PA-14-147: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)
National Institutes of Health ()
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Eye Institute ()
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ()
National Human Genome Research Institute ()
National Institute on Aging ()
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development ()
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 ()
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
National Institute of Mental Health ()
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institute of Nursing Research ()
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
National Library of Medicine ()
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic
Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
Special Note: Because of the differences in individual
Institute and Center (IC) program requirements for this FOA, prospective
applicants are strongly
encouraged to consult the Table of
IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts, to make sure
that their application is responsive to the requirements of one of the
participating NIH ICs.
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual
Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)
F31 Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Grant Award
Reissue of PA-11-111
- See Notice . Notice to Emphasize the Requirement for Additional Educational Information under PA-14-147 "Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)"
- See Notice . eRA Commons Username Required for Sponsor in Individual Fellowship Grant Applications to NIH and AHRQ.
supersedes instructions in Section III.3 regarding applications that are essentially the same.
- Notice of Clarification Regarding the Additional Educational Information Required for PA-14-147. See Notice NOT-OD-14-094.
93.351; 93.846; 93.866; 93.213; 93.307; 93.172; 93.273;
93.233; 93.839; 93.838; 93.837; 93.361; 93.859; 93.879; 93.867; 93.847;
93.121; 93.856; 93.855; 93.398; 93.286; 93.173; 93.865; 93.242; 93.113;
93.853; 93.279
The purpose of the
Kirschstein-NRSA predoctoral fellowship (F31) award is to enable promising
predoctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training
from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in
scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the
participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The proposed mentored research
training must reflect the applicant’s dissertation research project and is
expected to clearly enhance the individual’s potential to develop into a
productive, independent research scientist.
March 7, 2014
March 8, 2014
Not Applicable
dates apply
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.
Standard AIDS
dates apply
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.
dates apply
Not Applicable for Fellowships
dates apply
January 8, 2017
Not Applicable
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in
except where instructed to do
otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the 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.
A compatible version
is required for download.
For Assistance downloading this or any Grants.gov application package, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support
The overall goal of the NIH Ruth
L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program is to help ensure that a diverse pool of highly
trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and
clinical research needs.
In order to accomplish this goal, NRSA training
programs are designed to train individuals to conduct research and to prepare
for research careers. More information
about NRSA programs may be found at the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
(NRSA) website.
The purpose of the Ruth L. Kirschstein
National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship
(Parent F31) is to enable promising predoctoral
students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding
faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research. Applicants for this F31
program are expected to propose a dissertation research project and training
plan in scientific health-related fields relevant to the mission of the
participating Institutes and Centers. This training plan should reflect the
applicant’s dissertation research project, and facilitate and clearly enhance the
individual’s potential to develop into a productive, independent research
scientist.
The training plan should document the need for, and the anticipated
value of, the proposed mentored research and training in relationship to the
individual’s research career goals.
The training plan should also facilitate
the fellow’s transition to the next stage of his/her research career.
It is expected that the
mentored research training experience will provide:
A strong foundation in research
design, methods, and analytic techniques appropriate to the proposed
The enhancement of the applicant's
ability to conceptualize and think through research problems with increasing
Experience conducting research
using appropriate, state-of-the-art methods, as well as presenting and
publishing the research find
The opportunity to interact with
members of the scientific community at appropriate scientific me
Skills needed to transition to the
next stage of the applicant’ and
The opportunity to enhance the
applicant’s understanding of the health-related sciences and the relationship
of the proposed research to health and disease.
Applicants for the F31 must
be candidates for the PhD degree and have identified a dissertation research
project and sponsor(s).
The Kirschstein-NRSA
Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) program may provide up to five years
(typically 2-3 years) of support for research training which leads to the PhD
or equivalent research degree, the combined MD/PhD degree, or another formally
combined professional degree and research doctoral degree in the biomedical,
behavioral, or clinical sciences. Because this F31 program only supports
dissertation research training, the Ruth L.
Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral
MD/PhD or Other Dual-Doctoral Degree Fellowship (Parent F30) program will be more appropriate for the training
goals of individuals enrolled in dual-degree programs who seek support for both
dissertation research training and clinical training.
Note: Because of the differences in individual Institute and
Center (IC) program requirements for this FOA, prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the Table of
IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts, to make sure that
their application is responsive to the requirements of one of the participating
Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or
both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.
