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

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Eye Institute (NEI)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Office of Strategic Coordination (Common Fund)
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Funding Opportunity Title

NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Enhancing Diversity in Biomedical Data Science (R25)

Activity Code

R25 Education Projects

Announcement Type

Reissue of RFA-MD-15-005

Related Notices
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number

RFA-MD-16-002

Companion Funding Opportunity

None

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

93.307; 93.351; 93.846; 93.213; 93.113; 93.173; 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.233, 93.840; 93.855; 93.856; 93.121; 93.172; 93.847;93.853; 93.879; 93.866; 93.310; 93.307; 93.867; 93.398; 93.279; 93.273; 93.350; 93.242; 93.865; 93.859

Funding Opportunity Purpose

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The over-arching goal of this NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Enhancing Diversity in Biomedical Data Science (R25) program is to support educational activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on research experiences and curriculum or methods development.

Key Dates
Posted Date

August 5, 2016

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

October 14, 2016

Letter of Intent Due Date(s)

October 14, 2016

Application Due Date(s)

November, 14, 2016, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on this dates.

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

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not Applicable

Scientific Merit Review

February 2017

Advisory Council Review

May 2017

Earliest Start Date

July 2017

Expiration Date

November 15, 2016

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions will not be reviewed


Table of Contents

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information


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

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The over-arching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

The over-arching goal of this Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) R25 program is to support educational activities that enhance the capacity of institutions to develop a diverse biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce in the area of big data science To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

  • Research Experiences: For undergraduate students: to provide hands-on exposure to Big Data research experiences; and for faculty: to extend their Big Data knowledge research skills, experiences, and knowledge base through research experiences..
  • Curriculum or Methods Development: To develop and disseminate Big Data curricula and novel instructional approaches appropriate for undergraduates in biomedical research courses and related research education activities that will be incorporated into the institution's course offerings.

Background

Extracting useful knowledge from biomedical Big Data is a major limiting factor to understanding health and disease. The focus of the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative is to support the research and development of innovative and transformative approaches and tools with the goal of maximizing and accelerating the utility of Big Data and data science in biomedical research. For the purposes of this FOA, biomedical is broadly defined to include biomedical, behavioral, or social science research focused on health.

To address the growing need for skilled researchers to fully utilize the vast amount of heterogeneous biomedical Big Data there must be an increase in the number of individuals: (1) trained and educated in developing tools, methods, and analyses to make Big Data useful, and (2) knowledgeable about how to use the tools, methods, and analyses. Thus, the primary goals of training and education efforts for the BD2K Initiative are 1) to increase the number of expert biomedical data scientists, and 2) to elevate general data science competencies of all biomedical scientists.

Data Science training and education needs in the biomedical workforce vary greatly based on an individual’s prior knowledge and their intended use of data. Thus, BD2K programs to support training, education, and career development reflect a variety of needs within the workforce.

  • For biomedical scientists to become conversant in data science and learn to utilize existing tools, courses and open educational resources are available.
  • To address the growing need for specialists in biomedical data science, pre-doctoral students and early career scientists are supported.
  • To foster the development of new interdisciplinary teams consisting of biomedical scientists and data scientists, BD2K is collaborating with the National Science Foundation.
  • To train and educate a diverse workforce, under-resourced institutions serving diverse populations are developing data science curriculum and providing short-term research experiences for students and faculty.

To ensure that BD2K’s training and education efforts have maximum impact in generating knowledge, educational resources should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). The FAIR principles (https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples) are applied in the development of an Educational Resource Discovery Index that will help biomedical scientists find and access the most appropriate data science educational resources to meet their training and educational needs. The BD2K Training Coordination Center (TCC) (http://www.bigdatau.org) is developing this Educational Resource Discovery Index and is providing coordination and communication among those interested in Big Data training and education (the BD2K Training Consortium).

Taken together, the BD2K training and educational programs will improve the ability of the entire biomedical science community to utilize the growing volume and complexity of data. Additional information about BD2K s portfolio of training and education awards is available online (https://datascience.nih.gov/bd2k/funded-programs/enhancing-training).

Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27). There is a critical need for trained and diversified biomedical researchers in the U.S. workforce, especially in emerging cross-cutting areas, where small numbers from underrepresented groups are insufficient to meet the increasing needs and challenges for biomedical and clinical research (http://science.sciencemag.org/content/333/6045/1015.full; http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-07/uok-rng071416.php and http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/pgasite/documents/webpage/pga_057621.pdf).

