Revised: May 2007

Supplemental Guidelines for the Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)

Applicants can refer to the NIH website for many of the common questions asked NIH-wide about the Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award (T32) at the following URL: http://grants.nih.gov/training/faq_training.htm.

Frequently asked pre-award questions related to NHLBI T32 applications:

1. What is the NHLBI receipt deadline for a competing T32 grant application?

   Receipt dates for competing applications:
   
   January 25 - The NHLBI will accept all types of competing T32 applications (new, renewal/competing continuation, resubmission/amended) on this date.
   
   May 25 - This date has been eliminated; after 5/25/07 no T32 applications of any type will be accepted.
   
   September 25 - Only resubmission/amended T32 applications will be accepted on this date.
   
   Award Date: New competing awards for T32 grants will be issued as early as February. Competing Renewals will usually follow the dates of the last non-competing award end date.

2. How can I insure that my grant application will be sent to the NHLBI?

   One way is to attach a letter to the face page of the application requesting that the grant be assigned to the NHLBI. When the application is received at the NHLBI, the NHLBI Program Official will determine if it is relevant to the Institute’s mission and whether the Institute should accept assignment of the application. If it is not accepted at the NHLBI, it will be sent to a more appropriate Institute.

3. Are competing T32 applications subject to the NIH policies on applications with directs costs exceeding $500,000 in any one year?

   Yes. If the requested costs for your T32 application exceed $500,000 in direct costs for any year of the award, you must receive approval to accept the application from the NHLBI prior to submission. Policies for requesting approval are available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/policies/500kweb.htm.

4. To what Study Section do I send my T32 grant application?

   All grant applications are sent to one address that is cited in Form PHS 398. The Center for Scientific Review receives all applications and distributes them to the individual Institutes (I) and Centers (C) at NIH. Each I/C has a special Study Section that reviews T32s. You need not specify the name of the study section.

5. Can a T32 grant be awarded for less than 5 years?

   Yes. The length of the award is at the discretion of the Review Committee. The Committee may perceive a problem which may occur in the near future with the grantee and may elect to award a shorter period in order to monitor events. Other reasons for shorter periods may be: a new or unusual training program is being initiated and there is a question of its effectiveness; funding sources cited by the Program Director to maintain a viable training program may be in question or appear inadequate; recruitment of trainees over an extended period may be difficult.

6. The NHLBI, along with other NIH Institutes, uses a formula to calculate what would be the allowable costs to be awarded for tuition/fees/self-only health insurance to each grantee; should the grantee use this formula to request a budget?

   No. Grantees should request full costs in the application. The NHLBI’s Grants Operations Branch will apply the formula at the time of award.

7. How is the stipend level determined for the T32 trainee?

   The stipend level for the NRSA trainee is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience after the doctorate at the time of appointment. The stipend levels are regulated by Congressional legislation and are periodically adjusted to meet the rise in the cost of living. It is important that Program Directors and trainees know how to determine the number of years of relevant postdoctoral experience and are aware of the current stipend levels to ensure that the correct stipend is being requested by the institution on behalf of the trainee. Institutions have been known to make errors in determining the correct amount. The current stipend levels can be obtained by going to the NIH website at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html and entering the words nrsa stipends increase.

8. Are there specific formats for the tables in the grant application?

   Yes. NHLBI has made available suggested formats that will assist the applicant to organize the required information in a way that reviewers can readily evaluate. Specific table formats for the T32 grant application are located at: Suggested Tabular Formats for Required Data.

9. Is it possible to get a copy of a successful T32 grant to use as a guide?

   Not at this time. The training objectives of individual T32 grants are so very different and cover so many areas of career relevance that to find even a number of "standard" acceptable grants is difficult.

10. What review considerations should I be aware of in preparing a mentorship plan?

    You are advised to: describe time commitments specifically and ensure they are appropriate to defined goals and needs; include descriptions in the training plan of trainees’ specific roles on various projects and how these contribute to career development; ensure that the career development plan, mentoring plan, expertise/expectations of mentors and letters of support are all consistent and coherently directed toward meeting the trainee’s career goals; consider inclusion of secondary mentors or mentoring or advisory committees if they are clearly integrated into the overall career development plan; and include description of previous trainees and their accomplishments, and mentors’ roles in their career development, without limiting this description to formal relationships such as past T32 or K programs. Excellent mentorship guides are available from the National Academy of Sciences at http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor/ and the NIH Intramural Program at http://www1.od.nih.gov/oir/sourcebook/ethic-conduct/mentor-guide.htm.

11. Are there other review issues of which I should be aware?

    Other issues frequently commented upon during review include:

Whether the Program Director will devote sufficient time to the training grant, based on either no percent effort for the grant specified, or a low percent effort.

If a very large a number of faculty is involved, whether the program would have difficulty in providing a sense of unity, cohesiveness, and true collaboration across departments (as applicable).

Whether proposed predoctoral programs are given as much attention in preparation and description as proposed postdoctoral programs in the same application.

Whether the majority of trainees are trained with just one or two faculty.

Whether the proposed faculty includes experienced, successful trainers with evidence of other research grant support.

Whether the proposed program overlaps with other training grants at the same institution.

For competing renewal applications, whether the number of training positions actually awarded was different from the number recommended by reviewers and why.

Whether the program demonstrates integration among tracks, faculty, multiple campuses or sites, pre-doctoral and post-doctoral programs, basic and clinical research, etc.

Whether the program includes internal and/or external advisory committees with descriptions of membership, role, frequency of meetings, etc.

Whether the process for selecting trainees is described and trainees and mentors will be matched.

Whether the program will provide trainees with up-to-date skills.

In addition, if you are proposing an increase in the number of training positions, the need for the extra positions must be justified and supported by a good record of filling previous slots and evidence of an adequate trainee pool. Other criticisms often applied to training grant applications include: lack of focus or theme, lack of integrated leadership, lack of modern cutting-edge science, inadequate descriptions of didactic coursework, and lack of other research support for faculty.