Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

It is critical that applicants follow the Training (T) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
   
   
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.



Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Key Dates
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Other Award Budget Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose and Background Information

The overall goal of the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program is to help ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. More information about NRSA programs may be found at the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award website. The NRSA program has been the primary means of supporting predoctoral and postdoctoral research training programs since enactment of the NRSA legislation in 1974. 

Each NIGMS-funded MSTP award is expected to provide a rigorous, well-designed research training program that includes mentored research experiences, courses, seminars, and additional training opportunities that equip clinician scientists with the following skills required for careers in the biomedical research workforce:

• Technical (for example, appropriate methods, technologies, and quantitative/computational approaches).
• Operational (for example, independent knowledge acquisition, rigorous experimental design, interpretation of data, and conducting research in the safest manner possible).
• Professional (for example, management, leadership, communication, and teamwork).

Through this funding announcement, NIGMS encourages changes in integrated clinical and graduate research training to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the biomedical research enterprise, which is increasingly complex, interdisciplinary, quantitative, and collaborative. Other changes in the biomedical research enterprise include greater diversity in the backgrounds of people participating in biomedical research, the approaches utilized to investigate clinically relevant research questions, and the range of careers that dual-degree recipients are pursuing. Additionally, there is an increasing recognition of the need to enhance reproducibility of biomedical research results through scientific rigor and transparency, and to promote a culture where the highest standards of practice are used to ensure the safety of all individuals in the research environment. This funding opportunity is intended to encourage and enable the scientific community to develop and implement evidence-informed approaches to biomedical research training and mentoring that will effectively train future generations of rigorous clinician scientists to become leaders in biomedical research and clinical medicine.

Programs are encouraged not to simply layer additional activities onto existing structures but to instead use creative and transformational approaches to integrate clinical and biomedical graduate training, including curricular reform, that preserve the best elements of current programs, while enhancing the focus on the development of trainee skills.

NIGMS strives to ensure that future generations of researchers will be drawn from the entire pool of potential contributors and seeks to expand opportunities to support individuals from a variety of backgrounds at multiple training and career stages in a variety of organizations and educational settings across the country. The Overarching Objective of the MSTP is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained clinician scientists (that is, a Ph.D. combined with a clinical degree, such as an M.D., D.O., D.V.M., D.D.S., Pharm.D., etc.) who have the following:

• A broad understanding across biomedical disciplines.
• The skills to independently acquire the knowledge needed to advance their chosen fields and careers.
• The ability to think critically and identify important biomedical research questions and approaches that push forward the boundaries of their areas of study.
• A strong foundation in scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative and computational approaches, and data analysis and interpretation.
• The skills to conduct research in the safest manner possible, and a commitment to approaching and conducting biomedical research responsibly, ethically, and with integrity.
• Experience initiating, conducting, interpreting, and presenting rigorous and reproducible biomedical research with increasing self-direction.
• The ability to utilize clinical experience and observations to identify biomedical research questions and to develop impactful research programs that push forward the boundaries of their areas of study.
• The skills necessary to integrate research and clinical activities and the capacity to translate scientific research findings into clinical practice.
• The ability and skills to lead changes that promote health equity, reduce health disparities and improve the health of those medically underserved across diseases, disorders, and conditions.
• The ability to work effectively in teams with colleagues from a variety of cultural and scientific backgrounds, and to promote inclusive and supportive scientific research environments.
• The skills to teach and communicate scientific methodologies and findings to a wide variety of audiences (for example, discipline-specific, across disciplines, and for the public).
• The knowledge, professional skills and experiences required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce that utilize the dual-degrees (for example, the breadth of careers that sustain biomedical research in areas that are relevant to the NIH mission).

Program Considerations

NIGMS will accept predoctoral training grant applications supporting integrated clinician and graduate research training through this MSTP funding announcement and subsequent reissuances (graduate research training in basic biomedical sciences is supported through PAR-23-228 and subsequent reissuances). Applicants are strongly encouraged to read information about NIGMS predoctoral training grant programs, including the MSTP and Leading Equity and Diversity in the Medical Scientist Training Program (LEAD MSTP) (PAR-23-030), found on the NIGMS website and to contact program staff before preparing or submitting an application  to verify that the proposed program is eligible and in alignment with NIGMS funding priorities.

General Considerations. NIGMS intends to fund applications that propose feasible, rigorous, well-designed and integrated dual-degree research training programs that will build on the most effective elements of successful programs, while encouraging creative and transformational approaches to clinician scientist research training, ranging from curricular reform to changes in the research training environment. Funded programs should implement plans to optimize the time required to earn the dual degree. Programs are expected to limit appointments to individuals committed to research careers that utilize the dual-degree qualifications.

NIGMS encourages programs to devise and test alternative entry pathways in addition to or instead of the direct application and admission to the first year of the dual-degree training program, thus providing opportunities to recruit students from clinician-only or from Ph.D.-only programs.  NIGMS encourages institutions to offer MSTP trainees the opportunity to earn the Ph.D. in a broad range of biomedical, physical, and social and behavioral sciences, and engineering to meet the needs for clinician scientist researchers in all areas of the biomedical workforce.  Programs that provide interdisciplinary research training, incorporate training in data science, or take advantage of clinical research opportunities within nationwide networks and infrastructures such as the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award program are encouraged to apply.  NIGMS encourages applicants to offer training across the landscape of medical fields and scientific disciplines related to health, and to promote opportunities for the exploration of clinician scientist career options. Funded programs are expected to:

• Be a well integrated dual-degree program  that exerts a strong, positive influence at the organizational level on research training and mentoring practices.
• Have clearly defined training objectives and show evidence of meeting the objectives in progress reports and in renewal applications.
• Implement evidence-informed training and mentoring activities (for example, approaches that are grounded in the literature and evaluations of existing relevant dual-degree research training programs). Programs are expected to be responsive to evaluations, particularly with respect to trainee feedback.
• Provide rigorous, well-designed mentored research experiences, and additional opportunities that will build a strong cohort of dual-degree research-oriented individuals. Training grant funds may not be used solely as a vehicle to provide financial aid for trainees to conduct research.
• Demonstrate effective oversight of dual-degree trainee development and promote retention for the entire time the dual-degree trainee is in the training program. Retention efforts are activities designed to sustain the scientific interests and participation of trainees from all backgrounds. Retention and oversight activities might include monitoring academic and research progress, building strong trainee cohorts, as well as increasing science identity, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging within research training environments. Programs are expected to make efforts to identify individuals who may need additional academic and social supports to successfully complete the program, and ensure they receive the needed support.
• Promote inclusive, safe, accessible, and supportive research training environments to maximize success for all individuals in the training program. Specifically, funded programs should have organizational and departmental environments where individuals from all backgrounds are welcomed, feel integrated into, and supported by the biomedical research community. Safety in research training should encompass (1) environments free from harassment, discrimination, and intimidation, in which all are treated in a respectful and supportive manner, (2) laboratory and clinical settings where individuals exercise the highest standards of practice for chemical, biological and physical safety, and (3) practices at the organizational leadership and research community levels that demonstrate core values and behaviors to emphasize safety over competing goals.

Trainee Support. The training grant defrays the cost of stipends, tuition and fees, and training related expenses, including health insurance, for the appointed trainees in accordance with the approved NIH NRSA support levels.   NIGMS typically provides full-time support for approximately 25% of the trainees in the training program during any given year.  Individuals may receive up to six years of aggregate Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level for dual-degree training, including any combination of support from institutional training grants (for example, T32) and an individual fellowship award (for example, F30 or F31 awards).  Many dual-degree training programs guarantee enrolled students full support for the duration of the dual-degree program (through combinations of federal support, institutional funds, other fellowships, and grants). Training programs may implement institutional policies regarding payback of non-NRSA institutional sources of funds by students who start training but do not complete one or both degrees.  NIGMS does not require nor permit institutions to receive payback NRSA funds from trainees who are appointed to NIH training grants, but do not complete training.

Synergies of Federally Funded Training Programs. Funded research training programs are encouraged to complement and synergize with other ongoing federally supported predoctoral research training programs at the applicant organization (for example, in the development of skills needed for careers in the biomedical research workforce that are not discipline-specific); however, the scientific training goals must be distinct from related programs at the same organization currently receiving federal support. In cases where an organization has multiple NIGMS predoctoral training grants, it is expected that these programs will work together to create administrative and training efficiencies to reduce costs and improve trainee services and outcomes.

Type of Application Submissions. Please note the following before applying:

• Applications will be considered a RENEWAL application only if the program described in the application was funded previously through NIGMS funding opportunity announcements  PAR-19-036 or PAR-21-189.
• RESUBMISSION applications are only accepted for RENEWAL applications.  
  • Renewal applications that are not funded on the initial attempt may be revised and resubmitted as a Resubmission application (for example, -A1) 
• New applications that are not funded are not allowed to submit a Resubmission application.  Instead, new applications that are not successful are encouraged to apply again by submitting another new application that utilized constructive feedback from the previous review, while following the instructions for New Applications (for example, do not refer to the prior application or critiques).
• NEW if the organization:
  • Does not have an MSTP.
  • Administered an NIGMS MSTP that was funded through a parent grant announcement (for example, PA-16-152, PA-18-403).  
• NIGMS will not accept applications for MSTP with any of the following:
  • Submitted through the Leading Equity and Diversity in the Medical Scientist Training Program (LEAD MSTP) or the NIGMS Predoctoral Basic Biomedical Sciences T32 or any subsequent reissuance.
  • Submitted through the Parent T32 funding opportunity announcement,  PA-23-048 or any subsequent reissuances.
  • Propose short-term research training.
  • Include combined predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs.

For applicants that currently have an NIGMS institutional predoctoral MSTP, NIGMS recommends that applicants plan to apply under this funding announcement at least one- to one-and-a half years before the current grant is scheduled to terminate.  For example, if the current grant is scheduled to terminate on July 30, 2025, applicants are advised to submit an application to this funding announcement no later than May 25, 2024.  Please consult the NIGMS website for more information on Predoctoral Training Grant Application Deadlines.

Clinical Trials. This notice of funding opportunity does not allow appointed trainees to lead an independent clinical trial but does allow them to obtain research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. NIH strongly supports training towards a career in clinically relevant research; gaining experience in clinical trials under the guidance of a mentor or co-mentor is encouraged.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

Other Award Budget Information

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

Local Governments

• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

NIGMS allows multiple institutions to participate in a single MSTP application, where this may further advance the goals of the program.  A single contact institution would receive and administer the award.

The sponsoring institution must assure support for the proposed program. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program should be detailed in the Organizational Support Letter in the Letters of Support attachment. See the application instructions for the required Letters of Support instructions in Section IV.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information.

• System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
• NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registration; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) with the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out the proposed research training program as the Training Program Director/Principal Investigator (Training PD/PI) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019. 

For organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

As described in the instructions for the Training Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) in Section IV.2 below, NIGMS encourages multiple PDs/PIs, particularly when each brings a unique perspective and skill set that will enhance training. Note the following:

• To provide research training leadership for the program, at least one of the training PDs/PIs should have a record of using rigorous and transparent methods in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and reporting in a biomedical research field applicable to the program.
• Additional PDs/PIs may be included to strengthen the expertise of the PD/PI team. Examples include individuals such as program directors who regularly interact with students, or individuals with expertise in education, relevant social sciences, program evaluation, mentoring, or university administration. 

Any of the PDs/PIs may serve as the contact PD/PI. The contact PD/PI is expected to have a full-time appointment at the applicant organization unless extremely well-justified. If the full-time status of the contact PD/PI changes after the award, the organization must obtain prior program approval to appoint a new PD/PI or request a deviation from the full-time rule. The PD(s)/PI(s) will be responsible for:

• The overall direction, management, administration, and evaluation of the program.
• The day-to-day administration of the program, including direct involvement with trainees.
• The selection and appointment of trainees to the research training program.
• The selection of faculty mentors for the program, assessment of mentor performance, and ensuring the program deals appropriately with substandard mentor performance.
• Monitoring and assessing the program and submitting all documents and reports as required.
• Appointing members of the Advisory Committee (when applicable) and implementing their guidance as appropriate.

2. Cost Sharing

This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

NIGMS will accept only one MSTP application per institution. 

