Reminder: Changes to Forms and Instructions for Research Training Grant, Fellowship, and Career Development Award Applications for Applications Due on or After May 25, 2020
Notice Number:
NOT-OD-20-090
Key Dates
Release Date: April 8, 2020
Related Announcements
NOT-OD-20-077
NOT-OD-20-033
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Purpose
By way of this Notice, the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are reminding the biomedical and health services research communities of changes to forms and instructions for research training grant, fellowship, and career development award applications for due dates on or after May 25, 2020.
The changes encompass the following areas and are described in more detail in the table, below:
- Training in techniques for rigorous and reproducible research
- Training in relevant quantitative and data science approaches
- Training data tables
- Progress reporting for renewal applications
- Required letters for applications to selected programs
Applicants for research training grant, fellowship, and career development awards are urged to consult Forms-F Application Guides for detailed guidance. Research training grant applicants using the xTRACT system to prepare training data tables should note that data table modifications are expected to be incorporated into the xTRACT system on April 24, and users will need to update selected data entry fields prior to finalizing their research training datasets.
Type of Application |
Changes |
Institutional Research Training or Institutional Career Development |
- The Program Plan section of the application will be expected to include a description of how the program and faculty will provide training in rigorous research design and relevant data science and quantitative approaches.
- Applicants will be required to include a new attachment, describing a plan for instruction in research methods to enhance reproducibility.
- The Progress Report for renewal applications will be limited to five pages for the program and one page for each appointee to the grant; applications that exceed the specified page limits will be withdrawn.
- The My Bibliography report of publications arising from work conducted by appointees while supported by the grant will no longer be requested Just-in-time, but will be collected in the Interim Final Research Performance Progress Report.
- Minor modifications to the data elements collected in the research training data tables.
|
Fellowship |
- In describing their training goals and objectives, fellowship candidates will be expected to address, as applicable, any new research skills they expect to acquire in the areas of rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative approaches, and data analysis and interpretation.
- In the Research Strategy section, fellowship candidates will be expected to describe (a) the strengths and weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project, (b) plans to address any weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research, (c) how the experimental objectives proposed will achieve robust and unbiased results, and (d) how relevant biological variables are factored into research designs and analyses.
- If applicable, fellowship candidates will be required to include an attachment describing how they will authenticate key biological and/or chemical resources.
- Applicants to diversity-related FOAs (e.g., diversity-related F31) will be required to include an attachment describing how the candidate’s participation would further the goals of the program.
|
Individual Career Development |
- In describing their career development plans, candidates for career development awards will be expected to address, as applicable, any new research skills they expect to acquire in the areas of rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative approaches, and data analysis and interpretation.
- Applicants to diversity-related FOAs (e.g., diversity-related K01) will be required to include an attachment describing how the candidate’s participation would further the goals of the program.
|
For additional information on Forms-F Application Guides, Application Packages, and other resources, see NOT-OD-20-077.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Division of Biomedical Research Workforce
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
E-mail: NIHTrain@mail.nih.gov