Postdoctoral and Early Career Funding in the Health Chemical amp Life Sciences

Lorraine Mulfinger PhD Associate Director Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office

Objective To support highly promising beginning scientists in their progress toward independence by encouraging and adequately funding research projects that can bridge the gap between completion of research training and readiness for successful competition as an independent investigator - Am Heart Assoc

The Golden Rule of Grants

He who holds the gold makes the ruleshellip

Finding a funding agency FIT and showing PASSION are the keys

WHY NIH AND USDA

NIH + AHRQ

USDA

Donrsquot force a fit Use what Michelle showed us -

Funding Search Engines Another Option

WHY NIH AND USDA

NIH + AHRQ

USDA

Donrsquot force a fit Use what Michelle showed us -

Funding Search Engines Another Option

Donrsquot force a fit Use what Michelle showed us -

Funding Search Engines Another Option

Funding Search Engines Another Option

Another Option

NIH Funding Quick-Start

Lorraine Mulfinger PhD Associate Director Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office

NIHrsquos mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health lengthen life and

reduce the burdens of illness and disability

gt$30B in research funding annually

NIH Institute FIT ndash 21 of them

1 National Cancer Institute (NCI) - Harold E Varmus MD 2 National Eye Institute (NEI) - Paul A Sieving MD PhD 3 National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) - Gary H Gibbons MD 4 National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) - Eric D Green MD PhD 5 National Institute on Aging (NIA) - Richard Hodes MD 6 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) - Kenneth R Warren PhD (Acting) 7 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - Anthony Fauci MD 8 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) - Stephen Katz MD PhD 9 National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) - Roderic I Pettigrew MD PhD 10 Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) - Alan Guttmacher MD 11 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) - James Battey Jr MD PhD 12 National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) - Martha J Somerman DDS PhD 13 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) - Griffin P Rodgers MD MACP 14 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) - Nora D Volkow MD 15 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) - Linda S Birnbaum PhD DABT ATS 16 National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) - Judith H Greenberg PhD (Acting) 17 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - Thomas R Insel MD 18 National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) - John Ruffin PhD 19 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) - Story Landis PhD 20 National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) - Patricia A Grady PhD RN FAAN 21 National Library of Medicine (NLM) - Donald AB Lindberg MD

NIH Institute FIT ndash 21 of them

1 National Cancer Institute (NCI) - Harold E Varmus MD 2 National Eye Institute (NEI) - Paul A Sieving MD PhD 3 National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) - Gary H Gibbons MD 4 National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) - Eric D Green MD PhD 5 National Institute on Aging (NIA) - Richard Hodes MD 6 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) - Kenneth R Warren PhD (Acting) 7 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - Anthony Fauci MD 8 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) - Stephen Katz MD PhD 9 National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) - Roderic I Pettigrew MD PhD 10 Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) - Alan Guttmacher MD 11 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) - James Battey Jr MD PhD 12 National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) - Martha J Somerman DDS PhD 13 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) - Griffin P Rodgers MD MACP 14 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) - Nora D Volkow MD 15 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) - Linda S Birnbaum PhD DABT ATS 16 National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) - Judith H Greenberg PhD (Acting) 17 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - Thomas R Insel MD 18 National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) - John Ruffin PhD 19 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) - Story Landis PhD 20 National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) - Patricia A Grady PhD RN FAAN 21 National Library of Medicine (NLM) - Donald AB Lindberg MD

NIH Proposal Review and Funding Process

Planning The review process can take 9 months

NIH Study Section Fit

Roster Index for Fellowship Study Sections

Ruth L Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA)

F30 - Ruth L Kirschstein Individual Predoctoral NRSA for MD PhD and other Dual Degree Fellowships F31 - Ruth L Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award ndash (payback 5 years max $4200 TRE) F32 - Ruth L Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award ndash (no payback 3 years max $7800 TRE) By the time of award the PDPI (Fellowship Candidate) must be a US citizen or permanent resident and must have received a research doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution - Three Deadlines April 8 August 8 December 8 - 9-month review cycle httpgrantsnihgovgrantsfundingsubmissionschedulehtm

Ruth L Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32)

F32 Research Statement

Applicant fellows must describe a tailored research training plan including a description of the research strategy (preferably hypothesis-driven) well-suited to the stage of hisher career development Describe the skills and techniques that the applicant fellow will learn during the award period and discuss the relationship of the proposed research training to the applicant fellowrsquos career goals The applicant fellow must describe the background leading to the proposed research the significance of the research the research approach (design and methods) for achieving the Specific Aims the rationale and expectedalternative outcomes of the proposed studies It is beneficial to include pertinent preliminary data obtained by the applicant fellow in the current or prior laboratory

