This Program Announcement expires on February 1, 2004.

NIDDK SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS (T35)

Release Date:  July 26, 2001

PA NUMBER:  PA-01-120

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
 (http://www.niddk.nih.gov)

Application Receipt Date:  January 10, 2002

PURPOSE

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 
(NIDDK) invites applications for its ongoing Short-Term Training for 
Medical Students program.  This trans-NIDDK program provides short-term 
research support for medical students, and students in other health 
professional schools, to expose them to career opportunities in 
research related to diabetes, obesity, endocrine disorders, metabolic 
diseases, nutritional disorders, digestive diseases, liver disease, 
kidney diseases, urologic diseases, and hematologic disorders.  These 
Institutional National Research Service Award (NRSA) grants (T35) 
provide training experiences of eight to twelve consecutive weeks under 
the supervision of experienced researchers and exposes students to the 
possibility of pursuing a biomedical or behavioral research career.  In 
addition to the research experience, institutions are encouraged to 
provide seminars, research forums, guest lecturers, student 
presentations, special courses, or travel to a scientific meeting of 
interest to the student.

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 Program 
Announcement (PA), NIDDK Short-term Training for Medical Students, 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. 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic for-profit and nonprofit 
organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, 
hospitals, laboratories, units of State and local governments, and 
eligible agencies of the Federal Government.  Foreign institutions are 
not eligible for this program. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, 
women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as 
principal investigators.  The applicant institution must have the 
available research facilities, personnel, and support for the program 
in the areas of diabetes, endocrinology, metabolic disorders, digestive 
diseases, nutrition, obesity, kidney, urology, or hematologic diseases.  
These grants will support short-term research training experiences of 
consecutive two to three months duration, generally between the first 
and second years of medical school. 

Trainees must have successfully completed at least one semester at a 
school of medicine, optometry, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary 
medicine, pharmacy, or public health prior to participating in the 
program.  Institutions must adhere strictly to these requirements when 
selecting trainees.  These grants are intended to introduce students to 
research that would not otherwise be available through their regular 
course of studies.  The research period must not be a requirement for 
the degree being earned nor may the research period be used for credit 
towards the degree being earned.

Trainees must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, or legal 
permanent residents (i.e., in possession of the Alien Registration 
Receipt Card, I-155, or other legal verification of such status). 
Noncitizen nationals are generally persons born in possessions of the 
United States (i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island).  Individuals on 
temporary or student visas and individuals holding Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M., 
or equivalent doctoral degrees in the health sciences are not eligible.

Trainees appointed to the program need not be from the applicant 
institution, but may be students from other institutions as long as 
they fulfill the eligibility requirements listed above.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National 
Research Service Award (NRSA) Short-Term Training grant (T35) award 
mechanism.  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution 
of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant.  The 
total project period for an application submitted in response to this 
PA may not exceed five years.  

DURATION OF PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

This PA will remain active for three years, until February, 2004, at 
which time applications may no longer be submitted in response to this 
announcement.  The NIDDK only accepts T35 applications once a year, for 
the January 10 receipt date.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The NIDDK Short-Term Research Training program is intended to:

o expose medical students, early in their training, to the excitement 
and challenges of a research career;

o encourage medical students to seriously consider pursuing either a 
basic, behavioral, or clinical research career in the areas of research 
that are important to the NIDDK;

o provide valuable experience and references for students who hope to 
obtain further research training and  funding in the future; and 

o increase the pool of physician scientists engaged in biomedical or 
behavioral research in those areas necessary to continue the mission of 
the NIDDK.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS	

Provisions of the Award

Institutions may request support for at least 6, but not more than 35 
trainees per budget period, based on a full-time, three month 
appointment.  A trainee must be appointed for a minimum of two months 
and a maximum of three months during a budget period.  Institutions are 
encouraged to appoint a trainee for more than one budget period, if 
scheduling allows, i.e. for two or more consecutive summers.  A student 
may be appointed, in special circumstances, to more than one 3-month 
period during a budget period, provided prior approval is obtained from 
the staff of the NIDDK.  All research training must be full-time during 
the specific training period.  It is expected that most programs will 
provide a summer research training program, but other innovative 
program designs and time schedules will be considered.  The requested 
number of short-term trainees must be justified in the application 
based on the number of students enrolled in the medical or health 
professional school; the magnitude and focus of the research supported 
at the applicant institution, particularly its relevance to the areas 
of research supported by the NIDDK; the interest of the investigators 
to serve as training faculty, and role models; and the level of 
interest of the students.  Students should be able to pursue basic, 
behavioral, and/or clinical research projects in the broad areas of 
diabetes, obesity, endocrinology, metabolic diseases, digestive and 
hepatobiliary diseases, nutrition, and kidney, urologic, and 
hematologic disorders.

Funds may be requested for:

o Stipends – The current stipend level for trainees is $1375 per month.  
The stipend level actually awarded will be that in effect for 
predoctoral trainees at the time the award is issued. Stipends may be 
supplemented from non-Federal funds.

o Training-related Expenses – up to $167 per month per trainee may be 
requested yearly.  This may be used for faculty, laboratory, and 
secretarial assistance; supplies and equipment; consultant costs; and 
tuition and fees.

o Travel Expenses – The institution may request up to $1,000 per year 
per trainee to cover the cost of travel to a relevant scientific 
meeting.  The meeting should typically be one held in the same budget 
period as that in which the training occurs.

