Full Text HL-96-009
 
NHLBI SHORT-TERM RESEARCH TRAINING FOR MINORITY STUDENTS PROGRAM
 
NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 18, June 7, 1996
 
RFA:  HL-96-009
 
P.T. 44, FF

Keywords: 
  Biomedical Research Training 
  Cardiovascular Diseases 
  Pulmonary Diseases 
  Blood Diseases 
  Sleep Disorders 

 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
 
Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  August 2, 1996
Application Receipt Date:  August 23, 1996
 
PURPOSE
 
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) invites grant
applications for the Short-Term Research Training for Minority
Students Program.  The purpose of the award is to encourage
institutions to provide opportunities for underrepresented minority
students at the undergraduate and graduate level to become exposed to
biomedical research in areas relevant to cardiovascular, pulmonary,
and hematologic diseases, and sleep disorders through a short-term
research experience.
 
Within NHLBI, the term "hematologic" covers research on thrombosis
and hemostasis, immunohematology, blood cell disorders,
hematopoiesis, thalassemia, sickle cell disease, transfusion
medicine, blood resources including blood component and derivative
therapy, blood substitutes and blood resource management, aspects of
AIDS-products in AIDS prevention and treatment, and AIDS-related bone
marrow and hematologic disorders.  Other Institutes of the NIH are
responsible for research on disorders of white cells, including the
leukemias and other blood malignancies, and basic immunology related
to the lymphoid system. Therefore, NHLBI cannot provide support for
such studies.
 
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000
 
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000,"
a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This RFA,
NHLBI Short-Term Research Training for Minority Students Program, is
related to the priority areas of heart disease and stroke, maternal
and infant health, environmental health, and educational and
community-based programs. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of
"Healthy People 2000" (Full Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or
Summary Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-512-1800).
 
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
Applications may be submitted by non-federal, domestic, for-profit
and non-profit organizations, public and private, such as
universities, colleges, medical schools, and units of state and local
government.  Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons
with disabilities are encouraged to apply as program directors.
Applications from foreign institutions will not be accepted.  These
grants will support short-term research training experiences of
consecutive two to three months duration for minority undergraduate
students, minority students in health professional schools, and
minority graduate students.  The grantee institution will be
responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees.  Special
attention should be given to the recruitment of individuals from
minority groups that are underrepresented nationally in the
biomedical and behavioral sciences, i.e., Blacks, Hispanics, American
Indians, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders.
 
Trainees must have successfully completed at least one undergraduate
year at an accredited school or university (including baccalaureate
schools of nursing) or have successfully completed one semester at a
school of medicine, optometry, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary
medicine, pharmacy or public health, or an institution with an
accredited graduate program, prior to participating in the program.
Trainees appointed to the program need not be from the grantee
institution, but may include a number of minority students from other
institutions, schools, colleges, or universities. These grants are
intended to introduce students to research that would not otherwise
be available through their regular course of studies.  For graduate
students, this may include graduate students in programs, such as
mathematics, where they would not normally be exposed to biomedical
research or minority graduate students who may need a specialized
research experience to supplement their normal graduate education.
 
Students appointed to this program must be citizens or noncitizen
nationals of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted to the
United States for permanent residence.  Noncitizen nationals are
generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States
(i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island).  Individuals on temporary
or student visas and individuals holding Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M., or
equivalent doctoral degrees in the health sciences are not eligible.
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Short-Term
Research Training grant (T35).  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.  Funding beyond the first year of the grant is contingent upon
satisfactory progress during the preceding year and the availability
of funds.  Indirect costs will be awarded based on eight percent of
total direct costs exclusive of equipment and tuition and fees.  The
anticipated award date is May 1, 1997.
 
Institutions may request support for at least four but not more than
24, short-term trainees per year.  The requested number of short-term
trainees must be justified in the application.  Trainees may be
minority undergraduate, graduate, or health professional students.
The stipend level for trainees is $834 per month.  Stipends may be
supplemented from non-federal funds.  Training-related expenses up to
$125 per month per trainee may be requested.  In addition, up to $500
per trainee may be requested to cover domestic travel to and from the
training site and up to $250 per month per trainee may be requested
to cover the cost of housing at the training site.  Trainee tuition
and fees, where necessary to the research training, must be covered
by the Training Related Expenses.
 
FUNDS AVAILABLE
 
The estimated funds (total costs) available for the first year of
support for the entire program is expected to be $300,000 in fiscal
year 1997.  The actual amount may vary, depending on the response to
the RFA and availability of funds, but the anticipated number of
awards for the Short-Term Training Program for Minority Students is
anticipated to be 10 new awards.
 
