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NCI Awardee Skills Development Consortium: Research Education Short Courses (UE5)

The NCI Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC) is an initiative designed to provide Short Course opportunities for current NCI grantees, especially those who are junior faculty (e.g., assistant professors, instructors, research scientists, or equivalent), to enhance their skills in areas that are critical for establishing and maintaining successful independent academic cancer research careers. It is anticipated that NASDC Short Courses will help participants maintain long-term productivity in their cancer research careers, thereby maximizing the outcomes from NCI's investment in these individuals.

The NASDC initiative is funded through two companion Cooperative Agreements Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), including this Research Education Short Courses UE5 FOA (RFA-CA-19-010) and a Program Logistics and Evaluation Coordinating Center U24 FOA (RFA-CA-19-011). NCI intends to commit Total Costs of $1,840,000 per year for 3 years to fund up to five UE5 Short Course awards.  Applicants to this UE5 FOA should also familiarize themselves with the companion U24 FOA, since NASDC UE5 Short Course awardees will be required to interact closely with the NASDC U24 Coordinating Center.  

The NASDC UE5 FOA solicits applications for Research Education Short Courses that are innovative and include state-of-the-art, evidence-based scientific and/or educational content that is essential to meet the academic career development needs of current NCI-funded junior faculty investigators.

Specific examples of topics that are appropriate for this UE5 FOA include, but are not limited to, the following*:

  • NIH/NCI Grant Opportunities and Grant Writing
  • Writing Skills for Scientists
  • Mentoring, Leadership, and Collaboration
  • Business of Science
  • Clinical Aspects of Immuno-Oncology
  • Emerging Technologies and Research Resources
  • Essentials of Data Science and Statistical Analysis

*Note that although there are existing courses and workshops on some of these topics, none are specifically tailored to meet the needs of junior faculty NCI grantees who are striving to establish successful academic careers.

Courses must include in-person educational activities.  Additional activities, such as teleconferences or online educational component(s), are optional and may take place before or after the in-person course to supplement the in-person educational activities. Applications must propose to offer the course once in Year 1 and twice in each of Years 2 and 3. 

Program Directors (PDs) / Principal Investigators (PIs) of applications submitted in response to the NASDC UE5 FOA are expected to be senior faculty members with established careers as both educators and researchers, including effective mentoring of junior faculty towards successful academic research careers. They are also expected to have demonstrated experience in providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of an education program that extends beyond the applicant institution and attracts participants from a national audience. An individual may be designated as a PD/PI (or one of Multiple PDs/PIs) on more than one NASDC UE5 application. However, an individual designated as a PD/PI (or one of Multiple PDs/PIs) on a NASDC UE5 application must not be designated as a PD/PI (or one of Multiple PDs/PIs) on an application submitted in response to the companion NASDC U24 FOA.

Priority for participation in NASDC UE5 Short Courses is to be given to junior faculty who are PDs/PIs of current NCI-funded K01, K07, K08, K22, K23, K25, R00, R21, or first R01-equivalent grants, although any current NCI-funded extramural independent Principal Investigator or NCI intramural researcher may participate if open positions remain in the courses.

Applicant Eligibility

PI Criteria

US Citizens and Foreign Nationals U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizen/permanent residents are eligible to apply for UE5 awards, provided that the U.S. institution where the applicant is employed allows non-U.S. citizens to apply for grant support.
Degree/Academic Appointment PD(s)/PI(s) are expected to be established, senior-level faculty.
Commitment A minimum effort of 1.2 calendar months is required for each designated PD/PI and cannot be reduced below that level during the project period.
Duration of Award

Up to 3 years of support may be requested.

Participant Criteria

Citizens, Foreign Nationals and Student Visas Because this is an educational and not a training mechanism, non-U.S. citizens may participate in this program, particularly, non-U.S. citizen R00 awardees.

Budget

Program PI and Faculty Salary and fringe benefit support for the design, direction, and implementation of the research education short courses is allowed. Total Direct Costs for all personnel and consultants (including faculty, lecturers, advisors, etc.) may not exceed $170,000 per year.
Administrative Support Limited administrative and clerical salary costs associated with their work on the program are allowed, with justification.
Other Program-Related Expenses Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key persons, and other program-related expenses are allowed with justification. Consultant costs are included in the $170,000 limit per year for Total Direct Costs for all personnel and consultants.
Program Participant Costs Up to $1,000 per participant may be requested to partially pay for and/or to partially reimburse participants for their travel, housing, and per diem expenses to attend the course. Federal employee participants may not be reimbursed for their expenses.
Direct Costs

Up to $340,000 Direct Costs/year for up to 3 years may be requested.
F&A Costs/Indirect Costs 8%

How to Apply

  • Applications must be submitted electronically.
  • Applicants must follow the instructions in the SF424(R&R) Application Guide, as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.
  • When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions in Funding Opportunity Announcement.
  • Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not be accepted for review.

For assistance with application submission, please see the Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact eRA Commons Help Desk/Grants.gov Contact Center.

Application Receipt Dates and Review Schedule

Letter of Intent Receipt Date Application Receipt Date Initial Review Council Review Earliest Possible Start Date*
March 1, 2019 April 1, 2019 May-June 2019 October 2019 December 2019

* Start dates are determined by the availability of NCI funds and may not occur until well after the earliest possible start date.

Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the submitting institution. 

Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by the NCI, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or non-responsive will not be reviewed.

For review criteria for the UE5 grant mechanism, see Section V. Application Review Information of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Resources

NCI Staff Contacts

For additional information regarding policies and/or guidance in preparing an application for the UE5 Award, contact:

For information regarding fiscal and/or budget issues, contact:

For information regarding review issues, contact:

  • Referral Officer
    Division of Extramural Activities
    Phone: 240-276-6390
    Fax: 240-276-7682
  • Updated: