and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
INDIVIDUAL BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS FELLOWSHIPS
RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2003
PA NUMBER: PAR-03-070 (This PAR has been suspended, see NOT-LM-05-014)
(Scientific review contact change, see NOT-LM-05-013)
(Peer Review contact change, see NOT-LM-05-007)
(see change NOT-LM-04-004)
EXPIRATION DATE: November 30, 2005.
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov)
This program announcement supersedes PA-92-90.
THIS PA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
o Purpose
o Training Objectives
o Mechanism of Support
o Eligibility Requirements
o Eligible Sponsoring Institutions
o Allowable Costs
o Stipend Supplementation, Compensation, and Other Income
o Tax Liability
o Payback Requirements
o Leave Policies
o Trainee Terms of Appointment
o Part-Time Training
o Other Special Requirements
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Submitting an Application
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Other Review Criteria
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations
PURPOSE
Individual biomedical informatics fellowships provide support for the training
of informatics scientists able to perform research into basic informatics
problems or to application of informatics to any area of biomedicine,
including clinical medicine, basic biomedical research, clinical and health
services research, public health, professional education, and administration.
Post-doctoral, pre-doctoral and, in certain specified fields, some post-
baccalaureate candidates are eligible.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
Health informatics is concerned with the acquisition, representation,
storage, retrieval, and utilization of information in a health-relevant
domain. Fellowship training is intended to help meet the growing national
need for research investigators and leaders trained in the myriad of
specialized areas in biomedical computing and health informatics. Thus, this
fellowship is suitable for training in informatics specializations ranging
from clinical informatics to the informatics of molecular biology and other
large research datasets. Applications that focus on building new skills or
extending the applicant's existing expertise are particularly desirable.
Upon completion of training, fellows should be able to conduct basic or
applied research at the intersection of biology and medicine with computer and
cognitive sciences, and are expected to be familiar with the use and potential
of modern information technology. Fellows in informatics will achieve this
goal through an individually-tailored program of formal coursework and
research experience, culminating in a project.
Although a canonical set of basic courses for informatics training has not
yet evolved, there is general agreement that the field is interdisciplinary,
and includes, among others, components of computer science, information
science, cognitive science, and knowledge of one or more domains of
biomedicine. The program of coursework should develop or augment the
trainee's basic competency in each of these areas. This fellowship may lead
to a degree, although it is not a requirement. Whether or not the training
is to be used for credit or certification in an educational program is up to
the applicant, the fellowship sponsor, and the organization involved. The
curriculum for applied research training may be different from that needed for
basic research training, but should provide sufficient theoretical foundation
in the area of application.
The availability of opportunities to carry out supervised research and/or
applications development in informatics is essential to achieve the primary
objective of developing or extending knowledge and skills. The fellowship
must provide hands-on experience obtained via a defined project related to one
or more of the NLM program areas. Projects may be in basic informatics
research areas or address an informatics application. An applied informatics
project does not require the form or concepts of a research project, and need
not be hypothesis-driven, but the proposal should provide sufficient detail to
permit reviewers to judge importance of the problem, feasibility of the
approach, and the post-training utility of the informatics techniques
required.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This program announcement for Individual Biomedical Informatics Fellowships
uses the F37 funding mechanism. For NLM, these awards are authorized by the
Medical Library Assistance Act and are not a part of the National Research
Service Awards Program (NRSA) of the Public Health Service. However, the
policies and requirements of the NLM program are similar in most respects to
NRSA awards. Applicants with 10 or more years of professional experience are
encouraged to investigate their eligibility to apply for the Senior
Informatics fellowship (F38).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Postdoctoral Trainees
By the date of appointment, postdoctoral trainees must have received a Ph.D.,
M.D. or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign
institution. Eligible doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to, the
following: D.D.S., D.M.D., D.O., D.V.M., O.D., D.P.M., Sc.D., Eng.D., Dr.