A Statement of Appointment form (PHS 2271, rev. 4/98) must be submitted 
at the start of each trainee appointment and reappointment.  This form 
is available at the following URL address:
http://grants.nih.gov/training/phs2271.pdf. Trainees supported under 
this program are not required to sign an NRSA Payback Agreement or 
submit an NRSA Termination Notice.

Every NRSA trainee supported by an institutional training grant must 
receive instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research.  (For more 
information on this provision, see the current announcement for NRSA 
Intuitional Research training grants [T32] published in the NIH Guide 
for Grants and Contracts [PA-00-103; Release Date: June 1, 2000] or at 
the following URL address: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-103.html.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups 
and their sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported 
biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, 
unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification are provided 
indicating that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health 
of the subjects or the purpose of the research.  This policy results 
from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 
103-43). 

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should 
read the UPDATED "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities 
as Subjects in Clinical Research," published in the NIH Guide for 
Grants and Contracts on August 2, 2000 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html); a 
complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm:  
The revisions relate to NIH defined Phase III clinical trials and 
require: a) all applications or proposals and/or protocols to provide a 
description of plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address 
differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including 
subgroups if applicable; and b) all investigators to report accrual, 
and to conduct and report analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender 
and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN 
SUBJECTS.

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age 
of 21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or 
supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons 
not to include them.  This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) 
applications submitted for receipt dates after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should 
read the “NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children as 
Participants in Research Involving Human Subjects” that was published 
in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is 
available at the following URL address: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html.

Investigators may also obtain copies of these policies from the program 
staff listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide 
additional relevant information concerning the policy.

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.  Reviewers are cautioned that 
their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an 
Internet site.

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.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 
5/2001) at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html  are 
to be used in applying for these grants and will be accepted at the 
standard application deadlines for this mechanism as indicated in the 
application kit.  This version of the PHS 398 is available in an 
interactive, searchable PDF format. Although applicants are strongly 
encouraged to begin using the 5/2001 revision of the PHS 398 as soon as 
possible, the NIH will continue to accept applications prepared using 
the 4/1998 revision until January 9, 2002. Beginning January 10, 2002, 
however, the NIH will return applications that are not submitted on the 
5/2001 version.  For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone 
301/435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

Submit the signed, original, single-sided application, including the 
Checklist, along with five signed photocopies and, if necessary, five 
collated sets of appendix materials 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)

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application 
in response to this PA 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.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established Public Health 
Service referral guidelines.  An appropriate scientific review group 
convened in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures 
will evaluate applications for scientific and technical merit.  As part 
of the initial merit review, all applications will receive a written 
critique and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed 
to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of 
applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a priority 
score, and receive a second-level review by the appropriate national 
advisory council or board.

Review Criteria

The following criteria will be considered when evaluating the 
applications:

o  the objectives and design of the research training program;

o  the qualifications of the program director and the participating 
preceptors as basic and clinical researchers, including publications 
and successful competition for research support;

o past training record of both the program director and the designated 
preceptors;

o the institutional training environment, including the institutional 
commitment to training students in basic and clinical research, quality 
of the facilities, availability of appropriate courses and seminars, 
and the availability of research support;

o  the proposed plans for advertisement, selection, and assignment of 
trainees to preceptors;

o the availability of high quality trainees; and

o the institution’s plan for measuring the effectiveness of the 
training program, including the productivity of the trainees (e.g. 
publications, abstracts, presentations); the impact of the program on 
the institution; and the impact of the program on the career choices, 
opportunities, and further research activities of the trainees.

Additional Review Considerations

The review groups will also comment on each application’s plan for 
attracting individuals from underrepresented minority groups into the 
research training program and for training in the responsible conduct 
of research.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available funds with all other approved 
applications assigned to the National Institute of Diabetes and 
Digestive and Kidney Diseases.  The following will be considered in 
making funding decisions:

o Quality of the proposed training program as determined by peer 
review;
o Availability of funds;
o Program priority, i.e. how focused on NIDDK research areas is the 
proposed training; 
o Geographic distribution.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any issues or 
questions from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Judith Podskalny, Ph.D.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Boulevard, Rm. 667 MSC 5450
Bethesda, MD 20892-5450
Telephone:  (301) 594-8876
FAX:  (301) 480-8300
E-mail:  jp53s@nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Donald Ellis
Division of Extramural Activities
Grants Management Branch 
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
6707 Democracy Boulevard, Rm. 709A MSC 5456
Bethesda, MD 20892-5456
Telephone:  (301) 594-8849
FAX:  (301) 480-3504
E-mail:  de30Z@nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 
No. 93.847, 93.848, and 93.849.  Awards are under authorization of the 
Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as 
amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered 
under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR 
Parts 74 and 92.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental 
review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency 
review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to 
provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-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.

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