Key Dates

Related Announcements

• October 9, 2020 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PA-20-272.

Issued by

Fogarty International Center (FIC)

Purpose

The Fogarty International Center (FIC) invites applications for administrative supplements to FIC research training and educational development grants to enhance diverse perspectives in the research workforce. Broadly, diverse perspectives can include, but are not limited to, students, post doctorates, and investigators with different areas of scientific expertise, scientific approaches, educational backgrounds, home institutions, or individual investigator experience (e.g., early-stage investigators, investigators from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, or investigators with disabilities). Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, lived experience, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the research, advancing the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust. (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-031.html). A diverse global health workforce increases the probability that the health needs of all populations will be addressed. In addition to recruiting a diverse trainee pool, one way to enhance diverse perspectives in the parent research or educational program is to include new institutional partners who have historically worked on the health research issues and/or with the populations that are the focus of the training grant supplement, are considered “historically disadvantaged institutions”, or add geographic diversity to the trainee recruitment pools, and may contribute trainees and faculty mentors with diverse perspectives. 

Objectives:

The objective of this initiative is to promote diverse perspectives in FIC research training and educational programs (D43, U2R, R25, UE5). Applicants should propose to provide a foundation in research design, methods, and analytic techniques appropriate for the proposed research area in an inclusive research environment that welcomes contributions from trainees of all backgrounds. Training may include mentored research projects, practicums, workshops, short courses, networking, career mentoring or other activities that can be accomplished within the supplement award year.

Institutional Eligibility

Eligible parent grants include Fogarty D43, U2R, R25, and UE5 research training and education development grants (TW in grant number) that have at least one year remaining at the time of submission, exclusive of no cost extensions. The contact PI of the parent grant recipient must submit the application on behalf of the recipient although other members of the team may lead the supplement activities.

Proposal Considerations:

The research training strategy section of the proposal may be no more than six pages (exclusive of Specific Aims page and biosketches) and should include the following parts:

• Research Training Activities
  • Provide a description of the proposed training activities. While there may be a distance or online component, a portion of the activities provided for the trainee(s) should be hands-on and face to face. If distance learning is proposed, applicants should describe their experience with online learning and the facilities and infrastructure available for both trainees and instructors at their respective institutions to carry this out successfully.
• Faculty Mentors  and Institutions:
  • Provide a list of experienced faculty who will lead the training activities and supervise the work of the trainee(s), including biosketches, with a statement of their role in the project.  Strong mentorship will be important to the success of the trainees and the pool of prospective mentors should also represent diverse perspectives and experiences.  .    Mention any plan for continued mentorship after the end of the supplement period.  If you are enlisting new institutional partners, explain why they were chosen, how they are especially qualified to participate in this initiative, and any plans for continued institutional partnership.
• Trainees:
  •  
  • Applicants are encouraged to recruit prospective trainees providing diverse perspectives, for example, students, post doctorates, and investigators with different areas of scientific expertise, scientific approaches, educational backgrounds, home institutions, or individual investigator experience (e.g., early-stage investigators, trainees with a keen understanding of the research population, investigators from economically disadvantaged or otherwise marginalized backgrounds, or investigators with disabilities).       Consistent with NIH practice and applicable law, funded programs may not use the race, ethnicity, or sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, or transgender status) of a prospective trainee  as an eligibility or selection criteria. The race, ethnicity, or sex of trainees or prospective trainees will not be considered by NIH in the application review process or when making funding decisions.
  • Programs may only recruit trainees from the countries allowable in the parent grant.  All programs except Fellows and Scholars/Launch ( https://www.fic.nih.gov/Programs/Pages/scholars-fellows-global-health.aspx) may only recruit trainees from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).  Launch programs may recruit either US or LMIC trainees.
  • Provide a description of the recruitment and selection process of the trainee(s) and, where trainees are already identified, include their biosketch(es). A letter of support from their home institution should be included, providing relief time for the trainee to participate in training, if appropriate (for example, for junior faculty). If not yet identified, please describe the pool of available candidates and the timeline required for selection and commencement of training activities.
  • Trainees already supported by the parent grant are not eligible for this opportunity, but trainees who were recruited as part of a previous  FIC supplement may be supported to further their research training.  However, all proposals should include recruitment of at least some new trainees for some level of training. If this application builds on a previous supplement, include a brief progress report and explain how this supplement proposal will leverage, enrich, or be informed by the efforts already underway.
• Evaluation
  • Training programs require an evaluation plan. Include a summary of the metrics you will use to evaluate the success of the proposed training in this supplement. 

Number, duration, and budget of awards:

Budgets up to $150,000 total costs (direct plus F&A of 8%) for one year are allowed with budget justification.

Funds should be used consistent with the restrictions on the parent award and may include, among other costs: stipend support for trainees, salary support for key personnel contributing to the program, consultants, participant costs, costs for materials and internet connectivity, trainee research support, facility costs to hold meetings, and travel for faculty and for trainees necessary to carry out the program.  Faculty travel and registration costs to attend scientific meetings are not allowable.

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

• PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:

• Application Due Date: July 26, 2024 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
• For funding consideration, applicants should include NOT-TW-24-006 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form.
• Requests may be for up to one year of support only and the proposed project period may not exceed the project period of the parent award, exclusive of no cost extensions.
• The Research Training Strategy section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
• Only existing recipients of FIC (TW) D43, U2R, R25, and UE5 training or education program awards are eligible to apply.
• Applicants are welcome to discuss any potential supplement application with their assigned program officer to ensure alignment of scope with the parent award and are strongly encouraged to contact the FIC program contact, below, to ensure alignment with the intent of this NOSI.  
• Applicants are encouraged to notify the program contact at FIC listed below that an application has been submitted in response to this NOSI to facilitate efficient processing.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Flora Katz, Ph.D.
Fogarty International Center
Telephone: 301-402-9591
Email (preferred): katzf@mail.nih.gov