NHLBI SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR MINORITY STUDENTS PROGRAM (T35)

Release Date:  June 13, 2001

RFA:  RFA-HL-01-021

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
 (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov)

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 18, 2001
Application Receipt Date:       August 15, 2001

PURPOSE

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) invites grant 
applications for its Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program.  This 
program provides short-term research support to underrepresented minority 
undergraduate and graduate students and students in health professional 
schools to provide them with career opportunities in cardiovascular, 
pulmonary, hematologic and sleep disorders research.  Underrepresented 
minority ethnic groups include but are not limited to Blacks, Hispanics, 
American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders. The grant provides 
training experiences of two to three consecutive months combined with 
mentoring by experienced researchers and exposes talented students to the 
various possibilities in pursuing a biomedical or behavioral research career. 
In addition to the research experience, institutions provide enrichment 
activities such as research forums, guest lectures, student presentations, 
special courses, or social activities.

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 Request for Applications (RFA), 
NHLBI Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program, is related to one or 
more of the priority areas.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of 
AHealthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/.   

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic, for-profit and non-profit 
organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, 
laboratories, units of State and local governments, and eligible agencies of 
the Federal government.  Foreign institutions are not eligible for the NHLBI 
Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program (T35) grants.  Racial/ethnic 
minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to 
apply as Principal Investigators.  Only one application per health 
professional school may be submitted for a given receipt date.  Although a 
university may have more than one NHLBI Short-Term Training for Minority 
Students Program, 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 cardiovascular, pulmonary, 
hematologic, or sleep disorders.  Minority institutions with adequate staff 
and resources in these areas are encouraged to apply.  These grants will 
support short-term research training experiences of consecutive two to three 
months" duration for minority undergraduate students, minority students in 
health professional schools, and minority graduate students.  The grantee 
institution will determine which racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented 
and will be responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees. 

Trainees must have successfully completed at least one undergraduate year at 
an accredited school or university (including baccalaureate schools of 
nursing) or have successfully completed one semester at a school of medicine, 
optometry, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, or public 
health, or an institution with an accredited graduate program, prior to 
participating 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 through their 
regular course of studies.  For graduate students, this may include graduate 
students in programs, such as mathematics and computer science, where they 
would not normally be exposed to biomedical research or minority graduate 
students who may need a specialized research experience to supplement their 
normal graduate education.

Trainees appointed to this program must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen 
nationals, or legal permanent residents (i.e., in possession of the Alien 
Registration Receipt Card, I-155, or other legal verification of such status). 
Noncitizen 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 need not be from the applicant institution, 
but may include a number of minority students from other institutions, 
schools, colleges, or universities.  The program can be designed to include 
research experiences for minority individuals at the applicant institution but 
applicants are strongly encouraged to propose a program that includes a number 
of individuals from other institutions, schools, colleges or universities.  
The only requirement for student selection is that the trainees fulfill the 
above referenced eligibility requirements.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Short-Term Training 
Grant (T35) award mechanism.  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and 
execution of the proposed training 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 April 1, 2002.

This solicitation has been announced every year for the past several years, 
and the receipt date has typically been in August or September.  If the 
solicitation is announced again next year, the receipt date is expected to be 
in June.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The estimated funds (total costs) available for the first year of support for 
the entire program is expected to be $250,000 in Fiscal Year 2002 (October 1, 
2001-September 30, 2002).  The actual amount may vary, depending on the 
response to the RFA and availability of funds.  Seven new awards are 
anticipated.

Facilities and Administrative Costs will be awarded based on eight percent of 
total costs exclusive of tuition and fees.

