News Flashes

March 21, 2011
Sally talks about the participation of women in NIH extramural programs.

March 21, 2011
The deadline for providing input on the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (EIA) program has been extended to March 31, 2011.

March 14, 2011
An NIH working group is looking for input to help identify gaps in current technologies and methodologies related to single cell analysis. Help identify the compelling biomedical research questions that can be addressed by overcoming these limitations. Responses must be submitted by March 18, 2011.

March 11, 2011
This year, NIH released the Early Independence Award to help support exceptional junior investigators who wish to “skip the post-doc.” The application due date has passed, but now it is your turn to provide input on the program . Information received in response to this request for information may be used to make adjustments to the program and when developing the next funding opportunity announcement. Responses must be submitted by March 18, 2011.

February 22, 2011
The biosketch forms in NIH grant application packages have been modified to allow investigators to include information about personal circumstances that may have affected their productivity. The change will take affect for applications received for the May 25, 2011 receipt date and beyond. For more information, see NOT-OD-11-045.

February 22, 2011
Two new All About Grants podcasts have recently been released. You’ve found what you think is the best funding opportunity announcement. Now we help you navigate through it to make sure you don’t miss any crucial make-or-break details. Next, we help you figure out what to put in the cover letter of your application.

December 22, 2010
Two new All About Grants podcasts have recently been released. First, Dr. Rod Ulane, NIH’s Research Training Officer, explains the requirements for training in the responsible conduct of research. Next, Dr. Sherry Stuesse, a Referral Officer in NIH’s Center for Scientific Review, discusses the relationship between application due dates, cycle dates, and award dates.

December 14, 2010
The December 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

November 30, 2010
Our All About Grants podcast series continues with a new series on what you can do to prepare the best possible application. Dr. Suzanne Fisher, Director of the Division of Receipt and Referral, describes the steps potential applicants can take to be prepared even before they know when they are going to apply in "Getting Ready to Submit."

November 16, 2010
Are you thinking about applying for the new Early Independence Award? Get your questions answered in this moderated forum: http://commonfund.nih.gov/blog/. Join the discussion today!

November 12, 2010
Dr. David Armstrong, Chief of the Review Branch, and Dr. Mike Sesma, a Program Officer, both with the National Institute of Mental Health, return to explain how to use feedback from your summary statement and your Program Officer when planning to resubmit your application in “Thinking About Resubmitting.”

November 12, 2010
The November 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

October 22, 2010
Dr. David Armstrong, Chief of the Review Branch, and Dr. Mike Sesma, a Program Officer, both with the National Institute of Mental Health, discuss what is included in the summary statement and give tips for finding out more information in “Summary Statement Basics.”

October 22, 2010
Effective October 1, 2010 all applicant and grantee organizations must maintain active registration in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) database. In addition, all first-tier subrecipients must obtain a Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number before receiving a subaward. For more information, see NOT-OD-11-004.

October 22, 2010
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation. Effective October 1, 2010, all recipients of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.FSRS.gov. For more information, see NOT-OD-11-005 and visit NIH’s Transparency Act page.

October 19, 2010
The NIH Grants Policy Statement has been revised. The revised version includes policy changes and clarifications, new chapters, an updated numbering schema, and more. To view the document, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2010/index.htm.

October 19, 2010
Dr. Sally Amero, NIH Review Policy Officer, explains the application review criteria, how they are scored, and how the reviewers arrive at the final overall score in “Scoring Your Application.”

October 14, 2010
The October 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

October 5, 2010
Dr. Sally Amero, NIH Review Policy Officer, explains the application review criteria, how they are scored, and how the reviewers arrive at the final overall score in “Scoring Your Application.”

October 5, 2010
Beginning in October, NIH will begin adding a new form package, referred to as ADOBE-FORMS-B1, to all funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). Please refer to Guide Notices NOT-OD-11-007 and NOT-OD-11-008 to determine when the new forms will be required for your application of interest.

October 5, 2010
The OER Protecting Human Research Participants online tutorial is now available in a Spanish language version: Protección de los participantes humanos de la investigación. Institutions may elect to use these free tutorials to fulfill the requirement for education in the protection of human research participants. For more information on this requirement for NIH-supported human subjects research, visit the Human Subjects Protections Training page.

September 16, 2010
Dr. Alan Willard, Chief of the Scientific Review Branch at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, discusses what goes on during a study section meeting in “The Ins and Outs of a Study Section Meeting.”