NIH encourages institutions to diversify their student and faculty populations to enhance the participation of individuals from groups identified as underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences (https://diversity.nih.gov/about/populations). In 2012, the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce explored ways to improve the recruitment of individuals from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research and prepare them for successful biomedical research careers. It was recommended that under the leadership of NIMHD, and in coordination with other STEM initiatives underway in HHS and across other Federal government agencies, NIH should undertake a bold, well-funded, multi-year, incentive-based, competitive grant process to support infrastructure development in those comparatively under-resourced institutions with a documented track record of producing and supporting underrepresented minority scientists as well as stimulating creative partnerships among these institutions and, where appropriate, including more resource-rich institutions. (http://acd.od.nih.gov/Diversity%20in%20the%20Biomedical%20Research%20Workforce%20Report.pdf)

In spite of tremendous advancements in scientific research, educational and research opportunities are not equally available to all. According to the biennial report Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2015/nsf15311/digest/) which is mandated by the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (Public Law 96-516), the gap in educational attainment separating underrepresented minorities from whites and Asians remains wide, including mathematics, statistics, and computer sciences, all of which are critical for biomedical data science. "Such a shortage of diversity among data scientists limits not only the perspectives and insights brought into big data fields, but also the ability of data science to address and communicate issues specific to historically underrepresented ethnic communities." (McEligot et al. Calif J Health Promot. 2015 ; 13(3): vi ix.) To address the gap in educational attainment, lessons can be learned from the success of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which demonstrated that African American Meyerhoff students in the 1989 2005 entering cohorts were 5.3 times more likely to enter STEM graduate programs than equally talented Declined sample students (41.1% versus 7.8%). (Maton et al. Mt Sinai J Med. 2012 Sep; 79(5): 610 623.)

This funding opportunity seeks to facilitate the education of participants from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research to data Science training and education needs in the biomedical workforce. The intermediate goal of the program is to enhance the biomedical undergraduate curriculum at supported institutions, measured through the amount of data science being incorporated into the training of biomedical/biological undergraduates. The long term goal of the program is to increase the number of undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue further education in the biomedical sciences.

The NIH Big Data to Knowledge Initiative has a strong interest in building a pipeline of diverse individuals who have the knowledge and skills to make full use of biomedical Big Data. Because biomedical data science is a team science, and because diverse teams have been shown to function better, diversity is particularly important for the BD2K Initiative. This R25 program will increase the number of diverse undergraduates who have didactic and research experiences in utilizing and developing methods for biomedical Big Data, which will in turn increase the number of diverse graduate students in biomedical science who have data science skills.

The rationale behind the approach is to incorporate biomedical data science into the undergraduate experiences at institutions with high proportions of underrepresented students through curriculum development and the training of the instructors. Knowledge of biomedical data science will prepare these students for future biomedical science careers, which are becoming increasingly computational and quantitative. To encourage students to pursue research careers and to prepare them for graduate school, support is given for undergraduates from applicant institutions to have research experiences at partner institutions that are strong in biomedical data science research.

Overview

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes a compelling need to promote diversity in the biomedical research workforce. The NIH expects efforts that diversify the workforce to lead to the recruitment of the most talented researchers from all groups, improve the quality of the training environment, balance and broaden the perspective in setting research priorities, improve the ability to recruit subjects from diverse backgrounds into clinical research protocols, and improve the Nation's capacity to address and eliminate health disparities. Partnerships between less research intensive institutions, and research intensive institutions with prominence in biomedical big data research, for example, can innovatively create programs to provide Big Data research education and training that students will need to succeed in the biomedical research workforce. Many students from underrepresented backgrounds are educated and trained at less-research intensive institutions. The historical mission of some of these institutions has been to educate students from underrepresented backgrounds. For example, the focus of minority serving institutions has been the education and graduation of students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (for example, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and natives of U.S. Pacific Islands). Some other institutions have a mission to educate students with disabilities and provide services to the disability community (J.V. Van Cleve and B. A. Crouch, A Place of their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America, GU Press, 1989). As a group, these institutions have trained science undergraduates from underrepresented groups who have gone on to pursue research careers and have gained scientific prominence in their research.

The program being developed by this FOA provides an opportunity for less research intensive

undergraduate institutions to build research experiences and curriculum in biomedical Big Data research education by partnering with research intensive institutions with prominence in biomedical big data research. It is expected that institutions that partner for this effort share the vision of enhancing diversity in biomedical data science as a critical means to achieve excellence in research education. Importantly, this FOA seeks to reach undergraduate participants when they are making critical decisions about choosing and persisting in a biomedical research field. In addition, this FOA provides an opportunity for faculty at applicant institutions to gain professional education and skills in Big Data science that will also improve instruction and mentoring capacity in data science. By educating undergraduate students in the emerging field of Big Data, they will obtain unique exposure and experience to compete in the biomedical workforce and contribute to research that addresses the increasingly complex health needs of the nation.

This FOA: (1) seeks to reach diverse undergraduate participants when they are making critical decisions about choosing and persisting in a biomedical research field using data science; (2) provides an opportunity for faculty at applicant institutions to gain research experiences in big data science; and (3) provides faculty with knowledge and skills in Big Data science to improve the curricula and instruction in data science.

Purpose and Objectives

The primary purpose of the NIH BD2K Enhancing Diversity in Biomedical Data Science program is to provide resources for eligible institutions (the applicant institution) to implement innovative approaches to research education for students from underrepresented backgrounds in Big Data science. Through this program, eligible institutions will establish partnerships with research intensive institutions with prominence in biomedical big data research (hereafter called partnership institutions) to design collaborations to implement novel approaches of data science education that emphasize research experiences and curriculum development at the eligible institution. Partnership institutions should collectively consider all factors that are likely to prepare students and/or faculty at eligible institutions to improve exposure, knowledge, and competency in Big Data science. It is expected that long-term collaborations will be developed to allow faculty and students from eligible institutions to have substantive and continuous interactions for the duration of the funded project period and beyond.

