An Overview

1
An Overview (www.nih.gov) Abdul S. Rao, M.D.,
M.A., D.Phil. Vice Provost for Research and
Sponsored programs Dean, College of Graduate
Studies
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Rule of Thumb for Success.

• Get to know the funding agency well..

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About NIH.

• An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and
  Human Services
• Primary Federal agency for conducting and
  supporting medical and behavioral research in the
  U.S.
• 80 of its funds (23 billion per year) are
  earmarked for extramural funding
• 5 billion per year is spend on intramural
  research initiatives

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About NIH.

• Institutes (n19), Centers (n07), National
  Library of Medicine, and Offices
  (http//www.nih.gov/icd/)
• Center for Scientific Review (http//cms.csr.nih.g
  ov/)
• Portal for submission of 70 of external grant
  applications to the NIH
• Receives 80,000 application per year
• Invites 14,000 peer scientist to serve as
  reviewers per year
• Establish Study Sections (http//www.csr.nih.gov/C
  ommittees/rosterindex.asp)
• Organize grant review process

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NIH Goals.

• Foster fundamental creative discoveries,
  innovative research strategies, and their
  applications as a basis to advance significantly
  the Nation's capacity to protect and improve
  health
• Develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and
  physical resources that will assure the Nation's
  capability to prevent disease
• Expand the knowledge base in medical and
  associated sciences in order to enhance the
  Nation's economic well-being and ensure a
  continued high return on the public investment in
  research
• Exemplify and promote the highest level of
  scientific integrity, public accountability, and
  social responsibility in the conduct of science

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Rule of Thumb for Success.

• Select the most appropriate study section and get
  to know the expertise of the members well

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NIH Roadmap Themes, Implementation, Groups and
Initiatives.(http//www.sciencemag.org/feature/p
lus/nihroadmap.pdf)

• New Pathways to Discovery
• Building Blocks, Pathways, and Networks
  Implementation Group
• National Technology Centers for Networks and
  Pathways
• Metabolomics Technology Development
• Standards for Proteomics and Metabolomics/Assessme
  nt of Critical
• Reagents for Proteomics
• Molecular Libraries and Imaging Implementation
  Group
• Creation of NIH Bioactive Small-Molecule Library
  and Screening Centers
• Cheminformatics
• Technology Development
• Development of High-Specificity/High-Sensitivity
  Probes to Improve
• Detection
• Comprehensive Trans-NIH Imaging Probe Database
• Core Synthesis Facility to Produce Imaging Probes
• Structural Biology Implementation Group
• Membrane Protein Production Facilities
• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  Implementation Group
• National Centers for Biomedical Computing

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NIH Roadmap Themes, Implementation, Groups and
Initiatives.(http//www.sciencemag.org/feature/p
lus/nihroadmap.pdf)

• Research Teams of the Future
• High-Risk Research Implementation Group
• NIH Director's Innovator Awards
• Interdisciplinary Research Implementation Group
• Interdisciplinary Research (IR) Centers
• Interdisciplinary Research Training Initiative
• Innovations in Interdisciplinary Technology and
  Methods (Meetings)
• Removing Structural Barriers to Interdisciplinary
  Research.
• NIH Intramural Program as a Model for
  Interdisciplinary Research
• Interagency Conference on the Interface of Life
  Sciences and Physical
• Sciences
• Public-Private Partnerships Implementation Group
• Designation of a Public-Private Sector Liaison
• High-Level Science-Driven Partnership Meetings

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NIH Roadmap Themes, Implementation, Groups and
Initiatives.(http//www.sciencemag.org/feature/p
lus/nihroadmap.pdf)

• Reengineering the Clinical Research Enterprise
• Clinical Research Implementation Group
• Harmonization of Clinical Research Regulatory
  Requirements
• Integration of Clinical Research Networks
• Enhance Clinical Research Workforce Training
• Clinical Research Informatics National
  Electronic Clinical Trials and
• Research (NECTAR) Network
• Translational Research Core Services
• Regional Translational Research Centers
• Enabling Technologies for Improved Assessment of
  Clinical Outcomes

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NIH Research Training and Scientific
Resources(http//www.nih.gov/science/)

• Library and Literature 
• Model Organisms for Biomedical Research
• NIH Mammalian Gene Collection
• NCI-Supported Human Specimen
• NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry
• The NIH AIDS Reagent Program
• NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository
• The NIH Office of Animal Care and Use
• Biological and Chemical Safety
• Radiation Safety Waste Management Mercury Free
  Campaign Bioethics Resources on the Web
• The NIH Office of Technology Transfer
• Quantitative PCR Primer Database
• National Center for Biotechnology Information
• Supercomputing Centers for NIH Scientists
• Molecular Biology tools and information
• Molecular Modeling Computational Science support
  at CIT

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Rule of Thumb for Success.