P.H., D.N.Sc., D. Pharm., D.S.W., and Psy.D. Documentation by an authorized
official of the degree-granting institution certifying all degree requirements
have been met prior to appointment is acceptable.
Professional degrees
The NLM recognizes that graduates of training programs in professions that do
not customarily require a doctoral degree (e.g., library science and nursing)
can make important contributions to Informatics. The NLM also encourages
applications on behalf of individuals without doctoral degrees, but who have
significant professional training and experience in closely related cognate
fields. Nurses, health science librarians, researchers, educators,
administrators, and other health professionals are eligible, as are computer
scientists and engineers who wish to focus on the health domain. Successful
applicants with no post-baccalaureate training typically have substantial
professional experience in an area relevant to health or biomedical
informatics.
Predoctoral Trainees
Predoctoral trainees must have received a baccalaureate degree by the
beginning date of their appointment, and must be training at the post-
baccalaureate level and enrolled in a program leading to a Ph.D. in biomedical
sciences or in an equivalent research doctoral degree program. Predoctoral
trainees with masters degrees are also eligible for this program so long as
they are enrolled in a program leading to a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences or in
an equivalent research doctoral degree program. Health-professional students
who wish to interrupt their studies for a year or more to engage in full-time
research training before completing their professional degrees are also
eligible.
Applications on behalf of women and other groups underrepresented in
biomedical informatics are strongly encouraged.
Citizenship
By the time of award, individuals must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of
the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States
for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Alien Registration
Receipt Card I-551, or other legal verification of such status). Non-citizen
nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United
States (e.g., American Samoa and Swains Island). Individuals on temporary or
student visas are not eligible.
ELIGIBLE SPONSORING INSTITUTIONS
Before submitting a fellowship application, the applicant must identify a
sponsoring institution and an individual who will serve as a sponsor (also
called mentor or supervisor) and will supervise the training and research
experience.
To apply for support, an institution must submit an application on behalf of
the individual seeking the fellowship. Applications on behalf of prospective
fellows may be submitted by domestic non-profit organizations, public or
private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of
State or local government, and eligible agencies of the Federal government.
Applicants proposing training at their doctorate institution or at the
institution where they have been training for more than a year must document
the opportunities for new training experiences designed to broaden their
scientific background.
Each fellow must have a mentor who provides guidance and oversight for the
training program. The mentor should be expert in an area of informatics or
information science that is pertinent to the proposed program, and should be
an active investigator in the area of the proposed research who will directly
supervise the candidate's research. The sponsor must document the availability
of staff, research support, and facilities for high-quality research training.
The mentor may be at the applicant's home institution or at another
institution. If the latter, the plan for supervision and interaction must be
described.
The Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications (LHCNBC) Co-
Mentorship Program is available to NLM Individual Informatics Fellows with
project interests that coincide with research and development ongoing at the
NLM. In this program plan option, the Fellow spends the academic year at the
home (sponsoring) institution, and the three summer months of each fellowship
year on site at the LHNBC in Bethesda doing a relevant research project under
the supervision of an NLM staff scientist.
Applications from underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Alaskan
Native, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders) and
persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as applicants and as
mentors.
ALLOWABLE COSTS
Stipends
Training awards provide stipends to fellows as a subsistence allowance to help
defray living expenses during the research training experience. The awards are
not provided as a condition of employment with either the Federal government
or the sponsoring institution. For fellows sponsored by domestic non-federal
institutions, the stipend will be paid through the sponsoring institution. For
fellows sponsored by Federal, the monthly stipend payment will be deposited in
the fellow's U.S. bank account or paid directly to the fellow by U. S.
Department of Treasury check.
Stipends must be paid to all trainees at the levels stipulated by NLM stipend
schedules, which are based on NRSA levels. The NRSA stipend schedule is
updated from time-to-time and applicants are advised to check for the posting
of the current stipend schedule on the NIH website at
http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm. The NLM will adjust awards on
trainee's anniversary date to ensure consistency with the current stipend
schedule. Applicants should contact the NLM individuals listed at the end of
this announcement for current information on stipend rates not specified in
this announcement or in the NIH Guide.
