NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARD - SENIOR FELLOWSHIPS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 23, Number 20, May 27, 1994



PA NUMBER:  PAR-94-069



P.T. 22



Keywords:

  Oral Diseases 

  Biomedical Research Training 



National Institute of Dental Research



PURPOSE



The National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) invites applications

for National Research Service Award (NRSA), Senior Fellowships (F33).

The objective is to provide mentored research training for

experienced scientists, committed to broadening their scientific

background by acquiring new oral health research capabilities, to

make major changes in the direction of their research careers.  These

fellowships enable such scientists to take time from regular

professional responsibilities for the purpose of receiving training

to increase their ability to engage in oral health research. They are

not intended for investigators to prove their research potential.



The training and research must be relevant to the goals of the NIDR

including: research on the causes, epidemiology, prevention,

diagnosis and treatment of dental caries, periodontal and soft tissue

diseases, oral cancer, oral manifestations of AIDS, and craniofacial

anomalies; orofacial pain; temporomandibular disorders; structure and

function of teeth, jaws, oral mucosa, bone, connective tissue,

salivary glands; behavioral, social, economic and cultural factors

related to oral diseases and disorders; biomaterials; fluoride and

nutrition; and research on older Americans, gender differences,

minorities, those with medical problems and handicaps, and

individuals and groups at high-risk for oral health problems.



HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000



The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health

promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000,"

a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This Program

Announcement (PA), NRSA - Senior Fellowship Applications, is related

to the priority area of oral health.  Potential applicants may obtain

a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report:  Stock No.

017-001-00474-0) or "Healthy People 2000" (Summary Report:  Stock No.

017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government

Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202/783-3238).



ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS



Applications may be submitted by domestic, public, and private

institutions such as dental schools, dental research institutions,

and universities, on behalf of applicants.  Applicants must have

received a Ph.D., D.D.S., D.M.D., or equivalent degree from an

accredited domestic or foreign institution and must have had at least

seven subsequent years of relevant research experience.  Applications

from minorities and women are encouraged.



Applicants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United

States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e.,

in possession of the Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551 or I-151)

at the time of appointment.  Individuals on temporary or student

visas are not eligible.  Non-citizen nationals, although not citizens

of the United States, owe permanent allegiance to the U.S.  They are

generally born in lands that are not states but are under U.S.

sovereignty, jurisdiction, or administration.  Dentists on temporary

or student visas are not eligible.



MECHANISM OF SUPPORT



Awards in response to this PA will be the National Institutes of

Health (NIH), NRSA Senior Fellowship (F33).  Responsibility for the

planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be

solely that of the applicant and sponsor.



RESEARCH OBJECTIVES



Background



Rapid advances in all aspects of oral health research and the

increasingly sophisticated technology required for investigators to

maintain the pace of research may lead to obsolescence of their

skills.  The half-life of principal investigators supported by the

NIH decreased progressively from approximately 12 years in 1970 to

five years by the mid-nineteen eighties.  The number of research

grant applications submitted to the NIH by the 35 to 45 year old age

group was twice that of the 46 to 55 year old group and the 34 years

and younger group, while the success rates in obtaining funding were

similar.  The more mature investigators may go on to productive

careers in some other segment of the academic, government, or

industrial communities, but the relatively brief research careers of

these highly trained individuals represents a major loss to the

research enterprise.



Most attempts to maintain a large enough pool of active investigators

have concentrated on attracting and training young people.

Retraining of proven productive investigators to enable them to

continue as actively contributing members of the research community

can be a highly efficient way to maintain the competence of the

research labor force.  The Senior Fellowship, frequently used in

conjunction with sabbatical support from the home institution,

provides a viable mechanism to enable faculty or staff to refurbish

their skills and continue productively for the full duration of their

careers.



Program Characteristics



The training program must provide opportunities for an established

investigator to carry out mentored biomedical or behavioral oral

health research, expand the fellow's knowledge, and develop new

research skills.



