Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
EXPIRED
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
National Eye Institute (NEI)
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ( NHLBI)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
R16 - Research Excellence Award
See Notices of Special Interest associated with this funding opportunity
PAR-21-227, U24 Resource-Related Research Projects Cooperative Agreements
PAR-21-169 , R16 Research Excellence Award
SuRE is a research capacity building program designed to develop and sustain research excellence in U.S. higher education institutions that receive limited NIH research support and serve students from groups underrepresented in biomedical research (see NOT-OD-20-031) with an emphasis on providing students with research opportunities and enriching the research environment at the applicant institutions.
The purpose of SuRE-First awards is to support research grants for faculty investigators who have not had prior independent external research grants.
Not Applicable
| Application Due Dates | Review and Award Cycles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) | AIDS | Scientific Merit Review | Advisory Council Review | Earliest Start Date |
| September 28, 2021 | September 28, 2021 | January 07, 2022 * | March 2022 | May 2022 | July 2022 |
| September 28, 2022 | September 28, 2022 | January 07, 2023 * | March 2023 | May 2023 | July 2023 |
| September 28, 2023 | September 28, 2023 | January 07, 2024 * | March 2024 | May 2024 | July 2024 |
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on the listed date(s).
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.
Not Applicable
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide,except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ).
Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) 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.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes that scientists and students from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. Benefits of a diverse scientific workforce include fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the research, advancing the likelihood that underserved populations participate in, and benefit from research, and enhancing public trust. Yet many institutions that enroll significant numbers of students from groups underrepresented in science are under-resourced and their faculty receive fewer NIH research grants (Hoppe 2019). There is a pressing need to enhance biomedical research capacity and opportunities for student research at these institutions. The Support of Research Excellence (SuRE) program aims to develop and sustain research excellence at such institutions through supporting investigator-initiated research with strong student participation and providing resources to establish and enhance Offices of Sponsored Programs.
Program Objectives
The SuRE program supports research capacity building at institutions that enroll significant numbers of students from backgrounds nationally underrepresented in biomedical research (see NOT-OD-20-031), award baccalaureate and/or graduate degrees in biomedical sciences, and receive limited NIH Research Project Grant funding. It seeks to develop and sustain research excellence of faculty investigators and provide students with research opportunities while catalyzing institutional research and enriching the research environment. The SuRE program will support investigator-initiated research in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences (collectively termed "biomedical" sciences) that falls in the mission areas of NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. Research activities funded by the SuRE program require participation by students. Two distinct funding opportunity announcements will be utilized to support research projects led by faculty investigators at different career stages. A third SuRE funding opportunity announcement will support a national resource center to provide infrastructure development to SuRE-eligible institutions and application services to faculty investigators.
This funding opportunity announcement funds the SuRE-First award that supports faculty investigators who have not had prior independent external research grants. The SuRE-First Award allows these investigators to develop their independent research programs. A SuRE-First applicant must identify a scientist based in the U.S. with expertise and an extramural funding record in the proposed field of research to serve as a mentor. The mentor may be from the applicant institution or another domestic institution. SuRE-First-supported projects must have student participation in the execution, analysis, and reporting of the research. An applicant institution must demonstrate a commitment to build its research capacity and support the Program Director/Principal Investigator of the award.
Program Considerations
NIMH Area of Interest: The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. NIMH supports research on topics that include basic neuroscience and behavioral science, and translational application of brain and behavior relationships in healthy and diseased states. Applications considered for funding by the NIMH must fall within the areas of priority detailed in the NIMH Strategic Plan and the NIMH Strategic Research Priorities. It is recommended that investigators contact NIMH Scientific/Research staff well in advance of submitting applications to discuss the match to NIMH priorities.
SuRE-First investigator-initiated research projects must fall within the scope of the NIH mission or they will be withdrawn prior to review. More complete information about the mission of each NIH IC can be found at http://www.nih.gov/icd. Applicants are encouraged to contact the NIH IC scientific representative listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts that best aligns with their proposed research. For ICs not listed, contact the NIGMS representative.
