific, technical, and research training merit of the application as
determined by peer review,
o Availability of funds, and
o Program balance among the research areas of the RFA.
INQUIRIES
Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are welcome. The
opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants prior
to preparation of an application is strongly encouraged.
Direct inquiries regarding program guidelines or programmatic issues to:
Robert Musson, Ph.D.
Division of Lung Diseases (responding for all NHLBI programmatic Divisions)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7952
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7952
Telephone (301) 435-0218
FAX: (301) 480-3557
Internet Address: mussonr@nih.gov
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
Rebecca Chamberlin
Grants Management Specialist
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7926
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7926
Telephone: (301) 435-0166
FAX: (301) 480-3310
Internet Address: chamberlinr@nih.gov
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance,
numbers 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, and 93.839. 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 a 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 PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the
American people.
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