Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

• Preparing and Submitting a New Application
• Renewal Applications
• Funding
• Progress Reports and Noncompeting Applications

Preparing and Submitting a New Application

Q. Where can I find the most recent IMSD Program Announcement?

A. The most recent IMSD Program Announcement (PAR-09-104) is available on the Web at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-104.html.

Q. What is the goal of the IMSD program?

A. The main goal of the IMSD program is to increase the number of students from groups underrepresented (UR) in the biomedical and behavioral sciences that graduate from Ph.D. programs in these fields at institutions with research-intensive environments. The institutional IMSD program is expected also to increase the diversity of the student pool in the biomedical and behavioral science departments and to reduce the gap in the completion of Ph.D. degrees in biomedical and/or behavioral sciences by UR and non-UR students. Specific expectations of the institutional IMSD program are:

1. To increase the overall institutional number of UR students that complete a Ph.D. and continue biomedical research careers;
2. that at least 60 percent of the undergraduate students participating in the IMSD program will, upon graduation, directly enter into a Ph.D. program;
3. that at least 90 percent of the Ph.D. students participating in the IMSD program will complete the degree; and
4. that the program will contribute to the institution’s ongoing student and faculty diversity efforts.

To accomplish these objectives, the proposed program design should be derived from an institutional self-assessment of the:

1. Research environment;
2. student and faculty diversity;
3. number of UR and non-UR students that complete the Ph.D. degree at institutions with research-intensive environments, continue competitive postdoctoral training and engage in productive research careers; and
4. challenges/impediments that UR students encounter as they progress to the next step of their training and complete the Ph.D. degree.

As a result of the self-assessment each applicant institution must establish the program’s goals and specific measurable objectives which should be consonant with the MBRS IMSD program expectations and design an institutional program that will contribute significantly to the overall IMSD goals.

Q. Where do I find the supplemental instructions for the IMSD application?

A. There are no separate supplemental instructions for new (Type 1) or competitive renewal (Type 2) applications. Applicants should follow the instructions in the IMSD funding opportunity announcement.

Q. Should more than one department participate in the IMSD grant proposal?

A. Yes, although only one grant application may be submitted by each institution, participation of all departments relevant to biomedical and behavioral sciences is highly encouraged since the IMSD should be an institutional program.

Q. Who is eligible to participate in the IMSD program?

A. The IMSD program is an institutional program and it is expected that program-supported activities will be open to all students at the institution. There is no specific eligibility requirement for participation in IMSD-supported activities. The program should not deny participation in program-supported activities to anyone based solely on his/her race, religion, gender or ethnicity. The program-supported participants are selected by the applicant institution. To receive salary support from the IMSD program, students must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or permanent residents and must be matriculated fulltime in baccalaureate or doctoral degree programs in biomedical or behavioral science fields at the applicant institution. (A non-citizen national is a person who, although not a citizen of the U.S., owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. This is generally a person born in a land that is not a state, but that is under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction or administration -- for example, America Samoa.) An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence must possess an alien registration receipt card (I-551) prior to appointment on the grant. Individuals on temporary visas, those seeking asylum or refugees are not eligible for support from the IMSD program.

The purpose of the IMSD program is to achieve greater participation of students from UR groups in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise of this country. For the purpose of the IMSD program UR groups include those reported by the National Science Foundation as well as the National Academies to be nationally underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences (i.e., African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and natives of U.S. Pacific Islands, and people with disabilities). Applicants may include and identify any other categories that institutional policies have determined to be underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research fields with a strong rationale, appropriate references and official validated documentation. Selection participants should take into consideration whether the student’s participation would help achieve the overall goals/objectives of the proposed institutional program and the MBRS goals. It is the responsibility of the applicant institution to establish the qualifications of students prior to their selection for the IMSD program.

Q. What is the maximum level of support that can be requested for undergraduate students?

A. Salary support is allowed for undergraduate students participating in a research internship, as long as there is an employee-employer relationship between the student and the institution. The total compensation must be reasonable and commensurate with the institution’s support scale for the work performed provided the following criteria are met:

1. It is the institution’s practice to provide compensation for all students in similar circumstances regardless of the source of support for the activity,
2. the undergraduate student is not supported for more than 15 hours per week during the academic year and not more than 40 hours/week during the summer, and
3. student participation in the specific developmental activity is not a curriculum requirement for graduation. A justification must be provided if the requested support for undergraduates is more than $12 per hour. Support for students is not provided for time spent by the students participating in IMSD-sponsored, non-research activities, e.g., group-learning activities, attendance at conferences, etc.

Q. What is the maximum level of support that can be requested for graduate students?

A. Graduate (Ph.D.) students are allowed a salary compensation package that includes salary, fringe benefits, tuition and fees up to the maximum NIH-permitted annual graduate student support, which is NRSA level #0 for postdoctoral trainees, as indicated in the Graduate Student Compensation policy, located at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-017.html. (See the NIH Web page for current figure http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm).

Please be aware that it is an expectation of NIGMS that those students who are enrolled in Ph.D. programs as part of the IMSD program will be trained in two years to compete successfully for support from other departmental, federal or non-federal graduate-training sources for which they are eligible in order to complete their programs.

Q. How are students appointed to the IMSD program?

A. Participants supported by the program will be formally appointed using NIH’s Statement of Appointment form (PHS 2271). This form must be used to initiate each student supported by the IMSD program.

