and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
NLM SENIOR FELLOWSHIP FOR INFORMATIONIST TRAINING (F38)
RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2003
PA NUMBER: PAR-04-014 (This PAR has been suspended, see NOT-LM-05-014)
(Scientific review contact change, see NOT-LM-05-013)
(Contact change, see NOT-LM-05-007 and Correction to eligibility
requirements, see NOT-LM-05-005)
EXPIRATION DATE: November 30, 2005
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
(http://www.nih.gov)
COMPONENTS OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/)
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER: 93.879 NLM Medical
Library Assistance
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 OF THIS PA
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) believes that clinical care,
biomedical research and education, and public health administration can
be improved by the inclusion of in-context information specialists
(informationists) into work and decision settings. Informationists are
information specialists who have received graduate training and
practical experience that provides them with disciplinary background
both in medical or biological sciences and in information
sciences/informatics. Their cross training provides informationists
with a unique perspective on the acquisition, synthesis and application
of information to problem solving and program development in their
chosen area.
The NLM Senior Fellowship for Informationist Training provides support
for experienced librarians, scientists, health professionals and others
who wish to become in-context information specialists. Priority areas
for informationist training are:
o clinical informationist to work in health care delivery and
clinical research
o research informationist to work in biomedical research, research
administration, or scientific curation
o public health informationist to work in public health at the
national, regional or local level
o consumer health informationist to work with the general public on
health information issues
These fellowships are intended for experienced health sciences
librarians, scientists, health professionals and others who wish to
broaden their existing scientific background by acquiring the
additional disciplinary knowledge to function as an informationist. The
senior fellowship awards will enable professionally qualified
individuals with at least ten years of post-graduate experience to take
time from their regular professional responsibilities for the purpose
of receiving specialized training. This award can be used in
conjunction with a sabbatical experience.
The candidates for this award will have an appropriate graduate degree
for professional practice in their field, such as a research or health-
professional doctorate for researchers and clinicians. The requirement
for a doctoral degree need not apply to candidates in the following
professional fields: engineering, computer science, library and
information sciences, nursing. However, graduate preparation for
professional practice is required in those fields.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
New strategies are required to bring the benefits of the rich and
complex digital information streams into the settings of clinical care,
biomedical research, health administration and health professions
education in a way that improves outcomes, reduces errors and fosters
innovation. NLM sponsors a variety of informatics training programs for
basic and applied research informaticians, but there is a need to
expand the supply of information specialists who have cross training.
Those who apply for NLM’s Fellowship for Informationist Training should
have a work setting identified.
There is no widely-accepted curriculum framework for in-context
information specialists. Upon completion of the training, fellows
should be familiar with the use and potential of modern information
technology to support work and decisions in one of the four priority
areas: clinical practice, biomedical research, public health and
consumer health and should also be conversant with a biomedical domain.
Informationist fellows will achieve this goal through an individually
tailored program of (1) formal coursework, (2) practicum experience,
and (3) research project. The program of coursework should augment the
trainee's basic professional education by adding graduate-level domain
expertise needed for informationist work. The 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 each type of informationist may be
different from that needed for basic research or for practice in a
field. In all cases, the proposed curriculum should provide sufficient
theoretical foundation in the chosen area for in-context application.
Working with information issues in-context is fundamental to the
informationist concept. The fellowship must include a practicum, i.e.,
hands-on information management experience in the chosen setting. In
addition, the fellow must complete a research project in the chosen
setting. An opportunity to carry out supervised research, service
and/or applications development in is essential to achieve the primary
objective of this fellowship. Projects may be in basic informatics or
information sciences research areas or may 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 relevance of the proposed project to the chosen setting.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This program announcement for Senior Individual Biomedical Informatics
Fellowships uses the F38 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
fewer than ten years of professional experience are encouraged to
investigate their eligibility for the Individual Informationist
fellowship (F37). The project period may be for one to two years, and
awards are not renewable.
