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It's a Good Time to Be NewYou may be wondering what your chances are of getting your first major research award. Despite the current difficult budget era, NIAID and NIH are focused on getting more independent new investigators into the system in the short-term future. If you have a career development (K) award or other early-stage award, we encourage you to apply for a first-time R01 research project for funding in FY 2008 if you can. The next receipt dates for new R01 investigators are June 5 and October 5, or for AIDS-related applications, May 7 and September 7. Be sure you are at a career stage that would be appropriate for an R01 application. See our two guides, Awards for each career stage for M.D.s and Awards for each career stage for Ph.D.s. This issue discusses opportunities, advice, and other resources. We've included links to some glossary terms -- glossary links are colored but not underlined. To check additional terms you aren't familiar with, go to NIAID Glossary of Funding and Policy Terms and Acronyms.
Are You "New"?IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, NIH changed its definition of a "new" investigator. See Are You "New"? in our New Investigator Guide to NIH Funding. NIH's "new" status for investigators may be confusing. It doesn't just mean you've never been funded by NIH -- it means you've never been a principal investigator on a major PHS grant such as an R01 research project grant. You are still considered to be "new" even if you have already received an NIH award such as a Small Grant (R03), Exploratory/Developmental Phase I grant (R21), or R56-Bridge award. For a list of exclusions, see Are You "New"? Be sure to identify yourself as new. Check the "New" box on your application. Your new investigator status will give you these advantages:
First Steps for New InvestigatorsAre you ready to apply? Know these key steps. Electronic Application Registration and ProcessBecause many steps are involved before you can apply electronically, you need to plan ahead. For details, read Get Ready Now to Apply Electronically in our NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal, and visit NIH's Electronic Submission of Grant Applications. Talk to Your Program Officer for AdviceThe NIAID program officer in charge of your area of science can give you valuable advice and instructions. Read more at When to Contact an NIAID Program Officer. Other NIAID staff can help you, too. See Contact Staff for Help. Find Current Funding OpportunitiesYou can find NIH funding opportunities through the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. For a more Institute-focused look, use NIAID's NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID. Keep in mind that initiatives -- program announcements, requests for applications, or requests for proposals -- can be highly competitive, especially for a new investigator. The vast majority of NIH grants are investigator-initiated. If you're thinking of applying for an initiative, talk to your program officer. See the Compare FOAs section of NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal. Understand Concepts for Future Funding OpportunitiesEven if you don't want to apply for an initiative, concepts are a useful guide to NIAID's high-priority areas. Concepts result from early planning for potential NIAID initiatives. Read more at Concepts May Turn Into Initiatives and Application Approach: What Are Your Choices? Check out the latest January 2007 Concepts: Potential Opportunities.
Educational Loan Repayment ProgramsNIH's loan repayment programs help M.D.s and some other doctoral-level professionals pursue research careers by repaying up to $35,000 a year in qualifying educational debt. Thanks to a February 2007 policy revision, NIH will also reimburse taxes that recipients owe as a result of the award. See the Guidelines for Tax Reimbursement Requests. For more information, visit NIAID's Loan Repayment Programs or NIH's Loan Repayment Programs. Contact Milton J. Hernandez at 301-496-3775 or mh35c@nih.gov for help.
NIAID Selective Pay and Bridge AwardsNew investigators who have top-quality applications are strong candidates for NIAID's selective pay or R56-Bridge awards. We use these approaches to fund some applications with percentiles that missed the payline by a small margin. You cannot apply for either program; your NIAID program officer must nominate you. Your program officer will let you know if this is likely or if you'd be better off revising your application for a resubmission. For both programs, we choose applications based on high relevance to our mission as well as scientific merit. Read more on our Selective Pay and NIAID R56-Bridge Award SOPs.
NIH Director's New Innovator Award, DP2NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni has launched a new grant program, the NIH Director's New Innovator Award. It supports highly innovative research projects with the potential for a great impact on biomedical or behavioral science. NIH plans to make at least 14 awards in September 2007. To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
The awards will average $300,000 in direct costs each year. You will likely fare better in review if you ask for four years, unless your study needs an extra year. Although you can't renew a New Innovator Award, you can submit an R01 application to continue the research. Electronic applications are due by May 22, 2007. Read more in the March 9, 2007, NIH Guide notice and the Frequently Asked Questions. Send questions to newinnovator@nih.gov or call Dr. Judith Greenberg at 301-594-4469. Decide Which to Apply For: DP2, R01, or BothAs a new investigator, you might wonder whether to apply for the New Innovator Award or a standard R01 research grant. See the table below for a comparison of features. If you qualify for both grant types, you can maximize your chances by sending separate applications to be considered for both at the same time. Though the applications have different requirements, you can reuse or adapt many sections. If you successfully apply for both awards for the same research, you can't accept both. You would be better off choosing the R01 in almost all cases. R01s establish a track record within the scientific review group likely to handle your future grant applications, and historically, renewals of R01s are more likely to get a fundable score than are new R01s. Talk to your program officer for more advice.
Denise Marcello, grant administrator, Health Research Incorporated, asks: “Does NIAID automatically grant a no-cost extension for one year on a K22?” Since NIAID awards K22 awards under expanded authorities, you can extend the final year once for up to 12 months. Make sure you notify your grants management specialist 10 days before the last year ends. Remember that you’ll also need to update all certifications and assurances. For more information, see our SOPs on No-Cost Extension and Expanded Authorities or Federal Demonstration Partnership. The extension has to go through your grantee institution’s approval process. Any additional extensions require NIAID's prior approval.
NIH and NIAID have prepared a wealth of online information to support your application process. NIH Resources
NIAID Resources
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