Research Grants and the Peer Review Process

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Research Grants and the Peer Review Process

• Mark Swieter, PhD
• Chief,
• Training and Special Projects Review Branch
• Office of Extramural Affairs
• National Institute on Drug Abuse

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Dual Review System for Grant Applications
First Level of Review

• Scientific Review Group (SRG)
• Provides Initial Scientific Merit
  Review of Grant Applications
• Rates Applications and Makes Recommendations for
  Appropriate Level of Support and Duration of Award

Second Level of Review

• Council
• Assesses Quality of SRG Review of Grant
  Applications
• Makes Recommendations to Institute Staff on
  Funding
• Evaluates Program Priorities and Relevance
• Advises on Policy

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Review Process for a Research Grant
National Institutes of Health

• Principal
• Investigator

School or Other Research Center
Center for Scientific Review
Assign to
IC /- SRG
Scientific Review Group
Initiates Research Idea
Submits Application
Reviews for
Scientific Merit
Institute
Evaluates for
Relevance
Advisory Council or Board
Recommends
Action
Allocates Funds
Institute Director
Conducts Research
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CSR ReceiptReferral
Institute ReceiptReferral
CSR Review Cmte
Institute Review Cmte
Scores and percentiles Summary Statements
Institute Advisory Council
times applicant is notified by NIH
To pay or not to pay
times to check eRA Commons
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electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons
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Grant Submissions
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Receipt Date Review Date Council
Date February 1 May-Aug Sept-Oct March 1
April 5 May 1 June
1 Sept-Dec Jan-Feb July 1 August 5
September 1 October 1 Jan-Apr May-June
November 1 December 1 January
2
New Fellowship Revised or Competing
Continuation HIV/AIDS
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Your application is here.
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About Receipt and Referral

• With gt70,000 applications to process each year
  (gt20,000 each round), some mistakes are made
• Therefore, you may want to keep track of the
  progress of your application

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Deciphering the Application Number
Serial Number
Mechanism
Version
1 R01 DA 12345 - 01 A1
Type
Year
Funding Institute
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What do I do if my application has been
misassigned?

• Contact the SRA of the committee to which the
  application has been assigned and find out if
  s/he agrees that it has been misassigned
• If so, s/he will most likely contact the SRA of
  the more appropriate review committee and pursue
  reassigning the application

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What does an SRA (Scientific Review
Administrator) do?

• Assesses scientific knowledge and review skills
  of potential reviewers and selects study section
  members

• Analyzes applications for completeness and
  determines who will review them

• Manages and oversees scientific peer review group
  meetings and is legally responsible for ensuring
  NIH regulations and policies are followed

• Prepares summary statements reflecting study
  section recommendations

• Authorizes release of scores and summary
  statements

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WHAT IS STREAMLINING?
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ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE ON STREAMLINING

• All Career Development Award applications are
  being subjected to what is called streamlining.
  This is the process by which the most
  meritorious applications (generally the top half
  of those reviewed) are identified and only those
  are given a score by the review committee. Those
  applications deemed to be in the bottom half in
  terms of merit are left unscored rather than
  being fully discussed and rated by the review
  committee. It is important to recognize that
  because applications are reviewed on the basis of
  several criteria, it is possible for unscored
  applications to have some components of
  considerable scientific and technical merit. The
  fact that an application is initially unscored
  does not preclude the possibility that the
  problems identified in the review may be later
  corrected or adequately addressed, suggesting
  that revision and resubmission may be warranted.
  Candidates are encouraged to review the Summary
  Statements, discuss the comments with their
  mentors (if applicable) and contact relevant NIDA
  Program Staff to discuss a strategy for
  resubmission, if appropriate.

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Where to Find Information

• CSR website (http//www.csr.nih.gov)
• Forms (PHS 398, PHS 416)
• SRG Structures and Rosters
• Institute websites (http//www.nida.nih.gov)
• Program Announcements
• Institute Divisions and Offices
• SRG Structures and Rosters

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Two Keys to Success

• Know the System

• Be Proactive

• Be Resilient