Special Leave Guidelines for Recipients of
NHLBI Mentored Career Awards
(K01, K08, K22, K23, K25)
This document summarizes NIH and NHLBI policies
for situations where a recipient of an NHLBI mentored career
development award wishes to take leave to train at another
institution, take a leave of absence during the award period,
or train at a lower level of effort for a longer period of
time.
Leave to Another Institution
Leave to another institution, including a foreign
laboratory, may be permitted if the proposed experience is
directly related to the purpose of the award. Only local,
institutional approval is required if such leave does not
exceed 3 months. For longer periods, prior written approval
of the NHLBI is required. To obtain prior approval, the award
recipient must submit a letter to the NHLBI describing the
plan, countersigned by his/her mentor, advisory committee
(if applicable), and the appropriate institutional official.
A copy of a letter or other evidence from the institution
where the leave is to be taken must be submitted to assure
that satisfactory arrangements have been made. Support from
the career award will continue during such leave.
Leave of Absence or Reduction of Effort
The NHLBI recognizes that in certain circumstances
(e.g., medical conditions, disability, personal or family
situations such as child or elder care), an NHLBI mentored
career award recipient may wish to take a period of leave,
or request a reduction in professional effort below the minimum
75 percent. Following are options to accommodate special needs.
1. Leave of Absence During
Award Period
Grantees are allowed a one-time, up to 12-month extension
of a budget period without prior approval of the NHLBI.
The extension is without additional funds, and may be made
either at the end of the current funding year or at the
end of the project period. Such leave may not exceed 12
months in a given budget period. The period of leave would
be without grant support, and it would not reduce the total
number of months of program support for which the individual
is eligible. To receive the leave/extension, an awardee
must submit a letter informing the NHLBI of the need for
a period of leave, which would include the start date of
the leave, and return to active status date (at least 75%
effort) on the career award. The letter must be countersigned
by the mentor and by an institutional business official.
Any subsequent request(s) for a period of leave needs the
prior approval of the NHLBI.
2. Reduction in Effort
Under circumstances such as those listed above, the NHLBI
will consider requests for reduced levels of effort as long
as the original goals of the career award can still be met.
The awardee may submit a request in writing including a
statement of need for the reduced effort, and a revised
plan and timetable by which the original goals will be accomplished.
The request should be countersigned by the recipients
mentor and by a business official. During the period of
reduced effort, the salary and other costs supported by
the award will be reduced accordingly. The time lost through
the reduction in effort should be made up by requesting
a no-cost extension at the end of the current funding year
or end of the project period. During the no-cost extension,
any funds remaining in the grant can be used as originally
approved (e.g., salary, supplies). Generally, the awardee
will not be permitted to work at a rate of less than 50
percent effort. Under no circumstances will approval be
given for a reduced effort to accommodate other sources
of funding, job opportunities, or clinical practice.
3. Integration of Research Training
with Clinical Training
The mentored career award can be integrated with the requirements
for clinical subspeciality training, and differing approaches
for doing so may be proposed. The career award plan may
include an interruption in grant support to allow for continued
clinical training. For example, individuals may propose
a program encompassing up to a 12-month hiatus to allow
for completion of subspeciality training, followed by continuation
of the research career development program. A hiatus of
up to 24 months would be considered only under unusual circumstances
with strong and compelling justification. Award support
is not provided during periods of interruption; periods
of leave do not reduce the total number of months of support.
December 2002
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