OBJECTIVES

Background

Although the number of underrepresented minority individuals  (Blacks, 
Hispanics, Native Americans) pursuing advanced degrees in the biomedical and 
behavioral sciences increased over the past 20 years, their representation in 
these fields remains below their representation in the U.S. population.  
During that time, both the number and percentage of science doctorates earned 
by underrepresented minorities have increased twofold.  In 1997, however, the 
total of science doctoral degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities in 
these fields accounted for only 5.9 percent of the total degrees received 
(National Research Council, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2000).  Furthermore, 
in 1996, U.S. medical schools graduated more underrepresented minorities than 
ever and the number of minorities applying to medical school reached a new 
record high.  A total of 5,259 minority students applied to the nation"s 
medical schools, representing 11 percent of all applicants (Association of 
American Medical Colleges, 1997).  Yet, only 3.5 percent of all U.S. medical 
school faculty holding Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical and behavioral 
sciences, and only 3.6 percent of those with combined M.D./Ph.D. degrees are 
members of underrepresented minority groups.  There are existing programs at 
the NIH that are designed to address this need.  These include the NHLBI 
Minority Institutional Research Training Program, the NHLBI Mentored Minority 
Faculty Development Award, and the NHLBI Minority Institution Research 
Scientist Development Award.  Even though these programs appear successful in 
meeting their specific objectives and career development goals, minority 
graduate, health professional, and postdoctoral students need additional 
opportunities to develop biomedical and behavioral research skills to become 
productive investigators.

Although there is strong interest in the scientific community in attracting 
minority students into research careers, few minority students opt for science 
degrees and research careers, and few minority graduates of health 
professional schools go on to scientific research careers.  The shortage of 
qualified minority investigators in academic research positions may even 
exacerbate the situation due to a lack of visible role models for students.  
One method of addressing this problem is by attracting minority students to 
research opportunities and by providing them with research training to develop 
their research capabilities in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and 
sleep disorders.

This RFA is designed to offer research training opportunities for minority 
students in an effort to encourage their participation in cardiovascular, 
pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep disorders research.

The NHLBI Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program is intended to:

o Provide minority undergraduate and graduate students and students in health 
professional schools exposure to opportunities inherent in research careers in 
areas relevant to cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep disorders.

o Attract qualified minority students into biomedical and behavioral research 
careers. 

o Increase the already short supply of qualified minority investigators.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Provisions of the Award

Institutions may request support for at least 4 but not more than 24 trainees 
per budget period, based on a full-time three month appointment.  A trainee 
may be appointed for a minimum of two months and a maximum of three months 
during a budget period, however, 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 NHLBI.  All research training must 
be full-time during the specific training 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 current stipend level for trainees is $1,375 per month, and 
$45.83 per day.  Stipends may be supplemented from non-federal funds.

o Training-related Expenses - Up to $167 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 $500 per year per 
trainee to cover the cost of travel to and from the training institution.  
Institutions may request up to $750 per trainee if they expect that the 
majority of their trainees will be coming long distances (e.g., trainees 
coming from Puerto Rico and other distant sites), but must submit a strong 
justification for the need.  The request will be subject to the Internal 
Review Group (IRG) and NHLBI review.  Applicants may share travel costs among 
trainees so that the $500 allotted for a local trainee may be reprogrammed, 
without the NHLBI permission, to trainees needing higher cost reimbursement.  
The institution may also request up to $400 per month per trainee to cover the 
cost of housing expenses.

A Statement of Appointment form (PHS 2271, rev. 4/98) must be submitted at the 
start of each trainee appointment and reappointment.  This form is available 
at the following URL address: http://grants.nih.gov/training/phs2271.pdf.  
Individuals supported under this program are not required to sign an NRSA 
Payback Agreement or submit an NRSA Termination Notice.  

Individuals supported under this program are not required to sign an NRSA 
Payback Agreement or submit an NRSA Termination Notice.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research:  Every NRSA trainee supported 
by an institutional research training grant must receive instruction in the 
responsible conduct of research.  (For more information on this provision see 
the current announcement for NRSA  Institutional Research Training Grants 
[T32] published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts [PA-00-103, Release 
Date:  June 1, 2000] or the World Wide Web at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-103.html).

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

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 biomedical and 
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and 
compelling rationale and justification are 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 research 
involving human subjects should read the UPDATED "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion 
of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," published in the 
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on August 2, 2000 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html), a 
complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm:  The 
revisions relate to NIH defined Phase III clinical trials and require:  a) all 
applications or proposals and/or protocols to 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) all 
investigators to report accrual, and to conduct and report analyses, as 
appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH 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 was published in the NIH Guide for 
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL 
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff 
listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant 
information concerning the policy.