Each application must be submitted by an eligible organization with a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number. For organizations with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for an individual campus (for example, main, satellite, etc.) as the applicant organization only if a UEI and a unique NIH eRA IPF number are established for the individual campus. For organizations that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for multiple campuses, eligibility as the applicant organization is determined for the campuses together.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

Preceptors/Mentors (Participating Faculty)

The selected faculty should be active researchers in the biomedical sciences as demonstrated by recent publications and research support. When building a training team, programs should include faculty who are committed to training, mentoring, and providing supportive and inclusive research environments. Programs are encouraged to build a pool of preceptors/mentors drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds and career stages. 

Trainees

The applicant organization will select the trainees to be supported by the research training program. It is the responsibility of the organization to establish the qualifications of the trainees before they are supported by the program.

The individual to be trained must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment. Additional details on citizenship, training period, and aggregate duration of support are available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

All trainees are required to pursue their research training full time, normally defined as 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. Appointments are normally made in 12-month increments, and no trainee may be appointed for less than 9 months during the initial period of appointment, except with prior approval of the awarding unit.

Trainees must be enrolled in a program or programs leading to a combined clinical degree and a Ph.D. (for example, M.D./Ph.D.; D.O./Ph.D.; D.D.S./Ph.D., etc.). Programs should limit appointments to individuals committed to careers that utilize the dual-degree.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the Training (T) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed in this Notice of Funding Opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Are Human Subjects Involved: Check "No" unless the training program itself requires the trainees to take a workshop or course that will involve human subjects, for example, students collect and analyze samples from humans in a required course.

Are Vertebrate Animals Used: Check "No" unless the training program itself requires the trainees to take a workshop or course that will involve vertebrate animals, for example, students use vertebrate animals in a required laboratory class. 

Project Summary/Abstract: Use the page limitations, but do not follow the instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) application guide; instead, applicants must follow the instructions below.

Provide an overview of the training program, including the mission, objectives, rationale, and program elements. Highlight activities that promote skills development and facilitate successful transitions into careers that utilize the dual-degree in the biomedical research workforce. Indicate the planned duration of appointments, the projected number of trainees and intended trainee outcomes.

Facilities & Other Resources: Do not follow the instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this section; instead, applicants must follow the instructions below.

Describe the scientific and educational facilities, resources, and environment that contribute to the probability of success of the research training program. Do not include any data or examples of data, hyperlinks, or any material not listed as allowable for Facilities & Other Resources section of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Applications should address the following when describing the scientific and educational facilities, resources, and environment:

• The ways trainees will benefit from features of the scientific and educational environment, for example, classrooms, scientific facilities, offices, conference rooms, and other training spaces.
• How the scientific and educational facilities create a safe, accessible, and inclusive training environment for individuals from all backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented groups (see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity). Include descriptions of the technological resources available and enhancements to physical spaces that increase access for trainees with disabilities. For example, the accessibility of:
  • Classrooms, scientific facilities, offices, conference rooms, and other training spaces.
  • Public and internal web pages.
  • Meetings or events.
  • Announcements, blogs, and other communication modalities.
  • Transportation, such as shuttle buses. 

If there are multiple performance sites, describe the resources available at each site.

Other Attachments:  Please include a header or footer label on each page of the other attachments with the corresponding material title.

The following two attachments must be included, or the application will not be reviewed:

1. Baseline Data on the Trainee Pool: The application must provide baseline data on the characteristics of the trainee pool. The data must reflect the training grant eligible individuals who further the goals of the proposed research training program. The data serve as a basis for review of planned activities, including recruitment. The number of training grant eligible candidates will be used to determine the appropriate budget and number of funded positions.  NIGMS will use the data provided in a manner consistent with applicable law.

• Trainee Characteristics. All applicants must provide the numbers and average for the past five academic years of training grant eligible candidates who applied to, were admitted to, and matriculated into the training program or departments described in the application.  NIGMS encourages the use of Suggested Formats A to aid in the structuring of the data. Applicants are encouraged to use categories reflected in the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity  or the NIH Trainee Diversity Report (such as race, ethnicity, gender, disability and disadvantaged background) as these data will be collected as part of annual progress reports for funded programs. Additional trainee candidate pool characteristics that are relevant to the goals of the training program may also be included. Applicants should use appropriate methods for data privacy, confidentiality, and security practices related to student data systems and reporting (for example, cell sizes for sensitive data).
• Multi-Component Program Data. If the training program is multi-departmental or multi-organizational in structure with separate recruitment, admissions and matriculation procedures, applicants should provide the numbers and average for the past five academic years of training grant eligible candidates who applied to, were admitted to, and matriculated into the relevant departments or organizations described in the application. Applicants are encouraged to use the Suggested Formats B to aid in the structuring of the data.

Please name the file “Baseline_Data_Trainee_Pool.pdf”.

2. Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity (3-page maximum): The Baseline Data on the Trainee Pool should inform the Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity. Include outreach strategies and activities designed to recruit potential training program candidates who are from underrepresented groups, including students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds (see Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity). Additionally, literature shows that women from these backgrounds face particular challenges at the graduate level and beyond in scientific fields. Applicants are encouraged to consult the NIGMS webpage for strategies to enhance diversity in training programs when designing their plans. Describe the specific efforts to be undertaken by the training program and how these might coordinate with trainee recruitment efforts of the organization. Centralized organizational efforts alone will not satisfy the requirement to recruit prospective trainees from diverse groups. Participating faculty are expected to be actively involved in recruitment efforts. Please name the file “Recruitment_Plan.pdf”.

The following attachments may be included:

Advisory Committee (1-page maximum). An Advisory Committee is not a required component of a training program. However, if an Advisory Committee is intended, provide a plan for the appointment of an Advisory Committee to monitor progress of the training program. The roles, responsibilities, and desired expertise of committee members including (for example, including disability inclusion experts), frequency of committee meetings, and other relevant information should be included. Describe how the Advisory Committee will assess the overall effectiveness of the program. Only pre-existing Advisory Committee members should be named in the application. Potential Advisory Committee members should not be identified or contacted prior to receiving an award. Please name the file “Advisory_Committee.pdf”.  