ELIGIBLE SPONSORING INSTITUTIONS
The sponsoring institution may be any of the following:
o For-profit or non-profit organizations
o Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges,
hospitals, and laboratories
o Units of State and local governments
o Eligible agencies and labs of the Federal government including NIH
intramural labs
o Domestic or foreign
INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
By the date of appointment, applicants must have at least ten full
years of relevant independent professional experience beyond the
qualifying degree and any associated postdoctoral or residency
training. Relevant post-graduation experience may include research
experience (including industrial), teaching, internship, residency,
clinical duties, library service, or other time spent full-time in a
health-related field following the date of the qualifying professional
degree. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the NLM Program
Officer. All candidates must be willing to spend a minimum of 50
percent of full-time professional effort in fellowship activities
during the entire award period.
Candidates for the F38, under some circumstances, may have been
principal investigators (PIs) on NIH research or career development
awards, provided the research experience proposed in this application
is in a fundamentally new field of study or there has been a
significant hiatus in their research career because of family or other
personal obligations. Current PIs on NIH career awards are not
eligible. A candidate for the F38 award may not have pending nor
concurrently apply for any other type of NIH career development award.
Postdoctoral Trainees
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 some professions do not customarily require a
doctoral degree (e.g., library science and nursing) and encourages
application on behalf of individuals without doctoral degrees 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.
Women, 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.
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.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Before submitting a fellowship application, the applicant must identify
a sponsoring institution and an individual(s) who will serve as a
sponsor (also called mentor or supervisor) and will supervise the
fellow’s studies and research experience.
To apply for support, an institution must submit an application on
behalf of the individual seeking the fellowship. Applicants proposing
training at their doctorate institution or at the institution where
they have been working for more than a year must document how the
fellowship is designed to broaden their scientific background.
Each fellow must have mentorship that provides guidance and oversight
for the the selection of appropriate coursework, for the research
project and the practicum experience. The mentorship may come from an
individual or team of individuals who are expert in the domain area and
area of informatics or information science that is pertinent to the
proposed program. The mentor(s) may be at the applicant's home
institution or at another institution. If the latter, the plan for
supervision and interaction must be described.
OPTIONAL TRAINING COMPONENT AT NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY
INFORMATION
Trainees who are interested in bioinformatics, either for clinical or
for basic biological research, are encouraged to consider an elective
training period during the fellowship of up to nine weeks at NLM’s
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI.) Established in
1988 as a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI
creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology,
develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates
biomedical information - all for the better understanding of molecular
processes affecting human health and disease.
Fellows interested in the NCBI elective should contact:
Dr. David Wheeler
Tel: 301-435-5950
Email: [email protected]
ALLOWABLE COSTS
Stipends
Stipends for NLM Informationist Fellowships are determined individually
at the time of award. The amount of the stipend shall be based on the
documented salary or remuneration paid to the candidate from the home
institution at the time of award, and shall be based on the normal
full-time 12-month staff appointment at the home institution. However,
in no case shall the NIH contribution to the stipend during the
fellowship exceed the current legislated maximum salary; in Fiscal Year
2002, the maximum salary provided by a Federal grant is $166,700. For
Fellows on sabbatical, the level of the stipend award will take into
account concurrent sabbatical salary support provided by the home
institution, and any other supplementation.
Training awards provide stipends to fellows 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 institutions,
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. No departure from the established stipend schedule may be
negotiated between the institution and the fellow.
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
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 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 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.
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 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.
The institution may request additional funds 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.
Salary for mentors, secretarial, and administrative assistance, etc.,
is not allowed.
STIPEND SUPPLEMENTATION, COMPENSATION, AND OTHER INCOME
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.
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, research, or clinical care. 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. 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.
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 informationist fellowships (F38) 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
Full-time Fellows
Funded training periods may be for one to two years, and customarily
require a full-time commitment. That is, trainees are typically
required to pursue their informationist training on a full-time basis,
devoting at least 40 hours per week to the program. Within the 40
hours per week training period, informationist trainees in clinical
areas must devote their time to the proposed training and must confine
clinical duties to those that are an integral part of the research
training experience. If the fellowship is proposed at less than full
time, stipends will be adjusted appropriately. The minimum effort
permitted is 50 percent of full-time.
Part-time Fellows
Fellows are typically expected to make a full-time commitment to their
training program. However, under unusual and pressing personal or
professional circumstances, part-time training may be appropriate.
