Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
February 24, 2021
RFA-RM-21-025 - NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program: FIRST Cohort (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)
RFA-RM-20-023 - NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program: FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
RFA-RM-20-022 - NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program: FIRST Cohort (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)
Office of Strategic Coordination (Common Fund)
This notice announces the expiration of RFA-RM-20-023 "NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program: FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" effective February 24, 2021. This notice also serves to inform applicants that the Common Fund has reissued this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as RFA-RM-21-019 with the following changes.
Part 1. Overview
Key Dates
Currently Reads:
Expiration Date: March 02, 2021
Modified to Read:
Expiration Date: April 24, 2021
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section III. Eligibility Information
3. Additional Information on Eligibility
Currently Reads:
Number of Applications
Only one application per institution, normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number, is allowed. If the applicant receives a FIRST Cohort Award, they will not be eligible to receive a FIRST CEC.
Modified to Read:
Number of Applications
Only one application per institution, normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number, is allowed.
Section IV.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
PHS 398 Research Plan
Research strategy:
Currently Reads:
Describe how the FIRST CEC will work in close collaboration with FIRST Cohort awardees to facilitate and coordinate FIRST program activities across sites and award cycles. Include plans for fostering communication such as through arranging and hosting monthly PD/PI conference calls as well as similar calls to support various activities across the FIRST Cohort awardees. Provide details on planning and coordinating annual meetings (in person or as appropriate) with all FIRST Cohort awardees to facilitate communication about program progress, preliminary findings, and the sharing of successes and challenges.
Describe the approaches for the coordination of data collection, data standardization, and data harmonization activities across FIRST Cohort awardees. Describe the approach, technical platform and infrastructure available to successfully collect, code, store, track, clean, and manage common data elements received from the FIRST Cohort awards.
Describe approaches for developing data use agreements (DUA) and data sharing agreements (DSA) across FIRST Cohort sites as part of the FIRST Data Sharing Plan. Describe monitoring or oversight strategies to maximize data quality and minimize missing data. Describe plans to address protection of intellectual property, data ownership and rights.
Describe the theoretical models and conceptual frameworks that will guide evaluation activities and the overall evaluation plan. Describe approaches for conducting process and outcome evaluations of the FIRST program goals. Note: the FIRST CEC will not be expected to develop a comparison group for the evaluation. The FIRST CEC will determine appropriate evaluation designs and methods, such as pre-post evaluations, among other approaches.
Describe approaches for conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the FIRST program, using logic models, and short/intermediate/long-term common metrics deemed appropriate for FIRST program goals and the overarching hypothesis. Describe strategies for how FIRST CEC in collaboration with FIRST Cohort awardees will identify and harmonize a minimum set of common data elements to be used by each of the FIRST Cohort awardees to evaluate the faculty and the institutional culture, as well as develop program-specific metrics and milestones which will include appropriate performance measures, program outputs, and outcomes.
Include a description of the potential factors that may contribute to inclusive excellence, and how approaches that seek to promote culture change towards diversity and inclusiveness will be evaluated at various levels (faculty, department, institution). Describe innovative quantitative/qualitative approaches that will be appropriate to evaluate institutional culture change.
Describe how ongoing assessments of measurable changes in metrics from baseline for all three FIRST program goals will be conducted to generate summary interim and final reports.
Describe strategies to keep various stakeholders (within and outside the FIRST program) informed about program-wide practices, lessons learned, and results from intervention projects developed by FIRST Cohort awardees. Describe plans to disseminate the knowledge, data sets, evaluation tools, and other resources generated by the FIRST awardees within and outside the FIRST program.
Describe strengths, expertise, and relevant experience of leadership and key personnel who will be involved in FIRST CEC activities. Especially provide details on experiences in working collaboratively, building consensus with diverse stakeholder groups, and in coordinating and evaluating data. Describe expertise in multilevel processes, impact and outcome evaluation activities, and in developing measures and evaluating strategies for institutional climate and culture change such as inclusive excellence.
Describe the composition and roles of any committees that will help manage or oversee FIRST CEC activities, including the required FIRST Executive Steering Committee (FESC) (roles and composition defined by the NIH in Section VI).