Training Activities (10-page maximum). The Training Activities attachment may include brief descriptions of required and representative elective courses, workshops, and training activities (for example, streamlined syllabi with topics, timelines, activities, credits) unique to the MSTP program, but not those of courses or activities required to fulfill the clinical program. This attachment is meant to provide additional details but is not meant to substitute for clear descriptions of the courses and training activities in the Program Plan. Please name the file “Training_Activities.pdf”.  

The filename provided for each “Other Attachment” will be the name used for the bookmark in the electronic application in eRA Commons.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile Expanded

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application.

Biographical Sketch: The personal statement should describe the individual's commitment to scientific rigor, training, and mentoring, as well as to promoting inclusive, safe, and supportive scientific environments.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application.

PHS 398 Training Subaward Budget Attachment(s)

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Training Budget

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with the following additional modifications:

• Include all allowable categories of funds requested to support trainees in the program.
• As per the instructions, request actual amounts for tuition/fees and provide justification. The amounts may be adjusted at the time of award.

Budget Justification: Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with the following additions:

State the number of requested funded trainee slots per year.  Note that NIGMS expects organizational support for the proposed program and therefore NIGMS typically supports only a portion of the potential candidates across all cohorts in the proposed program.  Provide a justification for the number of requested funded slots per year in the context of the following:

• The total number of students in the proposed program (training grant eligible as well as students who are not eligible, for example, international students) across all cohorts (ranging from the entering cohort to those nearing graduation).
• Number of participating faculty.
• Other NIGMS-funded training grants at the organization that relate to the goals of this training program.
• For Renewal Applications - The success in filling the awarded training positions (Table 7). An explanation for the failure to fill previously requested slots should be provided in the application.

PHS 398 Research Training Program Plan

The PHS 398 Research Training Program Plan Form is comprised of the following sections:

• Training Program
• Faculty, Trainees, and Training Record
• Other Training Program Sections
• Appendix

Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Attention must be given to the required  Training Data Tables  for New or Renewal applications.  Guidance for preparing the Training Data Tables  is found on the NIGMS website. Table 6A is not required for NIGMS Predoctoral Training Grant applications, and applicants must not include it. In the Program Plan, applicants should also summarize key data from the tables that highlight the characteristics of the training grant eligible pool, program faculty, organizational support, student outcomes, and other factors that contribute to the overall training environment of the program.

Training Program

Follow all training instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) application guide except where instructed to do otherwise below.

Program Plan

The Program Plan attachment is required and must adhere to the NIH Table of Page Limits, as well as the sections and instructions provided below.

Do not follow the organization and instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) application guide for the Program Plan attachment; instead, applicants must use the instructions below. Start each section with the relevant heading below.

Rationale, Mission, and Objectives

The application should describe how the program will develop a diverse pool of well-trained clinician scientists who have the technical, operational, and professional skills required to conduct research in a safe, ethically responsible, and rigorous manner, and to enter careers in the biomedical research workforce as delineated in the Program Objective. The application should describe how the program will, or will continue to, enhance the training environment - going beyond simply providing financial assistance for the dual-degree trainees to conduct research. Specifically, applicants should describe the following:

• The justification for the proposed research training program. The justification should include the need for scientific research training, an overview of the current research training activities of the participating department(s) or unit(s), and areas for improvement in the current research training practices. Applicants must demonstrate the presence of a sufficient number of potential trainees in appropriate disciplines (Table 1) and program faculty with the appropriate scientific, training and mentoring expertise (Tables 2 and 4), as well as the current research training resources of the organization (Table 3).
• The training mission (broad statement of purpose of the program), and objectives (specific, measurable outcomes the program intends to achieve). The program-specific mission and objectives should align with the Overarching Objective of this funding opportunity while focusing on developing the skills required to be a well-trained biomedical scientist in the proposed scientific discipline. Objectives should include, but not be limited to, dual-degree completion rates and appropriate time-to-degree.
• Administrative Structure. The application should describe the administrative structure, distribution of responsibilities within it, and the leadership succession plan for critical positions (for example, PD(s)/PI(s)).

Curriculum and Overall Training Plan

The application should describe the curriculum and overall training plan, including the required and elective courses, structured activities, and research experiences. The application may include additional supporting information (for example, streamlined syllabi with topics, timelines, activities, credits, etc.) in an optional Training Activities “Other Attachment”. The narrative should emphasize when the curriculum and overall training plan employs evidence-informed approaches. Applicants should address the following:

• Include representative examples of training programs for individual trainees. Examples can include degree requirements, didactic courses, laboratory experiences, seminars, journal clubs, career development activities, etc. Describe how the trainees’ progress will be guided, monitored, and evaluated.
• Discuss the anticipated time required to complete the training program up to dual-degree attainment.
• Explain how the training program plans to integrate the clinical and research training activities.
• Explain how these training activities are designed to develop the technical, operational, and professional skills of trainees.
• Describe the trainees’ academic and research background needed to pursue the proposed training and plans to accommodate differences in preparation among trainees.
• Highlight the activities that will build a strong cohort of research-oriented individuals while enhancing the science identity, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging among the cohort members.
• Describe how these activities will accomplish the stated training mission and objectives.
• Highlight proposed changes or current research training practices designed to keep pace with the rapidly evolving biomedical research enterprise (for example, curricular reforms).
• Describe how training efficiencies are created between the clinical and graduate curricula to avoid unproductive redundancies in coursework and other requirements and reduce time to degree.
• Highlight how the activities will provide tools to promote health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve the health of those medically underserved across diseases, disorders, and conditions.
• Describe how the program will develop trainees' quantitative and computational skills.
• Describe where in the curriculum key topics related to rigor and reproducibility in research (for example, experimental design) and responsible conduct of research (for example, safety, community engagement, societal considerations related to research) are reinforced or elaborated relative to what is outlined in the Methods for Enhancing Reproducible Research and Responsible Conduct of Research plans throughout the training.
• Describe how the training activities will be available to other trainees in the program(s), department(s) or organization(s) from which the supported trainees are drawn.
• For multidisciplinary and/or multi-departmental programs, indicate how the individual disciplinary and/or departmental components of the program are integrated and coordinated, and how they will relate to an individual trainee's experience.
• The ways, when applicable, that the training plan is distinct from, but will share resources and synergize with, other NIGMS-funded predoctoral training programs at the same organization (NIGMS predoctoral training programs listed in Table 3). See the "Program Considerations" section above for additional context. The application should expand upon, but not duplicate, information on overlap and synergies described in the Organizational Support Letter. NIGMS expects that the training program will be distinct with respect to the scientific research training area; however, collaborative activities such as the responsible conduct of research training, career and professional skill development, etc. are encouraged.

