NIAID offers the following application guidance for NOT-OD-23-031, Notice of Special Interest: Administrative Supplements to Promote Research Continuity and Retention of NIH Mentored Career Development (K) Award Recipients and Scholars.
Overview
The NOSI provides funds to existing NIAID mentored Career Development (K) Award recipients to help sustain the investigator’s research during critical life events.
Through the NOSI, apply for an administrative supplement that must support work within the scope of your original project.
NIAID accepts supplement applications three times each fiscal year as detailed in the Application Due Dates section below. You must apply electronically.
Applicant Eligibility
To apply as program director/principal investigator (PD/PI), you must hold an active eligible NIAID K award.
Eligible activity codes are K01, K08, K22, K23, K25, K38, and K99. NIAID Intramural K99 and K22 awardees are not eligible for this funding opportunity.
Your proposed supplement cannot change the scope of the awarded parent project.
The research you propose in the supplement must be accomplished within the competitive segment of your active award. Projects in a no-cost extension period are not eligible.
For the purposes of this program, childbirth, adoption, or primary caregiving responsibilities of an ailing spouse, child, partner, or a member of the immediate family during the project period are critical life events that qualify for consideration.
The qualifying critical life event must be current or have occurred within the year before the supplement application submission date. If the critical life event is pending and you expect it to occur during the project period, you may apply for the supplement request in advance of the event.
In all cases, the life event must occur during the project period of the grant to qualify. Requests related to critical life events that occurred before the award date or occurred more than one year before your supplement request are not suitable for this program.
You must describe how the critical life event will affect the K award or productivity. You should also address why the work cannot be accomplished through rebudgeting of available funds.
You should work closely with your K award mentor or sponsor to obtain appropriate institutional commitment in the form of resources and mentorship. Your institution’s family-friendly practices and commitment to trainee advancement should be evident. Your institution should consider your NIAID supplement support a value-added component of the institutional environment.
Budget
Your administrative supplement funds may support additional personnel, computational services, supplies, and equipment that will promote the continuity of the career development research project during a period in which you experience critical life events that have the potential to impact research progress or potential productivity.
- Request direct costs of up to $50,000.
- Use an indirect cost rate of 8 percent.
- Request an award period of up to 12 months.
Application Due Dates
NIAID will accept applications on October 1, January 1 and April 1. If you are seeking an award before the end of a fiscal year—September 30—we must receive your application no later than April 1.
Submission Information
Submit your supplement request in accordance with the Parent Administrative Supplement NOFO or its subsequent reissued equivalent.
You must submit your supplement request electronically. However, you may not use the streamlined submission process in the eRA Commons for this initiative.
Application Content
Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, Parent Administrative Supplement NOFO, and NOT-OD-23-031 must be followed. Include NOT-OD-23-031 in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF 424 (R&R) application form.
Your application should include a letter signed by your institutional business official certifying your eligibility for the supplement award.
Also include the following required items:
- Face Page or R&R Cover Form
- Budget page from the SF424 R&R for a maximum of 12 months
- PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form
- Progress to date. One- to two-page description of the original aims of the research project and results to date, including roles of personnel working on the project.
- Statement of need. Describe how progress on this award will be, or has been, impacted by a critical life event and how an administrative supplement will mitigate the impact.
- Candidate Information and Goals for Career Development attachment as described in NOT-OD-23-031.
- Explain how the requested supplement support will ensure continuity, productivity, and momentum of the project. Explain how the plan will proceed.
- For example, if you request funds for additional personnel, what is the projected timeline for hiring as it relates to the timeline of the critical need? What skills would the additional personnel need? What is the plan to identify individuals with these skills who would contribute to the project for the limited period of time that the additional funding supports?
- Institutional Commitment to Candidate’s Research Career attachment. This should include, in addition to those items listed in NOT-OD-23-031, a mentor’s statement describing current oversight of progress to date on the project and how the mentor and/or institution intends to help the applicant continue to maintain research progress during the period impacted by the critical life event.
Allowable Costs and Other Provisions
The supplement may be used to support additional personnel, computational or research services, or other specified assistance that will promote the continuity of the career development research project during a period in which the PD/PI experiences critical life events that have the potential to impact research progress or potential productivity. Administrative supplements must support work within the scope of the original project and provide support during the period of the critical life event. You must provide a budget justification.
- Projects should have a minimum of one year remaining in the original project period.
- Projects in a no-cost extension period are not eligible.
- The qualifying critical life event must be current or have occurred within the year prior to the supplement application submission due date, during the project period.
NIAID Application Review Process
A committee of NIAID program staff will administratively review requests submitted to NIAID. The committee will consider the following:
- Is the work proposed within the scope of the parent K award?
- What is the progress to date on the parent K award?
- Will the administrative supplement increase or preserve the likelihood for the project to succeed and assist the K awardee or appointee in completing the research project, and transitioning to the next career stage?
- Is there a plan for the PD/PI to return to full productivity at the end of the supplement period?
- Is there strong institutional commitment (e.g., protected time, policies, programs, and other strategies) to ensure that the PD/PI maintains the research project and independent research trajectory?
More Information
Find more information in the Frequently Asked Questions for NIH Family-Friendly Initiatives.
If you would like to discuss your NIAID application plans, email AITrainingHelpDesk@mail.nih.gov.