Resubmission
Renewal: Individual fellowship awards are generally not renewable. In
rare cases in which fellowship awardees require further fellowship support,
they should consult with NIH staff to obtain advice regarding submission of a
renewal application.
Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Individual Fellowship Application Guide provide
details on these application types.
The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations
and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Award budgets are composed of stipends, tuition and fees,
and institutional allowance, as described below.
Individuals may receive up to 5 years of aggregate
Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level including any combination
of support from institutional training grants (e.g., T32) and an individual
fellowship award. This F31 award program only supports dissertation research
Kirschstein-NRSA awards provide stipends as a subsistence
allowance to help defray living expenses during the research training
experience.
The most recent stipend levels are described on the Kirschstein-NRSA
webpage. NIH will adjust awards on the anniversary date
of the award to ensure consistency with the stipend level in effect at that
for more information.
NIH will contribute to the combined cost of tuition and
fees at the rate in place at the time of award. The most recent tuition and
fees levels are described on the Ruth L.
Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) webpage. Visit NIH
Grants Policy Statement: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards for more information.
The applicant should request a Kirschstein-NRSA
institutional allowance to help defray the cost of fellowship expenses such as health insurance, research
supplies, equipment, books, and travel to scientific meetings. The most recent institutional allowance
levels are described via a link on the Ruth L.
Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) site. Requests for
additional costs (such as to accommodate the disabilities of a fellow) must
be explained in detail and justified in the application. Visit NIH
Grants Policy Statement: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards for more information.
NIH does not separately reimburse indirect costs (also
known as Facilities & Administrative [F&A] Costs) for fellowships.
Costs for administering fellowships are part of Institutional Allowance.
NIH grants policies as
described in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement will apply
to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Higher Education Institutions
Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
Private Institutions of Higher Education
The following types of Higher Education Institutions
are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private
Institutions of Higher Education:
Hispanic-serving Institutions
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving
Institutions (AANAPISIs)
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of
Higher Education)
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions
of Higher Education)
For-Profit Organizations
Small Businesses
For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
Governments
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)
Before submitting a fellowship application, the applicant
must identify a sponsoring institution. The sponsoring institution must have
staff and facilities available on site to provide a suitable environment for
performing high-quality research training. The research training should occur
in a strong research environment that has appropriate human and technical
resources and is demonstrably committed to research training in the particular
program proposed by the applicant. The sponsoring institution may be private
(profit or nonprofit) or public, including the NIH Intramural Programs and
other Federal laboratories.
An individual may request support for training abroad. In
such cases, the applicant is required to provide detailed justification for the
foreign training, including the reasons why the facilities, the sponsor, and/or
other aspects of the proposed experience are more appropriate than training in
a domestic setting. The justification is evaluated in terms of the scientific
advantages of the foreign training as compared to the training available
domestically. Foreign training will be considered for funding only when the
scientific advantages are clear.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to
Foreign components, as defined in
the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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.
- All registrations require that
applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants
can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be
used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
(formerly CCR) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least
annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the
initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial
and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not
already been assigned a CAGE Code.
– Foreign organizations must
obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
eRA Commons - Applicants
must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the
eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as
they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons
requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at
least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) [for fellowships,
this is the applicant] account in order to submit an application.
Grants.gov – Applicants
must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the
Grants.gov registration.
Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) [for fellowships, this is the applicant] must
have an eRA Commons account and should work with their organizational officials
to either create a new account or to affiliate an existing account with the
applicant organization’s eRA Commons account. Obtaining an eRA Commons account
can take up to 2 weeks.
Any applicant with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal
Investigator (PD/PI) [for fellowships, this is the applicant] is invited to
work with his/her sponsor and 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. Multiple
PDs/PIs are not allowed.
By the time of award, the individual must be a citizen or a
non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for
permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card
USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status).
The applicant must be at the dissertation research stage of
training at the time of award and must
show evidence of high academic performance in the sciences, and commitment to a
career as an independent research scientist.
