Full Text PA-97-028
 
INDIVIDUAL POSTDOCTORAL AND SENIOR FELLOWSHIPS IN GENOMIC ANALYSIS AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE ETHICAL, LEGAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN GENETICS RESEARCH
 
NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 3, January 31, 1997
 
PA NUMBER:  PA-97-028
 
P.T. 22

Keywords: 
  Human Genome 
  Genetics 
  Ethics/Values in Science & Technol 

 
National Center for Human Genome Research
 
Application Receipt Dates:  April 5, August 5, December 5
 
PURPOSE
 
This is a reissue of a Program Announcement that appeared in the NIH
Guide for Grants and Contracts. Vol 20, No. 46, December 12, 1991.
 
Scientists and scholars who are well-trained in one or more of a
variety of disciplines will be needed to accomplish the goals of the
National Center for Human Genome Research (NCHGR) research program
and to use, for further research, the resources that the program will
develop.  Therefore, the NCHGR is offering both individual
postdoctoral fellowships and senior fellowships to highly qualified
individuals who are seeking training that will enable them to engage
in research relevant to the genome project.  Broad areas of research
that are relevant include genomic analysis (including  technology
development) and the ethical, legal, and social implications of human
genetics research. The NCHGR is interested in supporting fellowship
training in both broad areas.
 
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000
 
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a
PHS-led national activity for setting priority/areas. This program
announcement is related to several priority areas affecting human
health, including cancer, heart disease and stroke, diabetes and
chronic disability conditions, maternal and infant health, and
others. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People
2000" (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report:
Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone
202-512-1800).
 
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United Stated are
eligible for NRSA support.  Before an NRSA award can be activated,
the individual must have received a doctoral degree to be eligible
for an individual postdoctoral fellowship (F32).  To be eligible for
a senior fellowship (F33), individuals must have received, as of the
beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a doctoral degree and must
have had at least seven subsequent years of relevant research or
professional experience. Individuals who have had a hiatus in their
research career may also apply for an NRSA fellowship to develop
skills or to update their knowledge in a  particular area.
Applications from women, minorities and individuals with disabilities
are especially encouraged.
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
Support for F32 and F33 fellowships will be provided through the
National Research Service Award (NRSA). The stipend levels for the
individual postdoctoral fellowships range from $20,292 to $32,300
depending on the number of years of relevant experience subsequent to
the award of the doctoral degree. The stipend level for senior
fellowships is $32,300 per annum. Beginning with competing
postdoctoral fellowships awarded in fiscal year 1997, the NIH will
provide an institutional allowance of $4,000 per 12-month period to
non-federal, non-profit sponsoring institutions to help defray such
awardee expenses as self-only health insurance, research supplies,
equipment, and travel to scientific meetings.  The NIH will provide
up to $3,000 for fellows sponsored by Federal laboratories or
for-profit institutions for expenses associated with self-only health
insurance, travel to scientific meetings, and books.  The NIH also
will provide additional funds to offset the combined cost of tuition
and fees for specific courses, which support the research training
experience, at the following rate: 100 percent of all costs up to
$2,000 and 60 percent of costs above $2,000. Individuals may receive
up to three years of aggregate NRSA support at the postdoctoral
level, including any combination of support from institutional
training grants and individual fellowship awards.  Exceptions to the
three-year limit require a waiver from the awarding unit.
Individuals interested in a waiver should consult with staff of the
awarding unit.
 
Recipients of National Research Service Awards are subject to payback
provisions.  Details about this requirement and the policies
governing this program can be found in the National Research Service
Awards Guidelines (see NIH Home Page; URL is:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/oep/f32.htm).  Single copies are also
available from this office.
 
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
The mission of the National Center for Human Genome Research (NCHGR)
is to characterize the human genome and the genomes of selected model
organisms. The NCHGR's research program began in 1990 with an initial
set of goals which were updated in 1993. The most recent goals are
discussed in FS Collins and D Galas, "A New Five-Year Plan for the
U.S. Human Genome Project", Science, 1993; 262:43-46.  Significant
progress has been made in the past six years, with some goals, (e.g.,
the genetic linkage maps of the human and mouse, the initial goals of
the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Program), having been
achieved on or ahead of schedule Other goals,(e.g., physical maps of
the human and mouse, complete DNA sequence of the genomes of several
important non-human organisms), are expected to be met in the next
one to two years, while the final goal initially set out for the
Human Genome Project, the complete sequence of human DNA, is expected
to be achieved by the year 2005, as originally set forth.
 
Additional information about the National Center for Human Genome
Research and its research interests can be found on the NCHGR Home
Page; the URL is: http://www.nchgr.nih.gov.
 
