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 News Articles
Opportunities and Resources
Advice Corner
New Initiatives
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News Articles
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Applicants Hit by Charley Get a Break
In the wake of Hurricane Charley's devastation of parts of the South,
NIH is giving applicants in those areas a reprieve. If your application
will be late because of the storm, just say so in a cover letter -- no
need to ask permission. Give the reasons for the delay, which should
correspond to the time your institution was closed. NIH announced this
news in the August
17, 2004, NIH Guide. |
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More Applications and Stable Success Rates Pose a Challenge
NIAID's grant application rate has soared during the past couple of years,
though the relative mix of award types has shifted. While the number of
R01 applications to NIAID has grown substantially over time, R03 and R21
numbers have gone up even more.
NIAID R01, R03, and R21 Grant Applications FY 2001
to 2004
NIAID's success rate for competing research project grants -- at 34.5
percent in FY 2003 -- has been stable for the last several years. But at
least in the near term, budgets won't continue to rise. Though our financial
management planners will try to keep success rates as stable as possible,
we anticipate a drop for both paylines and success rates next fiscal year. |
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FDA Standardizes Clinical Trial Data Formats -- You Should Too
FDA has lightened the load for reporting clinical trial data. On July
21, it announced a standard format for submitting data to the agency. The Study
Data Tabulation Model should make both research and FDA reviews of
new drug applications more efficient. It should also foster communication
among researchers and help them share data.
We encourage you to follow FDA's lead and adopt the new formats. For more
information, visit the Clinical Data Interchange
Standards Consortium Web site and read the July
21, 2004, press release. |
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NIH Responds to Effort Reporting Issue for Ks
Are you a clinical investigator who couldn't get a career development
(K) award because of more than one funding source? NIH has removed that
obstacle with a new policy that may help you qualify for an award.
Most Ks require you to spend a minimum percentage of your full-time
effort, generally 75 percent, on the research supported by the award
and have a full-time appointment at the organization applying for the
grant. You can now meet the effort requirement with your full-time position
while simultaneously holding another position part-time.
An example in the August
3, 2004, Guide notice illustrates how this works: An investigator
with a full-time appointment at a university and a half-time position
at a clinical practice can qualify because he or she can commit at
least 75 percent of the full-time position to the award.
The new policy applies to all existing K announcements for applications
and resubmissions submitted on or after October 1, 2004. |
Opportunities and Resources
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Don't Surf -- Find It!
Ever scratched your head wondering where on a Web site to find that
one critical document you can't do without? We think we've found the
answer. In handy alphabetical lists, our Find It! pages
show you every item on our site and give a slew of links to outside information.
Basically, they roll every item we have written or linked to into one
set of lists.
Find It! also lets you know which links are public and which cannot
be viewed from outside NIAID or NIH; non-public items have a lock icon.
It's heavily cross-referenced, so there's no need to know the exact name
of the item you're seeking. We've moved this formerly NIAID-only resource
to the Funding Web site as part of a push to bring more of our resources
to the public.
On a related note, in the next week or so we will be unveiling a redesigned
Funding Web site with navigation that's better suited to our new features. In the interim, we have put a link to Find it! on the top navigation bar of the front page, replacing the link to the Site map. |
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RFA Questions and Answers Now Online
Whether you have a general question about responding to requests for
applications (RFA) or one about a specific RFA, our new and planned resources
should help.
NIAID is starting to place answers to commonly asked questions for
RFAs on the Web. Watch for the  icon
on our NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID page. To view the first one, go to the Regional Centers of Excellence
for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Questions and Answers.
We're adding questions as they come in, so check back for new additions;
look for the latest date header to see what's new. We plan to publish
generic questions soon. |
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Roadmap Initiative Targets Proteomics Technologies
On the August 10, NIH reissued its National
Technology Centers for Networks and Pathways RFA with the goal
of quantitatively defining the dynamics of
complex systems.