The eligible institution must partner with one or more institutions to design and implement data science research education approaches for students and/or faculty. The partnership institutions should be institutions that have achieved prominence in biomedical big data research. Evidence of prominence includes holding patents, leading efforts or public-private partnerships, and/or having significant peer-reviewed research. Significant is demonstrated by research covering a variety of large and complex data types such as imaging, phenotypic, molecular (including omics), clinical, behavioral, environmental, and many other types of biological and biomedical data that exceed the abilities of currently-used approaches to manage and analyze them. The partnership institutions must also have demonstrated strength in the foundational sciences, which includes computer science, statistics, data science, and related fields. Partnership institutions must also have the infrastructure in the foundational sciences to support the partnership.

The eligible institution will have responsibility for the conduct and oversight of the award, along with the flexibility to determine the optimal configuration with its partner(s) to have the maximum impact. Partnerships must involve the applicant institution and one or more partnership institutions. The selection of a partnership institution that is based on the rationale of proposed activities, potential sustainability of activities beyond the project period, and shared vision to promote diversity in biomedical research workforce is required. Whereas the eligible institution will have responsibility to develop the program, it is expected that both institutions will work collaboratively to facilitate the goals of the program.

The eligible institution must propose research experiences that are intended for undergraduate students and faculty and address particular challenges that face individuals from underrepresented background. Dual mentors, one from the eligible institution and one from the partnership institution, may be established to ensure students benefit from relevant research experiences and support. Curriculum development must meet the eligible institution's undergraduate research education needs, including hands-on research activities in biomedical contexts. Formats should be justified based on institutions academic requirements for students . The development of creative formats to achieve the proposed objectives is highly encouraged. The development of novel instructional approaches should be integral to the curriculum developed.

Successful projects are expected to yield tangible advances in the areas of student and/or faculty development with a focus on big data science, and curriculum development incorporating big data science. Examples of activities that would contribute to advances in each area may include, but are not limited to:

1) Research Experiences: For undergraduate students, activities may include opportunities to complete advanced biomedical Big Data science research education; including but not limited to: quantitative and bioinformatics coursework; and intensive summer/semester research experiences at partnership institutions. For faculty, activities may include participation in research that extends their skills and knowledge base in Big Data.

2) Curriculum Development: Opportunities for faculty at the eligible institution to incorporate more biomedical Big Data science (i.e., computational and quantitative sciences) into current curricula, and/or develop new course offerings that emphasize biomedical Big Data science.

Collaborative activities with the partnership institutions with international prominence in biomedical big data research may include, but are not limited to: short-term research experiences for students and faculty at the partnership institutions, and hands-on projects; developing and/or disseminating curriculum materials that will be used at the applicant institution, and/or in a joint-instructional capacity with partnership institution faculty.

The intent for developing Big Data research experiences and new curriculum at the applicant institution is to enhance the diversity of the biomedical research workforce in big data science by using strategies that create research experiences for students and faculty, and course offerings that may continue in sustainable ways after the R25 and/or the partnership institutions project period(s) have expired.

Research education programs may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those training and education programs currently receiving Federal support. R25 programs may augment institutional research training programs (e.g., T32, T90) but cannot be used to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.

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

Section II. Award Information
Funding Instrument

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

Application Types Allowed

New

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

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

The NIH Office of the Associate Director for Data Science intends to commit $1 million (total costs) in FY17 to fund approximately 5 awards, contingent upon the number of meritorious applications received and availability of funds.

Award Budget

Applications may request up to $300,000 in direct costs each year.

Award Project Period

The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The project period may not exceed 4 years.

Other Award Budget Information
Personnel Costs

Individuals designing, directing, and implementing the research education program may request salary and fringe benefits appropriate for the person months devoted to the program. Salaries requested may not exceed the levels commensurate with the institution's policy for similar positions and may not exceed the congressionally mandated cap. (If mentoring interactions and other activities with participants are considered a regular part of an individual's academic duties, then any costs associated with the mentoring and other interactions with participants are not allowable costs from grant funds).

Participant Costs

Participants may be paid if specifically required for the proposed research education program and sufficiently justified. Participant costs must be itemized in the proposed budget

Allowable participant costs depend on the educational level/career status of the individuals to be selected to participate in the program.

While generally not an allowable cost, with strong justification, participants in the research education program may receive per diem unless such costs are furnished as part of the registration fee. Participants may also receive funds to defray partial tuition and other education-related expenses.

Expenses for foreign travel must be exceptionally well justified.

Individuals supported by NIH training and career development mechanisms (K, T, or F awards) may receive, and indeed are encouraged to receive, educational experiences supported by an R25 program, as participants, but may not receive salary or stipend supplementation from a research education program.

Because the R25 program is not intended as a substitute for an NRSA institutional training program (e.g., T32), costs to support full-time participants (supported for 40 hours/week for a continuous, 12-month period) are not allowable.