Career Development

The application should describe the following:

• How the pool of potential applicants and trainees will be provided with information about the career outcomes of graduates of the program and about the overall clinician scientist workforce employment landscape.
• How trainees in the program will be provided with adequate and appropriate information regarding the variety of careers for which their dual-degree training prepares them.
• How the proposed program will engage a range of potential employers to ensure the trainees will acquire the appropriate skills, knowledge, and steps needed to attain positions in the sectors of the biomedical research workforce that are of interest to them.
• How the programmatic initiatives allow trainees to identify medical residency programs that will support and develop their research interests.
• How the training program or organization will provide experiential learning opportunities (for example, internships, shadowing experiences, informational interviews, teaching opportunities) that allow trainees to develop the professional skills and networks necessary to transition into careers that utilize the dual-degree. For internships outside the grantee organization, the application should describe procedures for defining expectations, support structures, responsibilities, and time limits, as well as for ensuring compliance with NRSA and funding announcement appointment requirements.

Program Oversight of Training and Mentoring

The application should include the planned strategy and administrative structure to oversee and monitor the program, and to ensure appropriate and timely trainee progress for the duration of the trainees' graduate careers. If a program coordinator or administrator position is planned to enhance oversight, a description of the person's administrative capabilities that are essential to coordinate the program should be included in the application. The application should describe the following (for each entry, the application should describe who is responsible for the oversight):

• How the program ensures the use of evidence-informed training and mentoring practices that promote the development and retention of all trainees with the recognition that the variety of trainee backgrounds and experiences may necessitate the need to tailor the approaches. The plans should be specific for the student population and program proposed.
• How the program ensures that all participating department(s) and organization(s) are promoting the development and retention of trainees for the duration of their graduate careers.
• How the program instructs and evaluates the participating faculty as teachers and mentors.
• How the program will ensure that participating faculty employ the highest standards of scientific rigor and impart those standards to their trainees.
• How the program will ensure that participating faculty reinforce and augment the curricular material on responsible conduct of research, and methods for enhancing reproducibility.
• The mechanism for matching trainees with the appropriate participating faculty (for example, laboratory rotations, faculty forums, and interviews).
• How the program monitors that participating faculty engage in activities that promote trainee career development (including but not limited to the utilization of Individual Development Plans) and fulfill the need of the trainees to obtain their degrees in a timely fashion with the skills, credentials, and experiences to transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce that are consistent with the trainees’ interests and values.
• A mechanism to monitor mentoring, including oversight of the effectiveness of the trainee/research mentor match.
• Conflict resolution practices to address conflicts within the training environment that may impede trainee progress, for example, mentor-mentee, peer-peer, faculty-student, staff-trainee, faculty-faculty conflicts.
• A plan for remediating and, as appropriate, removing faculty displaying unacceptable mentorship qualities from the training program.

Training Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PDs/PIs)

The application should describe how the Training Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PDs/PIs) will promote the success of the trainees and training program. NIGMS strongly encourages multiple PDs/PIs, particularly when each brings a unique perspective and skill set that will enhance training as described in the Eligible Individuals section. In addition, the use of multiple PDs/PIs provides stability to the program in the event that one PD/PI leaves unexpectedly. The application should expand on the information in the biosketch(es) to address how the PD/PI or PD/PI team has:

• The scientific expertise, as well as the administrative and training experience, to provide strong leadership, direction, management, and administration of the proposed research training program. At least one member of the PD/PI team should have a record of using rigorous methods in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and reporting in the discipline(s) described in the application.
• The time to commit sufficient effort to ensure the program’s success given other professional obligations (the application should indicate the PD(s)/PI(s)’s percent effort in the proposed program). Describe the PD(s)/PI(s) commitment to the day-to-day administration of the program, including direct involvement with trainees.
• A demonstrated commitment to training future scientists in the biomedical research workforce, leading recruitment efforts to enhance diversity, and fostering inclusive research environments.
• Received training on how to effectively mentor trainees from all backgrounds, including trainees from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences (see Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity). The training should have material on disability topics, and eliminating barriers to full participation.
• The administrative structure and leadership succession plan for critical positions (for example, all PD(s)/PI(s)).

Preceptors/Mentors (Participating Faculty)

Describe how the program has or will recruit a pool of prospective faculty from a wide variety of backgrounds to provide potential role models within the training program and to enhance the effectiveness of the training environment. The application should summarize and expand on the material presented in the “Training Tables” and biosketches and address how the participating faculty:

• Receive training in effective, evidence-informed teaching and mentoring practices that promote the development of trainees from all backgrounds.
• Have sufficient time to commit to training and mentoring given their other professional obligations.
• Ensure participating faculty research group sizes are not too large to allow effective training and mentoring.
• Cooperate, interact, and collaborate (which can include joint sponsorship of trainee research).
• Promote the use of the highest standards of practice to ensure the safety of all individuals in the research environment.
• Conduct and promote the development of trainee skills in approaches to rigorous and unbiased experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results as well as ethically sound and responsible scientific research.
• Provide opportunities for trainees to conduct biomedical research with increasing self-direction.
• Demonstrate a commitment to effective mentoring, and to promoting inclusive, safe, accessible, and supportive scientific and training environments.
• Are willing to engage in activities to promote the trainees’ career goals and to support trainees participating in activities required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce that utilize the dual-degree and are consistent with the trainees' skills, interests, and values.
• Demonstrate a commitment to fulfilling the need of the trainees to obtain their dual-degree in a timely fashion with the skills, credentials, and experiences to transition into careers that utilize their degrees.

Candidate Review Process

The following areas should be addressed:

• Describe plans for a candidate review process that will allow a broad group of research-oriented trainees the ability to participate in the training program. The process should consider, consistent with applicable law, metrics beyond undergraduate organization prestige, grade point average, and standardized test scores. Programs are encouraged to consider individuals who have the potential to strongly benefit from, and with proper training and support, succeed in the program. If the program trainees are drawn from multiple departments, describe how the PD(s)/PI(s) will ensure that the review process is consistent across all relevant departments. 
• If the training program does not conduct its own recruitment and admissions for dual-degree students entering the university and instead appoints students who were admitted by university departments or other graduate programs, provide a strong rationale for taking this approach.