The applicant must have a baccalaureate degree and be currently enrolled in a
PhD or equivalent research degree program (e.g., EngD, DNSc, DrPH, DSW, PharmD,
ScD), a formally combined MD/PhD program, or other combined
professional/clinical and research doctoral program (e.g., DDS/PhD) in the
biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences at a domestic or foreign
institution. The Kirschstein-NRSA F31 may not be used to support studies
leading to the MD, DDS, or other clinical, health-professional degree (e.g.,
DC, DMD, DNP, DO, DPM, DVM, ND, OD, AuD).
Students matriculated in a
dual-degree program (e.g. MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, or DVM/PhD) who seek support
for both dissertation research training and clinical training are not
eligible for this Kirschstein-NRSA F31 program because this F31 program does
not support the clinical training component of a dual-degree program. Such
students may apply for the Ruth L.
Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral
MD/PhD or Other Dual-Doctoral Degree Fellowship (Parent F30) to support both dissertation research training and
clinical training.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the
same as one already reviewed within the past thirty-seven months (as described
in the ), except for submission:
To an RFA of an application that was submitted previously as an
investigator-initiated appl
Of an investigator-initiated application that was originally
submitted to an RFA or
Of an application with a changed grant activity code.
Individuals may not exceed the aggregate limit of NRSA
support shown above in the Award Project Period (see Section II.
Award Information). Applicants must consider any prior NRSA research
training in determining the duration of support requested. Information
regarding previous Kirschstein-NRSA support must be included in the application
and will be considered at the time of award.
At the time of award, individuals are required to pursue
their research training on a full-time basis, normally defined as 40 hours per
week or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own
Before submitting the application, the applicant must
identify a sponsor who will mentor and supervise the proposed mentored training
and research experience. The primary sponsor should be an active investigator
in the area of the proposed research training and be committed both to the applicant’s
research training and to direct supervision of his/her research. The sponsor
must document the availability of sufficient research funds and facilities for
high-quality research training. The sponsor, or a member of the sponsor team,
should have a successful track record of mentoring predoctoral students. Applicants
are encouraged to identify more than one sponsor, i.e., a team of sponsors, if
this is deemed advantageous for providing expert advice in all aspects of the
research and training program. In such cases, one individual must be identified
as the primary sponsor who will coordinate the applicant’s research and
training program. The applicant must work with the sponsor(s) in preparing the
application.
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application
package associated with this funding opportunity using the “Apply for Grant
Electronically” button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in
the , except where instructed in this
funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the
requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced.
Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed
or not accepted for review.
All page limitations described in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide and the Table of
Page Limits must be followed.
The forms package associated with this FOA includes all
applicable components, required and optional. Please note that some components
marked optional in the application package are required for submission of
applications for this FOA. Follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate “optional”
components.
The following section supplements the instructions found in
the SF424 (R&R) Individual Fellowship Application Guide and should be used
for preparing an application to this FOA.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional
instructions:
Attachments
following additional educational information is required and should be attached
under Other Attachments:
Describe the graduate program in which the applicant is enrolled,
e.g. the structure of the program, required milestones and their usual timing
(number of courses, any teaching commitments, qualifying exams, etc.), and the
average time to degree over the past 10 years. Describe the progress/status of
the F31 applicant in relation to the program’s time line. Describe the
frequency and method by which the program formally monitors and evaluates a
student’s progress. This information is typically provided by the director of
the graduate program or the department chair. Include the name of the
individual providing this information at the end of the description.
Note that scores for standardized exams (e.g., MCAT, GRE) as well
as a listing of the applicant’s courses and grades must be included in the
Fellowship Applicant Biographical Sketch, and NOT in this attachment.
Please name this attachment “Additional Educational Information.”
The filename provided for each “Other Attachment”
will be the name used for the bookmark in the electronic application in eRA
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional
instructions:
Applicants must describe a well-defined research
project (typically hypothesis-driven) that is well-suited to his/her stage of
career development. The applicant should describe the background leading to the
proposed research, the significance of the research, the research approach
(design and methods) for achieving the Specific Aims, the rationale for the
proposed approach, potential pitfalls, and expected/alternative outcomes of the
proposed studies. It is beneficial to include pertinent preliminary data to
demonstrate feasibility.