Postdoctoral Stipends
The current annual stipend for postdoctoral trainees is determined by the
number of FULL years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of award.
Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial),
teaching, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in full-
time studies in a health-related field following the date of the qualifying
doctoral degree.
Postdoctoral stipend rates in FY 2002 are as follows:
Years of Experience
0 $31,092
1 $32,820
2 $38,712
3 $40,692
4 $42,648
5 $44,616
6 $46,584
7 or more $48,852
Fellows with less than one full year of postdoctoral experience at the time of
award will receive initial support at the zero level. The stipend for each
subsequent year of support is the next level in the stipend structure and
begins on the anniversary date of the award (does not change mid-year). No
departure from the established stipend schedule may be negotiated between the
institution and the fellow.
Predoctoral stipends
Applicants not holding a doctoral degree at the time of award are eligible to
receive the base NRSA predoctoral stipend. In addition, trainees may be
eligible for supplemental increases for professional training and experience
in designated priority areas. At present, the priority areas are health care
and biological sciences, engineering and computer sciences, and library and
information sciences. Applicants with relevant professional training and
experience in one or more of these priority areas should contact the Program
Officer named at the end of this announcement for information on stipend
adjustments for which they may be eligible. The 2002 NRSA stipend for
predoctoral trainees is $18,156.
Tuition and Fees
NLM will award 100% of the combined costs of tuition, fees, and health
insurance up to $3,000 and 60 percent of the combined costs above $3,000. The
tuition formula is used for award calculation purposes only. Actual costs may
be higher. Costs associated with tuition and fees are allowable only if they
are required for specific courses in support of the research training
experience supported by the fellowship. A full description of the tuition
policy is contained within the NRSA Policy Guidelines on the NIH website at
http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm.
Fellowships may not be used for study leading to the M.D., D.D.S., or other
clinical, health-professional degrees except when those studies are a part of
a formal combined research degree program, such as the M.D./Ph.D. Similarly,
trainees may not accept NLM support for studies, which are part of residency
training leading to certification in a medical or dental specialty or
subspecialty, except when the residency program credits a period of full-time,
postdoctoral research training toward board certification.
Trainee Travel
Travel for attendance at scientific meetings that are important to the
individual's training is an allowable trainee expense. The base formula for
travel allows up to $1,000 per year per trainee. In their proposed budgets,
applicants for NLM fellowships should request additional trainee travel funds
for a two-day meeting each year, to be held at the National Library of
Medicine in Bethesda or at another site. The purpose of these meetings will
be to exchange information among all NLM trainees, including those at NLM
institutional training program sites, institutional program directors, NLM
program staff, and other selected participants.
Support for travel by NLM fellows to a research training experience away from
the primary institution is also permitted. Such experiences are acceptable as
a complement to the course work, expertise, and experiences available at the
parent institution. Letters requesting such training may be submitted to the
NLM at any time during the award period, and should explain the type of
opportunities for training available, how these opportunities differ from
those offered at the parent institution, and the relationship of the proposed
experience to the trainee's career stage and goals. The LHNCBC co-mentorship
program described above is an example of such a program.
Awards for training at a foreign site may include a single economy or coach
round-trip travel fare. No allowance is provided for dependents. U.S. flag
air carriers must be used to the maximum extent possible when commercial air
transportation is available for travel between the United States and a foreign
country or between foreign countries. Funds are not provided to cover the
cost of travel between the fellow's place of residence and a domestic training
institution. However, in cases of extreme need or hardship, a one-way travel
allowance may be authorized by the sponsoring institution. Such travel must be
paid from the Institutional Allowance.
