PAR-00-122: NINDS CAREER TRANSITION AWARD (K22)

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)

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NINDS CAREER TRANSITION AWARD (K22) Release Date: July 17, 2000 PA NUMBER: PAR-00-122 National Institute Of Neurological Disorders and Stroke PURPOSE The overall goals of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)Career Transition Award (K22) program are to enable outstanding individuals to obtain a research training experience in the NINDS Division of Intramural Research and to facilitate their successful transition to an extramural environment as independent researchers. The award will provide two to three years of support for research training in a NINDS intramural laboratory followed by two to three years of support for an independent research project in an extramural institution. The combined duration cannot exceed five years. It is anticipated that awardees will subsequently obtain research project grants such as the R01 to support the continuation of their work. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS led national activity for setting priority areas. This Program Announcement, NINDS CAREER TRANSITION AWARD (K22), is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS The candidate must have a research or a health-professional doctorate or its equivalent, and must have some research experience, during which the potential for highly productive basic or clinical research was demonstrated. The required research experience may have been completed in an intramural NIH laboratory or at an extramural institution. During the intramural phase of the award, the candidate will spend full time on research. To obtain support for the extramural phase, candidates must have a formal tenure-track (or equivalent) offer in an extramural institution. During the extramural phase, the candidate must spend a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort conducting research and research career development activities. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal investigators. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or non-citizen nationals, or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151 or I-551) or some other verification of legal admission as a permanent resident. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. Former principal investigators on NIH research project (R01), FIRST Awards (R29), SBIR/STTR awards, sub-projects of program project (P01) or center grants (P50), K08 awards, or the equivalent, are not eligible. Former principal investigators of an NIH Small Grant (R03) or Exploratory/Development Grants (R21) remain eligible. A candidate for the NINDS Career Transition Award may not concurrently apply for any other PHS award that duplicates the provisions of this award nor have another application pending award. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K22 award mechanism. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. The total period of support is a maximum of five years (two or three years intramural, plus two or three years extramural). Awards are not renewable. Total direct costs for the intramural phase are based on the candidate's experience, not to exceed $150,000 per year, including salary; those for the extramural phase cannot exceed $150,000 including fringe benefits per year. (For information about specific allowable costs, please see ALLOWABLE COSTS). PROGRAM OBJECTIVES The NINDS intramural research environment provides a rich and unique opportunity for the training of postdoctoral fellows and beginning investigators. The goal of the NINDS K22 program is to provide highly qualified young investigators with an opportunity to receive research and research training experience in the NINDS Division of Intramural Research and then to provide them with bridge funding to facilitate the transition of their research programs to extramural institutions. To achieve these objectives, the NINDS Career Transition Award will support two phases of research: an intramural phase and an extramural phase, for a maximum total of five years of combined support. Transition from the intramural phase of support to the extramural phase is not automatic. Approval of the transition will be based on the success of the awardee’s research program as determined by a NINDS progress review, which will take place no later than the end of the second year of the Intramural Support Phase, and the evaluation of a research plan to be carried out at the extramural institution. The extramural institution must demonstrate a commitment to the candidate by providing protected research time, space needed to perform the proposed research and a plan for career development. Awardees approved to proceed with the second phase of support will receive notification of approval in writing from the NINDS. An application from the extramural institution on behalf of the candidate will be required for the NINDS to process the second phase of the K22. NINDS DIVISION OF INTRAMURAL RESEARCH The Division of Intramural Research at NINDS conducts basic, translantional and clinical neuroscience research. Projects underway include structure function studies of ion channels and synapses, examination of stem cell biology, analysis of neural circuits, imaging studies to define normal and abnormal neural function as well as preclinical and clinical studies to define new therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders. Detailed information about potential intramural mentors can be obtained at http://intra.ninds.nih.gov. ALLOWABLE COSTS Intramural Support Phase: Support during the intramural phase will include a fellowship stipend, based on the candidate's years of postdoctoral experience and commensurate with the NINDS intramural salary structure. Research expenses including personnel, consultants, equipment, supplies, and travel will be negotiated with the mentor and Scientific Director. While the extent of these resources will depend upon the nature and scope of the research approved by peer review, up to $75,000 can be requested. Extramural Support Phase: Total direct costs, including salary, fringe benefits and research support, may not exceed $150,000 per year. 1. Salary: The NINDS will provide salary for the award recipient of up to $75,000 per year plus commensurate fringe benefits for a minimum of 75 percent effort. Although a greater effort may be proposed, the maximum allowable salary is $75,000. The total salary requested must be based on a full-time, 12-month staff appointment. It must be consistent both with the established salary structure at the institution and with salaries actually provided by the institution from its own funds to other staff members of equivalent qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in the department concerned. The institution may supplement the NIH contribution up to a level that is consistent with the institution’s salary scale; however, supplementation may not be from Federal funds unless specifically authorized by the Federal program from which such funds are derived. Institutional supplementation of salary must not require extra duties or responsibilities that would interfere with the purpose of the K22. 