NIDDK SHORT-TERM EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR MINORITY STUDENTS (R25)
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2003
RFA: DK-03-014 (This RFA has been modified, see RFA-DK-06-008)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
(http://www.niddk.nih.gov/)
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER(S):
93.847 (DEM), 93.848 (DDN), and 93.849 (KUH) NIDDK
LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE: April 16, 2003
APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: May 14, 2003
THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support
o Funds Available
o Eligible Institutions
o Eligible Program Directors
o Trainee Eligibility Requirements
o Special Requirements
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Letter of Intent
o Submitting an Application
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations
PURPOSE OF THIS RFA
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Short-Term Education Program for Minority Students is designed to provide
short-term research education for underrepresented minority high school
and/or undergraduate students to expose them to research in the areas of
diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and digestive,
liver, urologic, kidney, and hematologic diseases. By providing an early
research experience it is hoped that many of these students will pursue a
career in biomedical research. Underrepresented minority and ethnic groups
include Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and
Pacific Islanders, and other racial and ethnic groups determined by the
institution to be underrepresented in the health-related sciences.
The grant provides support for two to three consecutive months of research
training in the laboratories of experienced investigators as well as the
opportunity to participate in research forums, guest lectures, student
presentations, special courses, and social activities. The awards are
intended for any institution that has access to highly motivated minority
high school and/or undergraduate students. The institution may design a
program specifically for high school students, undergraduate students, or
both.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
There is a need for programs designed to increase the number of minority
students in the pipeline for biomedical research careers. The scientific
community is interested in attracting qualified minority students into
research careers, but few minority students opt for science degrees and
research careers, and fewer minority graduates of health professional schools
pursue research careers. The shortage of qualified minority investigators in
academic research positions exacerbates the situation since this means there
are few visible role models for students. One way to address this problem is
to expose minority students to research opportunities early in their
education and to provide them with research training opportunities to develop
both their research capabilities and their interest in pursuing a career in
research.
The NIDDK Short-Term Education Program for Minority Students is intended to
offer research-education opportunities for minority students in an effort to
encourage them to pursue a research career in an area of science relevant to
the interests of the NIDDK. NIDDK supports research in the areas of
diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and digestive,
liver, urologic, kidney, and hematologic diseases and recognizes the need for
a diverse workforce, representative of the population, to pursue this
research.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This RFA will use the Educational Research Project Grant (R25) award
mechanism. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the
proposed education project will be solely that of the applicant. The total
project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not
exceed five years. Funding beyond the first year of the grant is contingent
upon satisfactory progress during the preceding year and availability of
funds. The anticipated award date is September 30, 2003.
This RFA uses just-in-time concepts. This program does not require cost
sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement at
https://grants.nih.gov/archive/grants/policy/nihgps_2001/part_i_1.htm.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
The NIDDK intends to commit $200,000 in FY 2003 to fund 3-5 grants in
response to this RFA. An applicant may request a project period of up to 5
years and a budget for direct costs of up to $40,000 per year. Although the
financial plans of the NIDDK provides support for this program, awards
pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the availability of funds and the
receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. It is not known,
at this time, if this RFA will be reissued.
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS
You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution has any of the
following characteristics:
o For-profit or non-profit organizations
o Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals,
and laboratories
o Units of State and local governments
o Eligible agencies of the Federal government
o Domestic or foreign
Only one application per health professional school may be submitted in
response to this solicitation. Although an institution may have more than
one NIDDK Short-Term Education Program for Minority Students, they may not be
in the same school. The applicant institution must have the available
research facilities, personnel, and support for the program in the areas of
diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and digestive,
liver, urologic, kidney, and hematologic diseases.
Minority institutions with adequate staff and resources in these areas are
encouraged to apply. These grants will support short-term research education
experiences for a duration of two to three consecutive months for minority
high school and/or undergraduate students. The grantee institution will
determine which racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in biomedical
or behavioral research and will be responsible for the selection and
appointment of trainees.
ELIGIBLE PROGRAM DIRECTORS
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to
initiate and carry out the proposed education program is invited to work with
their colleagues and their institution to develop an application for support.
Individuals from racial/ethnic minority groups, women, and persons with
disabilities are encouraged to apply as Principal Investigators.
TRAINEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
High school students (who will have completed the 10th grade) and
undergraduate students who will have completed at least one year at an
accredited school or university (including baccalaureate schools of nursing)
at the time their research experience would begin, and who are in good
academic standing at their school, are eligible to participate in the
program. Institutions must adhere strictly to these requirements when
selecting trainees. These grants are intended to introduce students to
research that would not otherwise be available to them through their regular
course of studies.