Other Program-Related Expenses

Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key persons, and other program-related expenses may be included in the proposed budget. These expenses must be justified as specifically required by the proposed program and must not duplicate items generally available at the applicant institution. Costs of research supplies necessary to conduct and/or attend research educational or curriculum development activities at the eligible and partnership institutions are allowable.

Costs to attend an annual BD2K consortium meeting should be included, not to exceed $1500 per trip. Eligible participants include PD/PIs and participating students and faculty of the eligible institution and up to two collaborators from the partnership institutions.

Funds may also be requested for faculty from the partnership institutions to travel to the eligible institutions for implementation of curriculum development, mini-courses, etc.

Indirect Costs

Indirect Costs (also known as Facilities & Administrative [F&A] Costs) are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs (exclusive of tuition and fees and expenditures for equipment), rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement.

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

Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible Organizations

Higher Education Institutions

  • Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  • Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

  • Hispanic-Serving Institutions
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  • Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
  • Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
  • Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

Governments

  • State Governments
  • County Governments
  • Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
  • Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
  • U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

  • Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
  • Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
  • Regional Organizations

In addition, all organizations must meet the following two criteria:

  • The applicant institutions are limited to domestic baccalaureate-granting colleges/universities that receive less than $7.5 million (total costs) of NIH research project grant (RPG) funding annually (see below for details).
  • The applicant institution must have an award-eligible pool of undergraduate students, at least 25% of whom are supported by Pell grants. These eligibility requirements are intended to target funds to relatively under-resourced institutions with a demonstrated commitment to students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. These requirements are based on the recognition that (1) many students from low-income backgrounds are also nationally underrepresented in biomedical research, and (2) institutional commitment to these students often comes at the expense of investments in research infrastructure.

For the purposes of determining eligibility as an applicant institution, the annual level of NIH RPG funding received will be the average level calculated over the preceding three fiscal years (FY 2013, FY 2014 and FY 2015), excluding SBIR/STTR funding and RPGs received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as reported on the NIH RePORT website under NIH Awards by Location & Organization (http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm). The percentage of undergraduates with Pell grants will be based on 2015 student financial aid data for the applicant institution, as reflected in the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS Data Center website, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/Default.aspx. . See Section IV.2, Content and Form of Application Submission for instructions on certification of eligibility.

The sponsoring institution must assure support for the proposed program. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program includes the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can contribute to the planned program.

Institutions with existing Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) institutional training grants (e.g., T32) or other Federally funded training programs may apply for a research education grant provided that the proposed educational experiences are distinct from those training programs receiving federal support. In many cases, it is anticipated that the proposed research education program will complement ongoing research training occurring at the applicant institution.

Foreign Institutions

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

Required Registrations

Applicant Organizations

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

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

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

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

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The PD/PI should be an established investigator in the scientific area in which the application is targeted and capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed program. The PD/PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program and submit all documents and reports as required.

The PD/PI should have leadership standing in her/his institution to ensure that the students and faculty are better positioned to pursue further education and/or research in big data science and enhanced curriculum offerings in big data science will be incorporated in the institution's course offerings.

2. Cost Sharing

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

3. Additional Information on Eligibility
Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:

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

Researchers from diverse backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and women are encouraged to participate as preceptors/mentors. Mentors should have big data research expertise and experience relevant to the proposed program. Mentors must be committed to continue their involvement throughout the total period of the mentee’s participation in this award.

Program faculty from the eligible institution should have expertise in the foundational sciences of big data--bioinformatics--statistics, and sciences related to biomedicine.

Program Faculty from the partnership institutions should, in addition to having expertise in the foundational sciences, also have a record of training and developing curriculum..

Participants

Unless strongly justified on the basis of exceptional relevance to NIH, research education programs should be used primarily for the education of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Participants should include faculty and undergraduate students who are enrolled full-time at the eligible institution in a biomedical, computational, or quantitative research field of study.

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

Applicants must obtain the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

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

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

Letter of Intent

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

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

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

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Xinzhi Zhang, MD, PhD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-6136
Fax: 301-480-4049
Email: bd2k_training@mail.nih.gov

Page Limitations

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

Instructions for Application Submission

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

SF424(R&R) Cover

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. The proposed project must involve a collaboration between the eligible institution and at least one institution that has achieved international prominence in biomedical big data research. Collaborations with more than one institution are also allowable and should be consistent with the proposed project activities.

SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information Component

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with the following additional modifications:

Facilities & Other Resources. Describe the educational environment, including the facilities, laboratories, participating departments, computer services, and any other resources to be used in the development and implementation of the proposed program. List all thematically related sources of support for research training and education following the format for Current and Pending Support.

Other Attachments. An institutional BD2K Advisory Committee is encouraged to include as a component of the program, but is not a required component of a Research Education program. If this component is included in the application, provide a plan for the appointment of an Advisory Committee to monitor progress of the research education program and sustainability of efforts after the grant period. Describe the Advisory Committee's role and how it will provide counsel to the PD/PI and to the chief executive of the institution in meeting the goals of the program and institution. The composition of the committee must reflect the institutional approach and support for the proposed program, and may include representatives of the administration, faculty, investigators, mentors, and collaborators. Representation from the applicant institution and NIH BD2K Center is required. Describe the composition and functions of the committee. Note: The proposed Advisory Committee members should not be named in the application or contacted prior to submission, particularly if they include individuals from outside the applicant institution. Please name the attachment Advisory_Committee.pdf . The filename provided for each Other Attachment will be the name used for the bookmark in the electronic application in eRA Commons.

