Notice Number: NOT-MH-05-001

Key Dates
Release Date: February 25, 2005

This notice provides guidelines for preparing applications for the National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) Institutional National Research Service Awards (T32). The overall goal of NIMH's Institutional Research Training Programs is to ensure that highly trained scientists will be available in adequate numbers and in appropriate scientific areas to carry out NIMH's mission to reduce the burden of mental disorders and HIV/AIDS through research on mind, brain, and behavior. NIMH remains committed to supporting research training programs relevant to any of the numerous components of its mission. However, to develop a research workforce capable of optimally pursuing rapidly expanding scientific advances, NIMH will place higher priority on training programs that provide trainees with both multidisciplinary and translational research experience. Training programs should provide the breadth of experience and the skills necessary to work in broad, collaborative research teams. Training programs should provide translational education and research opportunities for their trainees in order to facilitate their ability to integrate and translate findings along the basic-clinical dimension and/or the clinical-services dimension. There are varied ways to achieve these interrelated goals, and institutions should capitalize on their strengths and unique attributes in this pursuit. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Incorporate clinically relevant didactic and/or research experiences for basic science trainees. This may be accomplished through a curriculum of study, seminar(s), colloquium series, and/or research training rotations that emphasize human psychopathology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical trials, etc.
• Provide behavioral, clinical, and services trainees with didactic and/or research experiences in the basic biological sciences relevant to mental health research. This may include a curriculum of study, seminar(s), colloquium series, and/or research training rotations that emphasize genetics, neuroscience, pharmacology, molecular biology, etc.
• Implement research training programs that cross departmental and disciplinary boundaries and foster interaction and collaboration among faculty and trainees in related disciplines to address translational (basic-clinical and/or clinical-services) research questions.
• Establish and promote dual mentorship training programs where one preceptor in a basic arena and one in a clinical arena together provide translational research guidance to a trainee.
• Establish and promote dual mentorship programs where one preceptor in a clinical arena and one in a services arena provide translational research guidance to a trainee.

Please note that the NIMH continues its support of Jointly Sponsored NIH Predoctoral Training in the Neurosciences (PAR-05-055; http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-055.html).

It is important for prospective applicants to be familiar with the scope and research training priorities of NIMH. Before submitting an application, prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact training program staff (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/grants/pocontacts.pdf) to discuss the relevance of their research training program to the NIMH mission. Applications that are not considered relevant to the Institute's mission will be deemed unresponsive and will be returned to the applicant without review. Information regarding the NIMH research training programs and staff contacts is available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/researchfunding/training.cfm.

Inquiries

For questions and further information, contact:

Jean Noronha, Ph.D.
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6154 MSC 9609
Bethesda, MD 20892-9609
Telephone: (301) 443-3367
FAX: (301) 594-0702
Email: [email protected]

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