Special Supplements for Individuals

Purpose

To add funding to existing grants to hire scientists who are from underrepresented groups, primary caregivers, or re-entering a scientific career after a family-related hiatus.

Procedure

Supplements add monies to NIAID-funded grants to support and recruit people from underrepresented groups, primary caregivers, and people returning to work from family responsibilities.

Principal investigators on a "parent grant" apply for supplements. NIAID's Review Operations Committee (ROC) -- composed of senior program officers -- reviews applications.

Candidates supported by an NRSA training grant are eligible for diversity supplements but must wait until their NRSA appointment has finished before working on one. They cannot end their NRSA support early to activate a diversity supplement.

For more information about eligibility, salary, and lengths of support, see the following pages:

• Primary Caregiver Technical Assistance Supplements
• Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
• Reentry Supplements

Principal Investigators

• Apply for a supplement to fund a qualified scientist to work on your grant (that person cannot apply).
• Note that candidates for a diversity supplement are ineligible if they meet any of the following criteria:
  • Are supported by a foreign grant or a foreign component of a domestic grant.
  • Are not U.S. citizens or non-citizen nationals or do not have a Alien Registration Receipt Card (a "green card").
  • Are not enrolled in a degree program.
  • Have received grant funds from a parent grant that lists them on the "Current Research Support" section of the biosketch, budget page, or key personnel report in any year of the parent grant.
    • Candidates who are listed but do not receive grant funds from a parent grant are eligible. The grantee institution must verify that this is the case.
    • On a case-by-case basis, NIAID will consider funding underrepresented candidates who have received monies for a short time from a parent grant.
• For diversity supplement applications, include the following for candidates who will be working with human subjects or animals:
  • IRB or IACUC approval dates.
  • Certification of training in the protection of human subjects.

For more information, including eligibility and application instructions, see Research Supplements on NIAID's Research Funding Web site.

GMP Supplement Coordinator

• When applications come in, review them for possible problems, e.g., eligibility, other support.
• Give this information to Raushanah Newman in the Office of Special Populations and Research Training (OSPRT).
• Attend the ROC meeting.
  • Distribute applications identified for possible funding to the appropriate grants management specialist. 
  • Two weeks after the ROC meeting, have unfunded supplemental applications uploaded into eGrants.

Office of Special Populations and Research Training Staff

• Organize and attend the ROC meeting.
• After the meeting, determine whether to fund a supplement application.
• For fundable supplements, enter a new supplement request by going into the NIAID Planning and Reporting System (NPARS) under the CAAP module and entering the information on the Grants Supplement General Request Form.
• After grants management staff approve applications, email the Budget and Financial Management Branch to request that it issue a Release List.

Grants Management Specialists

• Once you get an email from OSPRT about a fundable application, review the candidate's eligibility.
• If a candidate is eligible for support, go to the CAAP Request Administrative Supplement module to approve the application and enter the total costs for the current fiscal year and the number of years of recommended support.
• After you approve, email the appropriate grants management division coordinator for approval, either Cindy McDermott, DAIT; Victoria Connors, DAIDS; Ann Devine, DMID.
  • The division coordinator will forward the email to the OSPRT director for approval.
• After receiving the Release List, do the following:
  • Request information required to issue an award.
  • Prepare an award spreadsheet and issue the award.
    • Use grantee’s current facilities and administrative rate.
    • Prorate the award for the number of months remaining in the current grant year unless we are funding the supplement immediately after the parent grant award. Prorate everything except travel.
    • Include the appropriate term of award from the "Supplement Terms" section of the terms package.

For further guidance, see GMP's Diversity, Disability, Reentry, and Caregiver Supplements SOP.

Contacts

GMP Supplement Coordinator

Devon Bumbray-Quarles, dbumbray@niaid.nih.gov, 301-402-6213

Office of Special Populations and Research Training

Director: Milton Hernández, mh35c@nih.gov, 301-496-3775

Grants management specialist: Raushanah Newman, newmanrau@niaid.nih.gov, 301-451-2691

If you have knowledge to share or want more information on this topic, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.

Links

Research Supplements

Supplement Types Awarded to Research Grants SOP

NIAID Funding Policy and Process SOP