Health Insurance
In order to adjust policies to facilitate the recruitment of women and
individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds as required by Section 487 of the
Public Health Service Act (as amended), NLM will allow costs associated with
family health insurance for trainees who have families and are eligible for
family health insurance coverage at the sponsoring institution. Self-only
health insurance will continue to be an allowable cost for trainees without
families. Institutions may include the cost of family health insurance for
trainees who are eligible for this coverage in the calculation of the combined
cost of tuition, fees, and health insurance.
Institutional Costs
NLM provides an institutional allowance of $6000 per year per trainee to
defray the costs of other research training expenses, including consultant
costs, equipment, and research supplies. This allowance is intended to cover
training-related expenses for the individual trainee and is not available
until the fellow officially activates the award. NIH will provide an
institutional allowance of up to $3,000 for fellows sponsored by Federal
laboratories for expenses associated with travel to scientific meetings,
health insurance, and books. Funds for fellows at Federal laboratories will be
disbursed from the NIH awarding institute.
Additional funds may be requested by the institution when the training of a
fellow involves extraordinary costs for travel to field sites remote from the
sponsoring institution or for accommodations for fellows who are disabled, as
defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act. The funds requested for costs
of this nature must be reasonable in relationship to the total dollars awarded
under the fellowship and must be directly related to the approved research
training experience. Such additional funds shall be provided only in
exceptional circumstances that are fully justified and explained by the
sponsoring institution. Consultation with NLM program staff in advance of
such requests is advised.
Facilities and Administrative (F&A, indirect) costs are not allowed on
individual fellowship awards.
STIPEND SUPPLEMENTATION, COMPENSATION, AND OTHER INCOME
The grantee institution may provide supplementation or additional support to
offset the cost of living on the condition that such supplementation does not
require any additional effort from the trainee. Federal funds may not be used
for supplementation unless specifically authorized under the terms of both the
program from which such supplemental funds are to be received and the program
whose funds are to be supplemented. Under no circumstances may Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) funds be used for supplementation.
An institution may also provide additional compensation to a trainee in the
form of compensation (as salary and/or tuition remission) for services such as
teaching, clinical care, or serving as a research assistant. A trainee may
receive compensation for services as a research assistant or in some other
position on a Federal research grant, including a DHHS research grant.
However, compensated services should occur on a limited, part-time basis apart
from the normal research training activities, which require a minimum of 40
hours per week. In addition, compensation may not be paid from a research
grant supporting research that is part of the research training experience.
Under no circumstances may the conditions of stipend supplementation or
additional compensation interfere with, detract from, or prolong the trainee's
approved training program.
An institution is permitted to provide funds to a fellow in addition to the
stipend paid by the NIH. Such additional amounts may be in the form of
augmented stipends (supplementation) or compensation.
Supplementation. Supplementation or additional support to offset the cost of
living may be provided by the sponsoring institution, but must not require any
additional effort from the fellow. Federal funds may not be used for
supplementation unless specifically authorized under the terms of both the
program from which such supplemental funds are to be received and the program
whose funds are to be supplemented. Under no circumstances may Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) funds be used for supplementation.
Compensation. An institution may provide additional funds to a fellow in the
form of compensation (such as salary and/or tuition remission) for services
such as teaching or research. A fellow may receive compensation for services
as a research assistant on a Federal research grant, including a PHS research
grant. However, compensated services must only occur on a limited, part-time
basis apart from the normal research training activities, which require a
minimum of 40 hours per week. In addition, compensation may not be paid from a
research grant supporting research that constitutes the research training
experience.
Under no circumstances may the conditions of stipend supplementation or the
services provided for compensation interfere with, detract from, or prolong
the fellow's approved NLM training program. Additionally, compensation must be
in accordance with institutional policies applied consistently to both
federally and non-federally supported activities and supported by acceptable
accounting records determined by the employer-employee relationship agreement.
Educational Loans or G.I. Bill. An individual may make use of Federal
educational loan funds and assistance under the Veterans Readjustment Benefits
Act (G.I. Bill). Such funds are not considered supplementation or
compensation.