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

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

R&R Budget

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with the following additional modifications:

  • Include all personnel other than the PD(s)/PI(s) in the Other Personnel section, including clerical and administrative staff. Personnel from the eligible and/or the partnership institution (in the consortium category) should be included if relevant.
  • The budget for activities (travel, supplies, computer time, personnel, etc.) at the partnership institution(s) should also be included
PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

PHS 398 Research Plan Component

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

Research Strategy

The Research Strategy section must be used to upload the Research Education Program Plan, which must include the following components described below:

  • Proposed Research Education Program
  • Program Director/Principal Investigator
  • Program Faculty
  • Program Participants
  • Institutional Environment and CommitmentDiversity Recruitment Plan
  • Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Evaluation Plan
  • Dissemination Plan

Research Education Program Plan

Proposed Research Education Program. While the proposed research education program may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those research training and research education programs currently receiving federal support. When research training programs are on-going in the same department, the applicant organization should clearly distinguish between the activities in the proposed research education program and the research training supported by the training program. The description should include the educational and/or career level(s) of the planned participants.

Address the overall goals and specific measurable objectives (including anticipated milestones defined as anticipated intermediate steps toward the objectives) that the institution expects to accomplish in preparing diverse undergraduate students, including those underrepresented in pursuing further studies and graduate degrees in in biomedical big data research, providing faculty with research experiences and enhanced didactic skills in big data science and faculty in Big Data science, and enhancing the institution's course offering through the development of curriculum in big data science.

Programmatic detail on the proposed activities must address the needs and requirements, as identified by the institutional characteristics and areas identified for growth.

Describe the criteria and procedures for identification and selection of students and faculty into the program, including those from underrepresented backgrounds. Describe a clear plan to ensure a diverse participant pool will be recruited, particularly undergraduate students underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce. Provide a brief rationale for, and a detailed description of, each activity proposed and the role of faculty/personnel involved at each partnership institution (Applicant and Partnership institution). Describe how each activity will contribute toward realization of the FOA aims related to developing research experiences and curriculum development in Big Data. Provide a timeline for when project activities will take place. Discuss any perceived impediments to implementing the proposed activities and alternative strategies to achieve Big Data research experiences and curriculum development. If more than one partnership institution is proposed with the eligible institution, it must be well-justified, including how the collaboration (e.g., roles/responsibilities, and oversight) will be managed. Describe how the proposed partnership model will allow the PD/PI to implement proposed activities effectively.

Describe the proposed research experiences during the academic year/summer and how participants will have meaningful research experiences in big data science research with groups of investigators or faculty with international prominence in biomedical big data research. Proposed summer research experiences must be at least two consecutive months in duration at the partnership institution.

Describe the activities of the partnership institutions and how they contribute to the goals of the eligible institution with respect to research experiences and curriculum development.

Describe a system for monitoring the proposed program activities, specifically students progress throughout the data science research education and undergraduate experience.

Describe how student research experiences or course offerings at the eligible institution and/or the partnership institution may continue in sustainable ways after the funded project period of the R25 and/or the Partnership institution has expired.

Describe how the courses for skills or methods development will be incorporated into the institutions course offerings to enhance the institution's capabilities in big data science.

Program Director/Principal Investigator. Describe arrangements for administration of the program. Provide evidence that the Program Director/Principal Investigator is actively engaged in research and/or teaching in an area related to the mission of NIH, and can organize, administer, monitor, and evaluate the research education program. For programs proposing multiple PDs/PIs, describe the complementary and integrated expertise of the PDs/PIs; their leadership approach, and governance appropriate for the planned project. The PD/PI must describe how s/he will work within her/his institution to ensure that the outcomes of this proposed activity become an integral part of the institution's plan for preparing its student and faculty to pursue further their interest in big data science and how the curriculum that is developed in big data science will be integrated into the eligible institution's course offerings.

Program Faculty. Researchers from diverse backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and women are encouraged to participate as program faculty. Faculty should have research expertise and experience relevant to the proposed program and demonstrate a history of, or the potential for, their intended roles. The application should include a description of the characteristics and responsibilities of the participating faculty at the eligible institution and the partnership institution(s).

Program Participants. Applications must describe the intended participants, and the eligibility criteria and/or specific educational background characteristics that are essential for participation in the proposed research education program. Identify the career levels for which the proposed program is planned. Participants should include eligible undergraduate students who are enrolled full-time at the eligible institution (not partner institutions) in a biomedical, computational, or quantitative research field of study (ideally, student participants have exposure to all three fields); and full-time faculty member(s) at the applicant institution.

