Notice Number: NOT-OD-11-089
Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
93.308
Key Dates
Release Date:
June 21, 2011
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) (www.nimhd.nih.gov)
Office of Extramural Programs, Division of Loan Repayment (www.lrp.nih.gov)
Application Period
Annually: from September 1 through November 15, at 8:00 PM EST.
Purpose
This Notice replaces NOT-OD-10-110, and provides program specific information for Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (LRP-IDB). The overall purpose of the extramural LRP is the recruitment and retention of highly qualified health professionals as research investigators to careers in research. Additional detailed Information about each LRP is provided at http://www.lrp.nih.gov/about_the_programs/index.aspx. The NIH invites qualified health professionals who contractually agree to engage in NIH mission-relevant research for at least two years, and who agree to engage in such research for at least 50 percent of their work schedule (not less than 20 hours per week based on a 40-hour work week), to apply for participation in the extramural LRP. Extramural LRPs provide for the repayment of educational loan debt of up to $35,000 annually for qualified health professionals performing research within the mission of NIH and supported by domestic, non-profit, or government entities. LRP applications will be accepted annually from September 1 through November 15, 8:00 p.m. EST. Applications must be submitted electronically using the NIH Loan Repayment Program Website, www.lrp.nih.gov.
LRP-IDB Program Objective
The objective of the LRP-IDB is the recruitment and retention of highly qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds to clinical research careers. The emphasis on clinical research and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds highlights the need for the involvement of a cadre of competent health professionals in clinical research.
“Clinical research” is defined as patient-oriented clinical research conducted with human subjects, or research on the causes and consequences of disease in human populations involving material of human origin (such as tissue specimens and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator or colleague directly interacts with human subjects in an outpatient or inpatient setting to clarify a problem in human physiology, pathophysiology or disease, or epidemiological or behavioral studies, outcomes research or health services research, or developing new technologies, therapeutic interventions, or clinical trials.
“An individual from a disadvantaged background” is defined as one who comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low-income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for the changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Secretary) for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels in the Federal Register. An applicant must certify his/her disadvantaged status under the above definition by submitting: (a) a written statement from the individual’s former health professions school(s) that indicates that he/she qualified for Federal disadvantaged assistance during attendance; or (b) documentation that he/she received any of the following financial aid: Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL) or Loans for Disadvantaged Student Program; or (c) documentation that he/she received scholarships from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under the Scholarship for Individuals with Exceptional Financial Need.
Eligible Applicants
Eligibility criteria with regard to participation in the extramural LRPs include the following:
The following individuals are ineligible for participation in the extramural LRPs:
Funds Available
The NIMHD intends to commit approximately $1 million annually to fund LRP-IDB contracts.
Where to Obtain Additional Information
Please see the LRP website at http://www.lrp.nih.gov, send an email to lrp@nih.gov, or call the Division of Loan Repayment Information Center toll free at (866) 849-4047. Applicants are strongly encouraged to pay attention to Institute or Center (IC) specific funding priorities, and also to discuss their career interests with an IC scientific liaison (contact), using this link: LRP Contacts Website. LRP applications for Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds are exclusively assigned to the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
All applicants are encouraged to Check out the following webinar for application tips and guidance from LRP Director Dr. Milton Hernandez.
Annual Receipt, Peer Review, and Review Schedule
Upon receipt, applications for both initial and renewal awards will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness. Incomplete or ineligible applications will not be considered. Applications that are complete and eligible will be forwarded for peer review.
Application Materials (New and Renewal Applicants)
The following information is furnished by applicants or others on behalf of applicants (forms are completed electronically using the LRP Website: www.lrp.nih.gov), and must be submitted annually from September 1, through November 15, 8:00 p.m. EST.
Applicants electronically transmit the following to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment:
Research supervisors or mentors electronically transmit the following to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment:
Recommenders electronically transmit recommendation forms to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment.
Information is obtained from Individuals who can comment on the research skills and the abilities of the applicant. This includes the applicants’ research supervisor or most recent mentor and includes the following:
Institutional contacts electronically transmit a certification to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment that:
Renewal Applications
Loan repayment recipients who wish to extend their loan repayment should reapply the year before the current contract ends. LRP renewal contracts are available for one- and two-year periods and are based upon the same criteria as the initial application plus two additional criteria – an assessment of research accomplishments, and development of an individual as an independent investigator. An explanation of research accomplishments during the initial award period is required. Progress toward development as an independent investigator is a major factor in awarding renewal of loan repayment support. Renewal LRP awards are competitive and submission of a renewal application does not assure the award of loan repayment.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their career interests with an NIH Institute or Center scientific liaison provided at this site: LRP Contacts Website.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications for the extramural LRP are evaluated against the following criteria as related to the likelihood that the applicant will continue in a career focused on research in one of the above five program areas:
Applicant’s potential to pursue a career in research, including:
Quality of the overall environment to prepare the applicant for a research career, including:
For renewal applications (also known as type 2 applications), progress under the previous project period is an additional evaluation criterion:
Program Administration Details
Under the LRP, the NIH will repay a portion of the extant qualified educational loan debt incurred to pay for the researcher’s undergraduate, graduate, and/or health professional school educational expenses. Failure to fulfill the terms of the LRP contract will result in termination of the LRP, or could be considered a breach of contract. The penalty for a breach of contract is $7,500 for every month of unfulfilled service or a minimum of $31,000, whichever is higher.
LRP service obligation and NRSA service payback cannot overlap, and permission to defer NRSA payback must be obtained prior to receipt of LRP funding.
The NIH will repay lenders for the extant principal, interest, and related expenses (such as the required insurance premiums on the unpaid balances of some loans) of educational loans from a U.S. government entity, academic institution, or a commercial or other chartered U.S. lending institution, such as banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, not-for-profit organizations, insurance companies, and other financial or credit institutions which are subject to examination and supervision in their capacity as lending institutions by an agency of the United States or of the State in which the lender has its principal place of business, obtained by participants for the following:
Repayments are made directly to lenders, following receipt of (1) the Principal Investigator, Program Director, or Research Supervisor's verification of completion of the prior period of research, and (2) lender verification of the crediting of prior loan repayments, including the resulting account balances and current account status. The NIH will repay loans in the following order, unless the Secretary determines that significant savings would result from a different order of priority:
The following loans are NOT repayable under this program:
Before the commencement of loan repayment, or during lapses in loan repayments, due to administrative complications, Leave Without Pay (LWOP), or a break in service, LRP participants are wholly responsible for making payments or other arrangements that maintain loans current, such that increases in either principal or interest do not occur. The LRP contract period will not be modified or extended as a result of LWOP or a break in service. Penalties and/or fees assessed to participants failing to maintain current payment status may not be considered for reimbursement.
LRP payments are NOT retroactive. Loan repayment will commence after a loan repayment contract has been executed, expected to be no earlier than July through September annually.
Required Federal Citations
Awards are made pursuant to the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-525) that added Section 485G of the Public Health Service Act (42 USC 287c-33). The Federal Debt Collections Procedures Act of 1990, contained in Public Law 101-647, requires that an individual who has a judgment lien against his/her property for a debt to the United States shall not be eligible to receive funds directly from the Federal government in any program, except funds to which the debtor is entitled as a beneficiary, until the judgment is paid in full or otherwise satisfied (28 U.S.C. 3201).
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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