Notice Number: NOT-OD-17-026

Key Dates
Release Date: December 15, 2016

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose

If you are new to working with the NIH grants process, perhaps have a little experience but want to learn more, or know someone who could benefit from a unique opportunity to hear the latest grants process and policy information directly from NIH & HHS then spread the news, mark your calendars, and plan to attend one of our two annual NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration in 2017. Registration for both seminars will open in January and these seminars usually reach capacity weeks before the seminar dates so start planning now.

New Orleans, Louisiana:

• Wednesday, May 3, 2017: Optional Pre-Seminar Workshops
• Thursday-Friday, May 4-5, 2017: 2-Day Seminar
• Venue and Seminar Hotel: New Orleans Marriott Seminar & Workshop Registration: Available in January 2017
• Room Reservations: Special reduced rate information is now available on the New Orleans Seminar’s Hotel/Travel Web Page.

Baltimore, Maryland:

• Wednesday, October 25, 2017: Optional Pre-Seminar Workshops
• Thursday-Friday, October 26-27, 2017: 2-Day Seminar
• Venue and Seminar Hotel: Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel
• Seminar & Workshop Registration: Available in January 2017
• Room Reservations: Special reduced rate information will be available soon on the Baltimore Seminar’s Hotel/Travel Web Page.

What does the 2-day seminar offer?
The NIH Regional Seminar offers a comprehensive program for the NIH extramural community about the NIH grants process and related policies, including such topics as Fundamentals of the NIH, compliance, peer review, grant writing for success, pre-award and post-award issues for administrators and investigators, animal and human subject research, and how to interact electronically with NIH. In addition to a wide variety of sessions for research administrators, a New Investigators track provides step-by-step guidance on mapping your career and understanding the funding process. To add to the array of choices, special interest sessions are provided on topics like contracts, public access, rigor and reproducibility, research integrity, data sharing, clinicaltrials.gov, foreign collaborations, and so much more. This year, a live, mock study section meeting is added to the agenda line-up in order to help attendees gain a better understanding of how a study section meeting runs.

Optional pre-seminar workshops offered for all levels of experience:
A wide array of optional pre-seminar workshops provides an opportunity to obtain more in-depth information about specific topics. Most of the workshops are offered as a day option, giving attendees choices to mix & match as needed.

• NIH electronic Research Administration (eRA) experts will be offering workshops on application preparation and submission, as well as topical issues related to the eRA Commons.
• Intellectual Property workshops will return in 2017 as a result of a successful pilot at last year’s Regional Seminars.
• The NIH Boot Camp for Administrators is designed for attendees brand new to working with NIH and focuses on pre-application and pre-award processes.
• OHRP and NIH will be providing a full day workshop for investigators on how to get research protocols through human subjects review.
• Planning is underway for a possible addition to the workshops available which would be of interest to institutions with limited or no current funding with NIH. If added to the line-up, more details will be included on the New Orleans and Baltimore websites once registration becomes available.

Who will present from NIH and HHS?
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and attend sessions presented by more than 50 NIH and HHS policy officers, grants management, review and program officials, as well as NIH senior leadership all in a central location and ready to share their knowledge and experiences. Additional representation from other NIH institutes will be available for 1:1 Meet the Expert opportunities which provide attendees 15 minute discussions with NIH and HHS staff in a small setting throughout the 2-day seminar.

Who should attend?
The NIH Regional Seminar is intended for those new to the grants process, including sponsored project officers and departmental administrators, investigators, faculty, graduate students, and others involved in the NIH grants process. Over the course of two days, it also provides an opportunity to those with more experience to obtain updates on grants policies and procedures. Approximately 600-800 attendees are expected, allowing ample opportunities for sharing and learning from peers as well as the NIH experts.

What's the goal of the seminar?
The goal of the NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration is to offer participants an unparalleled opportunity to gain a better perspective of how to navigate the grants process, understand NIH policies and programs, and gather helpful NIH contacts. In the process, participants will be able to return to their offices and/or labs with useful information, resources, and tools to assist in obtaining and managing NIH awards.

When can you register?
Registration will open in early 2017. When it becomes available, an announcement will be published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, as well as on the NIH Regional Seminar home page. An announcement will also be posted in the NIH Extramural Nexus and on our Twitter feed: @NIHgrants.

We hope to see you in 2017!

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to: NIHRegionalSeminars@mail.nih.gov.

Additional Resources:
For ListServ information and general seminar updates, please visit the NIH Office of Extramural Research Regional Seminar Web site at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/seminars.htm.