NIH F32 Sponsorrsquos Statement

The F32 fellowship supports a program of mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors The sponsor(s) should describe their current research support and how this support relates to the applicantrsquos proposed research project A contingency plan should be provided that describes how the applicantrsquos research training will be supported should there be a gap in the sponsorrsquos funding during the proposed award period The role of the sponsor in the integrated research and training plan should be described If a team of sponsors is proposed this plan should describe the role of each sponsor and how they will communicate and coordinate their efforts to mentor the applicant effectively

The training plan should be individualized for the applicant keeping in mind the applicantrsquos strengths and any gaps in needed skills and should be designed to enhance research training The training plan should be coordinated with the applicantrsquos Research Strategy The training plan should outline and justify new training opportunities any relevant coursework and professional development activities Training in professional development skills eg grant-writing presentation skills and lab management is strongly encouraged The training plan should have the potential to facilitate the applicantrsquos transition to the next stage of hisher career

The research environment and the availability and quality of needed research facilities and research resources (eg equipment laboratory space computing resources subject populations) should be described The sponsor and any co-sponsors are expected to provide an assessment of the applicantrsquos qualifications and potential for a career as a productive independent researcher

Sample NIH Applications - NIAID

Sample NIH Applications

F32 Research Statement

Applicant fellows must describe a tailored research training plan including a description of the research strategy (preferably hypothesis-driven) well-suited to the stage of hisher career development Describe the skills and techniques that the applicant fellow will learn during the award period and discuss the relationship of the proposed research training to the applicant fellowrsquos career goals The applicant fellow must describe the background leading to the proposed research the significance of the research the research approach (design and methods) for achieving the Specific Aims the rationale and expectedalternative outcomes of the proposed studies It is beneficial to include pertinent preliminary data obtained by the applicant fellow in the current or prior laboratory

NIH F32 Sponsorrsquos Statement

The F32 fellowship supports a program of mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors The sponsor(s) should describe their current research support and how this support relates to the applicantrsquos proposed research project A contingency plan should be provided that describes how the applicantrsquos research training will be supported should there be a gap in the sponsorrsquos funding during the proposed award period The role of the sponsor in the integrated research and training plan should be described If a team of sponsors is proposed this plan should describe the role of each sponsor and how they will communicate and coordinate their efforts to mentor the applicant effectively

The training plan should be individualized for the applicant keeping in mind the applicantrsquos strengths and any gaps in needed skills and should be designed to enhance research training The training plan should be coordinated with the applicantrsquos Research Strategy The training plan should outline and justify new training opportunities any relevant coursework and professional development activities Training in professional development skills eg grant-writing presentation skills and lab management is strongly encouraged The training plan should have the potential to facilitate the applicantrsquos transition to the next stage of hisher career

The research environment and the availability and quality of needed research facilities and research resources (eg equipment laboratory space computing resources subject populations) should be described The sponsor and any co-sponsors are expected to provide an assessment of the applicantrsquos qualifications and potential for a career as a productive independent researcher

Sample NIH Applications - NIAID

Sample NIH Applications

NIH F32 Sponsorrsquos Statement

The F32 fellowship supports a program of mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors The sponsor(s) should describe their current research support and how this support relates to the applicantrsquos proposed research project A contingency plan should be provided that describes how the applicantrsquos research training will be supported should there be a gap in the sponsorrsquos funding during the proposed award period The role of the sponsor in the integrated research and training plan should be described If a team of sponsors is proposed this plan should describe the role of each sponsor and how they will communicate and coordinate their efforts to mentor the applicant effectively

The training plan should be individualized for the applicant keeping in mind the applicantrsquos strengths and any gaps in needed skills and should be designed to enhance research training The training plan should be coordinated with the applicantrsquos Research Strategy The training plan should outline and justify new training opportunities any relevant coursework and professional development activities Training in professional development skills eg grant-writing presentation skills and lab management is strongly encouraged The training plan should have the potential to facilitate the applicantrsquos transition to the next stage of hisher career

The research environment and the availability and quality of needed research facilities and research resources (eg equipment laboratory space computing resources subject populations) should be described The sponsor and any co-sponsors are expected to provide an assessment of the applicantrsquos qualifications and potential for a career as a productive independent researcher