Trainee Appointments and Financial Support

Applicants must describe the proposed financial support structure and appointment processes.  Applicants should describe:

• How individuals are supported throughout their entire time in the dual-degree program, for example, when they transition from the training grant to other sources of support (expand upon, but do not duplicate information provided in the Organizational Support Letter and Data Tables). Indicate how the financial support structure aligns with the Curriculum and Overall Training Plan.
• Describe the selection and re-appointment processes for the training grant supported trainees from the larger training grant eligible pool. NIGMS-funded training programs are intended to maximally increase the development of a diverse pool of promising trainees. Appointing only trainees who already have strong research credentials and skills is unlikely to achieve this goal.
• At what stage in the trainees’ careers they will be supported on the training grant (for example, first- and second-year students) and the length of appointments (for example, each trainee will be supported for 2 years).  

Trainee Outcomes

This section is intended to provide student outcomes to (1) provide baseline data for programs that have not been funded by NIGMS, or (2) measure the success of recent or existing NIGMS programs (for example, those submitting renewal applications or those submitting “new” applications to replace previously funded NIGMS programs). For organizations with previously supported NIGMS funded training programs, but are applying as “new” applications, only include previously appointed trainees. For organizations that do not have a previously supported NIGMS MSTP, this section should be used to provide outcomes for students who would have been eligible for the proposed training program had it been previously funded by NIGMS. The application should provide the information below about recent outcomes through narrative descriptions and a summary of the data presented in the required training tables. Although the training tables for applications submitted as “new” applications only allow for five years of recent outcomes, the application may describe up to 15 years of outcomes in the narrative. Please see Program Considerations when determining if the application should be submitted as “New” or a "Renewal". Applicants are encouraged to describe the data for recent program graduates for pre-existing programs or relevant students for new programs, including the following:

• Evidence that recent program graduates conducted rigorous research that advanced scientific knowledge and/or technologies, with increasing self-direction (for example, peer-reviewed publications in Training Table 5A, or other measures of scientific accomplishment appropriate to the field).
• The rate of dual-degree attainment and time-to-degree for recent program graduates (Training Table 8A). Explain how the time-to-degree was calculated. Indicate how many individuals obtained the dual-degree, are still in training, left the program with only  one degree, or withdrew from the program with no degree.
• A description or analysis of the trainees' dual-degree attainment rate, time-to-degree data, and evidence of scholarly productivity for recent program graduates across demographic groups, including those from underrepresented groups (see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity). If disparities are observed, describe approaches to identify the causes and to feasibly address the issues in the Program Plan. 
• The success of recent program graduates transitioning into careers in the biomedical research workforce (Training Table 8A), including the types of postgraduate work and residency fields of program alumni.  Applicants should include information on the number and percentage of graduates continuing research during their residencies.

Program Evaluation Plan, Dissemination, and Data Storage

NIGMS-funded training programs must conduct ongoing program evaluations to monitor the success of the training and mentoring activities. Funded programs are expected to report on outcomes through annual progress reports and renewal applications. The application may include blank survey instruments, rubrics, or forms in an appendix, according to the instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Applicants should describe:

• The plan for program evaluation to determine whether the training program is effective in meeting the training mission and objectives.
• Methods to determine if the research training climate is perceived as inclusive, safe, and supportive of trainee development and retention by the trainees, faculty and staff. Include methods to attain reliable and representative input and to safeguard anonymity to ensure candid feedback.
• Mechanisms to ensure training program and organizational responsiveness to outcomes analyses, program evaluations, and trainee feedback regarding the effectiveness of the program and the research training climate.
• Activities to track and make available the career outcomes of program graduates (for example, aggregate de-identified data published on the program's website).
• Activities designed to share outcomes and effective practices of the program with the broader community, for example, presenting program data or materials to members of the training community via web postings, or presentations.
• Strategy to ensure the secure storage and preservation of program data and outcomes and how the data will be centralized, safeguarded, and retrievable during leadership and staff changes.

Note: Training Program Evaluation is not a form of human subject research. Training grants prepare individuals for careers in the biomedical research workforce by developing and implementing evidence-informed educational practices including didactic, research mentoring, and career development elements. While funded programs are expected to conduct ongoing program evaluations and assessments to monitor the effectiveness of the training and mentoring activities, training grants funds are not intended to support Human Subjects Research (see additional information on Human Subjects Research from NIH and HHS).

Plan for Instruction in Methods for Enhancing Reproducibility

Applicants are required to comply with the instructions for the Plan for Instruction in Methods for Enhancing Reproducibility as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Applicants are required to comply with the instructions for the Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, along with the following additional instructions:

Describe how the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) components are well integrated into the overall curriculum, how they are taught at multiple stages of trainee development and in a variety of formats and contexts.  Explain how the teaching of RCR synergizes with elements of the curriculum designed to enhance trainees’ abilities to conduct rigorous and reproducible research. Describe how all participating faculty will reiterate and augment key elements of responsible conduct when trainees are performing mentored research in their laboratories.

Progress Report (only for Renewal applications)

The progress report is intended to demonstrate that the program successfully trained a diverse pool of individuals who have the technical, operational, and professional skills to transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce. Renewals are only allowed for programs funded through PAR-19-036 or PAR-21-189. Follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following exceptions: For the "Program Overview" section - adhere to the page limit indicated in the SF424 (R&R) application guide but follow the instructions below instead.

Implementation of Proposed Activities

• Describe the programmatic elements proposed in the previous application and the successes and challenges regarding implementing. Provide explanations for failing to implement previously proposed programmatic elements. Areas to address may include but are not limited to the following:
  • Incorporating evidence-informed training and mentoring practices into the program.
  • Teaching rigor and transparency, and the responsible and safe conduct of research throughout the training experience.
  • Promoting broad participation at all levels of the research training environment (trainees, staff, faculty, and leadership).
  • Overseeing all aspects of the program (for example, the mentor/mentee matches, the participating faculty, and trainee progress).
  • Preparing trainees for a broad range of careers in the biomedical research workforce.
• Highlight how the training program evolved in response to changes in relevant scientific and technical knowledge, and educational practices.
• Describe how the funds provided under Training Related Expenses were used to benefit the training program.

