M
Majority Group: White, not of Hispanic origin. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. NIH recognizes the diversity of the U.S. population and that changing demographics are reflected in the changing racial and ethnic composition of the population. The terms “minority groups” and “minority subpopulations” are meant to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, of differing racial and ethnic categories.
Mandatory Criteria: In some RFPs, the Project Officer (PO) identifies the basic requirements that proposals must meet to execute the contract properly. These criteria are usually specific to a particular RFP and are generally outside the scope of the Technical Evaluation Criteria in each RFP.
Material Transfer Agreement: A legal document defining the conditions under which research or other materials can be transferred and used among research laboratories.
Mechanism: See Activity Code.
MEDLINE: National Library of Medicine's database for scientific publications. Go to Medline.
Minority Group: A readily identifiable subset of the U.S. population distinguished by racial, ethnic, and/or cultural heritage. It is not anticipated that every study will include all minority groups and subgroups. The inclusion of minority groups should be determined by the scientific questions under examination and their relevance to racial or ethnic groups. Applicants should describe the subgroups to be included in the research. In foreign research projects involving human subjects, the definition of minority groups may be different from the United States.
Minority Report: In cases when one or more member(s) of a review committee hold(s) a strong opinion dissenting from that of the majority (e.g., when the majority recommends that an application be unscored or not recommended for further consideration), a minority report may be prepared by the dissenting member(s).
Model Organism: Animal, plant, or other organism used to study basic biologic processes to provide insight into other organisms. See Model Organism Sharing. Go to NIH's Model Organism for Biomedical Research
Modular Application: A type of grant application in which support is requested in specified increments without the need for detailed supporting information related to separate budget categories. When modular procedures apply, they affect not only application preparation but also review, award, and administration of the application/award. Web address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm
Multiple Principal Investigator: Individual research awards in which more than one Principal Investigator (PI) is identified by the applicant or institution.
