IN
THIS ISSUE . . .
March 5, 2008
Director's Message
Advisory Council Concept Clearances
Funding Opportunities
NIGMS-Sponsored Events
Research Administration Notes
Resources
The NIGMS Feedback Loop e-mail newsletter alerts
researchers to NIGMS funding
opportunities, trends, and plans. NIGMS grantees and
recent applicants are automatically subscribed; we encourage
other interested individuals to subscribe themselves.
To subscribe, change your subscription options, or unsubscribe,
visit the NIGMS Feedback Loop subscription
page on the NIH LISTSERV Web site.
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Send your ideas to NIGMS Feedback Loop coordinator
James Deatherage (301-594-0828, deatherj@nigms.nih.gov).
Director's Message
I would like to welcome a new group of readers to the
NIGMS Feedback Loop: investigators who have recently
submitted applications assigned to NIGMS. We hope that
these individuals will find useful information in this
electronic newsletter, which is intended to be a catalyst
for interaction between the Institute and the scientific
community. Published three times a year, the NIGMS
Feedback Loop alerts scientists to our funding opportunities,
trends, and plans. Although we automatically subscribe
NIGMS principal investigators and applicants, recipients
are free to unsubscribe and others are welcome to subscribe.
We value—and strongly encourage—reader feedback
on the content of each issue or on other matters, as well
as input on topics for future issues.
Financial Management Plan for Fiscal Year 2008
In the last issue of the NIGMS
Feedback Loop, I noted that Congress had passed
a Conference Report on H.R. 3043, which included a 3.1%
increase for NIH overall and a 2.5% increase for NIGMS,
and that the President had vetoed this bill. After much
negotiation, Congress passed and on December 26, 2007,
the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2008 (Public Law 110-161). This legislation includes a
0.46% increase for NIH overall (after correcting for a
transfer to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria,
and Tuberculosis) and no increase for NIGMS.
Based on this appropriation, NIH
and NIGMS
have developed financial management plans. The appropriations
bill provides a 1% inflation allowance for noncompeting
grants. This allowance is predicated on the notion that
modular grants have 3% inflationary escalations built
in when their budgets are developed. This year, NIH institutes
and centers were given flexibility with regard to how
they would implement this overall policy. After much discussion,
NIGMS developed a plan that provides support to modular
grants at their previously committed levels while reducing
nonmodular grant commitment levels (which generally include
annual cost escalations of 3% in many budget categories)
by 2.9%. The plan affirms that NIGMS will continue to
emphasize the support of early career investigators, consistent
with an NIH-wide
commitment.
The impact of this year’s appropriation on the
NIGMS success rate is considerable. Whereas last year
we were able to reach a success rate of 32% for research
project grants (RPGs), this year we are projecting an
RPG success rate of 22%. Recall that success rate is defined
as the percentage of reviewed applications that receive
funding in a fiscal year. It is determined by dividing
the number of new and competing applications funded by
the sum of the total number of competing applications
reviewed in the same fiscal year and the number of funded
carryovers (funded applications that were reviewed the
previous year). Note that applications with one or more
resubmissions in the same fiscal year are only counted
once. Success rate should not be confused with percentile,
which is a measure of how well an application scored in
relation to others in a defined pool.
Why is there such a substantial drop in projected success
rate? Four factors come into play. First, since NIH grants
average 4 years in duration, approximately three-fourths
of the NIGMS budget is already committed to ongoing, noncompeting
grants, and the size of this commitment base affects the
number of new and competing RPGs that can be made. In
Fiscal Year 2007, NIGMS was able to fund 1,116 new and
competing RPGs, compared with 944 for Fiscal Year 2006.
Since most of these grants continue into 2008, their increased
number raises the commitment base from 2,800 in Fiscal
Year 2007 to 2,955 in Fiscal Year 2008.
Second, given that less than one-fourth of the budget
is available for new and competing grants, the number
of these grants we are able to fund is quite budget-sensitive.