Q. Can IMSD-supported students receive additional support?

A. Students may not concurrently hold another federally-sponsored stipend or fellowship, other federal award that duplicates IMSD support, or supplemental salary support, e.g., from a mentor’s federal research grant. However, concurrent with IMSD support, students may make use of federal educational loan funds and assistance under the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act (G.I. Bill), or may receive funds from a Pell Grant, based on financial need. Such funds are not considered supplementation or compensation.

Q. Can we use IMSD funds to recruit students to the institution or support students in the summer program who are not matriculated full time in degree-granting programs at my institution?

A. No.

Q. What should be included in the evaluation plan of an application?

A. The evaluation plan must assess the success of the program in achieving its goals and objectives. Benchmarks should be specified and specific plans and procedures must be described to capture, analyze and report outcome measures that would determine the success of the research education program in achieving its objectives.

The purpose of the evaluation plan is to provide information on the effectiveness of the proposed program on the students and the institution. The plan should be designed to assess and evaluate how the proposed program progresses toward meeting its specific aims, measurable objectives, goals and outcomes. The plan must provide useful information to the PD and the institution for improving the IMSD program. Thus, the emphasis of the evaluation activities in the plan should be on:

1. Assessment of the overall impact of the program on the institution’s baseline numbers and efforts to accomplish its proposed goals of diversifying the institutional pool of students that complete Ph.D. degrees in biomedical and/or behavioral sciences,
2. improvement of the overall program outcome, and
3. informing the senior leadership in deciding which elements of the IMSD program should be institutionalized.

The evaluation plan must be based on appropriate literature and cited methodology. The plan should also identify the selected evaluator and present his/her credentials.

Applications that lack an evaluation plan will not be reviewed. The inclusion of evaluation instruments in the appendix is encouraged.

Q. Who should be the evaluator and what is his/her role in the program?

A. In general, the evaluator must have formal training and experience in evaluation methodology and statistics demonstrated by publications and/or reports in the field.

His/her responsibilities usually include preparation of reports and recommendations for the PD and institutional administrators; interaction with IMSD staff and staff from other campus-wide student academic preparation and educational partnership and research training programs; making recommendations of new administrative structures, policies and procedures; establishing and maintaining contact with institutional officials for the collection and exchange of information; gathering data and information; finding and evaluating alternative solutions; and making recommendations for program direction. The evaluator also provides the conceptual framework for institutional change and suggests ways of reducing the resistance to change. He/she will provide training and technical assistance, as necessary, to staff and to partners to ensure the integrity and adequacy of data capture and reporting.

Q. What application form should I use to prepare a new competing application?

A. Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) Application Forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) through Grants.gov/Apply. Only the forms package directly attached to the IMSD FOA can be used. You will not be able to use any other SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms from another FOA) although some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than one FOA.

Q. What is the receipt date for the IMSD application?

A. The application submission/receipt dates for the IMSD program are January 25, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Applications must be successfully received by Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization) on the application submission/receipt date(s).

A registration process is necessary before submission, and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV of the IMSD FOA.

Q. Can I submit my application in paper format, or must I submit it electronically?

A. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Applications may not be submitted in paper format.

A one-time registration is required at both: (http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted) and eRA Commons, and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV of the IMSD FOA.

Renewal Applications

Q. What should be included in the progress report section of a Competing Renewal (Type 2) IMSD Application, and how is the progress on outcomes evaluated?

A. For renewal applications, a detailed progress report must be included. Applications with only one previous funding cycle must provide information on the past funding cycle. Applications with more than one previous funding cycle must provide information on the past two consecutive funding cycles. In the report, state the original and specific measurable objectives, anticipated milestones and outcomes, as well as a summary of the accomplishments of the IMSD program.

Programs with an undergraduate component must report

1. The number of the IMSD-supported undergraduate students,
2. the number who graduated with B.S./B.A. degrees in biomedical/behavioral-related disciplines,
3. the number who matriculated into graduate-degree programs in biomedical and/or behavioral sciences at institutions with research-intensive environments (including the applicant institution if applicable), and
4. the status of those who entered graduate programs (number who remain in training, completed graduate training or withdrew from graduate training).

Programs with a graduate component must report

1. The number of the IMSD-supported graduate students;
2. the number who remain in training or other support);
3. the number who graduated; and
4. the number who pursue(d) postdoctoral positions and the number who pursue(d) academic, research-related or non-research-related career paths.

Describe the impact and/or value of IMSD program activities on the enrollment numbers, profile, academic environment and graduation rates of UR students and other related aspects of the institution. Describe what has been learned through the program evaluation and any changes made in the program as a result of the evaluation.

Applicants submitting renewal applications are strongly encouraged to provide the required information using the sample formats provided under the preliminary studies/progress report section of the program announcement (PAR-09-104 http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-104.html). These tables can be downloaded from the IMSD Web site (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Minority/MBRS/IMSDDescription.htm) section titled IMSD Sample Formats for Competing New (Type 1) and Competing Renewal (Type 2) Applications under Competing Renewal (Type 2) IMSD Grant Applications (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Minority/MBRS/IMSDSampleTables.htm).

The competitive renewal application is treated like any new application except that the progress on the present program is also evaluated based on the goals and objectives outlined in the original application. Renewal applications that do not contain a progress report will be returned to the applicant.

Funding

• Scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review
• Availability of funds
• Relevance to program priorities

Funding under this program takes into consideration the legislative intent, and the past performance of the IMSD program in increasing the entry of UR students into, and graduation from Ph.D. programs, as well as the institutional impact of the program on decreasing the existing gap between UR and non-UR students pursuing and completing Ph.D. degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences are weighted heavily in making funding decisions.

Progress Reports and Noncompeting Applications