NEUROSCIENCE SCHOLARS PROGRAM
 
RELEASE DATE:  July 19, 2002
 
RFA:  NS-03-002 (Reissued as PAR-07-456) 
 
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
 (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/)
 
LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE:  October 21, 2002  

APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE:  November 21, 2002
 
THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support 
o Funds Available
o Eligible Institutions
o Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Letter of Intent
o Submitting an Application
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations

PURPOSE OF THIS RFA

Data from a survey from the Association of Neuroscience Departments and 
Programs (2000) indicate that only 8% of tenure-track faculty are from 
racial/ethnic minority populations.  The NIH "Program of Action to 
Address Health Disparities" recognizes that success in building an 
effective biomedical research infrastructure, and our ability to 
deliver research benefits to at-risk populations requires a commitment 
to training and supporting scientists from diverse racial/ethnic 
backgrounds.   

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) 
invites applications for Education Projects for Minority Neuroscience 
Scholars Programs.  The purpose of these Education Projects is to 
enable the grantee organization to provide research and related 
experiences for undergraduate, graduate and medical students, 
postdoctoral fellows and other junior scientists from minority groups 
to broaden their skills and enhance their career development 
opportunities.  Funding support for Neuroscience Scholars Programs 
should lead to increased recruitment, mentoring, training and retention 
of minorities in the scientific and technology workforce.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 
This initiative seeks to support innovative education programs that 
provide minority neuroscientists within scientific and/or professional 
societies and organizations with enhanced research and training 
activities to strengthen their career potential.  Such programs may 
include, but are not limited to:

o Travel awards to permit attendance at relevant national meetings 
(e.g., Gordon conferences, FASEB meetings) and important seminars in 
their research area,

o Travel awards for scholars to participate in brief research training 
and career development opportunities in the extramural neuroscience 
community,

o Tuition and travel awards to summer workshops such as Cold Spring 
Harbor, Woods Hole, etc.  

o Development/enhancement of opportunities for students and young 
scientists to establish mentor relationships with prominent 
neuroscience investigators,

o Visiting tours for graduate students from minority institutions to 
meet faculty at various institutions,

o Leadership workshops,

o Scientific retreats organized by and for students,

o Rotations with journal publishers to gain insight into scientific 
publication processes at the editorial/review level

The NIH realizes that quality mentorship is critical to the recruitment 
and retention of minority scientists.  Therefore, this initiative 
welcomes programs aimed at improving the caliber of mentorship. For 
example,

o Workshops to train mentors (e.g. summer training course or a workshop 
accompanying a scientific meeting in which case-based scenarios may be 
used to educate mentors on various relevant ethical, professional and 
cultural issues facing students today).

o Cultural sensitivity training

o Development of web-based mentoring tools

In addition, applicants are encouraged to develop electronic 
communication networks to allow participants to communicate easily with 
each other and with relevant program staff at the NINDS.  As a 
component of the overall program, electronic networks also may be used 
to provide information about NINDS programs of interest to the 
participants, to identify research funding and training opportunities 
for them, and to facilitate recruitment of scholars for educational and 
employment positions.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
This RFA will use the NIH Education Project (R25) funding mechanism.  
The R25 mechanism is intended to develop and/or implement programs as 
they relate to one or more of the areas of education, information, 
training, technical assistance, coordination, or evaluation.  

As an applicant you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, 
and executing the proposed project.  This RFA is a one-time 
solicitation.  The earliest anticipated award date is July 1, 2003.  
The NINDS may re-issue this RFA in the future if there is continued 
need to develop such educational programs.

FUNDS AVAILABLE
 
The NINDS intends to commit approximately $1.4M in FY 2003 to fund 
approximately 5 new and/or competitive continuation grants in response 
to this RFA.  An applicant may request a project period of up to 5 years 
and direct costs of up to $250,000 per year.  Because the nature and 
scope of the proposed educational activities will vary from application 
to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each 
award will also vary.  Awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon 
the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of 
meritorious applications.  
 
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS  
 
You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution has any of the following 
characteristics: 
o For-profit or non-profit organizations 
o Scientific and/or Professional organizations that focus on basic, clinical or 
translational science
o Domestic 
The advisory board of the society or organization should identify a member to 
serve as Principal Investigator and work with them to develop an application 
for support.  The advisory board is also charged with oversight responsibilities 
during the award period.

INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS   

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to 
carry out the proposed educational activity is invited to work with an 
eligible organization to develop an application.  The proposed 
Principal Investigator must hold a basic or health professional degree 
(e.g., Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent), and have clearly demonstrated 
training/mentoring credentials.  Individuals from underrepresented 
racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are 
encouraged to apply for NIH programs.   

WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES

We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity 
to answer questions from potential applicants.  Inquiries may fall into 
three areas:  scientific/programmatic, peer review, and financial or 
grants management issues:

o Direct your questions about scientific/programmatic issues to:

Gayathri Jeyarasasingam, Ph.D.
Program Director
Office of Minority Health and Research
OD/NINDS/NIH
Neuroscience Center, Suite 2149 
Bethesda, MD 20892-9535
Telephone: (301) 496-3102
Email: gaya@nih.gov

o Direct your questions about peer review issues to: 

Chief, Scientific Review Branch
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard, Suite 3208
Bethesda, MD 20892-9529 
Rockville, MD 20852 (For Express/Courier Service)
Telephone:  (301) 496-9223
Fax:  (301) 402-0182

o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters 
to:

Ms. Dianna Jessee
Grants Management Branch 
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 
The Neuroscience Center, Suite 3290
6001 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20892-9537
Telephone:  (301) 496-9231
Fax:  (301) 402-0219
Email: jesseed@ninds.nih.gov
 
LETTER OF INTENT
 
Prospective applicants are requested to submit a letter of intent that 
includes the following information:

o Descriptive title of the proposed education project
o Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator
o Names of other key personnel 
o Number and title of this RFA 

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does 
not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information 
that it contains allows IC staff to plan for a technical assistance 
workshop, estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
 
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed at the beginning 
of this document, and should be sent to:

Gayathri Jeyarasasingam, Ph.D.
Program Director
Office of Minority Health and Research
OD/NINDS/NIH
Neuroscience Center, Suite 2149 
Bethesda, MD 20892-9535
Telephone: (301) 496-3102
Email: gaya@nih.gov

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant 
application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001).  The PHS 398 is 
available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in 
an interactive format.  For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, 
Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

It is strongly recommended that prospective applicants contact the  
NINDS staff person listed under INQUIRIES early in the planning phase 
of application preparation to discuss areas of interest and award 
provisions.  Such contact will help ensure that applications are 
responsive to the aims expressed in this announcement.

The instructions below illustrate how the sections of the application 
should be completed for those parts of the research plan that differ in 
content from a traditional research grant application.

Current Programs (Replaces Preliminary Studies) - 

o Describe any enrichment activities already initiated at the 
organization relevant to promoting diversity in the neuroscience 
research workforce.

o Describe any evaluation of the success of current programs in meeting 
the specified goals.

Education Program Design (Replaces Research Design and Methods) -

o Describe the overall goals and objectives of the program and the 
number of participants to be supported.  

o Provide programmatic detail on the specific activities proposed to 
assist participants in developing their research careers. Applicants 
should justify their choice of activities by showing how they will 
assist in the career development of selected scholars. 

o Describe the relationship and responsibilities of the program to the 
overall mission of the sponsoring organization.

o Provide evidence that the Principal Investigator is actively engaged 
in research, can organize and administer the enrichment program by 
describing the qualifications, capabilities and experiences of the 
Principal Investigator.

o Elucidate the role of the Advisory committee to the Principal 
Investigator in selecting and supervising scholars, and in evaluating 
the enrichment program. 

o Provide information on the potential participant pool including GPAs, 
GRE scores, scientific research areas and ethnic composition, include a 
description of plans for recruiting as participants individuals from 
underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.

o Provide the selection criteria for participants in the program. 

o Describe selection process (e.g., who will be on the selection 
committee, their experience evaluating such applications)

o Describe the overall performance evaluation plan, including baseline 
data and milestones for accomplishments as well as plans for tracking 
and monitoring participants" progress.  Describe the specific short-
term and long-term outcome measures to be evaluated such as increasing 
the number of students participating in the program, increasing the 
number of scientific presentations made by trainees, increasing 
publishing rate, increasing the number of applications and awards from 
NIH and other agencies, evaluating success in the next career stage, 
etc. 

USING THE RFA LABEL: The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 
5/2001) application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page 
of the application.  Type the RFA number on the label.  Failure to use 
this label could result in delayed processing of the application such 
that it may not reach the review committee in time for review.  In 
addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2 of the face 
page of the application form and the YES box must be marked. The RFA 
label is also available at: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.
 
SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten 
original of the application, including the Checklist, and three signed, 
photocopies, in one package to:
 
Center For Scientific Review
National Institutes Of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD  20892-7710
Bethesda, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)
 
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application 
must be sent to:

Gayathri Jeyarasasingam, Ph.D.
Program Director
Office of Minority Health and Research
OD/NINDS/NIH
Neuroscience Center, Suite 2149 
Bethesda, MD 20892-9535
Telephone: (301) 496-3102
Email: gaya@nih.gov

APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received by the 
application receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA.  If an 
application is received after that date, it will be returned to the 
applicant without review.
 
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application 
in response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently 
pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending 
application.  The CSR will not accept any application that is 
essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude 
the submission of substantial revisions of applications already 
reviewed, but such applications must include an Introduction addressing 
the previous critique.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS  
 
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR 
and responsiveness by the NINDS. Incomplete and/or non-responsive 
applications will be returned to the applicant without further 
consideration.

Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be 
evaluated for technical merit by an appropriate peer review group 
convened by the NINDS in accordance with the review criteria stated 
below.  As part of the initial merit review, all applications will:

o Receive a written critique
o Undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the 
highest merit, generally the top half of the applications under review, 
will be discussed and assigned a priority score
o Receive a second level review by the NINDS National Advisory Council 
or Board. 
 
REVIEW CRITERIA 

The goal of these Education Projects is to provide research and related 
experiences for minority students, fellows and other junior scientists 
to broaden their skills and enhance their career development 
opportunities.  In the written comments, reviewers will be asked to 
discuss the following aspects of your application in order to judge the 
likelihood that the proposed program will have a substantial impact on 
the pursuit of these goals: 

o Will the proposed education program provide the opportunities 
necessary to strengthen the career development opportunities of 
minority scientists?  What effect will the enrichment program have on 
the research skills and competence of scholars engaged in research? 

o Is the proposed specialized curriculum appropriate and adequate to 
augment the education goals outlined?  

o Is the Principal Investigator appropriately trained and well suited 
to carry out this work?  Is the work proposed appropriate to the 
experience level of the Principal Investigator, the mentors, and the 
members of the Advisory Committee?  Is the role of the Advisory 
Committee clearly defined?

o Does the scientific/education environment in which the work will be 
done contribute to the probability of success?  Is there evidence of 
institutional support? What is the relationship of the program to the 
overall mission of the sponsoring organization?

o Are the requirements and timetable for completing the planned 
activities, the plan for program advertisement, the size and caliber of 
the applicant pool, the mentoring capability and quality of research 
programs at mentor institutions, the selection criteria for trainees, 
meetings and workshops, the mechanisms for getting feedback from 
students, etc. clearly described and appropriate for ensuring that the 
program meets its goals?

o Is there an adequate plan for evaluating the effectiveness of the 
program in achieving its objectives and tracking the future course of 
program participants?

The scientific review group will address and consider each of these 
criteria in assigning your application"s overall score, weighting them 
as appropriate for each application.  Your application does not need to 
be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major impact 
and thus deserve a high priority score.  

ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, the 
application will also be reviewed with respect to the following:

BUDGET:  The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested 
period of support in relation to the proposed education project.

RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE

Letter of Intent Receipt Date: October 21, 2002
Application Receipt Date: November 21, 2002
Peer Review Date: February/March 2003
Council Review: May 2003
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2003

AWARD CRITERIA

Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:

o Merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.
 
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS 

PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: 
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been 
revised to provide public access to research data through the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances.  Data that are (1) 
first produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with 
Federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency 
in support of an action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a 
regulation) may be accessed through FOIA.  It is important for 
applicants to understand the basic scope of this amendment.  NIH has 
provided guidance at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.

Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public 
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the 
distribution for an indefinite period of time.  If so, the application 
should include a description of the archiving plan in the study design 
and include information about this in the budget justification section 
of the application. In addition, applicants should think about how to 
structure informed consent statements and other human subjects 
procedures given the potential for wider use of data collected under 
this award.

URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and 
proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page 
limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet 
addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to 
the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the 
Internet sites.   Furthermore, we caution reviewers that their anonymity 
may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to 
achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of 
"Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority 
areas. This RFA is related to one or more of the priority areas. 
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at 
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.853, and is not subject to the 
intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or 
Health Systems Agency review.  Awards are made under authorization of 
Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 
USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies described 
at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm and under Federal 
Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. 

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products.  In 
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits 
smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a 
facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, 
health care, or early childhood development services are provided to 
children.  This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and 
advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
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