For example, a 1% increase in the NIGMS budget would correspond
to an additional $19 million. If all of these funds were
used to support new and competing RPGs, we could fund
more than 50 additional grants. This would increase the
number of new and competing grants that we could support
by approximately 5% and increase our success rate by approximately
1.5%.
Third, the projected success rate is dependent on a projected
number of applications. For example, in Fiscal Year 2007,
there were 3,482 applications in the success rate base,
compared with 2,915 such applications in 2003. At this
point in Fiscal Year 2008, we are projecting 3,830 applications
in the success rate base.
Finally, the average grant size determines how many RPGs
can be awarded with a given amount of money. As most grantees
who have been funded in recent years know, we have been
making substantial reductions from requested levels, in
many cases cutting up to 24% from new grants. We are aware
that the average costs of NIGMS grants have not reflected
inflation in personnel and other research expenses, so
as in previous years, we intend to allow average costs
to grow slightly.
Taken together, these factors lead us to project that
NIGMS will be able to award 825 new and competing RPGs
in Fiscal Year 2008. With 3,830 applications in the success
rate base, our projected success rate is 22%.
On February 4, the President released his budget request
for Fiscal Year 2009. The proposed budgets for NIH
and NIGMS
are at the Fiscal Year 2008 levels. The release of the
President’s budget request is the first step in
the appropriations process. A hearing is scheduled today
(March 5) before the House subcommittee that handles NIH
appropriations, and a Senate hearing is upcoming. My written
testimony and Dr. Zerhouni's written
testimony on the Fiscal Year 2009 budget are now available.
Enhancing Peer Review
Since June 2007, NIH has been engaged in an intensive
examination of ways to enhance its peer review process.
The charge from NIH Director Elias Zerhouni to the groups
leading these efforts has been to identify enhancements
to “fund the best science, by the best scientists,
with the least administrative burden,” with an understanding
that “best” is dependent on many factors,
including scientific quality, public health impact, the
mission of an institute or center, and the current NIH
portfolio. Working groups have been examining the entire
funding system, from application structure to the roles
of peer reviewers, NIH staff, and advisory councils.
The working groups submitted a draft report to Dr. Zerhouni
on February 28. The report
and a presentation
highlighting the key issues are available at the Enhancing
Peer Review at NIH Web site. Note that these are draft
recommendations, and no decisions have yet been made regarding
which recommendations will be accepted and how they will
be implemented, although Dr. Zerhouni intends to move
swiftly. We are very interested in your comments on these
recommendations. Please respond directly to me at bergj@mail.nih.gov
or to PeerReviewRFI@mail.nih.gov
by Monday, March 17.
Protein Structure Initiative
At its January 2008 meeting, the National Advisory General
Medical Sciences Council discussed the report
of the Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) Assessment Panel.
This is the first of a series of planned assessments of
NIGMS large grant programs. The new chief of the NIGMS
Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation, Juliana
Blome, will work with a Council subcommittee on these
studies.
The PSI assessment is one step toward developing plans
for future NIGMS support of structural biology. The next
step will be one or more workshops focused on the roles
of structural studies in biomedical research, including
experimental methods and the uses of homology models.
If you are interested in participating in such workshops
or would like to recommend someone for consideration,
please contact me at bergj@mail.nih.gov.
I would also appreciate your feedback
on the PSI Structural Genomics Knowledgebase,
a new Web site that serves as a gateway for the biomedical
research community to all of the protein structure and
production resources created by the PSI.
NIGMS Strategic Plan
We recently issued Investing
in Discovery: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Strategic Plan 2008-2012. If you would like to
receive a printed copy of the plan, please contact the
NIGMS Office of Communications and Public Liaison at 301-496-7301 or info@nigms.nih.gov
.
As always, I welcome your comments and questions.