In addition, a timeline (or Gantt chart) including milestones is required for all applications. Milestones are intermediate steps towards the completion of concrete goals. They must include clear and quantitative criteria for success. Yearly quantitative milestones are required in order to provide clear indicators of a project's continued success or emergent difficulties and will be used to evaluate the application not only in peer review but also in consideration of the awarded project for funding of non-competing award years. The application should include clearly specified, well-defined milestones, quantitative go/no go decision points, and timelines for assessing progress.
Section IV.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
PHS 398 Research Plan
Research Strategy
Modified to Read:
Research strategy:
Describe how the FIRST CEC will work in close collaboration with FIRST Cohort awardees to facilitate and coordinate FIRST program activities across sites and award cycles. Include plans for fostering communication such as through arranging and hosting monthly PD/PI conference calls as well as similar calls to support various activities across the FIRST Cohort awardees. Provide details on planning and coordinating annual meetings (in person or as appropriate) with all FIRST Cohort awardees to facilitate communication about program progress, preliminary findings, and the sharing of successes and challenges.
Describe the approaches for the coordination of data collection, data standardization, and data harmonization activities across FIRST Cohort awardees. Describe the approach, technical platform and infrastructure available to successfully collect, code, store, track, clean, and manage common data elements received from the FIRST Cohort awards.
Describe approaches for developing data use agreements (DUA) and data sharing agreements (DSA) across FIRST Cohort sites as part of the FIRST Data Sharing Plan. Describe monitoring or oversight strategies to maximize data quality and minimize missing data. Describe plans to address protection of intellectual property, data ownership and rights.
Describe the theoretical models and conceptual frameworks that will guide evaluation activities and the overall evaluation plan. Describe approaches for conducting process and outcome evaluations of the FIRST program goals. Note: the FIRST CEC will not be expected to develop a comparison group for the evaluation. The FIRST CEC will determine appropriate evaluation designs and methods, such as pre-post evaluations, among other approaches.
Describe approaches for conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the FIRST program, using logic models, and short/intermediate/long-term common metrics deemed appropriate for FIRST program goals and the overarching hypothesis. Describe strategies for how FIRST CEC in collaboration with FIRST Cohort awardees will identify and harmonize a minimum set of common data elements to be used by each of the FIRST Cohort awardees to evaluate the faculty and the institutional culture, as well as develop program-specific metrics and milestones which will include appropriate performance measures, program outputs, and outcomes.
Include a description of the potential factors that may contribute to inclusive excellence, and how approaches that seek to promote culture change towards diversity and inclusiveness will be evaluated at various levels (faculty, department, institution). Describe innovative quantitative/qualitative approaches that will be appropriate to evaluate institutional culture change.
Describe how ongoing assessments of measurable changes in metrics from baseline for all three FIRST program goals will be conducted to generate summary interim and final reports.
Describe strategies to keep various stakeholders (within and outside the FIRST program) informed about program-wide practices, lessons learned, and results from intervention projects developed by FIRST Cohort awardees. Describe plans to disseminate the knowledge, data sets, evaluation tools, and other resources generated by the FIRST awardees within and outside the FIRST program.
Describe strengths, expertise, and relevant experience of leadership and key personnel who will be involved in FIRST CEC activities. Especially provide details on experiences in working collaboratively, building consensus with diverse stakeholder groups, and in coordinating and evaluating data. Describe expertise in multilevel processes, impact and outcome evaluation activities, and in developing measures and evaluating strategies for institutional climate and culture change such as inclusive excellence.
Describe the composition and roles of any committees that will help manage or oversee FIRST CEC activities, including the required FIRST Executive Steering Committee (FESC) (roles and composition defined by the NIH in Section VI).
Describe the plan to address any conflict, or appearance of conflict, if awarded both the FIRST CEC and a FIRST Cohort grant.
In addition, a timeline (or Gantt chart) including milestones is required for all applications. Milestones are intermediate steps towards the completion of concrete goals. They must include clear and quantitative criteria for success. Yearly quantitative milestones are required in order to provide clear indicators of a project's continued success or emergent difficulties and will be used to evaluate the application not only in peer review but also in consideration of the awarded project for funding of non-competing award years. The application should include clearly specified, well-defined milestones, quantitative go/no go decision points, and timelines for assessing progress.
Section V. Application Review Information
Review and Selection Process
Currently Reads:
Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. 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:
Modified to Read:
Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. 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:
All other aspects of this FOA remain unchanged.
Dr. Rina Das
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-496-3996
Email: FIRSTNIH@nih.gov