Sharing Plan
Individuals are
required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as
provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Responsible
Conduct of Research
All applications must include a plan to fulfill NIH
requirements for instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). The
plan must address the five, required instructional components outlined in the
NIH policy: 1) Format - the required format of instruction, i.e.,
face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups (a plan
with only on-line instruction is not acceptable); 2) Subject Matter -
the breadth of subject matter, e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data
management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research
misconduct, 3) Faculty Participation - the role of the
mentor(s) and other faculty involvemen 4) Duration of
Instruction - the total number of contact
Frequency of Instruction – instruction must occur during each career
stage and at least once every four years. Document any prior instruction during
the applicant’s current career stage, including the inclusive dates instruction
was last completed. See also NOT-OD-10-019. Applications lacking a
Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research will not be
for Fellowship Training and Career
how the proposed research project and activities enhance the applicant’s
development and relate to the applicant’s career goals as a productive,
independent research scientist. Discuss how the proposed research training plan
will enhance his/her knowledge and technical and professional skills, and
facilitate his/her transition to the next career stage.
Activities
Planned Under This Award
applicant’s research training plan, i.e. the activities planned under this
award, should be individually tailored and well integrated with his/her
research project. Describe the skills and techniques that the applicant intends
to learn as well as any planned, non-research activities (e.g. those relating
to professional development) during the award period. The applicant should
provide a timeline for the proposed research training and related activities.
Dissertation and Other Research Experience
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Individual
Fellowship Application Guide must be followed.
F31 fellowship supports a program of mentored research training from
outstanding faculty sponsors. The sponsor(s) should describe their current
research support and how this support relates to the applicant’s proposed
research project. A contingency plan should be provided that describes how the
applicant’s research training will be supported should there be a gap in the
sponsor’s funding during the proposed award period. The role of the sponsor in
the integrated research and training plan should be described. If a team of
sponsors is proposed, this plan should describe the role of each sponsor and
how they will communicate and coordinate their efforts to mentor the applicant
effectively.
training plan should be individualized for the applicant, keeping in mind the applicant’s
strengths and any gaps in needed skills, and should be designed to enhance
research training. The training plan should be coordinated with the applicant’s
Research Strategy. The training plan should outline and justify new training
opportunities, any relevant coursework, and professional development activities.
Training in professional development
skills, e.g. grant-writing and presentation skills, is strongly encouraged. The
training plan should have the potential to facilitate the applicant’s
transition to the next stage of his/her career.
research environment and the availability and quality of needed research
facilities and research resources (e.g., equipment, laboratory space, computing
resources, subject populations) should be
described.
sponsor and any co-sponsors are expected to provide an assessment of the
applicant’s qualifications and potential for a career as a productive,
independent researcher.
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits.
Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application
When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions
for completing Planned Enrollment Reports as described in the SF424 (R&R)
Application Guide.
When conducting clinical research, follow all instructions
for completing the Cumulative Inclusion Enrollment Report as described in the
SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Applicants must carefully
follow the SF424 (R&R) Individual Fellowship Application Guide, including the time period for when
letters of reference will be accepted (letters are due by the application due
date as described in the Notice). It is important to note that neither the
sponsor nor any co-sponsor of this application can be counted as a confidential
reference. The sponsor/cosponsor's recommendation is included as part of the
application. Applications lacking the appropriate required reference
letters will not be reviewed. This is a separate process from submitting an
application electronically. Reference letters are submitted directly through
the eRA Commons Submit Reference Letter link and not through Grants.gov.
Foreign (non-U.S.) Institutions must follow policies
described in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions
described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Individual Fellowship Application
contains information about Key Dates. 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.
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.
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
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost
principles, and other considerations described in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement. The National
Research Service Award (NRSA) policies apply to this program.
Kirschstein-NRSA fellowship may not be held concurrently with another federally
sponsored fellowship or similar Federal award that provides a stipend or
otherwise duplicates provisions of this award.
Pre-award costs are generally not allowable for Fellowships.
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.
contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission
process, visit Applying
Electronically.
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.
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 (SAM). Additional information
may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for
completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are
incomplete will not be reviewed.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for
post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.
Because the Sponsor(s)’ funding is an important factor in the review of a
Fellowship application, post-submission material that updates the Sponsor(s)’
funding information in the originally submitted application is allowed.
Information on the Sponsor(s)’ funding information must not exceed 1 page, and
is limited to the project title, funding source (e,g. NIH grant number), and a
brief description of the Specific Aims and relevance to the fellowship
application under review. The additional material is due no later than 30 days
prior to the meeting of the review committee. See also: NOT-OD-12-022.
