Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. 

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.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the How to Apply - Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
   
   
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.



Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Key Dates
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Notice of 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. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose 

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support the ability of exceptional Research Software Engineers (RSEs) to contribute their skills in the development and dissemination of NIH-funded biomedical, clinical, behavioral or health related research software, tools, and algorithms as well as to the training of prospective users of these tools.  

The Research Software Engineer (RSE) Award is designed to provide salary support for RSEs involved in research and positioned to make outstanding contributions to NIH-funded biomedical, clinical, behavioral or health related research software, tools, and algorithms, but who are not in a traditional independent investigator career path. This NOFO will use the NIH Research Specialist Award (R50) mechanism to provide up to 3 years of funding to encourage the development of stable research career opportunities for exceptional RSEs who want to contribute to scientific research. It is intended to provide incentives to participate in a research career path, with some level of autonomy so that the individuals are not solely dependent on grants held by others for their career continuity. Supporting RSEs in this manner is integral to NIH’s strategic goal of creating a sustainable ecosystem of high-quality research software tools that can enhance research across projects and domains. 

Background 

The rapid growth in technology has been met with an increasing recognition of the need for research software and tools, and the important role of the people who create, maintain, and contribute to the research software ecosystem to effectively solve research problems. While researchers can, and do contribute valuable software to scientific research, the discipline of software engineering enhances the scalability, reusability, and reproducibility of research software through careful design, identification of and adherence to prevailing standards and practices, good documentation and code structure, employment of proper testing and build procedures, and other practices that ensure efficient and sustainable software. The notion of the role of Research Software Engineer (RSE) has evolved to capture the importance of these factors to scientific research. RSEs are not only a key part of a research team, but also are part of a parallel discipline that has its own specialized practices and standards. RSEs enhance the research within a particular project through the creation of new tools. In addition, RSEs contribute tools and services to the larger research software ecosystem in a form that makes these tools broadly usable and sustainable, encouraging use in a new research context. This ability to ‘bridge’ between a project and the broader research software ecosystem is unique to the RSE role. The research ecosystem is enhanced when a project-specific tool can be transformed into a widely shared capability, catalyzing new discoveries and collaborations.   

In the past, traditional grant funding process has emphasized innovation for research progress over the use of robust software engineering practices that have become increasingly essential for generating reliable, efficient, and scalable software tools in an era of large-scale data and integrated data analytics. New challenges have arisen as research is carried out across diverse cloud and on-premises environments. However, there have been few practical ways to support RSEs to develop and refine research software tools according to well-recognized software engineering best practices and design principles. The extramural community has largely addressed the growing need for RSEs that serve multiple NIH-funded research programs, but these positions do not provide the RSE with adequate recognition or opportunities for career continuity that will attract and retain the best RSEs. To transition to operational efficiency and sustainability that is envisioned by the NIH, new ways to support RSEs, and the software and tools they produce to process, manage, mine, analyze, visualize, and interpret biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and health related data, are critical.  

Recognizing this, the NIH seeks to modernize the data ecosystem by building robust, sustainable software foundations for open software and tools in biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and health-related research in accordance with the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science. Such an ecosystem is expected to foster the adoption of robust software development practices, new data science technologies, cloud and hybrid computing, artificial intelligence, and guidelines for open science arising from community consensus, such as  the NIH best practices for sharing research software and FAIR4RS (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable Principles for Research Software) and open-source development. 

The NIH also recognizes the key role RSEs play in supporting and sustaining NIH-funded research and programs designed to improve health. To help bridge scientists and software engineers and encourage their collaborations in research software development efforts, the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) has previously issued four rounds of software supplement Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs; NOT-OD-23-073, NOT-OD-22-068, NOT-OD-21-091, and NOT-OD-20-073) to support the use of software development best practices to update, refactor and enhance the design, implementation, and cloud-readiness of research software and build new communities for open science. Projects which received supplemental support have encompassed a wide range of research and translational projects reaching across NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs). This program announcement builds upon these past programmatic activities to further the advancements in these areas.   

Objectives and Scope 

Software engineers working in research are an increasingly vital part of the research enterprise. This NOFO is expected to give the exceptional RSE protected time to make a transformative impact in developing well-engineered, sustainable software in the context of an existing NIH-funded biomedical, clinical, behavioral, or health-related research project and to help retain these skilled individuals in academic settings by enhancing their professional standing and recognition. The award is intended for RSEs with significant, relevant experience, who have shown clear evidence of productivity and research excellence in the implementation of NIH-funded research and development within their institution. The proposed award is intended to provide salaries and sufficient autonomy so that individuals are not solely dependent on NIH-funded grants held by others or other sources of support for health-related research career continuity. 

All applications must identify and describe the research projects engaging the RSE, including their specific role in the project(s). Applicants must demonstrate clear evidence of skills, expertise, experience, productivity, and research ability to advance an existing NIH-supported research project by supporting best practices in software development and the RSE must document their accomplishments that support their career level. The RSE must have a full-time, non-tenure track position in an academic institution. Two types of letters will be required, (1) a letter of support from an NIH-funded project PI with whom the RSE will collaborate, and (2) two letters of recommendation from key personnel of other projects who can attest to the RSE’s expertise and experience as outstanding software professionals and record of contribution as relevant to the project. Once awarded, a change of PD/PI will not be allowed. 

Budgets may request salary support for the RSE commensurate with the level of funded effort (at least 6 person-months per year) on NIH-funded research grants. Travel expenses will be allowed up to $2,500/year. No other research expenses will be covered under this award. 

Applications Not Responsive to the NOFO 

An application will be considered non-responsive to this NOFO and will not be reviewed if it: 

• Does not specify the Research Software Engineer (RSE) as the contact PD/PI of the application. 
• Does not include a letter of support from an NIH-funded project PI (Other Significant Contributor) with whom the RSE will collaborate. 
• Does not include at least two letters of recommendation from PDs/PIs or equivalent from other research programs, employers, or mangers, who can attest to the RSE's qualifications and contributions to research (see Section IV.2).   
• Is not relevant to an existing NIH-funded biomedical, clinical, behavioral, or health-related research project. 

Prospective applicants are urged to consult with the scientific contact listed in Section VII of this NOFO early in the pre-submission process to ensure the application is responsive to the NOFO. Non-responsive applications will not be reviewed.  

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

Section II. Award Information

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

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

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)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Local Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) 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 allowed. 

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply - 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. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information

• System for Award Management (SAM) – 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.
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. 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 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.

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 their 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. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.

The Research Specialist (in this case the RSE) must be the PD/PI of the application. A PI from the NIH-funded project with whom the RSE will collaborate must be included in the list of Senior/Key Personnel as an Other Significant Contributor (no salary support allowed) and must provide an NIH Biosketch as part of the application. 

Additional Eligibility Requirements: 

• The RSE must have a full-time, non-tenure track position at the academic or research institution; and must have been at that institution for at least 1 year.  
• The RSE must have demonstrated outstanding research software engineering accomplishments, documented by relevant publications,  peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and  hyperlinks and URLs to code samples in the application . 
• The RSE must commit a minimum of 6-person month effort during the life of the R50 award.  
• The RSE must not have served as contact  PI on funded independent NIH grant support application, including, but not limited to, R-series mechanisms (e.g., R01, R34, R21, R03), within the past five years.   

Additional NIH-project PI (“Other Significant Contributor”) Requirements: 

• The Other Significant Contributor must be the PD/PI of a NIH-funded research grant that will have at least one full funding year remaining (exclusive of no cost extension and supplements) in the current competitive segment at the time the R50 is awarded. 
• The Other Significant Contributor must be committed to both the RSE and the RSE's proposed research. 

2. Cost Sharing

This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

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, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. 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 NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the How to Apply - Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

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: 

Email: sustainablesoftware@nih.gov 

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the How to Apply – Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply – Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

R&R Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

The application budget may request only the following two expenses in direct costs per year:  Salary support for the RSE commensurate with their level of funded effort on NIH-funded research grants during Federal Fiscal Year 2023; and 

1. Travel costs to attend research meetings/conferences not to exceed $2,500 per year.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Applications should clearly detail the following in the corresponding sections:    

Specific Aims: Do not include the Specific Aims page as specific aims are not allowed. 

Research Strategy: The Research Strategy should be uploaded as a single attachment and organize using the instructions provided below. Start each section with the appropriate section heading: 

1. Research Program(s) engaging the Research Software Engineer’s activity/effort: Describe the scope of the NIH-funded research program(s) which the RSE supports (citing NIH grant numbers and PD/PI names) or is likely to support in the future. 
2. Role of the Research Software Engineer in Research Program(s): Describe the activity and the kind of contributions the RSE applicant provides in the NIH-funded research program(s) described above and how they will be likely to contribute to the research in the future to ensure success of the program(s). Describe the RSE's plans for meeting the objectives of the various NIH-funded research program(s) (citing NIH grant numbers and PD/PI names) over the next 3 years. This section should also describe the RSE's qualifications, expertise, experience, productivity, accomplishments, and ability to achieve the research goals of the proposed research project(s). Describe the RSE’s history of significant contributions to software and tool development to advance health-related research goals including dissemination and reuse of research software through development of software dissemination plans and leadership roles in community software projects.  
3. Career Goals and Objectives of the Research Software Engineer: Describe the RSE’s career goals and objectives for this Research Specialist (R50) Award and how this aligns with the project PI’s NIH-funded research program(s). This section should also explain how this award will enable the RSE to accomplish their short- or long-term goals, any skills they expect to gain during the funding period, and how this award will enhance their career. The RSE may consider including a timeline with plans to apply for subsequent grant support as appropriate.  