The goal of the Fellowship Program in the area of genomic analysis
and technology is to train highly skilled scientists who will use the
expertise gained to develop research programs in the mapping and
sequencing of the human genome and the genomes of other organisms, in
the analysis and interpretation of the resulting data, and in the
development of biological, medical or biotechnological applications
based on the data, or in technologies to support any of this
research.
 
The goal of the Fellowship Program in the area of ethical, legal and
social implications of human genetics research is  to increase the
number of scholars who are knowledgeable in both genomic science and
in social science, law, or philosophy and who are interested in
examining the ethical, legal and social implications of human
genetics research.
 
The NCHGR will support fellowship training for:
 
o  molecular biologists and geneticists who wish to receive
additional training in genomic analysis or other technical areas
relevant to genome research;
 
o  non-biologists, such as those with degrees in the mathematical,
physical, chemical, engineering, and/or computer sciences, who wish
to obtain training in molecular biology or genetics in order to
pursue interdisciplinary approaches to genome studies;
 
o  scientists with training in biology, mathematics, computer science
or other relevant areas who wish to obtain training (or additional
training) in bioinformatics or computational biology;
 
o  scientists and health professionals who wish to obtain training
that will allow them to address the ethical, legal and social
implications (ELSI) of human genetics research; and
 
o  scholars trained in the humanities who wish to receive training in
genomic or genetic research in order to pursue studies in the ELSI
area.
 
The F32 mechanism is used to support research training for
individuals who wish to receive in-depth training in genomic
research. Moreover, an individual who has already completed one
postdoctoral fellowship in another scientific discipline may be
eligible for a postdoctoral fellowship in genomic research, if the
additional training can be justified in terms of the individual's
future commitment to pursuing a career in genomic research.
Similarly, an individual who has already completed one postdoctoral
fellowship in a humanities discipline may be eligible for a
postdoctoral fellowship in ELSI research, if the additional training
can be justified in terms of the individual's future commitment to
pursuing a career in the ELSI aspects of human genetics.  The F33
mechanism is designed to provide research training for scientists or
scholars who are at least seven years beyond their doctoral degree
and who wish to update their skills or pursue new areas of research.
 
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
 
Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS
416-1 (rev. 8/95). Three letters of recommendation must accompany the
application.  Application kits are available from most institutional
offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural
Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health,
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910; Bethesda, MD 20892-7710, telephone
(301) 710-0267, email: ASKNIH@odrockm1.od.nih.gov.
 
All individual fellowship applications are on an expedited review
schedule. Receipt dates for applications are April 5, August 5, and
December 5 annually. The original and two copies of the application
must be submitted to:
 
DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC-7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
 
The earliest dates that awards can be made are September, January,
and May, respectively.
 
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
 
Applications submitted in response to this program announcement will
be reviewed in accordance with the usual NIH peer review procedures.
The following factors are considered in the review of fellowship
applications: (1) the candidate's potential for a research career;
(2) the scientific or scholarly merit and training potential of the
research proposal; (3) the training environment and resources; and
(4) the protections accorded human subjects and vertebrate animals.
The second level or review is performed by the appropriate oversight
group of the NIH awarding component.
 
AWARD CRITERIA
 
The following criteria will be used in making awards: the quality of
the training experience, the relevance of the training to the
awarding units goals; and the availability of funds.
 
INQUIRIES
 
Written and telephone inquiries concerning this program announcement
are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any issues and questions
from potential applicants is welcome.  Direct inquiries regarding
programmatic issues to the following staff:
 
Individual and Senior Fellowships in Genomic Analysis and Technology:
 
Bettie J. Graham, Ph.D.
Division of Extramural Research
National Center for Human Genome Research
Building 38A, Room 614
Bethesda, MD  20892-6050
Telephone:  (301) 496-7531
Email:  Bettie_Graham@nih.gov
 
Individual and Senior Fellowships in ELSI topics:
 
Eric M. Meslin, Ph.D., Director
Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Research Program
National Center for Human Genome Research
Building 38A, Room 617
Bethesda, MD  20892-6050
Telephone:  (301) 402-4997
Email:  Eric_Meslin@nih.gov
 
For information about PHS Grant Policy, applicants may contact:
 
Ms. Jean Cahill
Grants and Contracts Management Branch
National Center for Human Genome Research
Building 38A, Room 613
Bethesda, MD  20892-6050
Telephone:  (301) 402-0733
Email:  Jean_Cahill@nih.gov
 
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS
 
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance No. 93.172. Awards will be made under the authority of
Public Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended
by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS
grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CRF 52 and 45 CRF Part 74.
This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review
requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency
review.
 
The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to
provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco
products.  In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of
1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any
portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education,
library, day care, health care or early childhood development
services are provided to children.  This is consistent with the PHS
mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the
American people.
 
.

Return to PA Index

Return to NIH Guide Main Index

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Note: For help accessing PDF, RTF, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Audio or Video files, see Help Downloading Files.