Only the review criteria described below will be considered
in the review process. As part of the NIH mission,
all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral
research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer
review system.
For this particular announcement, note the following:
A fellowship application has a
research project that is integrated with the training plan. The review will
emphasize the applicant’s potential for an independent, scientific research
career, the applicant’s need for the proposed training, and the degree to which
the research project and training plan, the sponsor(s), and the environment
will satisfy those needs.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect
their assessment of the likelihood that the fellowship will enhance the
candidate’s potential for, and commitment to, an independent scientific
research career in a health-related field, in consideration of the scored and
additional review criteria.
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.
Are the applicant’s academic record and research experience of
high quality?
Does the applicant have the potential to develop into an
independent and productive researcher in biomedical, behavioral or clinical
Does the applicant demonstrate commitment to a career as an
independent researcher in the future?
Are the sponsor(s)’ research qualifications (including recent
publications) and track record of mentoring individuals at a similar stage appropriate
for the needs of the applicant?
Is there evidence of a match between the research interests of
the applicant and the sponsor(s)?
Do the sponsor(s) demonstrate an
understanding of the applicant’s training needs as well as the ability and
commitment to assist in meeting these needs?
Is there evidence of adequate research funds to support the
applicant’s research project and training for the duration of the fellowship?
If a team of sponsors is proposed, is the team structure well
justified for the mentored training plan, and are the roles of the individual
members appropriate and clearly defined?
Are the qualifications of any collaborator(s) and/or
consultant(s), including their complementary expertise and previous experience
in fostering the training of fellows, appropriate for the proposed research
Is the proposed research plan of high scientific quality, and is
it well integrated with the applicant’s training plan?
Is the research project consistent with the applicant’s stage of
research development?
Is the proposed time frame feasible to accomplish the proposed
research training?
Based on the sponsor’s description of his/her active research program,
is the applicant’s proposed research project sufficiently
distinct from the sponsor’s funded research for the applicant’s career stage?
Do the proposed research project
and training plan have the potential to provide the applicant with the
requisite individualized and mentored experiences that will develop his/her
and research and professional development skills?
Does the training plan take
advantage of the applicant’s strengths, and address gaps in needed skills? Does
the training plan document a clear need for, and value of, the proposed
Does the proposed research
training have the potential to serve as a sound foundation that will facilitate
the applicant’s transition to the next career stage and enhance the
applicant’s ability to develop into an independent and productive research
scientist?
Are the research facilities, resources (e.g., equipment,
laboratory space, computer time, subject populations), and training opportunities
(e.g. seminars, workshops, professional development opportunities) adequate and
appropriate?
Is the institutional environment for the applicant’s scientific development
of high quality?
Is there appropriate institutional commitment to fostering the
applicant’s mentored training toward his/her research career goals?
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.
For research that involves human subjects but does not
involve one of the six 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 six 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
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 children 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.
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live
vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the
following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains,
ages, sex, an 2) justifications for the use of animals and
for the appropriateness of the species
3) adequacy of
4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and
injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound
research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs
and/or comfortable and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason
for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For
additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please
refer to the Worksheet
for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
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.
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
For Renewals, the committee will consider the
progress made in the last funding period.
Not Applicable
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.
All applications for
support under this FOA must include a plan to fulfill NIH requirements for
instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).
Taking into
account the level of experience of the applicant, including any prior instruction or participation
in RCR as appropriate for the applicant’s career stage, the
reviewers will evaluate the adequacy of the proposed RCR training in relation
to the following five required components: 1) Format - the
required format of instruction, i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or
real-time discussion groups (a plan with only on-line instruction is not
acceptable); 2) Subject Matter - the breadth of subject matter,
e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and
animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, 3) Faculty
Participation - the role of the sponsor(s) and other faculty
involvement in the fellow’ 4) Duration of Instruction - the number of contact hours of instruction (at least eight contact hours are
required); and 5) Frequency of Instruction – instruction must
occur during each career stage and at least once every four years.
and past record will be rated as ACCEPTABLE or UNACCEPTABLE, and
the summary statement will provide the consensus of the review committee. See also: NOT-OD-10-019.
Reviewers will assess whether the project presents
special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of
unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist
in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or
augment existing U.S. resources.