Institutional Environment and Commitment. Describe the institutional environment, reiterating the availability of facilities and educational resources (described separately under Facilities & Other Resources ), that can contribute to the planned Research Education Program. Evidence of institutional commitment to the research educational program is required. A letter of institutional commitment must be attached as part of Letters of Support (see below). Appropriate institutional commitment should include the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can contribute to the planned research education program.

Provide a brief description of the following to address the Institutional Commitment:

  • How the proposed research experiences will be used to further the interests of the students and faculty in big data science
  • How the curriculum in big data science may be integrated into the applicant institution’s academic environment and course offerings.

Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity: Fostering diversity in the scientific research workforce is a key component of the NIH strategy to identify, develop, support and maintain the quality of our scientific human capital (NOT-OD-15-053). Every facet of the United States scientific research enterprise from basic laboratory research to clinical and translational research to policy formation requires superior intellect, creativity and a wide range of skill sets and viewpoints. NIH’s ability to help ensure that the nation remains a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation is dependent upon a pool of highly talented scientists from diverse backgrounds who will help to further NIH's mission.

Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the researchers, advancing the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in, and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust.

In spite of tremendous advancements in scientific research, information, educational and research opportunities are not equally available to all. NIH encourages institutions to diversify their student and faculty populations to enhance the participation of individuals from groups identified as underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences, such as:

A. Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27) and the report Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). The following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

B. Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. See NSF data at, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2013/pdf/tab7-5_updated_2014_10.pdf.

C. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as:

1. Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These thresholds are based on family size, published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml.

2. Individuals who come from an educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that has demonstrably and directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

The disadvantaged background category (C1 and C2) is applicable to programs focused on high school and undergraduate candidates.

Literature shows that women from the above backgrounds (categories A, B, and C) face particular challenges at the graduate level and beyond in scientific fields. (See, e.g., Inside the Double

Bind, A Synthesis of Empirical Research on Undergraduate and Graduate Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics http://her.hepg.org/content/t022245n7x4752v2/fulltext.pdf).

New applications must include a description of plans to enhance recruitment, including the strategies that will be used to enhance the recruitment of trainees from underrepresented backgrounds and may wish to include data in support of past accomplishments.

Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research. All applications must include a plan to fulfill NIH requirements for instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). The plan must address the five, required instructional components outlined in the NIH policy: 1) Format - the required format of instruction, i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups (a plan with only on-line instruction is not acceptable); 2) Subject Matter - the breadth of subject matter, e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, research ethics; 3) Faculty Participation - the role of the program faculty in the instruction; 4) Duration of Instruction - the number of contact hours of instruction, taking into consideration the duration of the program; and 5) Frequency of Instruction instruction must occur during each career stage and at least once every four years. See also NOT-OD-10-019. The plan should be appropriate and reasonable for the nature and duration of the proposed program. Renewal (Type 2) applications must, in addition, describe any changes in formal instruction over the past project period and plans to address any weaknesses in the current instruction plan. All participating faculty who served as course directors, speakers, lecturers, and/or discussion leaders during the past project period must be named in the application.

Applications lacking a plan for instruction in responsible conduct of research will not be reviewed.

Evaluation Plan. Applications must include a plan for evaluating the activities supported by the award. The application must specify baseline metrics (e.g., numbers, educational levels, and demographic characteristics of participants), as well as measures to gauge the short or long-term success of the research education award in achieving its objectives. Wherever appropriate, applicants are encouraged to obtain feedback from participants to help identify weaknesses and to provide suggestions for improvements.

Dissemination Plan. A specific plan must be provided to disseminate nationally any findings resulting from or materials developed under the auspices of the research education program, e.g., sharing course curricula and related materials via web postings, presentations at scientific meetings, workshops.

Letters of Support

A letter of institutional commitment must be attached as part of Letters of Support (see section above: "Institutional Environment and Commitment.

The application should include a detailed statement from the eligible institution's leadership describing institutional commitment to concepts and activities proposed and to sustaining new models of student and faculty BD2K research education experiences shown to be effective through the project. In addition, the statement should highlight how the proposed research experiences and curriculum may be integrated into the applicant institution s academic environment related to biomedical Big Data research and how the activities will be continued beyond the lifetime of the grant.

Institutional support for the proposed activities may include but is not limited to provision of adequate faculty release time, support staff, facilities, and educational resources that will contribute to the proposed activities; plans for using institutional resources to further enhance the research education program and/or the institution’s ability to engage undergraduate students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, in biomedical research.

Letters of collaboration must be provided by the PD(s)/PI(s) from the partnership institution(s) addressing: (1) their institutional commitment to the proposed project and these R25 program goals; (2) resources, staff, etc. available to this initiative; (3) how the institution and faculty will collaborate with the eligible institution; and (4) biosketches of key faculty or senior investigators who will have substantial involvement and a detailed description of what that involvement will be, such as curriculum development, teaching, research education and mentoring, or other activities.

Certification of Eligibility: Applicant institutions are required to include a letter certifying institutional eligibility as applicant institutions for the NIH BD2K Enhancing Diversity in Biomedical Data Science program. The certification letter must be on institutional letterhead and signed by the authorized institutional official. See section III. Eligibility Information for additional details.

Resource Sharing Plans

Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following Guide modification:

When relevant, applications are expected to include a software dissemination plan if support for development, maintenance, or enhancement of software is requested in the application. There is no prescribed single license for software produced. However, the software dissemination plan should address, as appropriate, the following goals:

  • Software source code should be freely available to biomedical researchers and educators in the non-profit sector, such as institutions of education, research institutions, and government laboratories. Users should be permitted to modify the code and share their modifications with others.
  • The terms of software availability should permit the commercialization of enhanced or customized versions of the software, or incorporation of the software or pieces of it into other software packages.
  • To preserve utility to the community, the software should be transferable such that another individual or team can continue development in the event that the original investigators are unwilling or unable to do so.

Appendix

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

PHS Inclusion Enrollment Report

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

PHS Assignment Request Form

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

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

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

4. Submission Dates and Times

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

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

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

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

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

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

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

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

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

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

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

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

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

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NIMHD, NIH and BD2K training staff. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.

Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria

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

For this particular announcement, note the following: The goal of this R25 program is to: (1) support the research education of diverse undergraduate students, including students underrepresented in biomedical research, to acquire skills necessary to utilize big data science in furthering their career in big data science; (2) provide research education experiences for the faculty to enhance the research capabilities in big data science; and (3) develop course offerings in big data science, wherein individual courses or modules can be added on to current foundational courses relevant to big data science, such as informatics, statistics, and the sciences relevant to biomedicine.

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to strongly advance research education by fulfilling the goal of this R25 Education Program, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria, as applicable for the project proposed.

Scored Review Criteria

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

Significance

Does the proposed program address a key audience and an important aspect or important need in research education? Is there convincing evidence in the application that the proposed program will significantly advance the stated goal of the program? In addition, is there convincing evidence in the application that the stated goal of providing BD2K research education experiences to students and faculty and developing curricula or modules in big data science will be achieved?

Investigator(s)

Is the PD/PI capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed program? Is there evidence that an appropriate level of effort will be devoted by the program leadership to ensure the program's intended goal is accomplished? If applicable, is there evidence that the participating faculty have experience in mentoring students and teaching science? If applicable, are the faculty good role models for the participants by nature of their scientific accomplishments? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project? In addition, does the faculty from the eligible institution have the requisite expertise to participate in these activities; does the proposed project include a strong collaboration plan between faculty/staff from the eligible institution and the partnership institution(s)? Do the letters of support from key personnel at the partnership institution(s) adequately describe their roles and responsibilities? If a NIH BD2K Advisory Committee is included, does it reflect a strong approach and/or roles/responsibilities that reflect the applicant institution's approach to research education and sustaining successful strategies beyond the funded grant period?

Innovation

Taking into consideration the nature of the proposed research education program, does the applicant make a strong case for this program effectively reaching an audience in need of the program’s offerings? Where appropriate, is the proposed program developing or utilizing innovative approaches and latest best practices to improve the knowledge and/or skills of the intended audience?

Approach

Does the proposed program clearly state its goals and objectives, including the educational level of the audience to be reached, the content to be conveyed, and the intended outcome? Is there evidence that the program is based on a sound rationale, as well as sound educational concepts and principles? Is the plan for evaluation sound and likely to provide information on the effectiveness of the program? If the proposed program will recruit participants, are the planned recruitment, retention, and follow-up (if applicable) activities adequate to ensure a highly qualified participant pool? In addition, does the proposed program describe a clear plan to ensure a diverse participant pool will be recruited, particularly undergraduate students underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce? Is there convincing evidence that faculty at the applicant institution will have opportunities for research experiences in partnership institution activities? Is there a clear plan describing how student and/or faculty data science research experiences and course offerings at the applicant institution and/or the partnership institution will continue after the NIH project funding period of the R25 and/or the partnership institution has expired?

Evaluation Plan: Are the proposed plan and timeline for evaluation of the research education activities sound and likely to provide data on the effectiveness of the education program? Is the program evaluation linked to an adequately developed model?

Dissemination Plan: If resources are to be developed, is the proposed plan for dissemination strong and of high quality? Are any developed resources openly accessible in the public? Are any developed resources openly accessible in the public domain? Does the dissemination plan address communication of the developed resources?

Environment

Will the scientific and educational environment of the proposed program contribute to its intended goals? Is there a plan to take advantage of this environment to enhance the educational value of the program? Is there tangible evidence of institutional commitment? Is there evidence that the faculty have sufficient institutional support to create a sound educational environment for the participants? Where appropriate, is there evidence of collaboration and buy-in among participating programs, departments, and institutions? Are the plans for incorporating the courses in skills and methods development in big data science in the eligible institution's course offerings adequately?

Does the partnership institution(s) have the appropriate resources, personnel, etc. to facilitate the collaboration? Is there convincing evidence that the plans proposed by the partnership institutions for the eligible institution can be achieved? If more than one partnership institution is proposed, is the plan for collaboration and roles/responsibilities clear? Is there strong support for the proposed activities and are tangible examples of institutional commitment that engender confidence in the likelihood of success provided?

