December 18 1997: Information on the Transition to NIH's New Policy on New Investigators
New investigators are important to the future of biomedical research. In order to allow new investigators maximum freedom in identifying the level and period of support needed for the work they are planning and thus enhance their opportunities to establish careers in research, NIH has announced a new policy. Under this policy, new investigators are encouraged to submit traditional research project grant (R01) applications, which will be clearly identified as being from new investigators. At the same time, First Independent Research and Transition (FIRST; R29) award applications will no longer be accepted (effective June 1998.) This notice will address questions that may arise during the period between this announcement and the full implementation of that policy. During this time of transition, NIH will make every effort to ensure that new investigators are not disadvantaged and to accommodate their needs.
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November 21 1997: Change in Policy of Supporting New Investigators
NIH announced today that beginning with the June 1, 1998, receipt date for research grant applications, it will no longer accept applications for R29 (First Independent Research Support and Transition) awards. These awards, also known as FIRST awards, were designed for new investigators. This change in policy will allow investigators maximum freedom in identifying the level and period of support needed for the work they are planning. In making this change, NIH has committed to supporting at least the same number of new investigators and, as necessary, directing more resources to their support.
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October 28 1997: Use of PHS 398 and 2590 Applications Forms Extended
The Application for a Public Health Service Grant (PHS 398) and Application for Continuation of a Public Health Service Grant (PHS 2590) currently in use were revised 5/95 and approved for use through 9/30/97. These forms have been revised and submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In the meantime, OMB has officially authorized the use of the existing forms through December 31, 1997.
NIH will publish an announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts when the new forms are available for use. There will be a transition period during which either the new or old forms will be accepted. Applicants should continue to use the 5/95 revision of the PHS 398 and 2590 until further notice.
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October 1 1997: NIH Guide Now On The Web
On October 1, 1997, the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts was moved off Gopher and onto the World Wide Web. The format of Request for Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs) have not been changed. The purpose of this change is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of information dissemination and to reduce costs.
Please remove any bookmarks to the NIH Guide that you might currently have. Due to the possibility of future changes in the location and format of the NIH Guide repository, we strongly recommend that you do NOT bookmark specific Guide articles (although you may bookmark the NIH Guide Home Page).
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September 19 1997: NIH Sponsers Roundtable Meeting On Reinvention
The National Institutes of Health, Office of Extramural Research, is sponsoring a one-day meeting, entitled Reinvention Roundtable II, to seek input from invited representatives of the scientific community on several of the agency's key extramural research reinvention initiatives, including Electronic Research Administration, Expedited Review and Award, and Modular Research Grants. The meeting will be held Tuesday, September 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the main campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Building 31, Conference Room 10.
The Roundtable meeting is open to the public. However, reserved seating is not available for the public. Space is limited, so anyone interested in attending should plan to arrive early. Pay visitor parking is limited. Visitors to the NIH campus are encouraged to use the metro (red line--Medical Center metro stop). An online NIH map is available.
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June 30 1997: NIH Regional Seminar In Program Funding And Grants Adminstration
A regional seminar covering topics related to program funding and grants administration at the National Institutes of Health has been scheduled for September 4-5, 1997, in Nashville, Tennessee. This seminar, hosted by Vanderbilt University, is designed to attract participants from the southeast region, although interested individuals from other regions are welcome to participate. Individuals from small and minority colleges, for-profit research organizations, hospitals, universities and medical centers are encouraged to attend.
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June 05 1997: NIH Establishes Central Focus For Bioengineering
Biomedical engineering advances the nation's health by increasing biological knowledge through the use of engineering principles and techniques. Biomedical engineering also facilitates the development of novel drugs, implants, prevention tools and diagnostic devices. The NIH Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) is the central focus for bioengineering issues at NIH. BECON is composed of senior level representatives from each of the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Divisions. This site will provide information on the activities of BECON, on current NIH supported bioengineering extramural and intramural research, and on opportunities for the future.
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May 15 1997: Rating of Grant Applications - NIH Announces New Explicit Statements of Review Criteria
Dr. Harold Varmus, Director of the NIH, announced at the May 5, 1997,
meeting of the Peer Review Oversight Group (PROG)
that use of five explicitly-stated review criteria will be implemented across
the NIH, effective for all applications submitted on or after October 1, 1997;
these applications would then be reviewed using the new criteria statements in
the February 1998 review cycle.
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April 29 1997: The OER Grants Web Site Has Been Redesigned
The OER Grants web site has been redesigned. For best results, it is recommended that either Netscape Navigator
version 3.x or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.x be used. As part of the redesign, many pages have been moved,
so if you have bookmarked any pages on this web site, please check to see if the bookmarks are still valid.
Some of the new enhancements include:
- Navigation bars now appear on many pages.
- Every page now has a link back to the OER Grants home page.
- Information about places on this site can now be found in the bottom status bar of your web browser.
- A site map has been developed to help you locate resources and documents quickly by functional area.
- News flash items will appear as headlines in a News Flash ticker box on the OER Grants home page. Details of the News Flash will appear on this page (the News Flash Page).
- News Flash items will be archived (by year) for easy retrieval.
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