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
Background
 
Many studies have emphasized the need for minority individuals to
participate in modern research activities to develop their
investigative talents.  Whereas approximately 12 percent of the U.S.
population is Black, less than 0.25 percent of individuals holding a
Ph.D. degree in biomedical science are Black.  There are existing
programs at the National Institutes of Health that are designed to
answer this need.  These include the Minority Biomedical Research
Support Program, the Minority Access to Research Careers Program, and
the Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities Program.
Even though these programs appear successful in meeting their
specific objectives and career development goals, minority graduate
students, health professional students, and postdoctoral students in
minority schools need additional opportunities to develop biomedical
and behavioral research skills and become productive investigators.
 
While there is strong interest in the scientific community in
attracting minority students into research careers, few minority
students opt for science degrees and research careers, and few
minority graduates of health professional schools go on to
investigative careers.  The shortage of qualified minority
investigators in academic research positions may even exacerbate the
situation due to a lack of visible role models for students.  One
method of addressing this problem is by attracting minority students
to research opportunities and by providing them with research
training to develop their research capabilities in cardiovascular,
pulmonary, hematologic diseases, and sleep disorders.
 
Other
 
The present RFA is designed to offer research training opportunities
for minority students in an effort to encourage their participation
in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep disorders
research.
 
The Short-Term Research Training for Minority Students program is
intended to:
 
o  Provide minority undergraduate students, graduate students, and
students in health professional schools exposure to opportunities
inherent in research careers in areas relevant to cardiovascular,
pulmonary, hematologic diseases, and sleep disorders.
 
o  Attract highly qualified minority students into biomedical and
behavioral research careers and increase the supply of minority
investigators.
 
LETTER OF INTENT
 
Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by August 2, 1996, a
letter of intent that includes 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 subsequent applications, the information
that it contains 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 Dr. C. James Scheirer, at the address
listed under APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
 
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
 
Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
398 (rev. 5/95).  Applications kits are available at most
institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from
the Office 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.
 
Guidelines and supplemental instructions for the Short-Term Training
for Minority Students program may be obtained from NHLBI staff listed
under INQUIRIES.  The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/95)
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 title (NHLBI
Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program) and number
(HL-96-009) must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the
application form and the YES box must be marked.
 
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including
the Checklist, and four signed, photocopies, in one package to:
 
DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for courier/express service)
 
One additional copy of the application must also be sent to:
 
C. James Scheirer, Ph.D.
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 7220 - MSC 7924
Bethesda, MD  20892-7924
Telephone:  (301) 435-0266
FAX:  (301) 480-3541
Email:  james_scheirer@nih.gov
 
Applications must be received by August 26, 1996.  If an application
is received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant
without review. The Division of Research Grants (DRG) will not accept
any application to this RFA that is essentially the same as one
currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the
pending application.  The DRG 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.
 
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
 
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by DRG
and responsiveness by 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 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.
 
The following criteria will be considered when assessing the merits
of a research training grant application, including the Short-Term
Training for Minority Students program.
 
o  Design of the proposed training program;
 
o  Qualifications, dedication, and previous training record of the
program director and participating faculty, particularly with regard
to prior experience with similar programs;
 
o  Adequacy of facilities, environment, and resources for the
proposed research training;
 
o  Methods of recruiting, selecting and assigning minority students;
 
o  Methods for retaining promising students in the program and
methods for tracking students.
 
o  Commitment of the institution and participating faculty to the
goals of the training program;
 
o  Procedures for evaluation of the effectiveness of the program and
the impact of the program on the students involved.
 
AWARD CRITERIA
 
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
 
o  Technical merit of the application as determined by peer review
o  Availability of funds
o  Program balance among the research areas of the announcement
 
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 program guidelines, supplemental
instructions, or programmatic issues to:
 
Mary S. Reilly, M.S.
Division of Lung Diseases
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 10112 - MSC 7952
Bethesda, MD  20892-7952
Telephone:  (301) 435-0222
FAX:  (301) 480-3557
Email:  mary_reilly@nih.gov
 
Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:
 
Jane Davis
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 7174 - MSC 7926
Bethesda, MD  20892-7926
Telephone:  (301) 435-0166
FAX:  (301) 480-3310
Email:  jane_davis@nih.gov
 
AUTHORITY AND REGULATION
 
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance numbers 93.837, 93.838, and 93.839.  Awards are made under
the authority of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A
(Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and
285) and administered under PHS grant policies and Federal
Regulations at 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74.  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 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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