September 16, 2010
For information on how the September 9 temporary administrative stay of the district court’s August 23, 2010 preliminary injunction effects the status of applications and awards involving human embryonic stem cells, see Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-136. Guidance on hESC for NIH Staff.

September 14, 2010
The September 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

August 31, 2010
For information on how the August 23 court order effects the status of applications and awards involving human embryonic stem cells, see Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-126.

August 30, 2010
NIH will be conducting two NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration in 2011. They will be held April 27-29 in Phoenix, Arizona and June 22-24 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Registration for the April seminar is expected to open in November. Seminars typically reach capacity so plan ahead. For additional details, visit the NIH Office of Extramural Research Regional Seminar website at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/seminars.htm.

August 30, 2010
OER’s All About Grants is beginning a new series of episodes to help listeners understand how the NIH reviews the approximately 80,000 competing applications we receive each year. Learn what happens to your application once it arrives at NIH, including how it gets assigned to a study section. Dr. Suzanne Fisher, Director of the Division of Receipt and Referral, discusses this and more in “Who Receives Your Grant Application and What Do They Do With It?”

August 23, 2010
Beginning with due dates on or after January 25, 2011, NIH, AHRQ and NIOSH will eliminate the error correction window from the application submission process. NIH will continue to make accommodations for Federal system issues that threaten or prevent on-time submission of an individual application, if appropriately documented and verified by NIH support staff. Moreover, NIH still will determine and implement contingency plans on an as-needed basis for widespread system issues and natural disasters. The elimination of the error correction window does not affect the two-business-day application viewing window. For more information, see NOT-OD-10-123.

August 16, 2010
Dr. Sally Rockey, Director for Extramural Research, describes which parts of the application are made public via the RePORTER website and why using plain language in these sections can help express the value of your research to the public in "Using Plain Language for Application Titles, Abstracts and Public Health Relevance Statements."

August 9, 2010
The August 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

August 3, 2010
Dr. Henry Khachaturian, Director of Policy and Liaison Activities, Division of Loan Repayment, explains how independent investigators can use career development awards to support their research program in "Enhancing Your Research Capabilities through an Independent Career Award."

July 22, 2010
Listen to "Training and Career Opportunities in NIH’s Intramural Research Programs" to learn about postdoctoral fellowships and tenure-track positions available at the NIH.

July 21, 2010
HHS is extending the comment period on the Proposed Rule applicable to Regulations on the Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which Public Health Service Funding is Sought and Responsible Prospective Contractors.  See NOT-OD-10-113 and the Federal Register Notice at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-17739.pdf (PDF - 52KB) for further details.

July 9, 2010
The July 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

July 7, 2010
Listen to "Graduate Students Considering a Postdoc" to learn why writing a grant during graduate school is a good idea and how to network to find your postdoc.

June 23, 2010
Listen to “Using Career Development Awards to Achieve Independence” to learn more about mentored career development awards, including what they are, how to select the right one, and what to address in your application.

June 18, 2010
CSR has produced a series of videos to give you an inside look at how scientists from across the country review NIH grant applications for scientific and technical merit. 

New and established applicants will find insights and understanding that can empower them to improve the applications and increase their chances for receiving a more positive review.

View the videos: http://www.csr.nih.gov/video/video.asp

June 17, 2010
eRA Commons has partnered with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to link NCBI’s personal online tool, “My NCBI,” to eRA Commons. My NCBI offers an online portal—“My Bibliography”—for users to maintain and manage a list of all of their authored works, such as journal articles, manuscripts accepted for publication, books, and book chapters. As of April 2010, linking a Commons account to a new or existing My NCBI account allows references saved in My Bibliography to automatically appear in users’ Commons accounts. As of July 23, 2010, investigators will be unable to enter citations manually into eRA Commons and must use My Bibliography to manage their professional bibliographies. For more information on the transition, see NOT-OD-10-103.

June 11, 2010
The June 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

June 8, 2010
Tailored to the specific needs of our applicant, grantee, reviewer and trainee communities, the redesigned eRA site integrates rich content such as newly developed step-by-step how to’s for common tasks, associated policy links, updated user guides, FAQs, communication resources and more. Check us out at http://era.nih.gov/. Have a suggestion for new content? Let us know! [E-mail eracommunications@mail.nih.gov]

June 7, 2010
A prepublication copy of the 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has been issued by the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the National Academy of Sciences and is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12910 . Note: Until the 8th Edition of the Guide is published in its final form, the 1996 Edition will remain the official Guide

June 7, 2010
Listen to the latest installment of our All About Grants podcast series “Postdocs Thinking About Independence” and hear Dr. Milton Hernandez describe funding options for junior and senior postdocs, talk about the importance of having mentors, and  more.

May 24, 2010
A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was issued that proposes changes to the financial conflict of interest regulations governing Public Health Service-funded research (which includes NIH-funded research). The notice proposes comprehensive changes to the entire set of regulations, including a focus on three areas, in particular:

• Investigators’ disclosure of information regarding significant financial interests to institutions;
• Institutions’ management of identified financial conflicts of interest and reporting to NIH and other PHS agencies;
• Public disclosure of information regarding investigator financial conflicts of interest.

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to submit comments at Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480af37ce). The comment period closes July 20, 2010.

May 21, 2010
The May 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

May 17, 2010
NIH’s 12th annual Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Conference will be held June 2 & 3, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. During the two-day conference, attendees will learn about preparing and submitting their application, post award administration, and transitioning to the marketplace. The agenda, registration and additional information are available at the conference Web site.

May 11, 2010
Our new channel, All About Grants, features conversations with NIH staff members that cover grant-related topics. In our first episode, Dr. Wally Schaffer explains the new and early stage investigator policies, and in our second episode, Dr. Sally Rockey gives new investigators grant writing tips. Subscribe today!

May 11, 2010
The excellence of peer review depends on our ability to recruit and retain the most accomplished, broad-thinking and creative scientists and experts to serve as reviewers. We ask that investigators who receive NIH research grant support say "yes" when called on to serve as a peer reviewer (NOT-OD-10-089).

May 11, 2010
Appointed members of Program Advisory Committees (PACs) are now eligible to submit applications under the continuous submission and review option (NOT-OD-10-090).

May 11, 2010
Beginning on August 1, the submission of progress reports in eRA Commons via the electronic streamlined non-competing award process (eSNAP) will be mandatory for all eligible non-competing continuation awards. See NOT-OD-10-093 for more information and links to eSNAP instructions.

May 11, 2010
The electronic error correction window was temporarily extended to five business days from Jan. 25 to May 7 as we transitioned to new application forms and instructions. The window has been restored to two business days. For more information, see NOT-OD-10-088.

May 3, 2010
NIH offers two Regional Seminars each year that focus on topics related to NIH extramural program funding and grants administration. Your last chance to attend a Regional Seminar this year will be June 24-25, 2010 in Portland, Oregon. On-line registration is open until June 4, 2010, but space is limited. To register or for more information, visit the Web site.

April 26, 2010
Additional information clarifying the resubmission policy has been published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (NOT-OD-10-080). The notice provides instructions for applicants who wish to determine whether they are allowed one resubmission or two and a list of the last dates second resubmission applications will be accepted from eligible applicants.

April 13, 2010
The FY 2009 version of the NIH Data Book and FY09 reports on Budget and Spending, Funded Organizations, Success Rates, and Investigators and Trainees are now available on RePORT.

April 13, 2010
A set of frequently asked questions and answers on the new All Personnel Report, a component of the PHS 2590 Progress Report, is now available.

April 13, 2010
Instructions for Completion and Peer Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) in NIH Grant Applications and Cooperative Agreements have been posted in the NIH Guide (NOT-OD-10-027).

April 2, 2010
The April 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.

March 23, 2010
The following notices have been posted in the NIH Guide and on http://grants.nih.gov/recovery/:

• NOT-OD-10-065 (03/19/2010) - Recovery Act: Update on ARRA Quarterly Reporting Requirements for Non-Competing Continuation Awards and Relinquished Projects; and Guidance to Avoid Common Errors
• NOT-OD-10-066 (03/17/2010) - Recovery Act: Reminders on Annual Reporting Requirements and Notice of Revised Financial Closeout Requirements for ARRA-funded Administrative Supplements and Competitive Revisions
• NOT-OD-10-067 (03/17/2010) - Recovery Act: Notice on the Proper Management of Recovery Act Spending to Promote Job Creation and Increase the Pace of Scientific Research; and Policy Limiting Second No-Cost Extensions to Recovery Act Grants

March 16, 2010
The March 2010 Issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus, with the latest news, tips and important information for our research community, is now available. In addition, all issues may be viewed from the NIH Extramural Nexus web page.