The National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases

Collaborative Grants (P01/R24)

Introduction to Collaborative Grants Supported by KUH

Complex biomedical science often requires the expertise of collaborating investigators working together as an investigative team. Collaborative research can be supported by several different types of grant mechanisms:

• R01 with a Principal Investigator and one or more key personnel or collaborators;
• Multi-PI R01 with multiple Principal Investigators collaborating and sharing credit and responsibility; or
• Center supporting a focused set of core activities.

Collaborative research can also take the form of a:

• Program Project Grant (P01) designed to support a broadly based interrelated research program that has multiple distinct but synergistic research projects built around a unifying central theme; or
• Resource-Related Research Project Grant (R24) designed to provide flexible support for an interdisciplinary research team focused on answering a single critically important research question or problem. 

Program Project Grant (P01)

P01s are designed to support a broadly based interrelated research program that has multiple distinct but synergistic projects built around a well-defined central theme.  P01s should reflect the organized efforts of investigators who are conducting research designed to elucidate the various aspects or components of the central theme.  Each research project should be under the leadership of a different independent, established investigator and should contribute to the common theme of the overall program. Collectively, these projects should demonstrate essential elements of interrelatedness and synergy that result in a greater contribution to program goals than would occur if each project were pursued/funded individually (i.e. the whole is greater than the sum of the parts).  In addition to the support of research projects, the P01 may provide funds for support of common resources and facilities (cores) that would be available for use by the project investigators.  Cores should provide some service, techniques, resources, or instrumentation that will enhance the research endeavors, consolidate manpower effort, and contribute to cost effectiveness and quality.  Administrative Cores are no longer supported by the NIDDK as part of P01s.
 

The basic criteria for a P01 are:

• A clearly defined, unifying central theme to which each project relates and to which each investigator contributes.
• A minimum of three distinct but synergistic research projects and one core that are each judged to have significant merit, as well as being complementary or contributory to the central theme.

Investigators considering a P01 are strongly encouraged to contact NIDDK program staff at least 9 months prior to the projected receipt date to discuss a potential application.  The discussion could include the choice of funding mechanism, relevance of the topic to the NIDDK mission, and the scope and approach of the project.  At least 3 months (and preferably 6 months) prior to the submission of all applications it is required that investigators submit a Request For Preapproval (RFP) for NIDDK staff review.  The RFP should contain:

• Summary of the unifying scientific theme that will be addressed by the group
• Summaries of each individual project
• Statement of how the projects will collaborate to move the field forward
• Description of the core services and how each project will benefit from the core(s)
• Rationale for why this work can NOT be supported by R01s
• Biosketches of all the project leaders, including other support
• Preliminary budget estimate, including proposed percent effort of the PI and project leaders
• For renewals, specific examples of collaboration (how work in one project has catalyzed research in the other projects, how expertise and resources are shared between projects, a list of co-authored publications, etc.). 

The information on this KUH page supplements the detailed NIDDK guidelines available here: http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/Funding/Grants/GrantReview/P01Guidelines.htm.

Resource-Related Research Project Grants (R24s)

While R01s, Centers and P01s can foster certain kinds of collaborations, their structures do not readily accommodate certain types of collaborative research.  R24s (multiyear R24s) are designed to provide support for interdisciplinary research teams focused on innovative approaches to answer a single critically important research question or problem.  R24s are more flexible than the P01 in that they do not require individual projects or cores and can include discovery or hypothesis-generating research and the development of unique resources or technologies.  Collectively, the team should bring together the necessary expertise to answer a specific scientific question or problem and result in a greater contribution to program goals than would occur if each team member worked individually.  R24s can support basic, translational, and clinical science.  It is expected that R24s will have translational and/or clinical relevance. Please note:  The NIDDK no longer supports one-year "Seeding" R24s. 

The basic criteria for an R24 are:

• Interdisciplinary team that will develop a synergistic approach to investigate a single critically important research question or problem.
• Research project with translational and/or clinical relevance; can include discovery or hypothesis-generating research and the development of unique resource or technologies.  No requirement for individual projects or cores.

