October 17, 2007
News Articles
Opportunities and Resources
Advice Corner
New Funding Opportunities
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News Articles |
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New Concepts...Should You Care?
Why spend time reading about far-off plans that may never come to pass? As we tell you on our Concepts: Potential Opportunities page, a concept is a plan for a potential initiative (for example, an RFA). Concepts come with no guarantee we will ever publish them though we usually do.
Yet many of your most experienced colleagues pay close attention -- that page is one of the most popular on the NIAID Research Funding Web site.
Picking Plums
For years, savvy investigators have eagerly awaited our new concepts, seeing them as hidden gems to be tapped into advantageously.
Here's the reason. Even if a concept is never published, it gives you a preview of an Institute priority that you can use in the following ways:
- Start writing an investigator-initiated application based on a concept whose topic is related to your area of research. Because of the importance of the topic, that application could have a funding edge.
- Get a heads-up on potential initiatives, so you can prepare early in case you will want to respond.
- You could apply with an unsolicited R01 even before release of the RFA.
- If the concept is not published, you can still submit the application as investigator-initiated.
Using an Institute-defined priority as the basis for an investigator-initiated application is a powerful strategy that keeps you in your area of expertise, boosting your chances of success. Read more in the Compare FOAs section of NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.
And the possibility of a funding advantage can be critical in times of tight budgets. For high-quality applications that score beyond the payline, NIAID is more likely to fund projects in priority areas with an R56-Bridge award or through selective pay.
Check Those Concepts
By giving you a preview of Institute priorities, concepts let you define the direction of your application and start gathering preliminary data early on.
After each Council meeting when we post our new Council-approved concepts, you can check whether your expertise lends itself to any of the topics. If it does, you may want to contact the program officer to get more information. We've just posted the latest Concepts: Potential Opportunities.
To find out when concepts are updated, Subscribe to Email Alerts.
Read more about concepts and how they are developed at Concepts May Turn Into Initiatives.
Paper Forms Are Still Valid
If you're using either a paper PHS 398 or PHS 2590, those forms are still valid. The Office of Management and Budget is reviewing revised versions, and NIH will post the new forms once they are approved.
For more information, see the September 28, 2007, Guide notice.
More Interim Funding Measures In Place
NIH is still operating under a continuing resolution, at least until November 16, 2007.
While the continuing resolution is in force, NIAID has set a provisional R01 payline at the 10 percentile so we can fund a limited number of awards.
NIH will issue noncompeting research grant awards at a lower level than shown on your most recent Notice of Award, typically up to 80 percent of the previously committed level. Once we get a final appropriation, NIH hopes to raise this level; meanwhile, watch expenditures carefully. Read more in the October 5, 2007, Guide notice.
We'll continue to update Budget and Funding as information comes in. If you'd like to be notified when we get NIAID's final paylines, choose that interest category when you Subscribe to Email Alerts.
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Opportunities and Resources |
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Boost Your Research Experience With a Career Development Award
To give your research career a leg up, consider applying for a career development award (K). NIAID offers several flavors to accommodate scientists with various backgrounds and experience levels.
Look for a K grant that meets your needs whether you're focused on clinical research, are coming to biomedical research from another field, or want to pave the way to an independent research position.
Take Your Chances -- They're Pretty Good
Should you decide to pursue a career development award, you'll probably take comfort in knowing that you have a good chance of being funded.
To see FY 2007 success rates for each type of K grant, go to Applying for a Career Development Award.
Choosing the Right Option
NIAID supports eight Ks. How do you pick the one that suits you? To narrow down your choices, answer these questions.
- Are you a clinician? -- If so, think about the Mentored Clinical Research Career Scientist Development Award (K08), Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23), or Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24).
- Are you moving to an assistant professorship? -- Postdocs making the transition to an independent research position may want to try for a Research Scholar Development Award (K22) or Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). To see how the two compare, read our May 15, 2006, article, "Torn Between Two K Awards?"
- Are you a U.S. citizen? -- Foreign investigators will find this especially helpful since only one K award -- K99/R00 -- does not require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status (i.e., a "Green Card").
- Are you focused on epidemiology, modeling, or outcomes research? -- If you're doing research in these areas, look at the Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01).
- Are you from a quantitative or engineering background? -- The Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (K25) may be right up your alley.
- Are you an R01 grantee looking for salary support? -- You might want to consider the Independent Scientist Award (K02).
For more information on selecting a K grant that's right for you, go to:
A Special Call to M.D.s
If you're a physician interested in research, we encourage you to think seriously about applying for a career development award and eventually pursuing independent research with an R01, NIH's standard research project grant.
With a K award, you'll have protected time to focus on your project, hone your skills, and gain hands-on experience -- all of which will prepare you to continue your clinical or patient-oriented research as an independent investigator. In fact, many M.D.s have found K awards to be invaluable stepping stones to launching an independent research career.
On a more general note, concerns persist about the dearth of physician-scientists. According to a study in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the numbers of investigators with M.D.s has not significantly increased for many decades. Should this trend continue, the clinical research enterprise is sure to suffer.