• Select the most appropriate type of grant program

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Types of Grant Programs(http//grants1.nih.gov/gr
ants/funding/funding_program.htm)

• Research Grant Programs (n8)
• R01 Research Project Grant Program
• R03 Small Grant Program
• R13 and U13 Support for Conferences and
  Scientific Meetings
• R15 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA)
• R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Award
• National Research Service Awards (NRSA n8)
• T32 Institutional Research Training Grants
• T35 Short-term Institutional Research Training
  Grants
• F Awards Pre and Post-doctoral Fellowships
• Small Business Awards
• SBIR Small Business Innovation Research
• STTR Small Business Technology Transfer Programs

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Types of Grant Programs(http//grants1.nih.gov/gr
ants/funding/funding_program.htm)

• Career Development (K) Awards
• IDeA Institutional Development Awards
• T90 Training for a New Interdisciplinary
  Workforce
• T15 Short-term Courses in Research Ethics

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Rule of Thumb for Success.

• Follow the instructions carefully.

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Types of Grant Programs(http//grants1.nih.gov/gr
ants/funding/r01.htm)

• R01 Research Project Grant Program
• Not limited in dollars but need to reflect the
  actual needs of the proposed project. Modular
  applications are most prevalent with modules of
  25,000, up to the modular limit of 250,000.
  Applications that exceed this level must be
  submitted as non-modular and provide detailed
  budget information
• Generally awarded for 1 - 5 budget periods, each
  normally 12 months in duration
• Can be renewed by competing for an additional
  project period
• Supplements and amendments are allowed
• Only two revisions of a previously reviewed R01
  grant application may be submitted
• The Research Plan (Specific Aims, Background and
  Significance, Preliminary Studies, and Research
  Design and Methods) of an application for an R01
  follow the instructions provided in PHS 398 Grant
  Application kit, at http//grants.nih.gov/grants/f
  orms.htm

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Types of Grant Programs(http//grants1.nih.gov/gr
ants/funding/r03.htm)

• R03 Small Grant Program
• Applicants may request a project period of up to
  two years and a budget for direct costs of up to
  two 25,000 modules or 50,000 per year
• Small grant support is for new projects only
  competing continuation applications will not be
  accepted
• Small grant support may not be used for thesis or
  dissertation research
• All NIH Institutes and Centers will accept two
  revisions of a previously reviewed R03 small
  grant application. (See NOT-OD-05-046)
• The Research Plan (Specific Aims, Background and
  Significance, Preliminary Studies, and Research
  Design and Methods) of an application for a small
  grant may not exceed a total of 10 pages
• A Progress Report is not needed competing
  continuation applications for a small grant will
  be not accepted
• The appendix may include only original, glossy
  photographs or color images of gels, micrographs,
  etc. provided that a photocopy (may be reduced in
  size) is also included within the page limits of
  the research plan. No publications or other
  printed material, with the exception of
  preprinted questionnaires or surveys, may be
  included in the appendix

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Types of Grant Programs(http//grants1.nih.gov/gr
ants/funding/r21.htm)

• R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant
  Award
• You may request a project period of up to two
  years
• The combined budget for direct costs for the two
  year project period may not exceed 275,000. For
  example, you may request 100,000 in the first
  year and 175,000 in the second year to meet the
  needs of your project. Normally, no more than
  200,000 may be requested in any single year
• All budgets should be in modular format
• Exploratory/developmental grant support is for
  new projects only competing continuation
  applications will not be accepted
• Two revisions of a previously reviewed
  exploratory/developmental grant application may
  be submitted
• Items a - d of the Research Plan (Specific Aims,
  Background and Significance, Preliminary Studies,
  and Research Design and Methods) may not exceed a
  total of 15 pages
• No preliminary data is required but may be
  included if available
• A Progress Report is not needed competing
  continuation applications for an
  exploratory/developmental grant will not be
  accepted
• Use the instructions for the appendix detailed in
  the PHS 398 except that no more than 5
  manuscripts, previously accepted for publication,
  may be included

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Types of Grant Programs(http//grants1.nih.gov/tr
aining/careerdevelopmentawards.htm)

• K Awards Career Development Awards
• K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development
  Award
• Career development in a new area of research
• 3-5 yrs Salary determined by the sponsoring
  Institute
• K02 Independent Scientist Award
• Develop the career of the funded scientist
• 5 yrs 75 effort
• K05 Senior Scientist Award
• For outstanding scientists with a sustained level
  of high productivity
• 5 yrs 75 effort Funding determined by the
  sponsoring Institute
• K07 Academic Career Award
• Developmental/Leadership in academic instruction,
  research, administration
• 2-5 yrs, 25-75 effort requires institutional
  sponsorship
• K22 Career Transition Award

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Rule of Thumb for Success.

• Seek advice/input from NIH-funded investigators
  before submitting the proposal

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Be patient and RELAX.