Investigators considering a multiyear R24 are strongly encouraged to contact NIDDK program staff at least 9 months prior to the projected receipt date to discuss a potential application.  The discussion could include the choice of funding mechanism, relevance of the topic to the NIDDK mission, and the scope and approach of the project.  At least 3 months (and preferably 6 months) prior to the submission of all applications it is required that investigators submit a Request For Preapproval (RFP) for NIDDK staff review.  The RFP should contain: 

• Statement of the specific scientific question or problem that will be addressed by the group
• Summary of how the research team will provide the necessary expertise to address the proposed question or problem
• Rationale for why this work can NOT be supported by R01s
• Biosketches of all team members, including other support
• Preliminary budget estimate, including proposed percent effort of the PI and essential personnel
• For renewals, a list of publications that derived from the R24

The information on this KUH page supplements the detailed NIDDK guidelines available here: http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/Funding/Grants/GrantTypes.

Comparison of Collaborative Grants Supported by KUH

How are P01s and R24s similar?

• P01s and R24s both require synergy.  Team members must be highly collaborative.  Projects must facilitate research that is not feasible with other grant mechanisms (i.e. R01).
• P01s and R24s both require strong leadership.  The Principle Investigator is expected to devote significant effort to the leadership of the project (e.g. 25% effort for P01 and multiyear R24).  Other essential personnel will generally have independent R01 support and are expected to be established, independent investigators who bring valued scientific strengths to the program.  Thus, support of one senior investigator and several junior faculty members is not appropriate.

How are P01s and R24s different?

• P01s must have a minimum of three research projects and one core.   Each project and core must be judged to have significant merit, as well as being complementary or contributory to the central theme of the program project and recommended for the duration of the program, which is usually five years.  R24s have no requirement for individual projects or cores.
• P01s are focused around a unifying central theme while R24s are focused around a single research question or problem.  P01s are designed to support a broadly based interrelated research program which consists of multiple distinct but synergistic research projects built around a unifying central theme.  R24s are designed to provide support for interdisciplinary research teams focused on innovative approaches to a single critically important research question or problem.
• R24s are more amenable to discovery research.  The inclusion of discovery or hypothesis-generating research and the development of unique resources or technologies are acceptable.  R24s can support basic, translational, and clinical science.  R24s should have translational and/or clinical relevance.     

Table of Administrative Similarities and Differences Between P01s and R24s




	Request for Preapproval (RFP)	Application Receipt Date(s)	Application Page Limit
P01	3 months prior	September 25 January 25 May 25	12 pages per project 6 pages per core
Full R24	3 months prior	November 3	12 pages total

P01 Examples

• A centralized core gathers data from a well-characterized population of acute kidney injury patients.  The program project uses this data to conduct hypothesis-driven research with the long term goal of improving detection, prognoses, and treatment.  Individual projects carry out interrelated aims such as detecting early drug toxicity and therapeutic efficacy, developing advanced imaging methods for tracking nephron injury, and identifying drug targets to restore kidney function.
• A surgeon, a urologist, and a physiologist deploy their different but complementary expertise to study the broad topic of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).  A central core facility helps collect, manage, and distribute patient prostate biopsies.  Collaboration between different scientific disciplines enables hypothesis-driven investigation into the role of chronic inflammation and the mechanistic action of hormones and different environmental triggers.
• Despite the key role played by hematopoietic stem cells, little is known about how the body controls their commitment, or differentiation into specific blood or immune cells.  Four interrelated projects supported by two research cores enable a collaborative team of established scientists to tackle this broad and complex topic.  Genetically modified mice created by one of the cores are shared by the team, each using the same mice to address different hypotheses about how the process of commitment takes place.

R24 Examples

• The use of siRNA mediated gene silencing as a novel strategy for developing the next generation of therapeutics for human disease has been limited by the lack of safe and effective delivery methods.  A physiologist, an immunologist and an engineer bring their collective expertise to bear on the question:  Can you achieve effective oral delivery of siRNA in mice to silence genes in specific selected target tissues?
• A central repository contains information-rich sequential and reciprocal RNA, protein and metabolite comparisons between humans with different complications of diabetes.  A clinician, a basic scientist and a bioinformatics expert form a collaborative team to answer the question:  Can a systems biology approach be used to discover the essential cellular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications?
   

NIDDK Information for Applicants

The information on this KUH page supplements the detailed NIDDK guidelines available here: http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/Funding/Grants/GrantTypes.

A tutorial on the basics of NIDDK grant preparation and submission is available here: http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/Funding/Grants.

NIH Information for Applicants

General information about NIH P series program program/center grants, including the P01, can be found here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_program.htm#PSeries.

General information about NIH Resource grants, including the R24, can be found here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_program.htm#Resource.