Sample NIH Applications - NIAID

Sample NIH Applications

Sample NIH Applications - NIAID

Sample NIH Applications

Stipends

Predoctoral

Postdoctoral

NIH Career Transition Award ndash K99R00

K99R00 ndash From Career (K) to Research (R) The K99R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in 2

phases Eligibility ndash lt 5 years of postdoctoral experience application or

subsequent resubmission(s) and do not already have a full-time tenure track assistant professor position (or equivalent)

1) Mentored phase ndash up to 2 years The candidate must propose a research project that will be pursued during the K99 phase and transition into an independent project during the R00 phase of the award

2) Individual phase ndash up to 3 years of support to conduct research as an independent scientist at an extramural sponsoring institutionorganization to which the individual has been recruited

NIH Career Transition Award ndash K99R00

K99R00 ndash From Career (K) to Research (R) The K99R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in 2

phases Eligibility ndash lt 5 years of postdoctoral experience application or

subsequent resubmission(s) and do not already have a full-time tenure track assistant professor position (or equivalent)

1) Mentored phase ndash up to 2 years The candidate must propose a research project that will be pursued during the K99 phase and transition into an independent project during the R00 phase of the award

2) Individual phase ndash up to 3 years of support to conduct research as an independent scientist at an extramural sponsoring institutionorganization to which the individual has been recruited

NIH Directorrsquos Early Independence Awards

NIH Directors Early Independence Awards (DP5) The NIH Directorrsquos Early Independence Award Program supports exceptional

investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoralresearch degree or clinical residency thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career

Eligibility within the preceding 12 months must have received a terminal doctoral degree or completed medical residency

Candidate Institution Matching Site (httpcommonfundnihgovearlyindependencematchingportalindexaspx)

LOI December 29 2015 Due Date January 29 2016 Limited to 2 applicationsinstitution

USDA NIFA Fellowship Grant Program

What are USDA NIFA Foundational Areas bull Plant health and production and plant products bull Animal health and production and animal products bull Food safety nutrition and health bull Renewable energy natural resources and environment bull Agriculture systems and technology and bull Agriculture economics and rural communities What are USDA NIFA Challenge Areas bull Agricultural and Natural Resources Science for Climate Variability amp Change bull Childhood Obesity Prevention bull Food Safety bull Food Security bull Sustainable Bioenergy and bull Water Resources

USDA NIFA Fellowship Grant Program

ldquoFocused research education andor extension objectives aligned with NIFArsquos Challenge andor Foundational Program areasrdquo

Released early December LOIs due immediately

Proposals due Mid-February Due Date SHORT FUSE Review the OLD Solicitation to prepare httpnifausdagovsitesdefaultfiles14_AFRI20Fellowships20modifiedpdf Contact Ray A Ali LOI ndash December 12 2013 Application ndash February 20 2014 ndash released in Nov Postdoc not to exceed $150000 for two years Salary + $30K Misc

USDA ndash US Department of Agriculture NIFA ndash National Institute of Food and Agriculture AFRI ndash Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

Developing (Fellowship) a Sales Plan

Generic Grant Outline Executive Summary ndash show your passion amp need Statement of Need ndash why are YOU unique Project Description Mentor Description ndash you have the PERFECT mentor Budget Organization Information (Facilities amp Resources) ndash you

have found the 1 institution in your field Conclusion ndash Impact Dissemination Sustainability ndash

what will you GIVE BACK

httpfoundationcenterorggetstartedtutorialsshortcoursecomponentshtml

QUESTIONS

Lorraine Mulfinger PhD Associate Director

Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office (SIRO) The Pennsylvania State University

101B Beecher-Dock House University Park PA 16802

Office 814-865-7787 Fax 814-863-2830

Email lxm14psuedu

Access this presentation at httpwwwresearchpsueduofficessirosiro-forms-resources

QUESTIONS

Lorraine Mulfinger PhD Associate Director

Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office (SIRO) The Pennsylvania State University

101B Beecher-Dock House University Park PA 16802

Office 814-865-7787 Fax 814-863-2830

Email lxm14psuedu

Access this presentation at httpwwwresearchpsueduofficessirosiro-forms-resources

BACKUP SLIDES

SLIDES with info for anticipated questions

Type of FOA Receipt Date Money Set Aside

Peer Review Specificity of Topic Advantage to Applicant

1) Parent Announcements

Standard receipt dates usually open for three years

None In Center for Scientific Review (CSR) or in an IC by one of many review committees

Non-specific investigator-initiated ldquounsolicitedrdquo research Not all ICs participate in all parent FOAs

