May 16, 2006
News Articles
Opportunities and Resources
Advice Corner
New Initiatives
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News Articles |
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Apply Electronically for an R34
By June 1, you will apply electronically for an R34. As you may know, applicants wishing to conduct an investigator-initiated clinical trial must first apply for an R34 planning grant.
Read the May 3, 2006, NIH Guide announcement for information and a link to the new NIAID-specific funding opportunity announcement in Grants.gov.
We have updated the R34 and U01 Questions and Answers and will be revising the remainder of the Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Grants Web site shortly.
Torn Between Two K Awards?
If you're torn between applying for the NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) and NIAID's Research Scholar Development Award (K22), this article can help you decide. We expect both programs to become increasingly competitive, so choose carefully.
How hard is it to get funding?
Historically, success rates for K22s have been high. In fiscal year 2005 the success rate was 47 percent. We fund about 20 to 25 K22s a year.
Since the K99/R00 is brand new, we don't have data for it. But keep in mind that we plan to issue only six to eight awards a year.
Here's a comparison of both award types.
Citizenship requirement
Are you a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident? If not, you have to apply for the K99/R00, which is open to everyone.
Length of support
You can get two years of support with a K22. For the K99/R00, NIAID gives preference to applicants requesting three years of support -- one year for the K99 and two for the R00 -- instead of the five years that NIH allows.
Both awards serve as springboards to a research project grant. But while a K22 gives you two years to apply for an R01, a K99 from NIAID in most cases funds you for only a year before you must apply for an R00, which is not much time.
Funding levels
K22 funding is for direct costs, so you get additional funds for your organization's facilities and administrative (indirect) costs. This contrasts with K99 funding, which is for total costs, so you subtract the indirect costs from the research monies.
You should ask two key questions about money. First, as a postdoc, how much do you need to cover salary and research-related expenses? You can get up to $150,000 for the first year of a K22, or approximately $83,300 for a K99.
Second, once you're an independent researcher, which award would give you enough funding to move your project forward? If you had a K22, you would need to apply for an R01 or R21 to continue. If you had a K99, you can apply for an R00 for up to approximately $165,000 in direct costs.
Need more help?
If you can't decide what to do, call Dr. Milton Hernández, director of NIAID's Office of Special Populations and Research Training, at 301/496-3775 or email him at mh35c@nih.gov.
For more background, read our March 20 article "New NIH Program Builds Bridge to Independence" and the January 27, 2006, NIH Guide announcement.
NIH Honors Hilary Koprowski -- Grantee of 50 Years
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Koprowski for his many important scientific contributions to biomedical research and NIH.
A profoundly successful grantee, Dr. Hilary Koprowski's support goes so far back in time it predates our modern databases. This year, he celebrates 50 years of continuous NIH funding for research that spans the spectrum from rabies to polio and cancer.
Dr. Koprowski's pioneering research in polio and rabies has significantly advanced vaccine research. His research in the late 1940s resulted in the first oral polio vaccine that was used extensively to immunize people on four continents. In the late 1970s, a passionate interest in rabies led Dr. Koprowski to develop a new tissue culture-based vaccine.
His scientific interests didn't stop there. Dr. Koprowski pioneered the development of monoclonal antibodies used to detect cancer antigens and for cancer immunotherapy, and he successfully used plants to produce vaccines and antibodies.
A recipient of countless honorary degrees and foreign decorations, Dr. Koprowski began his medical training at the University of Warsaw, Poland.
He has held positions on many committees for diverse scientific organizations and has been a member of several NIH boards of scientific counselors. Dr. Koprowski is currently president of the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories, Inc. and head of the Center for Neurovirology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.
We honor this remarkable achievement and wish Dr. Koprowski many more successes in the years to come.
T32 Payline, All Final for FY 2006
We've just received the T32 payline for institutional training grants-- it's set at a priority score of 147. All paylines are now final for this fiscal year.
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Opportunities and Resources |
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Check Them Out -- Electronic Application Q&As, Checklists
As you gear up for your first electronic application, visit our new resources for information and advice. Our Part 5. Research Plan and Part 6. Other Application Sections in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal walks you through the forms in your Grant Application Package.
And our new Applying for a Grant Questions and Answers cover a wide swath of material for both paper and electronic application.
We hope you find these resources useful. Please let us know if you have comments or additional questions to add.
