The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) supports conference, workshops and scientific meetings in areas related to its mission to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information. (See the NIDCR mission). NIDCR is interested in supporting meetings, conferences and workshops that represent new areas of research, highlight application of novel approaches to achieving research goals, and are open to participation by the general scientific community, particularly junior investigators, students, and postdoctoral fellows. Either the R13 conference grant mechanism or the U13 cooperative agreement mechanism may be used, but applicants are encouraged to consider applying for an award under the U13 mechanism where meeting development is conducted in partnership with NIDCR program staff. Support of all meetings is contingent upon the fiscal and programmatic priorities of NIDCR.
Procedures and Timeframe for Submission
1) Contact Program Director
Potential applicants should consult with the appropriate Program Director at NIDCR, prior to seeking advance permission to submit an application, to discuss suitability of the conference for NIDCR support. For a more detailed description of program areas, see the NIDCR Organization charts.
2) Advance permission
If recommended by Program staff, the applicant must then seek advance permission to submit an application. This step should be accomplished early in the process and no later than six weeks before the application submission date. Complete the Request to Submit an Application for Conference and Scientific Meeting form
(121KB) and send by e-mail or FAX to:
Dr. Alicia Dombroski
Division of Extramural Activities
(301) 594-4800
(301) 480-8303 (FAX)
adombroski@mail.nih.gov
If approved, a written approval letter will be sent to the applicant. This letter must be included with the full application as part of the cover letter component.
3) Application Submission
APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT. Carefully follow the instructions for submission given in announcement PA-08-149. Applications must meet one of three receipt dates: April 12, August 12 or December 12. To allow sufficient time for peer review of the application, for an award decision to be made, and for an award to be processed prior to the conference or workshop, applications must be submitted for a receipt deadline that is at least six months prior to the start of the conference or workshop.
Please make special note of the Guideline for the Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities. A section addressing the inclusion of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities must be included in the application. Every attempt should be made to include these groups in organizing committees, as speakers, and as attendees at the meeting. For recurring meetings it is also helpful to include expectation of attendance of these groups based on previous attendance. Additionally an assurance of physical accommodations for persons with disabilities at the meeting location should be described.
4) Review Timeline
NIDCR convenes Special Emphasis Panels (SEP) to review R13 applications. Applications received for the December deadline are reviewed some time in February or March; for the April deadline, they are reviewed in June or July; and for the August deadline, review is in October or November. Although review of applications coincides with the three annual meetings of the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council, they may be funded any time after initial peer review.
5) Funding
NIDCR support of conferences and workshops is limited to a maximum of $30,000 per meeting but the actual award is contingent upon availability of funds, programmatic priorities and recommendations by peer review and program staff. For applications in which NIDCR is listed as the secondary institute, NIDCR may provide a maximum of $3,000 in support.
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