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).
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) Genome Wide
Association Studies (GWAS).
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the
requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to
the proposed training.
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 . Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:
May undergo a committee 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.
Will receive a written critique.
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 NIH Institute or Center.
The following will be considered in
making funding decisions:
Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as
determined by scientific peer review.
Availability of funds.
Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
After the peer review of the application is completed, the
PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique)
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 grantee’s business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection
of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any
costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These
costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS,
SAM Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award
Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH
Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award,
and Part II:
Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for
Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is
provided at Award
Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
The taxability of stipends is described in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
Fellowships funded primarily for educational purposes are
exempted from the PHS invention requirements and thus invention reporting is
not required. More details, including exceptions for fellows training at NIH,
are provided in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
general, NRSA fellows may receive stipends during the normal periods of
vacation and holidays observed by individuals in comparable training positions
at the sponsoring institution. For the purpose of these awards, however, the
period between the spring and fall semesters is considered to be an active time
of research and research training and is not considered to be a vacation or
holiday. NRSA fellows may receive stipends for up to 15 calendar days of sick
leave per year. Under exceptional circumstances, this period may be extended by
the NIH awarding IC in response to a written request from an AOR. Other leave
may be used for the medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth.
NRSA fellows may receive stipends for up to 60 calendar days (equivalent to 8
work weeks) of parental leave per year for the adoption or the birth of a child
when individuals in comparable training positions at the grantee organization
have access to this level of paid leave for this purpose. Either parent is
eligible for parental leave. The use of parental leave must be approved by the fellowship
sponsor (see also: NOT-OD-08-064). A period of terminal leave is not permitted, and
payment may not be made from fellowship funds for leave not taken. NRSA fellows
requiring periods of time away from their research training experience longer
than specified here, i.e., more than 15 calendar days of sick leave or more
than 60 calendar days of parental leave, must seek approval from the NIH
awarding component for an unpaid leave of absence. Approval for a leave of
absence must be requested in advance by an AOR on behalf of the fellow.
When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required
to submit a
annually. The report is due two months before the
beginning date of the next budget period and must include information
describing the current year's progress as well as the research project and
training plan for the coming year.
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.
Individuals admitted to the United States as Permanent Residents
must submit notarized evidence of legal admission prior to the award.
The fellowship award recipient has up to six months from the
issue date on the Notice of Award to activate the award using the
Kirschstein-NRSA Individual Fellowship Activation Notice (PHS 416-5). Under unusual circumstances, NIH may grant
an extension of the activation period upon receipt of a specific request from
the fellow. Such a request must be countersigned by the sponsor and an
authorized institutional official.
For the individual's initial 12 months of Kirschstein-NRSA
postdoctoral support, a signed, original Payback Agreement Form (PHS 6031)
must accompany the Activation Notice.
At the conclusion of a fellowship, the fellow must submit a
Termination Notice (PHS 416-7)
to the NIH within 30
days of termination. Fellows with service payback requirements must notify the
NIH of any change in address and submit Annual Payback Activities Certification
Forms () until the payback service
obligation is satisfied.
In carrying out its stewardship of human resource-related
programs, the NIH may request information essential to an assessment of the
effectiveness of this program from databases
and from participants themselves.
Participants
may be contacted after the completion of this award for periodic updates on
various aspects of their employment history, publications, support from
research grants or contracts, honors and awards, professional activities, and
other information helpful in evaluating the impact of the program.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity
and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
Because of the difference in individual Institute and Center
(IC) program requirements for this FOA, prospective applications are strongly
encouraged to consult the Table of
IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts, to make sure that
their application is responsive to the requirements of one of the participating
eRA Commons Help Desk (Questions regarding eRA Commons
registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system
problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Web ticketing system: https://public.era.nih.gov/commonshelp
TTY: 301-451-5939
(Questions
regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and
application packages)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Web ticketing system: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx
GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and
process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone: 301-435-0714
TTY: 301-451-5936
IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts
Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and
contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due
IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts
Recently issued trans-NIH policy
notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy
notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH
Guide for Grants and Contracts. All
awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other
considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Awards are made under the
authorization of Section 487 of the
Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 288) and under Federal Regulations
42 CFR 66.
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 63A and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.
Department of Healthand Human Services (HHS)
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