Best,
Jeremy M. Berg
Director
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
bergj@mail.nih.gov
Advisory Council Concept Clearances
Proposed new NIGMS research and training programs are
made public at the open session of National Advisory General
Medical Sciences Council meetings. Council approval of
new initiatives (and major changes to existing initiatives)
is called "concept clearance." Concept clearance
authorizes NIGMS staff to develop plans, publish announcements
in the NIH
Guide for Grants and Contracts, and fund grants.
During the initiative planning stages that follow concept
clearance, NIGMS welcomes comments and suggestions from
the community.
At its January 2008 meeting, the Council discussed the
concept clearances summarized below. For additional details,
see the Council
minutes or contact the identified NIGMS staff members.
Expanding the Chemical Space of Carbohydrates
Ready access to specialized reagents and tools are necessary
to move the emerging field of glycomics forward. The Council
gave concept clearance for applications to: develop straightforward
new methods to rapidly synthesize carbohydrate libraries
and functionalize/link carbohydrates; develop efficient
high-throughput screening tools for exploring glycan-protein,
glycan-lipid, and glycan-glycan interactions; and synthesize
carbohydrate standards needed for structural analysis.
For details, contact Program Director Pamela Marino at
301-594-3827 or marinop@nigms.nih.gov.
Reannouncing MIDAS
The Council approved plans to reannounce and expand
the current Models
of Infectious Disease Agent Study program. We intend
to issue:
- Cooperative agreements (U01) for groups to develop
computational models of the emergence, spread, and mitigation
of infectious diseases;
- Cooperative agreements (U54) for Centers of Excellence
that will carry out research on the modeling of infectious
diseases, develop outreach programs in public health
policy, and establish training programs for infectious
disease modeling; and
- A cooperative agreement (U24) for an information technology
resource that will provide data repository and data
management, software development, and informational
services to the MIDAS Network.
We expect to publish announcements in late March, with
application deadlines in July 2008 (U01 and U24) and November
2008 (U54). Address questions to Program Director Jim
Anderson at 301-594-0943 or andersoj@nigms.nih.gov.
Predoctoral Research Training for Doctor of Pharmacy
Students
The Council approved plans to support individual predoctoral
fellowship awards to Pharm.D. students who are enrolled
in Ph.D. graduate programs and who are pursuing areas
that meet the research mission of NIGMS. For more information,
contact Program Director Richard Okita at 301-594-3827
or okitar@nigms.nih.gov.
Funding Opportunities
Drug Docking and Screening Data
Resource (U01)
We invite applications for a Drug Docking and Screening
Data Resource (see RFA-GM-08-008)
to collect, curate, and generate structural and binding
data about protein-ligand complexes. The resulting database,
which will be publicly available on the Internet, is intended
to advance the development of reliable in silico
drug screening software. Apply by March 18, 2008. Address
questions to Program Director Janna Wehrle at 301-594-0828
or wehrlej@nigms.nih.gov.
Administrative Supplements for Human Pluripotent Stem
Cell Research
To support research on the derivation and/or characterization
of human pluripotent stem cells from non-embryonic sources,
NIGMS-funded investigators may be eligible for 1-year
administrative supplements (now called “revisions”;
see NOT-NS-08-013)
of up to $75,000 in direct costs. Before submitting a
request, we strongly encourage you to determine your eligibility
by contacting your program director or Program Director
Marion Zatz at 301-594-0943 or zatzm@nigms.nih.gov.
NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards (DP2)
NIH has announced the second competition for NIH
Director’s New Innovator Awards (RFA-RM-08-014).
These grants support a small number of exceptionally creative
new investigators who propose bold and highly innovative
new research approaches with the potential for significant
impact on major problems in biomedical and behavioral
research. Awards will be for up to $1.5 million in direct
costs over 5 years. The deadline to apply is March 31,
2008.
NIGMS-Sponsored Events
Protein Structure Initiative
“Bottlenecks” Workshop
The annual workshop to address challenges and technical
barriers to the high-throughput determination of protein
structures will take place on the NIH Bethesda campus
from April 14-16, 2008. While the meeting is organized
for participants in structural genomics projects, others
may attend on a space-available basis. For additional
details or to register, visit
the workshop’s Web site or contact Program Director
Charles Edmonds at 301-594-4428 or edmondsc@nigms.nih.gov.
Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program Technical Assistance
Workshop
This workshop,
scheduled for April 18, 2008, on the NIH Bethesda campus,
will inform applicants about essential program features
(see PAR-07-411)
and offer guidance on preparing applications for the next
submission dates of September 18, 2008, and January 22,
2009. Space is limited and advance registration is recommended.
For questions, contact Program Directors Shiva Singh (singhs@nigms.nih.gov)
or Jermelina Tupas (tupasj@nigms.nih.gov)
at 301-594-3900.
Interventions Conference
The 2nd
Annual Conference on Understanding Interventions That
Encourage Minorities to Pursue Research Careers will
convene in Atlanta, GA, from May 2-4, 2008. The meeting
offers a forum for exchanging information on hypothesis-based
research on interventions that broaden participation in
science careers.
Research Administration Notes
New Year, New Policies
There are notable new policies and policy changes for
all applications submitted for due dates on or after May
25, 2008. These include:
Genome-Wide
Association Studies Data Sharing
Clinical
Trials Registration in ClinicalTrials.gov
Public
Access to Publications from NIH-Funded Research
Diversity Supplements
Do you have a question about Research Supplements to
Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (see PA-05-015)?
Our new contact is John Whitmarsh (301-451-6446, whitmarj@nigms.nih.gov),
who follows the recently retired Anthony Rene as Special
Assistant to the Director. These supplements encourage
research participation by—and mentoring of—individuals
from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups; individuals
with disabilities; and individuals from socially, culturally,
economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
Principal investigators may request supplements to support
high school, undergraduate, and graduate students; postdoctoral
fellows; and faculty. We welcome more than one supplement
per parent grant.
Communicating Your Research Results
Help us spread the word about the results of NIGMS funding
by acknowledging our support of your research in journal
articles (citing your NIGMS grant by number whenever possible),
oral or poster presentations, news releases, interviews
with reporters, and other communications. When a manuscript
describing an exceptionally significant finding is accepted
for publication, please contact your program director
to discuss the possibility of a news release or other
publicity to help inform the American public about the
value of NIH-funded research. We always honor journal
embargoes. For more information, contact Communications
Director Ann Dieffenbach at 301-496-7301 or dieffena@nigms.nih.gov.
Resources
PSI Structural Genomics Knowledgebase
Need to know more about a particular protein? Try searching
the new Protein
Structure Initiative Structural Genomics Knowledgebase.
The PSI created the site as a Web portal for information
about structures and other products of the PSI centers.
The site, parts of which are still being developed, aims
to make access easy for nonspecialists. If you visit the
PSI SGKB and would like to offer feedback about it, please
contact NIGMS Director Jeremy M. Berg at 301-594-2172
or bergj@mail.nih.gov.
Human Genetic Cell Repository
The NIGMS
Human Genetic Cell Repository contains nearly 10,000
cell lines and DNA derived from them. The collection represents
about 600 distinct human genetic disorders and many chromosomal
abnormalities. The genetic defect has been characterized
at the molecular level for nearly 1,600 lines. The collection
includes samples with all common mutations associated
with diseases such as breast cancer, cystic fibrosis,
hemochromatosis, and thrombotic disorders. It also contains
samples from individuals with Fragile X in which the number
of repeats of the FMR1 gene have been characterized. Samples
from a large number of apparently normal individuals,
including those from diverse geographic locations, are
also available. Visit the repository Web site for more
details, a listing of all samples, and ordering information.
NIGMS Image Gallery
We have just launched a searchable, online image
gallery featuring the work of our grantees. If you
would like to share your images or videos that are free
of copyright restrictions, please send them, along with
a caption and credit details, to info@nigms.nih.gov.
Contact Science Writer Karin Jegalian at 301-496-7301
or jegaliak@mail.nih.gov
with questions.
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