Concurrent Awards. An NLM fellowship may not be held concurrently with another
Federally sponsored fellowship or similar award that provides a stipend or
otherwise duplicates provisions of the NLM award.
TAX LIABILITY
Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code applies to the tax treatment of all
scholarships and fellowships. Under that section, non-degree candidates are
required to report as gross income any monies paid on their behalf for
stipends, or any course tuition and fees required for attendance. Degree
candidates may exclude from gross income (for tax purposes) any amount used
for tuition and related expenses such as fees, books, supplies, and equipment
required for courses of instruction at a qualified educational organization.
The taxability of stipends, however, in no way alters the relationship between
NIH trainees and institutions. NLM fellowship stipends are not considered
salaries. In addition, trainees supported under these fellowships are not
considered to be in an employee-employer relationship with the NIH or the
awardee institution. It is therefore, inappropriate and unallowable for
institutions to charge costs associated with employment (such as FICA,
workman's compensation, or unemployment insurance) to the fellowship award.
It must be emphasized that the interpretation and implementation of the tax
laws are the domain of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the courts. The
NIH takes no position on the status of a particular taxpayer, and it does not
have the authority to dispense tax advice. Individuals should consult their
local IRS office about the applicability of the law to their situation and for
information on their tax obligations.
PAYBACK REQUIREMENTS
Because the NLM individual informatics fellowships (F37) are not subject to
NRSA policies, there are no service payback requirements.
LEAVE POLICIES
In general, fellows may receive stipends during the normal periods of vacation
and holidays observed by individuals in comparable training positions at the
sponsoring institution. For the purpose of these awards, however, the period
between the spring and fall semesters is considered to be an active time of
research and research training and is not considered to be a vacation or
holiday. Fellows may receive stipends for up to 15 calendar days of sick
leave per year. Sick leave may be used for the medical conditions related to
pregnancy and childbirth. Fellows may also receive stipends for up to 30
calendar days of parental leave per year for the adoption or the birth of a
child when those in comparable training positions at the grantee institution
have access to paid leave for this purpose and the use of parental leave is
approved by the program director.
A period of terminal leave is not permitted and payment may not be made from
fellowship funds for leave not taken. Fellows requiring periods of time away
from their research training experience longer than specified here must seek
approval from the NLM program staff for an unpaid leave of absence.
TRAINEE TERMS OF APPOINTMENT
Funded training periods may be for one to three years, and customarily require
a full-time commitment. That is, trainees are required to pursue their
research training on a full-time basis, devoting at least 40 hours per week
to the program. Within the 40 hours per week training period, research
trainees in clinical areas must devote their time to the proposed research
training and must confine clinical duties to those that are an integral part
of the research training experience.
No individual trainee may receive more than 4 years of aggregate NLM support
at the predoctoral level or 3 years of support at the postdoctoral level,
including any combination of support from institutional training grants and
individual fellowship awards.
Any extension of the total duration of trainee support at either the
predoctoral or postdoctoral level requires approval by NIH. Requests for
extension must be made in writing by the trainee, endorsed by the sponsor and
the appropriate institutional official, and addressed to the NLM Program
Officer. The request must include a sound justification for an extension of
the limits on the period of support.
General information about NIH support of fellowships, including those awarded
by the NLM, can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/training/extramural.htm.
Please note that the "Service Payback" provisions do not apply: NLM's
Individual Informatics Fellowships require no payback. Information about
current NIH stipend levels and other support may be found in NATIONAL RESEARCH
SERVICE AWARD (NRSA) STIPEND INCREASE AND OTHER BUDGETARY CHANGES EFFECTIVE
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002 at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-028.html.
PART-TIME TRAINING
Fellows are expected to make a full-time commitment to their training program.
However, under unusual and pressing personal circumstances, a fellow may
submit a written request to the NLM to change to less than full-time training.
Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. They must be
approved by the NLM in advance for each budget period. The nature of the
circumstances requiring the part-time training might include medical
conditions, disability, or pressing personal or family situations such as
child or elder care. Permission for part-time training will not be approved
to accommodate other sources of funding, job opportunities, clinical practice,
clinical training, or for other responsibilities associated with the fellow's
position at the institution. In each case, the fellow must submit a written
request countersigned by the sponsor and an appropriate institutional business
official that includes documentation supporting the need for part-time
training. The written request also must include an estimate of the expected
duration of the period of part-time training, an assurance that the fellow
intends to return to full-time training when that becomes possible, and an
assurance that the trainee intends to complete the proposed research training
program. In no case will it be permissible for the fellow to be engaged in
NLM-supported research training for less than 50 percent effort. Individuals
who must reduce their commitment to less than 50 percent effort must take a
leave-of-absence from NLM fellowship support. The fellowship notice of award
will be reissued and the stipend will be pro-rated during the period of any
approved part-time training.
OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Certification and Reporting Procedures. No application will be accepted
without the applicant signing the certification block on the face page of the
application. Individuals admitted to the United States as Permanent Residents
must submit notarized evidence of legal admission prior to the award. When
support ends, the fellow must submit a Termination Notice (PHS 416-7) to the
NIH. Forms may be found on the NIH Website at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.
Inventions and Publications. Fellowships made primarily for educational
purposes are exempted from the PHS invention requirements. F37 awards will
not contain any provision giving PHS rights to inventions made by the awardee.
Data Sharing. It is the policy of the DHHS that the results and
accomplishments of all funded activities should be made available to the
public. This policy also applies to individuals supported by individual NRSA
postdoctoral fellowships. The sponsoring institution should place no
restrictions on the publication of results in a timely manner.
Copyrights. Except as otherwise provided in the terms and conditions of the
award, the recipient is free to arrange for copyright without approval when
publications, data, or other copyrightable works are developed in the course
of work under a PHS grant-supported project or activity. Any such copyrighted
or copyrightable works shall be subject to a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and
irrevocable license to the Government to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use
them, and to authorize others to do so for Federal Government purposes.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES
Inquiries from potential applicants concerning this PA are encouraged.
Inquiries about NLM Fellowships may fall into three areas, programmatic, peer
review, and financial or grants management issues, and should be directed to
the following individuals accordingly.
o Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to: (Contact change, see NOT-LM-05-013)
Dr. Charles Friedman
6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 301 Bethesda , MD 20892-7968
Telephone: (301) 594-4882
FAX: (301) 402-2952
Email: [email protected]
o Direct your questions about peer review issues to: (Contact changed, see NOT-LM-05-007)
Dr. Arthur Petrosian
Scientific Review Administrator
6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 301, MSC 7968
Bethesda, MD 20892-7968
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for courier/express service)
Telephone: (301) 594-4933
FAX: (301) 402-2952
Email: [email protected]
o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:
Dwight Mowery
Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Rockledge 1, Suite 301, 6705 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 496-4221
FAX: (301) 402-0421
SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Individuals must submit the application form PHS Individual National Research
Service Award (PHS 416-1, rev. 12/98). APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE AT LEAST
THREE SEALED LETTERS OF REFERENCE. APPLICATIONS WITHOUT AT LEAST THREE
LETTERS OF REFERENCE MAY BE RETURNED OR DELAYED IN REVIEW. Application kits
are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research offices,
online at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/416/phs416.htm, and may be
obtained from:
Extramural Outreach/Information Resources
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910
Bethesda, MD 20892-7910
telephone 301/710-0267
FAX 301/480-0525
email: [email protected]
Complete Item 3 on the face page of the application indicating that the
application is in response to this announcement and print F37 NLM INDIVIDUAL
INFORMATICS FELLOWSHIP.