NIA will accept applications for research projects in areas within the Institute's mission that includes genetic, biological, behavior, social, and economic research on aging. In addition, NIA encourages applications on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD Related Dementias (ADRD). The NIA website (https://www.nia.nih.gov/) provides additional information about the Institute mission and areas of research interest. For additional scientific program information and for pre-application guidance, a potential applicant is encouraged to contact the NIA Program Director whose portfolio covers the scientific topic of interest.
NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases, with the goal of developing new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies. Research areas include microbiology and infectious diseases, AIDS and AIDS-related research, immunology, allergy, transplantation, and biodefense: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/role.
NIDCD is interested in supporting applications that propose research projects in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. Applicants are strongly encouraged to learn more about NIDCD research areas at https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/extramural.
NIAAA supports basic, translational, and clinical research on the causes, consequences, prevention, diagnosis, progression, and treatment of alcohol-related problems across the lifespan. NIAAA encourages meritorious alcohol research projects in the broad areas of neuroscience and behavior, organ damage and other health effects, epidemiology and prevention, and treatment and recovery. NIAAA also encourages meritorious research projects on alcohol-related topics of relevance to understanding and addressing minority health and health disparities and that focus on the training of a diverse research workforce. More information about NIAAA’s mission and research priorities is available in the NIAAA Strategic Plan at https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/strategic-plan. For specific programmatic questions, please contact the NIAAA point of contact as listed in this FOA.
NINDS will support applications that address or seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system by supporting and conducting research on the healthy and diseased brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS also encourages activities focused on understanding and addressing disparities in neurologic health, healthcare, and health outcomes in disparate populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, the geographically disadvantaged, sex and gender minorities, and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent inequality and socioeconomic disadvantage. NINDS supports basic, translational, and clinical research: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Current-Research/Research-Funded-NINDS.
NICHD supports research and training in areas relevant to NICHD’s mission, including normal and abnormal human development; male and female fertility and infertility; developing and evaluating contraceptive methods; pregnancy and childbirth; prenatal and postnatal development; childhood development and behavior through adolescence; improving the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals for use in pregnant women, infants, and children; HIV infection and transmission, AIDS, and associated infections in infants, children and adolescents and among pregnant and lactating women; pediatric growth and endocrine research; developmental biology and typical and atypical development; intellectual and developmental disabilities; reproductive biology and medicine; gynecologic health conditions, including pelvic floor disorders; childhood injury and critical illness; population dynamics; and medical rehabilitation. More detailed information and Program Staff contacts may be found at:https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/der/branches.
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) supports research that builds the scientific foundation for nursing practice and policy across clinical and community settings, and advances the prevention, detection, and management of disease and disability. Drawing on nursing’s holistic perspective, NINR funds basic, clinical, population, and translational research that integrates factors at multiple levels to identify their role in health, health improvement and health inequities. NINR promotes research that improves the health of individuals, families, and populations in a variety of settings, translating science in order to maximize the impact of findings on practice and policy.
The National Eye Institute (www.nei.nih.gov) supports basic science and clinical research into diseases and disorders of the visual system and the special needs of patients with blindness or low vision. For the purposes of this initiative, we are particularly interested in research of improved methods for delivering vision care and rehabilitation in underserved populations including those in urban and rural settings. Research topics may include but are not limited to telemedicine, screening and automated diagnosis, medication compliance, quality of life, and rehabilitation strategies for those with vision loss.
For general programmatic questions, inquiries should be directed to the NIGMS representative.
See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.
Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.
The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this FOA.
Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials.
Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?
The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Applications may request up to $125,000 direct costs/year.
The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum period of support is 4 years.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.
Higher Education Institutions
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
This funding opportunity announcement is open to all institutions of higher education that:
1) award undergraduate (B.S. or B.A.) and/or graduate degrees in biomedical sciences; and
2) at the time of the application, have received no more than $6 million dollars per year (total costs) from NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs) in each of the preceding two fiscal years, calculated using NIH RePORTER; and
3) enroll at least 25% of undergraduate students supported by Pell grants based on the most recent two years of data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics, or are an accredited medical/health professional school with a historical mission statement that explicitly states that it was founded to educate students from nationally underrepresented backgrounds.