May submit any topic within the breadth of the NIH mission Competition tied mainly to an ICs overall payline

2) IC-Specific Program Announcements (PA PAR PAS)

Standard receipt dates unless PAR usually open for three years

No set asides (unless PAS) may be funded beyond the payline

In CSR or in an IC by one of many review committees (unless PAR)

Often broadly defined or a reminder of a scientific need investigator-initiated ldquounsolicitedrdquo research

Competition tied mainly to the ICs overall payline

3) Request for Applications (RFA)

Single Specifies funds and targets number of awards

Usually in an IC but sometimes in CSR Same review committee for all applications Usually reviewed by a one-time Special Emphasis Panel

NIH-Requested Research Well-defined scientific area

Competition depends on number of applicants and dollars set aside

Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) Funding Search Site httpgrantsnihgovgrantsguide

Type of FOA Receipt Date Money Set Aside

Peer Review Specificity of Topic Advantage to Applicant

1) Parent Announcements

Standard receipt dates usually open for three years

None In Center for Scientific Review (CSR) or in an IC by one of many review committees

Non-specific investigator-initiated ldquounsolicitedrdquo research Not all ICs participate in all parent FOAs

May submit any topic within the breadth of the NIH mission Competition tied mainly to an ICs overall payline

2) IC-Specific Program Announcements (PA PAR PAS)

Standard receipt dates unless PAR usually open for three years

No set asides (unless PAS) may be funded beyond the payline

In CSR or in an IC by one of many review committees (unless PAR)

Often broadly defined or a reminder of a scientific need investigator-initiated ldquounsolicitedrdquo research

Competition tied mainly to the ICs overall payline

3) Request for Applications (RFA)

Single Specifies funds and targets number of awards

Usually in an IC but sometimes in CSR Same review committee for all applications Usually reviewed by a one-time Special Emphasis Panel

NIH-Requested Research Well-defined scientific area

Competition depends on number of applicants and dollars set aside

Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) Funding Search Site httpgrantsnihgovgrantsguide

Solicitation and Award Numbering Solicitation Numbering Example RFA-HL-06-004

An RFA issued by NHLBI (HL) in 2006 or for funding in 2006 (06) with an associated serial number (004) for that calendar year NIH Funding Search httpgrantsnihgovgrantsguide

Grant Numbering Example 1 R01 MH9999-01 A1 1- This is the Type Code The three most common types are 1- first time application 2- competing continuations 5- non-competing continuations R01- An Activity Code indicating the type of grant mechanism MH- Funding Institute Code MH = NIMH = Nat Inst Of Mental Health 99999- A unique Serial Number identifying the project 01- Grant Year 01 indicates the first year of a grant application or funded grant A1- Optional Suffix A1 indicates that the application was submitted once previously without

being funded

PSU Grant Examples 1 R21 HL112114-01 Nano-Acoustic Masonry of Microgels for Tissue Engin - Melik Demirel - $250479 2 R01 GM013306-46 Phosphate Activation Mechanisms ndash Stephen Benkovic - $491047 5 R01 EB002016-19 Software for Analyzing Biosequence Data ndash Webb Miller - $708479 5 T32 HD007514-13 Family Demography Training ndash Gordon De Jong - $1047637

Renewable Award Types Amounts and Standard Receipt Dates

Activity Codes Program Description 2012 Average Award 3 Cycle I-Due Date Cycle II -Due Date Cycle III-Due Date

R03R21 Small or Exploratory Grants

$80K yr ndash $400K yr (2 years)

February 5 June 5 October 5

R011

Research Grants $400K and uarr yr (3-5 years)

February 5 June 5 October 5

R18U18 R24R25

ResearchEducation Demonstration

$350K - $650K yr (5 years)

January 25 May 25 September 25

P01P20 P30P40P6012

Program Projects and Centers

$500K-$2M yr (5 years)

January 25 May 25 September 25

F31F32 Individ Predoctoral Postdoctoral

$4200-$6750yr + StipendTuit (2-3 yrs) April 8 August 8 December 8

T3212

Institutional Graduate Training

$150K-$330K yr (5 years)

January 25 May 25 September 25

U0112 Cooperative Agreements

~$1M yr (5 years)

February 5 June 5 October 5

OTHERS Instrumentation Research Infrastructure Career Etc See types at httpgrantsnihgovgrantsfundingac_search_resultshtm