Results and Changes from Program Evaluations

• Present the results of program evaluations and any changes to the program made based on them. Indicate the period for the data presented. If the methods for data collection differ from the Program Evaluation plan, explain the differences. Discuss the evidence that the specific and measurable objectives described in the previous application were achieved, and if not, provide a justification.
• Expand upon the "Training Outcomes" section and highlight successes or areas for improvement. Identification of areas for improvement is necessary for supporting a healthy and maximally effective training program and an inability to recognize them will be viewed as a deficiency.
• Discuss the evidence that the scientific research climate is inclusive, safe, and supportive of trainee development and success.
• Describe how the program responded to student feedback, analyses, critiques, surveys, and other program assessments. Describe the potential barriers to success and indicate changes to the program designed to address these barriers.

Impact and Dissemination

• Describe the impact of the program (for example, on the curriculum, training environment, or organizational policies and practices).
• Indicate whether the program staff disseminated the outcomes and effective practices to the broader training community. Describe how the program makes training and career outcomes publicly available.

Faculty, Trainees, And Training Record

Participating Faculty Biosketches

Participating faculty should provide a personal statement that describes the appropriateness of their research background for the proposed training program, and their commitment to the following:

• Training, mentoring, and promoting inclusive, safe, accessible, and supportive research environments.
• Maintaining a record of, and providing training in rigorous and unbiased experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results.
• Teaching trainees to conduct biomedical research with increasing responsibility and self-direction.
• Supporting trainees participating in activities required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce that are consistent with the trainees’ skills, interests, and values.
• Fulfilling the need of the trainees to complete their  degrees in a timely fashion with the skills, credentials, and experiences to transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce.

Letters of Support

Organizational Support Letter (10-page maximum). The application must include a signed letter on letterhead from a President, Provost, Dean, or similar key leader that describes the activities and resources provided by the organization that will ensure the success of the planned training program and its trainees. If this letter is not included, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. The organizational commitment to the following areas should be described (as applicable):

• Ensuring that trainees and affiliated students in the program are supported financially throughout their time in the graduate program. Indicate if the NRSA stipends (intended to defray living expenses) will be supplemented by organizational funds.
• Providing trainees access to student support services, such as healthcare, counseling, and housing.
• Supporting the PDs/PIs, participating faculty and other key administrative staff associated with the planned training program (for example, salary support, protected time).
• Ensuring sufficient start-up funding to permit early-stage faculty to participate in training, and bridge funding to ensure that training may continue if a mentor experiences a hiatus in funds.
• Fostering and rewarding excellence in training and mentoring (for example, through organizational polices regarding tenure and promotion).
• Supporting the remediation or removal of participating faculty from the program who are poorly performing mentors.
• Supporting the scientific and educational facilities, technology, and curricular components in the proposed research training program (for example, classroom enhancements, funds for course development, accessibility equipment). Expand upon, but do not duplicate information provided in the Facilities and Other Resources attachment.
• Developing and promoting a culture in which the highest standards of safety, scientific rigor, reproducibility, and responsible conduct are advanced.
• Promoting broad participation at all levels of the research training environment (trainees, staff, faculty, and leadership).
• Ensuring a positive, supportive, safe, accessible, and inclusive research and training environment for individuals from all backgrounds. For example, ensuring that the communication and physical spaces are welcoming, comfortable, and safe to use and navigate. 
• Understanding and providing resources to remove barriers and challenges confronting people with disabilities (for example, ableism frameworks, ableist language, lack of accessibility, attitudinal and discriminatory practices) that prevent or impede people with disabilities from entering and succeeding in the scientific workforce.
• Ensuring that proper policies, procedures, and oversight are in place to prevent discriminatory harassment and other discriminatory practices and to appropriately respond to allegations of such discriminatory practices, including providing any required notifications to NIH (for example, requesting a change of PD/PI status; see NOT-OD-22-129).
• Providing resources and expertise for evaluating the training outcomes of the program.
• For organizations that have multiple NIGMS-funded predoctoral training grants, the letter should describe how the programs will collaborate and share resources when appropriate for non-discipline specific activities, and how the training faculty, pool of potential trainees, and resources are sufficiently robust to support the proposed program in addition to existing ones. 

Other Letters of Support. Additional letters of support (for example, from partner organizations) are permitted; however, these letters may not contain any information required in the Organizational Support Letter described above.

Combine all Letters of Support into a single PDF file.

Data Tables  

The application must include the required Training Data Tables for New or Renewal pre-doctoral training applications, except for Table 6A. Applications that do not contain the required tables, or that submit any additional tables in this attachment will be considered noncompliant and may not be reviewed.

Appendix:

Limited items are allowed in the Appendix. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide; any instructions provided here are in addition to the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide instructions.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The National Research Service Award (NRSA) policies apply to this program. An NRSA appointment may not be held concurrently with another Federally sponsored fellowship, traineeship, or similar Federal award that provides a stipend or otherwise duplicates provisions of the NRSA.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Note, however, that pre-award costs are not allowable charges for stipends or tuition/fees on training grants because these costs may not be charged to the grant until a trainee has actually been appointed, and the appropriate paperwork submitted to the NIH awarding component. Any additional costs associated with the decision to allow research elective credit for short-term research training are not allowable charges on a training grant.

NIGMS does not permit automatic carryover of training grant funds from one budget period to the next.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and NIGMS. Applications that are incomplete or non-compliant will not be reviewed.

Applicants Requesting $500,000 or more for direct costs (less consortium F&A) in any year

Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year are not required to contact a Scientific/ Research Contact prior to submitting an application. The Policy on the Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications that Request $500,000 or More in Direct Costs as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is not applicable to this NOFO.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.

Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the proposed integrated training program will prepare physician-scientist leaders for successful, productive scientific research careers that utilize the dual-degree to advance research to meet the health needs of the nation, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed):

• A broad understanding across biomedical disciplines. 
• The skills to independently acquire the knowledge needed to advance their chosen fields and careers. 
• The ability to think critically and identify important biomedical research questions and approaches that push forward the boundaries of their areas of study.
•  A strong foundation in scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative and computational approaches, and data analysis and interpretation. 
• The skills to conduct research in the safest manner possible, and a commitment to approaching and conducting biomedical research responsibly, ethically, and with integrity. 
• Experience initiating, conducting, interpreting, and presenting rigorous and reproducible biomedical research with increasing self-direction. 
• The ability to utilize clinical experience and observations to identify biomedical research questions and to develop impactful research programs that push forward the boundaries of their areas of study. 
• The skills necessary to integrate research and clinical activities and the capacity to translate scientific research findings into clinical practice. 
• The ability and skills to lead changes that promote health equity, reduce health disparities and improve the health of those medically underserved across diseases, disorders, and conditions. 
• The ability to work effectively in teams with colleagues from a variety of cultural and scientific backgrounds, and to promote inclusive and supportive scientific research environments.
• The skills to teach and communicate scientific methodologies and findings to a wide variety of audiences (for example, discipline-specific, across disciplines, and for the public). 
• The knowledge, professional skills and experiences required to identify and transition into careers into careers that utilize the dual-degrees (for example, the breadth of careers that sustain biomedical research in areas that are relevant to the NIH mission).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of the merit of the training program and give a separate score for each. When applicable, the reviewers will consider relevant questions in the context of proposed short-term training. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Applications will be evaluated for merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s), convened by NIGMS in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council. As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

• May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.
• Will receive a written critique.
• Compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. 

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board.

The following will be considered in making funding decisions, consistent with applicable law:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
• Geographic and institutional distribution.

 Please note that the race, ethnicity, or sex of trainee applicants, trainees, or faculty will not be considered in the application review process or when making funding decisions.

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access their Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient’s business official.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this NOFO will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:

• Federal-wide Standard Terms and Conditions for Research Grants
• Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding

If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

If a recipient receives an award, the recipient must follow all applicable nondiscrimination laws. The recipient agrees to this when registering in SAM.gov. The recipient must also submit an Assurance of Compliance (HHS-690). To learn more, see the HHS Office for Civil Rights website.

HHS recognizes that NIH research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this NOFO.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR Part 200.206 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.” This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

Institutional NRSA training grants must be administered in accordance with the current NRSA section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement - Institutional Research Training Grants.

The taxability of stipends is described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Policies regarding the Ruth L. Kirschstein-NRSA payback obligation are explained in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

As specified in the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, Kirschstein-NRSA recipients incur a service payback obligation for the first 12 months of postdoctoral support. Policies regarding the Ruth L. Kirschstein-NRSA payback obligation are explained in the NIH Grants Policy Statement; and more details are in the Frequently Asked Questions. Officials at the recipient institution have the responsibility of explaining the terms of the payback requirements to all prospective trainees before appointment to the training grant. Additionally, all trainees recruited into the training program should be provided with information related to the career options that might be available when they complete the program. The suitability of such career options as methods to satisfy the NRSA service payback obligation should be discussed.

Inventions and Copyrights

Awards made primarily for educational purposes are exempted from the PHS invention requirements and thus invention reporting is not required, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. 

Not Applicable

Consistent with the 2023 NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually. Continuation support will not be provided until the required forms are submitted and accepted.

Failure by the recipient institution to submit required forms in a timely, complete, and accurate manner may result in an expenditure disallowance or a delay in any continuation funding for the award.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 as amended (FFATA), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

The institution must submit a completed Statement of Appointment (PHS Form 2271) for each trainee appointed or reappointed to the training grant for 8 weeks or more. Recipients must submit the PHS 2271 data electronically using the xTrain system. More information on xTrain is available at xTrain (eRA Commons). An appointment or reappointment may begin any time during the budget period, but not before the budget period start date of the grant year.

• Additionally, a completed Payback Agreement Form (PHS Form 6031) must be submitted for each postdoctoral trainee in his or her first 12 months of support.

• A notarized statement verifying possession of permanent residency documentation must be submitted with the Statement of Appointment (PHS Form 2271). Individuals with a Conditional Permanent Resident status must first meet full (non-conditional) Permanent Residency requirements before receiving support.
• Termination Notice: Within 30 days of the end of the total support period, the institution must submit a Termination Notice (PHS Form 416-7) via xTrain for each trainee appointed for eight weeks or more. Trainees with service payback requirements must notify the NIH of any change in address and submit Annual Payback Activities Certification Forms (PHS Form 6031-1) until the payback service obligation is satisfied.

A final RPPR, the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report, and Termination Notices for all Trainees, are required for closeout of an award as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. NIH NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 2 CFR Part 200.301.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at  2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII  and 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 2 CFR Part 200 – Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

In carrying out stewardship of grant programs, NIGMS will periodically evaluate this Research Training Program, employing the representative measures identified below. In assessing the effectiveness of training investments, NIGMS may use information from progress reports and public databases, PD/PIs, and from participants themselves. Where necessary, PDs/PIs and participants may be appropriately contacted after the completion of the grant period for updates on participants’ subsequent outcomes.

NIGMS staff may conduct site visits of funded programs in order to obtain information about the training environment and other specific issues that are not easily assessed through other means.

The overall evaluation of the program will be based on metrics that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Characteristics of the applicant and awardee pool for the program, such as:
  • Organization types represented
  • Geographical distribution of programs
  • Graduate research training areas represented
  • Demographics of trainees
• Indicators of trainees' scientific accomplishments or productivity, such as:
  • Peer-reviewed research publications by trainees
  • Presentations at scientific conferences
  • Professional recognitions
  • Other measures of scholarly productivity such as patents, data sets and computer code deposited, and preprints 
• Measures of trainees' educational outcomes or career progression, such as: 
  • Trainee dual-degree completion rates 
  • Time-to-dual-degree for trainees 
  • Residency fields chosen by trainees 
  • Trainee career outcomes 
  • Persistence of graduates in biomedical research careers

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten on-time submission, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application processes and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-480-7075

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

Miles Fabian, Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: miles.fabian@nih.gov

Andrea Keane-Myers, Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: andrea.keane-myers@nih.gov
 

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: NIGMSReview@mail.nih.gov

Jun Moy
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: jun.moy@nih.gov 

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Section 487 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 288) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR 66.