The application must be submitted by the eligible organization with a unique entity identifier (UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number. For institutions with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for each individual campus (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) only if a UEI and a unique NIH eRA IPF number are established for each campus. For institutions that use one iUEI or NIH IPF number for all campuses, eligibility is determined for all campuses (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) together.
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.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
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, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
Since the SuRE-First Award is structured to best support a single PD/PI, multiple PD(s)/PI(s) are not allowed. PD(s)/PI(s) with similar or complementary research interests may apply separately.
A PD/PI must have a full-time tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty appointment at the applicant institution and be eligible to apply for NIH research project grants. Postdoctoral fellows, part-time or adjunct faculty, emeritus/retired investigators/professors, and individuals on appointments contingent on securing his/her salary from grants are not eligible to apply.
Eligibility is limited to applicants who, at the time of submission, have not been or are not the PD/PI of any NIH SC1, SC2, or SC3 grant or any peer-reviewed, externally funded federal or non-federal research award. Research project grants that name the SuRE-First applicant as a co-investigator, project leader, collaborator, consultant, or to a position other than PD/PI do not disqualify an applicant from applying for SuRE-First support. An applicant who is the PD/PI of a career development grant is eligible to apply, if allowable by the terms and conditions of the award.
The applicant must commit a minimum 6 person-months per year to conduct the proposed research. The SuRE-First Award is not renewable. The SuRE-First Award cannot be transferred from one institution to another. Transfer of the award to another PD/PI in the same institution is allowable only under extremely unusual circumstances and requires prior NIH approval. A PD/PI may hold only one SuRE, SuRE-First, or SCORE Award at any time. Concurrent or duplicate applications to the SuRE-First and SuRE Awards are not allowed.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.
The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:
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 FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.
Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H and subsequent application forms packages. For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.
The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Other Attachments: The application must include four attachments titled A) "Institutional Letter Strategic Plan for Building Research Capacity and Research Excellence , B) "Institutional Letter Support for the PD/PI’s Research Career Development", C) "PD/PI's Research Enhancement Plan" and D) Prior, Current and Pending Support. Applications missing any of the four attachments will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
A) Institutional Letter Strategic Plan for Building Research Capacity and Research Excellence:
A letter from the Provost, the President, the Vice-President for Research or equivalent senior institutional official that describes the institution’s strategic plan for the development of research capacity and research excellence is required. The letter should address the institution’s vision and commitment to develop and sustain an environment that enables and rewards research and how this supports the educational mission of the institution.
B) Institutional Letter - Support for the PD/PI’s Research Career Development:
A letter from the Department Chair or Dean confirming that the time and effort requested by the applicant (a minimum of 6 person-months per year) for the proposed project will be provided. The letter must affirm that the applicant has not been the PD/PI of a peer-reviewed, externally funded research grant from any federal or non-federal source. Additional institutional support to the PD/PI, including mentoring, may also be described.
C) PD/PI's Research Enhancement Plan:
The Plan must describe in detail the PD/PI's objectives for career enhancement and explain how SuRE-First support will allow the PD/PI to improve research productivity and establish an independent research program. The Plan should explain how the proposed project, the PD/PI's time devoted to it (i.e., 6 person-months per year), and the participation of the mentor(s) and any collaborators/consultants (if applicable) will help the PD/PI to gather preliminary data, increase research productivity, and compete for future research grants. The Plan should describe the mentor’s research qualifications and track record of mentoring experience, the mentor's role in the proposed project and the areas in which the mentor will assist with the PD/PI's scientific and career development. The Plan should include specific milestones and a detailed timeline for research progress, publications and grant submissions that will lead to research excellence.
D) Prior, Current and Pending Support:
The application must include the following information about the applicant’s prior, current and pending support for both research grants and non-research grants including: fellowship, career development, and institutional support, and research grants and contracts for which the applicant made significant contributions but was not the PD/PI.