1 Renewable after 5 years 2Generally require a base of R01-funded PIrsquos 3 httpwwwreportnihgovfundingfactsindexcfm

Review and Award Cycles Cycle I Cycle II Cycle III

Submission Date January - February May-June September - October

Scientific Merit Review June - July October - November February - March

Advisory Council Round August or October January May

Earliest Project Start Date

September or December April July

bull 9-12 months from submission to award receipt bull Two submissions frequently required

How frequently are NIH applications funded on first submission

2nd revision no longer allowed

NIH Scoring System For the overall impact score bull the scale is used by all eligible

(without conflict of interest) SRG (Scientific Review Group) members

bull 5 is considered an average score bull not an average of criterion scores bull determines percentile when

assigned For criterion scores bull the scale is used by the assigned

reviewers to evaluate (at least) five individual criteria (eg Significance Investigator(s) Innovation Approach Environment)

NIH Scores Percentiles amp Pay Lines

bull Applications that are not discussed at the meeting will be given the designation ldquoNDrdquo bull A percentile is the approximate percentage of applications that received a better overall

impactpriority score from the study section during the past year bull Only a subset of all applications receive percentiles The types of applications that are

percentiled vary across different NIH Institutes and Centers bull Some of the ICs publish paylines as part of their funding strategies to guide applicants on

their likelihood of receiving funding Application scores can only be compared against the payline for the fiscal year when the application will be considered for funding which is not necessarily the year when it was submitted httpgrantsnihgovgrantsfinancialindexhtmstrategies

bull Recent published paylines have varied from 6th- 15th percentiles httpwriteditwordpresscomnih-paylines-resources

How frequently are NIH applications funded on first submission

2nd revision no longer allowed

NIH Scoring System For the overall impact score bull the scale is used by all eligible

(without conflict of interest) SRG (Scientific Review Group) members

bull 5 is considered an average score bull not an average of criterion scores bull determines percentile when

assigned For criterion scores bull the scale is used by the assigned

reviewers to evaluate (at least) five individual criteria (eg Significance Investigator(s) Innovation Approach Environment)

NIH Scores Percentiles amp Pay Lines

bull Applications that are not discussed at the meeting will be given the designation ldquoNDrdquo bull A percentile is the approximate percentage of applications that received a better overall

impactpriority score from the study section during the past year bull Only a subset of all applications receive percentiles The types of applications that are

percentiled vary across different NIH Institutes and Centers bull Some of the ICs publish paylines as part of their funding strategies to guide applicants on

their likelihood of receiving funding Application scores can only be compared against the payline for the fiscal year when the application will be considered for funding which is not necessarily the year when it was submitted httpgrantsnihgovgrantsfinancialindexhtmstrategies

bull Recent published paylines have varied from 6th- 15th percentiles httpwriteditwordpresscomnih-paylines-resources

NIH Scoring System For the overall impact score bull the scale is used by all eligible

(without conflict of interest) SRG (Scientific Review Group) members

bull 5 is considered an average score bull not an average of criterion scores bull determines percentile when

assigned For criterion scores bull the scale is used by the assigned

reviewers to evaluate (at least) five individual criteria (eg Significance Investigator(s) Innovation Approach Environment)

NIH Scores Percentiles amp Pay Lines

bull Applications that are not discussed at the meeting will be given the designation ldquoNDrdquo bull A percentile is the approximate percentage of applications that received a better overall

impactpriority score from the study section during the past year bull Only a subset of all applications receive percentiles The types of applications that are

percentiled vary across different NIH Institutes and Centers bull Some of the ICs publish paylines as part of their funding strategies to guide applicants on

their likelihood of receiving funding Application scores can only be compared against the payline for the fiscal year when the application will be considered for funding which is not necessarily the year when it was submitted httpgrantsnihgovgrantsfinancialindexhtmstrategies

bull Recent published paylines have varied from 6th- 15th percentiles httpwriteditwordpresscomnih-paylines-resources

NIH Scores Percentiles amp Pay Lines

bull Applications that are not discussed at the meeting will be given the designation ldquoNDrdquo bull A percentile is the approximate percentage of applications that received a better overall

impactpriority score from the study section during the past year bull Only a subset of all applications receive percentiles The types of applications that are

percentiled vary across different NIH Institutes and Centers bull Some of the ICs publish paylines as part of their funding strategies to guide applicants on

their likelihood of receiving funding Application scores can only be compared against the payline for the fiscal year when the application will be considered for funding which is not necessarily the year when it was submitted httpgrantsnihgovgrantsfinancialindexhtmstrategies

bull Recent published paylines have varied from 6th- 15th percentiles httpwriteditwordpresscomnih-paylines-resources