For a historical perspective, see the JAMA article,"New Physician-Investigators Receiving National Institutes of Health Research Project Grants."
Get the Full Scoop
NIH institutes differ in levels of salary and research support. Check the contact list within the PA for details. Discuss your plans with the program contact listed to determine whether your application may be assigned to NIAID or another institute.
To learn more about Ks, see the following pages:
You can find links to these and other resources, including some from NIH, on our Career Development Awards page.
For further guidance, contact Dr. Milton Hernandez, director of NIAID's Office of Special Populations and Research Training, at 301-496-3775 or mh35c@nih.gov.
Human Tissues for Research
Do you need human tissues for your research? Check out the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI).
As part of that effort, the Human Tissues and Organs Resource (HTOR) provides investigators with human tissues and organs -- diseased and normal. NDRI has sample tissues from the central nervous system and brain, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, eyes, bone, and cartilage. The specimens match your protocols and research design.
For AIDS researchers, NDRI's samples come from asymptomatic donors as well as those with end-stage AIDS, opportunistic co-infections, and HIV-related dementia. When possible, NDRI provides a complete de-identified donor medical history which includes CD4+ cell counts, viral load, and HAART and co-infection status.
HTOR is a cooperative agreement awarded by National Center for Research Resources. It is co-funded by several NIH institutes, including NIAID, and provides normal and diseased human tissues and orgrans for biomedical laboratory research.
Also see NDRI's Biospecimen Catalog, which contains a wide variety of banked normal and diseased tissues, including those from HIV-positive donors.
For more information and to apply to receive tissues, visit National Disease Research Interchange, call 1-800-222-6374, or email HIV@ndriresource.org.
Elaborating on Collaborating Internationally
Whether you are a U.S. or foreign investigator, NIH has opportunities for international funding and collaboration tools.
NIH supports research institutions around the world in exchanging information through collaborative research partnerships (CRPs). Here are two examples:
Find Potential Collaborators
Use NIH's Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP) to search for federally funded extramural biomedical research projects.
CRISP allows you to search broadly by entering a keyword or selecting an institute, or you can narrow the search by entering a PI or grant number. You can retrieve a description of the research as well as the email address for the PI.
NIAID Research Activities Around the World, a new tool from the Office of Global Research (OGR), can help to identify potential collaborating investigators. The site shows the research focus of the region and the countries with NIAID-funded activities. You can also select a country to see a list of NIAID-funded research projects.
Only Africa is complete now, but check back later for other regions.
Funding Opportunities and Help
Several funding opportunities promoting international collaboration appear in the Guide. They advance the development of foreign scientific expertise, build foreign research infrastructure, and increase collaborative research partnerships at NIAID international sites.
- The Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program Small Research Grant Program (R03) supports collaborative vaccine-related projects on dengue, influenza, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis in India, the U.S., and other countries. For more information, read the November 22, 2006, Guide notice.
- The NIAID International Research in Infectious Diseases Program (R01) funds organizations in foreign resource-constrained countries to research diseases of interest to that country and encourage collaborations with U.S. researchers. For more information, see the June 8, 2007, Guide notice.
- The U.S.-India Bilateral CRP on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS (R21) is for U.S. institutions with an Indian-institution partner to establish CRPs in HIV/AIDS prevention. For more information, see the July 18, 2007, Guide notice and Questions and Answers.
Need help with electronic submission? Check out NIH eSubmission Tips for International Applicants by the Office of Extramural Research. Along with providing contacts for help, these instructions show you how to register with Grants.gov and eRA Commons and take you through the submission process.
Keep in mind that when you accept NIAID terms of award, you must comply with U.S. standards as well your local rules. See our Foreign and International Grants and Components SOP and Foreign Workers on NIH Awards SOP.
For other resources for international grants, check out NIAID International Awards.
NIH News in New Media
Have you taken a look at the NIH News and Events section recently? NIH gives you several convenient ways to stay informed: read online, get an email subscription, or subscribe to an RSS Feed.
You can check out the latest NIH Podcasts, Vodcasts (video on demand), or News Releases.
NIH also offers the News in Health newsletter and Research Matters eColumn articles for a general public audience.
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Advice Corner |
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Did You Check Your Application Image?
When you are applying electronically, please remember to look at your application image in the eRA Commons and make sure it is okay. It is possible that your application image did not generate properly -- or at all -- because it had errors or for technical or other reasons. Some applicants have tripped over this very important step and ended up missing the application deadline.
You have two days to view the application image. If you need to make corrections, read If You Want to Correct After Passing Commons Validation to learn how timing works.
NIH reminded the applicant community about this issue in its eSubmission News and Updates. If you have not done so already, you should sign up to receive these important messages at Receive News and Updates.
Reader Question
Shonna McBride, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, asks:
"Does a research supplement include indirect costs?"
Yes. Research supplements cover indirect costs. The total costs include the direct costs of conducting research as well as indirect costs, also called facilities and administrative costs.
For more information, contact the grants administrator at your institution or Raushanah Newman at 301-451-2691 or newmanrau@niaid.nih.gov.
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New Funding Opportunities |
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See these and older announcements on our NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID. |
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