Searching for a New Division Director
We're seeking an outstanding manager to head the Division of Extramural Activities (DEA). One of six NIAID divisions, DEA oversees
research policy and management for scientific review, grants, and contracts for NIAID's $2.5
billion research program.
With more than 200 staff and contractors, it's a large and diverse division, whose functions range from quality control for NIAID initiatives to producing this newsletter.
To apply, send your CV and bibliography by June 16 to:
Ms. Lisa Poindexter-Steed
Office of Workforce Effectiveness and
Resources, NIAID
6610 Rockledge Drive, Room 2109
Bethesda, MD 20892-2520 (Use this ZIP code for the U.S. Postal Service, including express mail.)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (Use this ZIP code for commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.)
Include a reference to announcement number
DIRDEA-06-01. You can also email Lisa Poindexter-Steed at
lsteed@niaid.nih.gov or call her at 301/496-9687.
How Should You Apply for Conference Support?
If you're planning to submit an R13 conference grant application, you must receive permission from NIAID that we will accept it as a primary assignment. NIAID follows the NIH guidelines in the October 26, 2005, Guide announcement.
To apply to NIAID for an R13, follow this process:
- Request advance permission no later than six weeks before the receipt date.
- Get permission by emailing a one- to two-paragraph synopsis of your conference to Dr. Milton Hernández at mh35c@nih.gov.
- If NIAID accepts the application, Dr. Hernández will send you a letter in PDF format to include in your electronic submission.
- Include the following information in the email:
- Funding Opportunity No.: PA-06-041
- Funding Opportunity ID: PA-06-041
- Receipt dates are April 15, August 15, and December 15 for non-AIDS; and January 2, May 1, and September 1 for AIDS applications.
Small Grants From the Pan American Health and Education Foundation
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation just announced its 2006 Small Grants Program to support innovative projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. It funds one- or two-year grants in the $5,000 to $25,000 range.
Find more information at Grants Program.
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Advice Corner |
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Reader Questions
We haven't included these for a while, so here are some recent questions we felt would be of interest.
Getting a K22 and Becoming an Assistant Professor
Paul Ebner, Ph.D., Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, wrote:
"As a postdoc, how long do I have to apply for a K22, and can I apply after taking a position as an assistant professor?"
Within a year of receiving a fundable score, K22 applicants must be offered an assistant professorship at an academic institution.
You cannot apply once you become an assistant professor or have more than five years of experience as a postdoc. See the March 30, 2006,
Guide notice for details.
Also see our Quick Facts on Research Training and Career Development Awards and Career Development Awards pages.
Who Can Sign a Progress Report?
Jennifer Villegas of
Cerus Corporation wrote:
"On our progress report, who is eligible to sign for the organization in item #14?"
As the grantee, your organization determines who signs your progress report. For more information, start reading at Send Us an Annual Progress Report in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.
Requesting Assignment to a Study Section
Brent Berwin, Ph.D., assistant professor, Dartmouth Medical School, asked:
"What is the relation between responding to an NIAID program announcement (PA) and requesting a study section? Can I request a study section, and are there sections to which it will or will not go?"
If the NIH Center for Scientific Review is to review your application (the PA's number will appear as PA XX XXX), you can request a study section. If you don't request one, NIH will assign your application to the study section that is the best match.
If you have responded to a PAR (its number will appear as PAR XX XXX), one of NIAID's three standing study sections will review the application, and you cannot make that request. Find NIAID's scientific review groups at Councils and Committees.
Read more on this topic in Consider Requesting an Institute and Study Section in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.
Standard Inflation Rate and Non-PI Salary Caps
Martha Matocha, Ph.D., program manager, NIAID Division of AIDS, asked two questions:
"Do applicants use a standard inflation rate in their progressive years' budgets, and are there salary caps other than the PI cap?"
Renewal grants often have a funding cap. This year it is 20 percent. For an explanation, see What is the funding cap for renewals? Both items are at FY 2006 Financial Management Plan.
Besides the PI salary cap, the only other salary cap is for graduate students. We award total support for graduate students at level zero for NRSA post-doctoral stipends. Total support includes salary, fringe benefits, and tuition remission. We use the cap level in effect at the time of the award. See the January 9, 2006, Guide announcement for details.
Find salary information and relevant links on the Paylines and Budget page at FY 2006 PI Salary Cap and Stipends.
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