Funded as cooperative agreements (U54), the centers are developing innovative
proteomics technologies, including instrumentation, biophysical methods,
reagents, and infrastructure. They will support collaboration, education,
and technology transfer. |
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Access WIHS Data, Apply for Funds for Oral
Research
Epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and other investigators interested
in oral and other research topics may want to consider using data from
the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) cohort.
Funded primarily by NIAID and the National Institute for Child and Health
Development, WIHS has
studied HIV-positive and HIV-negative
women mostly from minority populations. It has collected
longitudinal data on 3,772
women, following 2,628 of them
since 1993. You can now access oral data
for 735 women in the cohort, who received semi-annual dental examinations
from 1995 to 2004.
Under the Small
Research Grants for Data Analysis and Statistical Methodology program
announcement, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
is funding
oral studies using the WIHS cohort. For more information, see the July
28, 2004, Guide notice.
Any investigator can access WIHS data, serum, and other biological samples
by collaborating with a WIHS investigator.
Contact WIHS
PIs directly, listed at the bottom of the Guidelines
for Investigators.
After contacting a PI, complete a concept sheet for review by the WIHS
Executive
Committee. Find more information on the WIHS
Web site. |
Advice Corner
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Know the Players in Program, Review, Grants, and Contracts
Going through the grants process is hardly a game, but you should be
aware of some key players as you move toward your goal. These NIAID staff
members can help you with your game plan: writing your application, understanding
the rules after you get an award, tackling new policy hurdles, and more.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned veteran, acquaint yourself with
NIAID program staff in our extramural program divisions -- Division
of AIDS, Division
of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, and Division
of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation -- as well as the peer
review, grants, and contracts teams in the Division
of Extramural Activities.
Program officers -- research scouts
Housed in the program divisions, program
officers are resident scientists who develop and manage research
portfolios that advance the Institute's mission.
They identify research opportunities, develop research concepts and initiatives,
ensure that federally funded research meets scientific program needs,
and possibly serve as project
officers for contracts.
You'll probably be in close touch with your program officer; he or she
can provide advice and guidance on a wide range of matters. To see what
kinds of issues your program officer can help with, see When
to Contact an NIAID Program Officer. For program's starting line-ups,
see NIAID's Contact Staff for Help.
SROs -- review organizers
Scientific
review officers (SRO) are in charge of the initial
peer review of NIH grant applications. Though most applications
assigned to NIAID are investigator-initiated and
reviewed by the NIH
Center for Scientific Review, NIAID staff oversee the peer review
of applications requiring more specialized expertise: program
projects (P), cooperative
agreements (U), and training (T)
and research
career (K) awards, and applications responding to RFAs and request
for proposals. CSR reviews investigator-initiated R01, small business
(SBIR and STTR),
and fellowship (F)
applications.
Working within NIAID's Scientific
Review Program (SRP), review staff make sure applications receive
impartial and competent reviews. They recruit committee members, create
lists of streamlined applications,
and write summary
statements to provide scientific, administrative, and logistical
oversight. To see who's who, go to the SRP contact list.
GMP staff -- award negotiators
Once your application is approved for funding, NIAID's Grants Management Program (GMP) negotiates terms
and conditions of award and prepares Notices of Award.
It's up to GMP to ensure equitable and appropriate business decisions
for funding NIAID-supported grants. Our grants management officers make
sure NIAID and grantees meet legal, regulatory, and policy requirements
and, together with grants management specialists, administer business
aspects of negotiation, award, and administration.
To find GMP staff members, go to the GMP
staff contact list.
OA staff -- contract pros
In the contracts arena, our Office of Acquisitions (OA) handles contract negotiation, award, and
administration.
OA has both contracting officers and contracts specialists. Contracting
officers negotiate, award, and administer NIAID contracts. They advise
program and other staff on policy and have signature authority to spend
government funds.
Contract specialists can help you with many technical, business, and
cost-related questions. Trained in the Federal
Acquisition Regulations and other rules and procedures, they can
advise you about submitting a successful proposal and about actions you
can and cannot take, including which costs are allowed and how to get
approval for travel or equipment.
For contact information, see the OA
staff contact list. |
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