Before submitting an application, an individual must arrange for

acceptance by an institution and sponsor, who will serve as a mentor.

The institutional setting may be a non-profit or public institution,

including a federal laboratory.  Individuals requesting foreign

training must provide justification based on the nature of the

facilities and or training opportunity, and of the unique aspects of

the foreign, rather than domestic, site for the proposed research.

Only in cases where there are clear scientific advantages will

foreign training be supported.



The total support period may not exceed two years; awards are not

renewable.  No individual may receive more than three years of

aggregate postdoctoral NRSA support, including any combination of

individual and institutional awards, without a waiver from the NIH.

Where needed, the application should be accompanied by a letter

requesting a waiver of the three-year limit.  The proposed training

must be full-time and include research under a mentor who is an

established investigator.  The award may not be used to support

studies leading to a D.D.S. or other similar professional degrees or

to support residencies or other postgraduate training providing

health care directly to patients, where the majority of time is spent

in non-research clinical training.



Stipends and Other Training Costs



For senior fellows, the stipend is determined individually at the

time of appointment.  The amount of the stipend shall be based on the

salary or remuneration which the individual would have been paid on

the date of the award from their home institutions, but in no case

shall the NIDR stipend exceed $32,300 per year, prorated on a monthly

basis for less than 12-month awards.



The stipend is not provided as a condition of employment by either

the Federal Government or the institution.  Fringe benefits are not

provided by this award.  No allowance will be provided for dependents

or for an individual's travel to a domestic training site.

Individuals affiliating with foreign sponsoring institutions will be

provided a single economy or coach round-trip fare to the training

site.  U.S. flag air carriers must be used to the maximum extent

possible when commercial air transportation is the means of travel

between the United States and a foreign country or between foreign

countries.



The Tax Reform Act of 1986, Public Law 99-514, impacts on the tax

liability of all individuals supported under the NRSA program.

Senior fellows will be required to report stipends and all monies

paid on their behalf for tuition and fees.  The NIH is not in a

position to advise fellows or institutions about their tax liability.

Changes in the taxability of stipends in no way alters the

relationship between NRSA fellows and institutions.  NRSA stipends

are not now, and never have been, salaries.  Fellows supported under

the NRSA are not in an employer-employee relationship with the NIH or

the institution at which they are pursuing research training.



Stipends may be supplemented by an institution from non-Federal

funds. Other NIH funds may not be used to supplement stipends.

Non-NIH Federal funds may not be used for stipend supplementation

unless specifically authorized under the terms of the program from

which the supplemental funds are derived.  An individual may make use

of Federal educational loan funds or Department of Veterans' Affairs

benefits when permitted by those programs.  Under no circumstance may

the condition of stipend supplementation detract from or prolong the

training.



The NIDR will provide funds of up to $3,000 per 12-month period to

nonfederal sponsoring institutions to help defray awardee expenses

such as tuition and fees, individual health insurance, research

supplies, equipment, travel to scientific meetings and related items.

An allowance of up to $2,000 is available for individuals sponsored

by federal laboratories for scientific meeting travel expenses,

individual health insurance, and tuition and fees.  For award periods

of less than 12 months, these allowances will be prorated on a

monthly basis.



Payback Provisions



Senior fellows must sign an agreement to fulfill NRSA payback

requirements.  They incur payback obligation for the first twelve

months of support.  This obligation will be satisfied by continuing

on the fellowship for an additional 12 months.  For payback

obligations that are not satisfied in this way, fellows must engage

in biomedical or health-related behavioral research and or teaching

for a period equal to the period of support up to 12 months.  The

obligated service must be undertaken continuously within two years

after termination of support.  Individuals who fail to fulfill the

obligation through service must pay back the total amount of funds

paid to the individual for the obligation period plus interest at a

rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.  Financial payback

must be completed within three years of the date the United States

becomes entitled to recover such amount.