2. Research Support: The NINDS will provide up to $75,000 per year for (a) research expenses, such as supplies, equipment, and technical personnel; (b) travel to research meetings or training; and (c) statistical services, including personnel and computer time. 3. Ancillary Personnel Support: Salary for secretarial and administrative assistance, etc., is not allowed. 4. Facilities and Administrative Costs (F&A): F&A costs will be reimbursed at eight percent of modified total direct costs. Special Restrictions: Acceptance into the NINDS Career Transition Award Program does not convey any commitment or intent of the NINDS to consider the awardee for a tenure track position within the NINDS. The NINDS Career Transition Award is specifically intended to help develop scientists who will pursue their careers in the extramural biomedical research community. However, the NINDS K22 awardees are not explicitly precluded from applying for available tenure track positions at the NIH. If an awardee obtains an NIH position, the NINDS Career Transition Award will be terminated. Once a K22 award is made, the awardee is expected to remain with the NINDS Intramural Program for at least 18 months. Exceptions may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification are provided that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23, No. 11, March 18, 1994 and is available on the web at the following URL address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates after October 1, 1998. All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children as Participants in Research Involving Human Subjects" that was published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html. Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff listed under INQUIRIES. Program staff may also provide additional relevant information concerning the policy. URLS IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated in the application kit. Application kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/435- 0714, email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov. Individuals interested in applying for the NINDS K22 Award should contact either the Training, Career Development and Referral Officer: (301) 496-4188; email: hk11b@nih.gov, or the Scientific Director of the Intramural Program: (301) 435-2232; email: landiss@ninds.nih.gov. This contact is required to initiate the process of identifying a mentor (NINDS intramural) if one has not already been selected by the candidate and to facilitate the application process. Information about principal investigators in the NINDS Intramural Program may be found on the web at http://intra.ninds.nih.gov. The application must include information regarding the candidate's long-term career plan, a research training plan, including descriptions of proposed formal course work, a research plan, and the mentor's statement of support. The application must address the following issues: Candidate o The candidate's commitment to a career in biomedical or behavioral research. o The candidate's potential to develop into a successful independent investigator. o The candidate's immediate and long-term career objectives, explaining how the award will contribute to their attainment. o Letters of recommendation. Three sealed letters of recommendation addressing the candidate's potential for a research career must be included as part of the application. o Candidates must describe plans to receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. These plans must detail the proposed subject matter, format, frequency, and duration of instruction, as well as the amount and nature of senior staff participation. No award will be made if an application lacks this component. Research Plan o Describe the research plan and the use of a basic or clinical approach to a biomedical or behavioral problem. The candidate must describe the research plan as outlined in form PHS 398 including sections on the Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Progress Report/Preliminary Studies, Research Design and Methods. Mentor's Training Plan (Intramural Phase) o The mentor must describe the elements of research training planned for the candidate, including any formal course-work, and specify how the candidate's scientific independence and professional development will be promoted. Budget The applicant should work with the potential NINDS mentor to devise a budget for the Intramural Phase. Budget information for TOTAL DIRECT COSTS and cost justifications should be developed in accordance with the Budget instructions in form PHS 398. For candidates who receive approval for transition to the Extramural Phase a budget will be submitted at that time as part of the form PHS 2590 (noncompeting application) as discussed below in EXTRAMURAL SUPPORT PHASE. Submission Procedures o Identify the application as a response to this PA; check "YES" on item 2 of page 1 of the application and enter "PAR-00-122, NINDS Career Transition Award (K22)." o Submit a signed, typewritten original of the competing PHS 398 application and three signed, photocopies in one package to: CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) At the time of submission, send an additional two copies of the application to the NINDS Training and Career Development Officer at the address listed under INQUIRIES. It is important to send these two copies at the same time as the original and three copies are sent to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR). These copies are used to identify conflicts and help ensure the appropriate and timely review of the application. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and responsiveness to the PA by the appropriate NINDS staff. Applications that are complete and responsive to the program announcement will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group, convened by the NINDS, in accordance with the review criteria stated below. Review Criteria Intramural Support Phase Candidate o Commitment to an independent research career; o Potential to develop as an outstanding scientist who will make significant contributions to the field. o All candidates for this award must have had previous research experience. Quality and breadth of prior scientific training and experience including, where appropriate, the record of previous research support and publications. Research Plan o A sound research plan that is appropriate for the research training objectives of the candidate must be provided. o Usefulness of the research plan as a vehicle for enhancing research skills necessary to fulfill the objectives of the career development plan; o Scientific and technical merit of the research question, design, and methodology, judged in the context of the candidate's proposed career objectives; Career Development Plan o Appropriateness of the proposed training experience to the candidate's career development, considering the candidate's goals and prior experience. o Adequacy of plans to obtain instruction in the responsible conduct of research. o Adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities and their subgroups, and children, as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. Mentor o Research qualifications and previous experience as a research supervisor. o Adequacy of the nature and extent of supervision that will occur during the proposed award period. o Appropriateness of the mentor's research interests and qualifications to the career development needs of the candidate. o Adequacy of the proposed mentoring plan. Budget o Appropriateness of the budget for the scope of the research and training activities proposed (see Allowable Costs). SELECTION AND AWARD PROCEDURES Intramural Support Phase Following peer review, applications will be considered by a NINDS Selection Committee (NSC) consisting of Senior Scientists from the NINDS Intramural Program convened by the Division of Extramural Research, NINDS. Based on priority score ranking and programmatic needs, the NSC will determine the final candidates to be selected. Funding decisions will be made based on the recommendations of the NSC and secondary review by the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. ACTIVATING THE EXTRAMURAL SUPPORT PHASE The candidate must receive approval in writing from the NINDS and must be accepted by an extramural institution in a tenure-track or equivalent position in order to activate the extramural support phase. The extramural institution will submit an application on behalf of the candidate for the extramural phase of support, using form PHS 2590, the noncompeting continuation application. The application should include a letter from the department or division chairman describing the institution’s plan for career development. The application submitted by the awardee and the extramural institution for activation of the extramural phase of the program will be evaluated by NINDS extramural staff for completeness and responsiveness to the program. EVALUATION Intramural Support Phase Each awardee will be evaluated for progress on an annual basis by the mentor, Laboratory Chief, and Scientific Director. Extramural (Transition) Support Phase The awardee will be required to submit a form PHS 2590 non-competing continuation application for the final years of extramural support. The application should provide a description of the research and career progress of the awardee, including: 1) publications in press or submitted; 2) current investigator-initiated research grant support; and 3) all applications submitted for investigator-initiated research grant support. It should also include a description of the extramural institution’s commitment to development of the awardee’s career. After the completion of this award, periodic updates on various aspects of employment history, publications, support from research grants or contracts, honors and awards, professional activities, and other information helpful in evaluating the impact of the program may be solicited from awardees. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries concerning this PA are encouraged, especially during the planning phase of the application. The opportunity to clarify any issues or address questions from potential applicants is welcome. Address inquiries regarding intramural and extramural programmatic issues to: NINDS Training and Career Development Officer National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 6001 Executive Blvd/Room 2154 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-4188 Email: NINDSTrainingOffice@ninds.nih.gov Or to: Dr. Story Landis Scientific Director National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Building 36/Room 5A05 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 435-2232 Email: sl122c@nih.gov Address inquiries regarding review issues and mail two copies of the completed application to: Chief, Scientific Review Branch National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Neuroscience Center, Room 3208 6001 Executive Boulevard Bethesda, MD 20892 (Courier Service: Rockville, MD 20852) Telephone: (301) 496-9223 FAX: (301) 402-0182 Address inquiries regarding fiscal issues to: Joellen Harper Chief Grants Management Officer National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 6001 Executive Blvd., Room 3290 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-9231 Email: jh41m@nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.853. Awards are made under authorization of sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR 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.

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