Facilities & Other Resources:
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
It is expected that the research will be directed by the PD/PI and the majority of experiments will be conducted at the applicant institution. Limited use of special facilities or equipment at another institution is permitted but should be well-justified. For any proposed research facilities or equipment at a site(s) other than the applicant institution, provide a description of the resource(s) and describe the PD/PI’s access to these resources.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
The mentor should be identified as senior/key personnel even if they are not committing any specified measurable effort to the proposed project. Enter Other Professional for the Project Role field and enter Mentor in the Other Project Role Category field.
Biographical Sketch: The Personal Statement of the PD/PI’s biosketch should include a summary of prior and current experience supervising students in research. Publications should indicate with an asterisk the names of any student authors who were directly supervised by the PD/PI.
R&R Budget
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
The Budget Justification must state that the PD/PI will devote at least 6 person-months effort per year (typically 4.5 person-months during the academic year and 1.5 person-months during the summer) to the SuRE-First research project.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Other Plan(s):
Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H and subsequent application forms packages. For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.
All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Research Strategy: The application should include a detailed strategy that describes experimental approach(es) and expected/alternative outcomes for the proposed studies. Preliminary data are not required; rather, the approach should be made compelling primarily by the logic of the arguments presented and reference to the published literature. The Research Strategy must include a separate section entitled "Student Involvement Plan" that describes how students will be involved and supervised in conducting hands-on, rigorous research, including their participation in the execution, analysis, and reporting of the research. This section should also include a plan to recruit students from diverse backgrounds, including those under-represented in biomedical research (see NOT-OD-20-031), to participate in the proposed research. Formal training plans (e.g., non-research activities, didactic training, seminars) should not be provided.
Letters of Support: A signed letter from the mentor is required. The letter should include a detailed plan that describes the nature and frequency of interactions with the SuRE-First PD/PI and how progress toward specified milestones will be evaluated, especially the transition to other sources of research funding.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
When involving human subjects research and/or clinical research, follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:
If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.
Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
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
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.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
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 Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. 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. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number 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 and/or non-compliant will not be reviewed.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy.
Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS) as part of the Resource Sharing Plan will not be evaluated at time of review.
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.
For this particular announcement, note the following:
The SuRE-First Award provides support for meritorious research to faculty investigators who have not had prior independent external research grants and who are at institutions with limited NIH Research Project Grant funding and educate significant numbers of students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences. Additional objectives are to provide students opportunities to participate in high-quality biomedical research and to strengthen the research capacity of these institutions.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project rigorous? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
Will successful completion of the proposed research objectives allow the PD/PI to enhance his/her research productivity and compete for other types of research support? Will this project provide students with high-quality research experience in the execution, analysis, and reporting of the study? Does the applicant institution present a credible plan to build its research capacity?
Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or those in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?
Does the description of the proposed work indicate that the majority of the research will be directed by the PD/PI and conducted at the grantee institution? Does the PD/PI’s Research Enhancement Plan present reasonable research and career objectives, and an appropriate timeline to achieve them? Does the mentor have a track record of success advising research scientists in obtaining external support and management of an independent research laboratory? Do the mentor’s credentials, role on the project, and commitment to mentoring the PD/PI provide convincing evidence that the relationship will foster the applicant's scientific and professional development? Do the proposed project and applicant’s research training/background render confidence that the applicant will improve his/her ability to obtain future research support? Does the applicant have appropriate experience in supervising and engaging students in research?
Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?
If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?
Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?
Does the PD/PI have sufficient time and institutional support to conduct the proposed research? Is the applicant institution making a credible effort to build its research capacity and culture and to integrate its teaching and research efforts?
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.
Protections for Human Subjects
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Individuals Across the Lifespan
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.
Vertebrate Animals
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
Biohazards
Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Resubmissions
For Resubmissions, the committee will evaluate the application as now presented, taking into consideration the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group and changes made to the project.
Renewals
Not Applicable
Revisions
Not Applicable
Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS) as part of the Resource Sharing Plan will not be evaluated at time of review.