If the applicant has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent
residence, the appropriate item should be checked on the Face Page of the
application. Applicants who have applied for and have not yet been granted
admission as a permanent resident should check the Permanent Resident block on
the Face Page of the PHS 416-1 application, and also write in the word
"pending." A notarized statement documenting legal admission for permanent
residence must be submitted prior to the issuance of an award.
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application (including the
Checklist, Personal Data form, AT LEAST THREE SEALED REFERENCE LETTERS, and
all other required materials) and two (2) exact, clear, single-sided
photocopies of the signed application, 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)
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
Concurrent Applications
An individual may not have more than one individual NRSA fellowship or
comparable application pending review or award at the NIH or other DHHS
agencies at the same time. The CSR will not accept any application in
response to this PA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The
CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one
already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of a substantial
revision of an application already reviewed, but such application must
include an Introduction addressing the previous critique.
Application Receipt Dates and Review Schedule
Fellowship applications undergo a review process that takes between 5 and 8
months. The receipt dates and the three annual review cycles are as follows:
Application Receipt Dates: Apr 5 Aug 5 Dec 5
Initial Review Dates: Jun/Jul Oct/Nov Feb/Mar
Secondary Review Dates: Aug/Sep Dec/Jan Apr/May
Range of Likely Start Dates: Sep 1 - Dec 1 Jan 1 - Mar 1 May 1 - Jul 1
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by the NLM
Biomedical Library and Informatics Review Committee (BLIRC) in accordance with
standard NIH peer review procedures. In general, the merit review criteria
customarily employed by the NIH for fellowship applications will be followed.
Additional information may be found at http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm.
After the initial merit review, the NLM program official will forward to
each applicant a written critique and summary of the review of the application
prepared by the Scientific Review Administrator.
After scientific-technical review, staff within the NLM will provide a
second-level review to evaluate relevance to the mission and scope of NLM.
Following the second-level review, the NLM program official will notify each
applicant of the final disposition of the application. Any questions on BLIRC
recommendations and funding possibilities should be directed to the NLM
program official, not the Scientific Review Administrator.
REVIEW CRITERIA
Candidate: An assessment of the candidate's previous academic and research
performance and the potential to become an important contributor to
biomedical, behavioral, or clinical science.
Sponsor and Training Environment: An assessment of the quality of the
training environment and the qualifications of the sponsor as a mentor for
the proposed research training experience.
Research Proposal: The merit of the scientific proposal and its relationship
to the candidate's career plans.
Training Potential: An assessment of the value of the proposed fellowship
experience as it relates to the candidate's needs in preparation for a career
as an independent researcher.
Additional Review Criteria
In addition to the above criteria, your application will also be reviewed
with respect to the following:
Protections. The adequacy of the proposed protection for humans, animals, or
the environment, to the extent they may be adversely affected by the project
proposed in the application.
Inclusion. The adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all
racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the
scientific goals of the research. Plans for the recruitment and retention of
subjects will also be evaluated. (See Inclusion Criteria included in the
section on Federal Citations, below)
Budget. The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period
of support in relation to the proposed research.
Training In The Responsible Conduct Of Research. Applications must include a
description of a program to provide instruction in scientific integrity and
the responsible conduct of research. (See the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts, Volume 21, Number 43, November 27, 1992.)
OTHER REVIEW CRITERIA
All applications must include in the proposed research plan an outline and
description of the project including specific hypotheses, objectives, and
milestones as appropriate.
Applied fellowship applications will be judged as such and not as research
training applications. Applications with an applied rather than research
focus must include a specific section labeled Milestones following the
Research Plan. Milestones should be well described, quantifiable, and
scientifically justified. A discussion of the milestones relative to the
progress of the project, as well as the implications of successful completion
of the milestones for further investigation or implementation, should be
included. The milestone section should be indicated in the Table of
Contents. The clarity and completeness of the application with regard to
specific goals and feasibility of milestones is critical. The presentation
of milestones that are not sufficiently scientifically rigorous to be valid
for assessing progress will reflect upon the scientific judgment of the
applicant in this application.