Additional Review Criteria

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

Protections for Human Subjects

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

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

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

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

Vertebrate Animals

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

Biohazards

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

Resubmissions

Not Applicable

Renewals

Not Applicable

Revisions

Not Applicable

Additional Review Considerations

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

Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity

Peer reviewers will separately evaluate the recruitment and retention plan to enhance diversity after the overall score has been determined. Reviewers will examine the strategies to be used in the recruitment and retention of individuals from underrepresented groups. The review panel’s evaluation will be included in the summary statement. Plans will be rated as acceptable or unacceptable, and the summary statement will provide the consensus of the review committee.

For R25 without identified participants, replace the text with Not Applicable . Otherwise, do not change.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Taking into account the specific characteristics of the proposed research education program, the level of participant experience, the reviewers will evaluate the adequacy of the proposed RCR training in relation to the following five required components: 1) Format - the required format of instruction, i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups (a plan with only on-line instruction is not acceptable); 2) Subject Matter - the breadth of subject matter, e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, research ethics; 3) Faculty Participation - the role of the program faculty in the instruction; 4) Duration of Instruction - the number of contact hours of instruction, taking into consideration the duration of the program; and 5) Frequency of Instruction instruction must occur during each career stage and at least once every four years. See also: NOT-OD-10-019. The review panel’s evaluation will be included in the summary statement. Plans will be rated as acceptable or unacceptable, and the summary statement will provide the consensus of the review committee.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Not Applicable

Select Agent Research

Generally not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer.

Resource Sharing Plans

Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genomic Data Sharing Plan. If support for development, maintenance, or enhancement of software is requested in the application, the reviewers will comment on the proposed software dissemination plan.

Budget and Period of Support

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

2. Review and Selection Process

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


As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

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

Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.

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

  • Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
  • Availability of funds.
  • Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

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

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

Section VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices

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

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

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

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

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

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

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

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

3. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually. Continuation support will not be provided until the required forms are submitted and accepted. Programs that involve participants should report on education in the responsible conduct of research and complete a Training Diversity Report, in accordance with the RPPR Instruction Guide.

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

Failure by the grantee institution to submit required forms in a timely, complete, and accurate manner may result in an expenditure disallowance or a delay in any continuation funding for the award.

Other Reporting Requirements
  • The institution must submit a completed Statement of Appointment (PHS Form 2271) for each participant appointed full time for eight weeks or more or the equivalent. Grantees must submit the PHS 2271 data electronically using the xTrain system. More information on xTrain is available at xTrain (eRA Commons). An appointment or reappointment may begin any time during the budget period, but not before the budget period start date of the grant year. Summary of appointment information for undergraduate students and faculty participating in research experiences should be provided.
  • Participant Termination Notice: Within 30 days of the end of the total support period for each participant, the institution must submit a Termination Notice (PHS Form 416-7) via xTrain for each participant appointed full time for eight weeks or more, or the equivalent.

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

4. Evaluation

In carrying out its stewardship of human resource-related programs, the NIH or its Institutes and Centers will periodically evaluate their R25 research education programs, employing the measures identified below. In assessing the effectiveness of its research education investments, NIH may request information from databases, PD/PIs, and from participants themselves. Where necessary, PD/PIs and participants may be contacted after the completion of a research education experience for periodic updates on participants subsequent educational or employment history and professional activities.

Upon the completion of a program evaluation, NIH and its ICs will determine whether to (a) continue a program as currently configured, (b) continue a program with modifications, or (c) discontinue a program.

In evaluating this research education program [Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K)] expects to use the following evaluation measures:

A. For Programs Focusing on Curriculum or Methods Development:

  • Aggregate number and demographic characteristics of underrepresented participants exposed to the new curricula or methods
  • General educational level of underrepresented participants in big data science
  • Effectiveness of the new curricula or methods assessed by skills/competencies gained compared to existing curricula or methods
  • Dissemination and/or adoption of the new curricula or methods to similar institutions

B. For Research Experience and Mentoring Programs Involving the Following Groups:

Undergraduate Students:

  • Aggregate number and demographic characteristics of participants
  • Subsequent educational/career progress, including:
    Successful completion of an undergraduate degree in a STEM field
    Enrollment in an advanced degree program in a STEM field
  • Enhanced student engagement in research as reflected by authorship of scientific publications and presentations
  • Enhanced student participation and competitiveness in applying for and receiving graduate school admission, research fellowships, scholarships, or other awards

Faculty:

  • Aggregate number and demographic characteristics of participants
  • Subsequent educational/career progress of participants, including:
    Subsequent participation in research
    Subsequent employment as a teacher or researcher in Big Data
    Subsequent authorship of scientific publications in Big Data
    Subsequent independent research grant support from NIH or another source
Section VII. Agency Contacts

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

Application Submission Contacts

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Finding Help Online: https://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Xinzhi Zhang, MD, PhD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-6136
Email: bd2k_training@mail.nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Delia Olufokunbi Sam, PhD
Center for Scientific Review
Tel: 301-613-6206
Email: olufokunbisamd@mail.nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Priscilla Grant, JD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-8412
Email: grantp@mail.nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

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

Authority and Regulations

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

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