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.  Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to 
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a project 
that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited 
publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action that has 
the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. 
It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope of this 
amendment. NIH has provided guidance at:                   
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm 

Applicants may wish to place data collected under this 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.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes a 
descriptive title of the proposed research, the name, address, and telephone 
number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of other key personnel 
and participating institutions, and the number and title of the RFA in 
response to which the application may be submitted. 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 NHLBI staff 
to estimate the potential review workload and plan for the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr. Deborah Beebe at the address listed 
under INQUIRIES by July 18, 2001.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used in 
applying for these grants.  These forms are available at most institutional 
offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural Outreach and 
Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, 
MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/435-0174, email: 
GrantsInfo@nih.gov

The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application form must be 
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.  Type the RFA 
number on the label.  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 (NHLBI SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR 
MINORITY STUDENTS PROGRAM) and number (HL-01-021) must be typed on line 2 of 
the face page of the application form, and the YES box must be marked.

The sample RFA label available at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf has been modified to 
allow for this change.  Please note this is in pdf format.

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 additional copies of the application and all 
five copies of the appendix material must be sent to Dr. Deborah Beebe at the 
address listed under INQUIRIES.                

Applications must be received by August 15, 2001.  If an application is 
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review. 

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.  The 
CSR 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

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and 
responsiveness by the NHLBI.  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 a Special Emphasis Panel in the Division of 
Extramural Affairs, NHLBI, in accordance with the review criteria stated 
below.  As part of the initial merit review, all applications will receive a 
written critique and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed 
to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of the 
applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a priority score, and 
receive a second level review by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory 
Council.

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 geographical area to be included in the recruitment, 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 training program.

Applicants for competitive renewal applications will be required to provide 
information concerning past trainees in the program, the accomplishments of 
the program, trainee publications, and whether students supported by the 
program have pursued research careers. This information should also be 
included in the noncompeting renewal application.  Therefore, it is important 
that the applicant includes plans for tracking students who participated in 
the program.

Review Criteria

The following criteria will be considered when assessing the merits of the 
proposed NHLBI Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program.

o Design of the proposed training program,

o Qualifications, dedication, and previous training record of the program 
director and participating faculty, particularly with regard to prior 
experience with similar programs,

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 
training program, and

o Procedures for evaluation of the effectiveness of the program and the impact 
of the program on the students involved.

In addition to the above criteria, in accordance with NIH policy, all 
applications will also be reviewed with respect to the following:

o The adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities and their 
subgroups, and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be 
evaluated.

o The reasonableness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the 
proposed research.

o The adequacy of the proposed protection for humans, animals or the 
environment, to the extent they may be adversely affected by the project 
proposed in the application.

Schedule

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:    July 18, 2001
Application Receipt Date:         August 15, 2001
Peer Review Date:                 October/November 2001
Council Review:                   January 2002
Earliest Anticipated Start Date:  April 1, 2002

AWARD CRITERIA

Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:

o scientific merit (as determined by peer review)

o availability of funds

o programmatic priorities

INQUIRIES						

Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any 
issues or answer questions from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Michael Commarato, Ph.D.
Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases (responding for all NHLBI programmatic 
Divisions)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7940
Bethesda, MD 20892-7940
Telephone: (301) 435-0530
FAX: (301) 480-1330
Email:  commaram@nhlbi.nih.gov 

Direct inquiries regarding review issues to:

Deborah Beebe, Ph.D.
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Two Rockledge Center, Room 7178
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7924
Bethesda, MD  20892-7924
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express mail)
Telephone:  (301) 435-0270
FAX:  (301) 480-3541
Email:  BeebeD@nhlbi.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Rebecca Chamberlin
Grants Management Specialist						
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7926
Bethesda, MD 20892-7927
Telephone: (301) 435-0166
FAX: (301) 480-3310
Email:  chamberr@nhlbi.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, 
numbers 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, and 93.839.  Awards are made under 
authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as 
amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies and 
Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.  This program is not 
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 
or a Health Systems Agency Review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free 
workplace and promote the non-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.

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