Part-time training program at a level of 50 to 99 percent effort will
be considered on an ad hoc basis with sufficient justification of need.
If part-time training is requested, the application clearly justify the
level of effort proposed, and clearly demonstrate how the research and
program of study will be accomplished with respect to other duties and
responsibilities. A fellow will not be permitted to engage in NLM-
supported research training for less than 50 percent effort.
Individuals desiring to 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.
Stipend levels for part-time trainees will be appropriately pro-rated
according to their level of effort.
Other Appointment Terms
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 Fellowships for
Informationist Training 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.
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. F38 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 two areas, programmatic,
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 changed,
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 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. 6/02). 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 instructions and forms are available at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/416/phs416.htm .
Applications must have a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number as the Universal Identifier when
applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number
can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at
http://www.dunandbradstreet.com/. The DUNS number should be entered on
line 12 of the face page of the PHS 416-1 form. The PHS 416-1 is
available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/416/phs416.htm in an
interactive format.
Complete Item 3 on the face page of the application indicating that the
application is in response to this announcement and print F38 NLM
SENIOR FELLOWSHIP FOR INFORMATIONIST TRAINING.
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
career performance and the potential to become an important contributor
to the chosen area of in-context information services.
Sponsor and Training Environment: An assessment of the quality of the
training environment and the qualifications of the chosen mentor(s) for
the proposed research training and practicum 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 informationist.
Additional Review Criteria
In addition to the above criteria, applications 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
In addition to the general review criteria outlined above, reviewers of
Informationist Fellowships will consider the following specific
evidence:
o The appropriateness of the coursework chosen to provide disciplinary
foundations the applicant needs to function as an informationist in the
chosen setting
o The mentored practicum experience that requires the fellow to apply
what is being learned
o The quality of the research project that addresses an information
problem in the chosen setting
o The appropriateness of the mentorship communication plan
o The feasibility of the timeline and milestones for accomplishing what
is proposed
o The adequacy of the proposed plan to share data, if applicable
o The fellow’s plan for obtaining employment as an informationist.
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:
o Scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review
o Availability of funds
o Relevance to program priorities
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. F38 awards will not contain any
provision giving PHS rights to inventions made by the awardee.
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS
HUMAN SUBJECTS PROTECTION: Federal regulations (45CFR46) require that
applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated
with reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection
against these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the
subjects and others, and the importance of the knowledge gained or to
be gained.
http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm
DATA AND SAFETY MONITORING PLAN: Data and safety monitoring is required
for all types of clinical trials, including physiologic, toxicity, and
dose-finding studies (phase I); efficacy studies (phase II), efficacy,
effectiveness and comparative trials (phase III). The establishment of
data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for multi-site
clinical trials involving interventions that entail potential risk to
the participants. (NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide
for Grants and Contracts, June 12, 1998:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).
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 "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 is 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.
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.
STANDARDS FOR PRIVACY OF INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION:
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued final
modification to the "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable
Health Information", the "Privacy Rule," on August 14, 2002. The
Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the
protection of individually identifiable health information, and is
administered and enforced by the DHHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Those who must comply with the Privacy Rule (classified under the Rule
as "covered entities") must do so by April 14, 2003 (with the
exception of small health plans which have an extra year to comply).
Decisions about applicability and implementation of the Privacy Rule
reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR website
(http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides information on the Privacy Rule,
including a complete Regulation Text and a set of decision tools on "Am
I a covered entity?" Information on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy
Rule on NIH processes involving the review, funding, and progress
monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts
can be found at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.
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.
All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles,
and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
The NIH Grants Policy Statement can be found at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm.
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.
REFERENCES:
1. National Library of Medicine Long Range Plan 2000-2005/Report of the
Board of Regents. National Library of Medicine. [Bethesda, MD]: National
Library of Medicine, 2000, pp. 17-18
2. Florance V, Giuse NB, Ketchell, DS. Information in context: integrating
information specialists into practice settings. J Med Libr Assoc 2002 Jan;
90(1):49-58. see also Proceedings of the Informationist Conference,
http://mlanet.org/research/informationist/conference_0402.html
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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