Trainees appointed to this program must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen
nationals, or legal permanent residents (i.e., in possession of the Alien
Registration Receipt Card or other legal verification of such status). Non-
citizen nationals are generally persons born in possessions of the United
States (i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island). Individuals on temporary or
student visas and individuals holding Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M. or equivalent
doctoral degrees in the health sciences are not eligible.
Trainees appointed to the program may be from the applicant institution or
from other institutions, schools, colleges, or universities where such
training experiences are not available. The only requirement for student
selection is that the trainees fulfill the eligibility requirements stated
above.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Provisions of the Award
Institutions may request support for at least 3, but not more than 10
trainees, per budget period, based on a full-time three-month appointment. A
trainee must be appointed for a minimum of 8 weeks, and up to a maximum of
twelve weeks during a single budget period. Institutions are encouraged to
appoint a trainee for more than one budget period, i.e., two or more
successive summer research experiences. A student may be appointed, in
special circumstances, to more than one 3-month period during a budget period
provided prior approval is obtained from the staff of the NIDDK. All
research training must be full-time during the specific sequence. It is
expected that most programs will be designed to provide a summer research
experience, but other innovative program designs and time schedules will be
considered. The requested number of short-term trainees must be justified in
the application.
Funds may be requested for:
o Stipends - The grantee institution must set the stipend level of the
students appointed to the program and must justify the stipend level in the
budget section of the application.
o Education-related Expenses - Up to $183 per month per trainee may be
requested yearly; and may be used for faculty, laboratory and secretarial
assistance; supplies and equipment; consultant costs; and tuition and fees.
o Travel Expenses - The institution may request up to $1000 per year per
trainee to cover the cost of travel to support an educational experience away
from the grantee institution or to a scientific meeting. In cases of
extreme hardship, a one-way travel allowance will be provided for travel
between the trainee's residence and the education institution. Travel
requests will be subject to the Initial Review Group (IRG) and NIDDK review.
Applicants may share travel costs among trainees so that the $1000 allotted
for a local trainee may be reprogrammed to trainees needing higher cost
reimbursement.
Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research: The application must
include a description of plans to provide instruction in the responsible
conduct of research (RCR). The Public Health Service policy on RCR
(http://ori.hhs.gov/policies/RCR_Policy.shtml#rcr) describes nine core
instructional areas that comprise RCR: data acquisition, management,
sharing, and ownership; mentor/trainee responsibilities; publication
practices and responsible authorship; peer review; collaborative science;
human subjects; research involving animals; research misconduct; and conflict
of interest and commitment. Plans for RCR training must describe the
proposed subject matter, format, frequency and duration of instruction. No
award will be made if an application lacks this component. See the NIH
website http://www.nih.gov/sigs/bioethics for resources and information on
this topic.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES
We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity to
answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three
areas: scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants management
issues:
o Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to:
Lawrence Agodoa, M.D.
Director, Office of Minority Health Research Coordination
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Institutes of Health
6707 Democracy Blvd, Room 653
Bethesda, MD 20892-5454
Telephone: (301) 594-1932
FAX: (301) 594-9358
E-mail: la21j@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about peer review issues to:
Francisco O. Calvo, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 752
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
Telephone: (301) 594-8897
FAX: (301) 480-3505
E-mail: fc15y@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:
Mr. George Tucker
Deputy Chief Grants Management Officer
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 718
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 594-8853
FAX: (301) 480-3504
Email: Tuckerg@extra.niddk.nih.gov
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes
the following information:
o a descriptive title of the proposed program
o the name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator
o the names of other key personnel
o participating institutions
o number and title of this RFA.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not
enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it
contains allows NIDDK staff to estimate the potential review workload and
plan the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent by April 16, 2003 to:
Francisco O. Calvo, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 752
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
(Courier use Zip 20817)
Telephone: (301) 594-8897
FAX: (301) 480-3505
E-mail: fc15y@nih.gov
SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application
instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). The PHS 398 is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive
format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267,
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
USING THE RFA LABEL: The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001)
application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the
application. In addition, the RFA title (NIDDK Short-term Education Program
for Minority Students) and the number RFA-DK-03-014 must be typed on line 2
of the face page of the application form, and the Yes box marked. Failure to
use this label could result in delayed processing of the application such
that it may not reach the review committee in time for review. In addition,
the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the
application form and the YES box must be marked. The RFA label is also
available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.
SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten original of
the application, including the Checklist, and three signed photocopies, in
one package to:
CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
At the time of submission, two (2) additional copies of the application and
all appendices must be sent to:
Francisco O. Calvo, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 752
Bethesda, MD 20892-5452
(Courier use Zip 20817)
Telephone: (301) 594-8897
FAX: (301) 480-3505
E-mail: fc15y@nih.gov
APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received on or before the
application receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA. If an
application is received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant
without review.