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 from Foreign Organizations
Not Applicable
Select Agent Research
Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).
Resource Sharing Plans
Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: (1) Data Sharing Plan; (2) Sharing Model Organisms; and (3) Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS).
Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources:
For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.
Budget and Period of Support
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s), 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.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.
Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.
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 submitted in response to this FOA. 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:
Upon receipt, applications that fall in the mission areas of all NIH ICs except NIAID will be assigned to NIGMS. All applications in the mission of NIAID, including AIDS and AIDS-related applications, will be assigned to NIAID.
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
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.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. 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 FOA 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.
Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the awardee must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.
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. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, religion, conscience, and sex. This includes ensuring programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html.
HHS recognizes that 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 FOA.
Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.
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 45 CFR Part 75.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
Not Applicable
Data Management and Sharing
Note: The NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing is effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023.
Consistent with the 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.
PD/PI is required to report information on students participating in the project in section D. Participants of the RPPR, to report publications co-authored by students and students educational and career outcomes (e.g., degree completion, subsequent employment or degrees sought).
A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees 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.
In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75, 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 45 CFR Part 75 Award Term and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
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 submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (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: [email protected]
Brittany Haynes, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-496-2767
Email: [email protected]
Patrick Still, Ph.D.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Telephone: 301-682-1895
Email: [email protected]
Irina N. Krasnova, Ph.D
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: [email protected]
Dave Gutekunst, Ph.D.
National Institute Of Biomedical Imaging And Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Phone: 301-402-5069
Email: [email protected]
Ivana Grakalic, Ph.D.
National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Phone: (301) 443-7600
Email: [email protected]
Mariela Shirley, Ph.D.
National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Phone: (301) 402-9389
Email: [email protected]
Lauren Ullrich, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Phone: (301) 451-7964
E-mail: [email protected]
Amanda Alise Price, Ph.D.
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Telephone: 301-827-8391
Email: [email protected]
Toccara Chamberlain
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Phone: 984-287-4482
E-mail: [email protected]
Aria Davis Crump, Sc.D.
National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: (301)-435-0881
Email: [email protected]
Diane Adger-Johnson, MPH
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Phone: 301-594-5945
Email: [email protected]
Lisa H. Chadwick, Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Phone: (301) 435-7275
Email: [email protected]
Cheri Wiggs, Ph.D.
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Phone: (301) 451-2020
Email: [email protected]
Lillian Shum, PhD
National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Phone: (301) 594-0618
E-mail: [email protected]
Alberto L. Rivera-Rentas, Ph.D.
National Institute On Deafness And Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Phone: (301) 496-1804
Email: [email protected]
Laritza M. Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-5969
Email: [email protected]
Fernando P. Bruno, MD, MPH
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-496-0886
Email: [email protected]
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: [email protected]
Rita Sisco
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-2805
Email: [email protected]
Arina Kramer
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: [email protected]
Tommy Gunter
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Telephone: 301-451-3447
Email: [email protected]
James E Huff
National Institute Of Biomedical Imaging And Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Phone: (301) 451-4786
Email: [email protected]
Judy Fox
National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Phone: (301) 443-4704
Email: [email protected]
Ronald Wertz
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Telephone: 301-594-2807
Email: [email protected]
Jenny L Greer
National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Phone: 984-287-3332
E-mail: [email protected]
Margaret Young
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: (301) 642-4552
Email: [email protected]
Pamela G Fleming
National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: (301) 480-1159
Email: [email protected]
Ann W. Devine
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Phone: (240) 669-2988
Email: [email protected]
Monika Christman
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Phone: (301) 435-7860
Email: [email protected]
Karen Robinsonsmith
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Phone: (301) 451-2020
Email: [email protected]
Diana Rutberg, MBA
National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Phone: (301) 594-4798
E-mail: [email protected]
Christopher Myers
National Institute On Deafness And Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Phone: (301) 435-0713
Email: [email protected]
Crystal Wolfrey
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6277
Email: [email protected]
Anthony Agresti
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0513
Email: [email protected]
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 Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75.