Letters of Support: Institutions must include Letters of Support for the applicant who is applying for the Research Specialist (R50) Award. Applications that are missing Letters of Support will not be reviewed. 

Two (2) types of Letters of Support are required for this application: 

1. A letter of support from the NIH-funded PI (“Other Significant Contributor”), which must detail the following: 

• The relevance of their NIH-funded project to the RSE's area of expertise, including a high-quality research environment (may include a broader network of collaborators, as appropriate, outside of the NIH-funded PI’s institution) with key faculty members and other investigators capable of productive collaboration with the RSE. 
• Sufficient research support (i.e., at least one full funding year remaining on their NIH-funded award, excluding no cost extensions and supplements) to cover the potential research costs associated with the work proposed in the R50 application. 
• The nature of the collaboration between the RSE and the Other Significant Contributor, including the length of time that they have been working together. 
• Institutional commitment to the RSE’s professional and career development. 

2. At least two letters of recommendation from PDs/PIs or equivalent from other research programs, employers, or mangers, who can attest to the RSE's qualifications and contributions to research.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

Specific to this funding opportunity: A Resource Sharing Plan is not applicable. 

Other Plan(s): Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable for this NOFO.

Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

• No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply - Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered “Yes” to the question “Are Human Subjects Involved?” on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

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

See Part 2. 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. 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. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

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 How to Apply – 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 Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

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.   

It is anticipated that the terms of award will include, but not be limited to, the following:   

1. If applicable, funds on the Other Significant Contributor's NIH award(s) that are freed up through salary support provided by the R50 will be restricted from any other use without NIH prior approval. 
2. The requested salary support for the RSE may not exceed the current NIH salary cap, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. 
3. In addition to salary support for the RSE, the application may include a request for travel funds to be used by the RSE.  Research expenses are not allowable under this mechanism.  
4. An RSE would have the option, with prior NIH approval, to move to another research program or institution (e.g., if the Other Significant Contributor's laboratory or group that houses the RSE is closed). 
5. The R50 must be relinquished if any other independent NIH grant support is obtained by the RSE. 
6. The R50 Other Significant Contributor must continue to report the RSE as a Participant on any NIH-funded grant on which the RSE dedicates effort. 
7. Non-competing segments of the R50 will be contingent upon the RSE's ability to continue devoting at least 6 person-months to the activities supported by the R50. 
8. A change of the PD/PI (the RSE) will not be allowed on the R50. 

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply - 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 How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. 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 form. 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. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply - 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 components of participating organizations, NIH. 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 the policy

Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.  Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

For this particular NOFO, note the following:

The RSE Award applications do not require preliminary data, specific aims, and/or a detailed research plan. 

Therefore, reviewers will emphasize the following:    

1. The RSE’s expertise, experience, and accomplishments, both individually and within the context of a research project; 
2. The suitability of the RSE to the scope of the research activity proposed;  
3. The importance of the RSE, as well as the commitment of the Other Significant Contributor, to the proper and successful functioning of the program or group of which the RSE is an integral part; 
4. The letter of support from the Other Significant Contributor, letters of recommendation from other investigators; and AOR documentation;  
5. The potential of the RSE to contribute to the institution/organization and to the larger open development community.  

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

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. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

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.

Specific to this NOFO: Generally, not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer. 

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.

Specific to this NOFO: Generally, not applicable. Reviewers should bring any concerns to the attention of the Scientific Review Officer. 

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by CSR, in accordance with NIH peer review policies and practices, 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 will receive a written critique.

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.

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

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this NOFO. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. 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 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

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. This request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding. 

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 recipient's business official.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. 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 NOFO 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.

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

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: Generaland Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:

• Federalwide Standard Terms and Conditions for Research Grants
• Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding

If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

If a recipient receives an award, the recipient must follow all applicable nondiscrimination laws. The recipient agrees to this when registering in SAM.gov. The recipient must also submit an Assurance of Compliance (HHS-690). To learn more, see the Laws and Regulations Enforced by the HHS Office for Civil Rights website.

HHS recognizes that NIH 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 NOFO.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to System for Award Management (SAM.gov) requirements. SAM.gov requires Federal agencies to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently SAM.gov) prior to making an award. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the responsibility/qualification records available in SAM.gov. NIH will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the information available in the responsibility/qualification records in SAM.gov, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR Part 200.206 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.” This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

Not Applicable

3. Data Management and Sharing

Consistent with the 2023 NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

Specific to this NOFO: A Data Management and Sharing plan is not applicable. 

4. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final RPPR, invention statement, 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. NIH NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 2 CFR Part 200.301.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 as amended (FFATA), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later.  All recipients 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 the threshold.  See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period.  The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (Responsibility/Qualification in SAM.gov, formerly FAPIIS).  This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313).  As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available.  Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 2 CFR Part 200 – Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

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

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-637-3015

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

Ishwar Chandramouliswaran 
Office of Data Science Strategy 
Telephone: 301-761-7822 
Email: sutainablesoftware@nih.gov

Noffisat Oki, PhD
NIDCR - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH
Phone: 301-402-6778
E-mail: noffisat.oki@nih.gov

Jean Gao, Ph.D.
NHGRI – NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Phone: 301-480-2247
Email: jean.gao@nih.gov

Raj Srinath, PhD
NIAMS - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES
Phone: 301-827-6943
E-mail: raj.srinath@nih.gov

Xujing Wang, Ph.D
NIDDK - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES
Phone: 301-451-2862
E-mail: xujing.wang@nih.gov

Utibe Ronald Bickhamwright, PhD
NIMHD - NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES
Phone: 301-402-1366
E-mail: utibe.bickham-wright@nih.gov

Emrin Horgusluoglu, Ph.D.
National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Phone: 240-383-5302
Email: emrin.horgusluoglu-moloch@nih.gov 

James Gao
NEI - NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
Phone: 301.594.6074
E-mail: james.gao@nih.gov

Lori A.J. Scott-Sheldon, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Phone: 301-792-2309
Email: lori.scott-sheldon@nih.gov

Meryl Sufian, PhD
National Library of Medicine (NIH)
Phone: 301-496-4671
Email: Meryl.Sufian@nih.gov

Susan Nicole Wright
NIDA - NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
Phone: 301-402-6683
E-mail: susan.wright@nih.gov

Leigh Allen, PhD
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-594-9151
Email: leigh.allen@nih.gov

Olga Brazhnik, PhD
NHLBI - NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
Phone: 301-435-0758
E-mail: brazhnik@mail.nih.gov

Alison Yao, Ph.D.
NIA - NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
Phone: 301-827-7264
E-mail: yaoal@nia.nih.gov

Qi Duan
NIBIB - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING
Phone: 301-827-4674
E-mail: qi.duan@nih.gov

Clayton Scott Bingham, Ph.D.
NINDS - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
Phone: 301-402-7122
E-mail: clayton.bingham@nih.gov

Christopher Gentry Duncan, PhD
NIEHS - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
Phone: 984-287-3256
E-mail: duncancg@niehs.nih.gov

David J. Miller, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6810
Email: david.miller3@nih.gov

Elizabeth Powell, Ph.D.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Telephone: 301-443-0786
Email: elizabeth.powell3@nih.gov

Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

Email: NOFOReviewContact@csr.nih.gov

Gabriel Hidalgo, MBA
NIDCR - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH
Phone: 301-827-4630
E-mail: hidalgoge@mail.nih.gov

Deanna L Ingersoll
NHGRI - NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Phone: 301-435-7858
E-mail: deanna.ingersoll@nih.gov

Erik Edgerton
NIAMS - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES
Phone: 301-594-7760
E-mail: erik.edgerton@nih.gov

Todd Le
NIDDK - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES
Phone: (301) 594-7794
E-mail: toddle@mail.nih.gov

Priscilla Grant, JD
NIMHD - NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES
Phone: 301-594-8412
E-mail: pg38h@nih.gov

Debbie Chen
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Phone: 301-594-3788
Email: debbie.chen@nih.gov

Karen Robinson Smith
NEI - NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
Phone: 301-435-8178
E-mail: kyr@nei.nih.gov

Rita Sisco
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-2805
Email:siscor@mail.nih.gov

Samantha Tempchin
National Library of Medicine
Phone: 301-496-4222
Email: samantha.tempchin@nih.gov

Pamela G Fleming
NIDA - NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
Phone: 301-480-1159
E-mail: pfleming@mail.nih.gov

Leslye Fulwider
NHLBI - NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
Phone: 301-480-9544
E-mail: leslye.fulwider@nih.gov

Jeni Smits
NIA - NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
E-mail: jeni.smits@nih.gov

Katie Ellis
NIBIB - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING
Phone: 301-451-4791
E-mail: kellis@mail.nih.gov

Chief Grants Management Officer
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Email: ChiefGrantsManagementOfficer@ninds.nih.gov

Jenny L Greer
NIEHS - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
Phone: 984.287.3332
E-mail: jenny.greer@nih.gov

Amy R. Bartosch
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6375
Email: amy.bartosch@nih.gov

Judy Fox
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Telephone: 301-443-4704
Email: judy.fox@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.

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 2 CFR Part 200.