Under certain conditions, the Secretary of Health and Human Services

may extend the period for starting service or for repayment, permit

breaks in the period of service or repayment, or otherwise waive or

suspend the payback obligation of an individual.



Officials of the applicant organization should familiarize themselves

with the terms of the payback service requirement and explain them

carefully to prospective fellows before an appointment is offered.

For additional information, including the grounds for approving

extensions of support and payback provisions, refer to the

announcements in the NIH Guide, "National Research Service Awards -

Guidelines for Individual Awards - Institutional Grants," Special

Edition, Volume 13, No. 1, January 6, 1984, and "Modification of the

NRSA Service Payback Obligation," Volume 22, No. 27, July 30, 1993.



APPLICATION PROCEDURES



It is strongly recommended that prospective applicants contact Dr.

Thomas M. Valega, at the address listed under INQUIRIES, early in the

planning phase of application preparation.  This will help ensure

that applications are responsive to the PA.  Applicants must allow at

least eight months between the submission date and the date of an

award.



Applications must be submitted on form PHS 416-1 (rev. 10/91) and

received by the established receipt dates:  August 5, December 5, and

April 5.  Application forms are available at most institutional

offices of sponsored research; from the Office of Grants Information,

Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 5333

Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone (301)

710-0267; and from Dr. Valega at the address listed under INQUIRIES.



The applicant must provide information establishing a serious,

continued commitment to oral health research, summarize career

objectives, and explain how the award would contribute to their

attainment.  Applications for NRSA (F33) awards must include three

sealed letters of reference, addressing the applicant's potential for

continuing a productive research career, attached to the face page of

the original application.  NRSA (F33) applications submitted without

the required number of reference letters will be considered

incomplete and will be returned without review.



To identify the application as a response to this PA, check "YES" on

item 2a of page 1 of the application and enter "PAR-94-069, NRSA -

Senior Fellowship."



Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including

the Checklist, three signed, photocopies, and the letters of

recommendation, in one package to:



Division of Research Grants

National Institutes of Health

Westwood Building, Room 240

Bethesda, MD  20892-4500**



The Division of Research Grants (DRG) will not accept any application

in response to this announcement that is essentially the same as one

currently pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the

pending application.  The DRG will not accept any application that is

essentially the same as one already reviewed.  This does not preclude

the submission of substantial revisions of applications already

reviewed, but such applications must include an introduction

addressing the previous critique.



REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS



Applications will be reviewed for completeness by DRG staff.

Incomplete or applications will be returned to the applicant without

further consideration.  The review criteria outlined in form PHS

416-1 will be applied.  They focus on the applicant's qualifications

and commitment to continuing a career in oral health research, the

research proposal, resources including the sponsor, and the training

environment.  Secondary review of applications assigned to the NIDR

will be by the NIDR Extramural Staff Review Committee.



AWARD CRITERIA



For applications assigned to the NIDR, staff will notify the

applicant of the Extramural Staff Review Committee's action shortly

after its meeting.  Funding decisions will be made based on the

Committees' recommendations; the need for research personnel in

particular program areas; and the availability of funds.



The NIDR appreciates the value of complementary funding from other

public and private sources, including foundations and industrial

concerns, for activities that will complement and expand those

supported by the NIDR.



INQUIRIES



Written and telephone inquiries concerning this PA are encouraged.

The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential

applicants is welcome.



Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues and address letter of

intent to:



Thomas M. Valega, Ph.D.

Extramural Program

National Institute of Dental Research

Westwood Building, Room 503

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 594-7617

FAX:  (301) 594-7616



Direct inquiries pertaining to fiscal matters to:



Theresa Ringler

Extramural Program

National Institute of Dental Research

Westwood Building, Room 510

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 594-7629



AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS



NRSA Senior Fellowships are made under the authority of Section 487

of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act as amended (42 USC 288). Title

42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 66, is applicable to this

program.  This program is also described in the Catalog of Federal

Domestic Assistance No. 93.121. This program is not subject to the

intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or

Health Systems Agency review.



.

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