Applications for the LHNCBC co-mentorship program must clearly describe the
plan for shared mentorship as well as supervision of the proposed project(s),
and must include a letter of commitment from the proposed NLM mentor and the
Director of the LHNCBC.
AWARD CRITERIA
Applications will compete for available funds with all other approved
applications assigned to NLM. The following factors will be considered when
making funding decisions:
1. Conformity to the features of this program announcement
2. Eligibility of the applicant
3. BLIRC recommendation of the overall merit of the application
4. Relevance of the application to the NLM program priorities and balance
5. Availability of funds
Activation
No funds may be disbursed until the fellow has started training under the
award and an Activation Notice (PHS 416-5) has been submitted to the NIH. An
awardee has up to 6 months from the issue date on the award notice to activate
the award. Under unusual circumstances, an NIH institute may grant an
extension of the activation period upon receipt of a specific request from the
fellow.
Terms And Conditions Of Support
Fellowships must be administered in accordance with the current NRSA Policy
Guidelines for Individual Awards and Institutional Grants (see the NIH Website
at http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm), the current NIH Grants Policy
Statement (see the NIH Website at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm), and any terms and conditions
specified on the award notice.
Certification and Reporting Procedures
No application will be accepted without the applicant signing the
certification block on the face page of the application. Individuals admitted
to the United States as Permanent Residents must submit notarized evidence of
legal admission prior to the award. When support ends, the fellow must submit
a Termination Notice (PHS 416-7) to the NIH. Forms may also be found on the
NIH Website at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.
Inventions and Publications
Fellowships made primarily for educational purposes are exempted from the PHS
invention requirements. F37 awards will not contain any provision giving PHS
rights to inventions made by the awardee.
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS
INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH: It is the policy of
the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their sub-populations
must be included in all NIH-supported clinical research projects unless a
clear and compelling justification is provided indicating 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 clinical research should read the AMENDMENT "NIH
Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical
Research - Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts on October 9, 2001
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html);
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at http://
grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.
The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical
research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB
standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical
trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and
responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural community. The policy
continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that: a)
all applications or proposals and/or protocols must provide a description of
plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by
sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable;
and b) investigators must report annual accrual and progress in conducting
analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group
differences.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS:
The NIH maintains a policy 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 is available at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm.
REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS: NIH
policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants for
all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research involving human
subjects. You will find this policy announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS (hESC): Criteria for federal funding of research on
hESCs can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/stem_cells.htm and at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html. Only
research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic Stem
Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (see http://escr.nih.gov).
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the official NIH
identifier(s)for the hESC line(s)to be used in the proposed research.
Applications that do not provide this information will be returned without
review.
PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: The
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a
project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2)
cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action
that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed
through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope
of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include
information about this in the budget justification section of the
application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure
informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the
potential for wider use of data collected under this award.
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. Furthermore,
we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they
directly access an Internet site.
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 PA
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.
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance, Medical Library Assistance, 93.879. Awards are
made under the authority of the Public Health Service Act, Section 472 (42
USC 286b-3) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal
Regulations, most specifically at 42 CFR Part 61 and 45 CFR Part 74.
This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of
Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.
This authority is separate and distinct from the National Research Service
Award (Summary of Major NIH Support Mechanisms). Therefore, Section 487 of
the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 USC 288) and implementing
regulations (42 CFR Part 66), requiring satisfactory assurance of meeting the
service requirement is not applicable. While signature is still required on
page 1 of the application, parts I, II, and III of the National Research
Service Award Service Assurance are not included.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free
workplace and discourage the 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.
Note for Potential Applicants
From time to time, NLM may change some elements of this announcement. Please
consider the version on the National Library of Medicine WWW site at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ to be the most recent revision.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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