Although there is no immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of an
application, applicants are generally notified of the review and funding
assignment within 8 weeks.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.
However, when a previously unfunded application, originally submitted as an
investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to an RFA,
it is to be prepared as a NEW application. That is the application for the
RFA must not include an Introduction describing the changes and improvements
made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes. While the
investigator may still benefit from the previous review, the RFA application
is not to state explicitly how.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and
responsiveness by the NIDDK. Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications
will be returned to the applicant without further consideration.
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated
for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group
convened by the Review Branch, Division of Extramural Activities, National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in accordance
with the review criteria stated below. As part of the initial merit review,
all applications will:
o receive a written critique
o undergo a process in which all applications will be discussed and assigned
a priority score,
o receive a second level review by the National Diabetes, and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases Advisory Council.
Review Considerations
The application should provide a summary of the training program including
its objectives, the types of research activities available, the faculty who
will participate, the schools, universities, and/or geographic area to be
included in recruitment efforts, a mentoring plan, and any special activities
or experiences to be provided to the trainees. It should also describe the
administrative structure of the program and the distribution of
responsibilities within it, plans for recruiting, selecting, and assigning
trainees to research activities, duration of training and months in which it
will occur, description of a typical student program including percent time
to be spent in various activities, and additional support or services to be
provided by the applicant institution.
All applications must include a description of formal or informal activities
or instruction related to the responsible conduct of research that will be
incorporated into the proposed research education program.
REVIEW CRITERIA
The following criteria will be considered when assessing the merits of the
proposed NIDDK Short-Term Education Program for Minority Students.
o Design of the proposed education program;
o Qualifications, dedication, and previous training record of the program
director and participating faculty, particularly with regard to prior
experience with high school and undergraduate students;
o Adequacy of facilities, environment, and resources for the proposed
research training;
o Recruitment and selection plans for trainees, and the availability of high
quality candidates;
o Methods for retaining promising students in the program and methods for
tracking students;
o Commitment of the institution and participating faculty to the goals of the
education program; and
o Procedures for evaluation of the effectiveness of the program and the
impact of the program on the students involved.
Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research:
o Quality of the proposed training in responsible conduct of research
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, your
application will also be reviewed with respect to the following:
PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS FROM RESEARCH RISK: The involvement of human
subjects and protections from research risk relating to their participation
in the proposed research will be assessed. (See criteria included in the
section on Federal Citations, below).
INCLUSION OF WOMEN, MINORITIES AND CHILDREN IN RESEARCH: The adequacy of
plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups
(and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the
research. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be
evaluated. (See Inclusion Criteria in the sections on Federal Citations,
below).
CARE AND USE OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS IN RESEARCH: If vertebrate animals are to
be used in the project, the five items described under Section f of the PHS
398 research grant application instructions (rev. 5/2001) will be assessed.
BUDGET: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period
of support in relation to the proposed research.
RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: April 16, 2003
Application Receipt Date: May 14, 2003
Peer Review Date: July/August 2003
Council Review: September 2003
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: September 30, 2003
AWARD CRITERIA
Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:
o Scientific and training merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS
INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH: It is the policy of
the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their sub-populations
must be included in all NIH-supported clinical research projects unless a
clear and compelling justification is provided indicating that inclusion is
inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of
the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993
(Section 492B of Public Law 103-43).
All investigators proposing clinical research should read the "NIH Guidelines
for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research -
Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
on October 9, 2001 (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/
NOT-OD-02-001.html); a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are
available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/
guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm. The amended policy incorporates: the use
of an NIH definition of clinical research; updated racial and ethnic categories
in compliance with the new OMB standards; clarification of language governing
NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398;
and updated roles and responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural
community. The policy continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III
clinical trials that: a) all applications or proposals and/or protocols must
provide a description of plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address
differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if
applicable; and b) investigators must report annual accrual and progress in
conducting analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group
differences.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS:
The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of
21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported
by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include
them. This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for
receipt dates after October 1, 1998.
All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as participants in
research involving human subjects that is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm.
REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS: NIH
policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants for
all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research involving human
subjects. You will find this policy announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: The
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a
project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2)
cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action
that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed
through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope
of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this RFA in a public
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include
information about this in the budget justification section of the
application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure
informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the
potential for wider use of data collected under this award.
URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and proposals
for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations.
Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs)
should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because
reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Furthermore,
we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they
directly access an Internet site.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to
achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy
People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This
RFA is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants
may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the
intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health
Systems Agency review. 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 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All
awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other
considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH Grants
Policy Statement can be found at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm.
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free
workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition,
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in
certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early
childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.