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IARS 2017 Annual Meeting and International Science Symposium Improving Health Through Discovery and Education
May 6-9, 2017 • Washington, DC
IARS 2017 Annual Meeting and International Science Symposium Improving Health Through Discovery and Education
May 6-9, 2017 • Washington, DC
Funding Mechanisms Designed to Transition to Scientific
Independence
Alison Cole, PhD Chief, Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch
National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH
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IARS 2017 Annual Meeting and International Science Symposium Improving Health Through Discovery and Education
May 6-9, 2017 • Washington, DC
DISCLOSURES
IARS 2017 Annual Meeting and International Science Symposium Improving Health Through Discovery and Education
May 6-9, 2017 • Washington, DC
DISCLOSURES
None
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Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be
able to:
• Identify NIH funding opportunities to help you transition to
an independent research career
• Identify NIH institutes that support research and training
related to anesthesiology
• Describe tools and resources to identify prospective NIH
funding opportunities
• Know who/how to contact staff at NIH (call often, call
early!)
• Know some tips for new investigators
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Overview – Alison Cole
NIGMS Funding Opportunities – Alison Cole
NIA Funding Opportunities – Luci Roberts
Q&A
Session Format
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NIH: 27 Institutes and Centers
Different Missions, Responsibilities and Mechanisms
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Total= 236 R01
AA AG AI
AR AT CA
DA DE DK
EB ES EY
GM HD HL
HS MH NR
NS OD
Where does your research fit in?
NINDS
NIGMS NHLBI
NIDA
NIH Support by Institute of Active R01s from
Departments of Anesthesiology
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NIH Support at Different Career Stages
NIH Diversity Fellowship (F31)
NIH Predoctoral Fellowship (F31)
NIH MD/PhD Fellowship (F30)
NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)
Pathways to Independence (K99/R00)
NIH Diversity/Re-entry Supplements
Training Grants (T32) Predoc
Career Development (K08/K23)
Individual
Grad/Med Student Postdoctoral/Residency/Fellowship Junior Faculty
Institution
Mentor
Applicant Career Stage
Loan Repayment (L)
Research Project (RPG): R01 MIRA
New Innovator Award (DP2)
Training Grants (T32) Postdoc
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Redesigned NIH Training Page Helps you find the right grant for your career stage
Redesigned NIH Training Page Helps you find the right grant for your career stage
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Find Which NIH Institute Offers Which Mechanism
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Contact program staff !
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NIH Grant Mechanisms to Help Transition to Independence
• Individual
• Career Development Awards (K)
• Research Project Grants for Early Stage Investigators
• Loan Repayment Awards (LRP)
• Institutional
• Training Grants for Postdoctoral Fellows (T32)
• Institutional Career Development Programs (KL2, K12)
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• Mentored Clinical Scientist Career Development Award (K08)
• Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K23)
• Pathways to Independence Award (K99/R00)
Individual Mentored Research Career Development Awards (K)
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• K08= mentored basic/bench research
• K23= mentored patient-oriented research
• Same eligibility criteria, same review criteria
• Success rates 30-40%
• NIH awarded ~400 new K08/K23 in 2015
• Not all institutes provide all K awards, different budgets, different missions/research
• Talk with program staff at multiple institutes…
K08 and K23 Mentored Career Development Awards
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K08 and K23 Mentored Career Development Awards
• Citizenship requirement (at time of award)
• Must have clinical doctoral degree
• Require 75% protected time
• Salary varies among NIH institutes (minimum of $100K)
• Institutes have various time limits since residency, NIGMS requires faculty position at time of award, etc.
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Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
• No citizenship requirement
• 1 to 2 years mentored career development(K99) plus up to 3 years of independent research (R00) support when a faculty position is obtained
• No more than 4 years of postdoc research experience
• Compelling rationale for additional mentoring
• Goal: Help speed transition to independence
• Clinician-scientists can apply but not always best fit
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Elements to success on K awards:
• You: strong C.V, outstanding academic record and letters of recommendation
• Mentor(s): strong funding, robust publication record, and time and interest to mentor you!
• Research plan: strong, state-of-the-art, impact
• Career development plan: match your goals and fill gaps in your skills, background
• Strong institutional commitment
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• Research Project Grant (R01) – ESI policies
• New Innovator Awards (DP2)
Research Grants for Early Stage Investigators (ESI)
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Research Project Grant (R01) for ESI • ESI= Within 10 years of terminal research degree or
end of residency
• Review bonus: reviewed together and different expectations than other R01
• Funding bonus: Institutes have better paylines for ESI R01
• Different institutes have different ESI policies
• CHECK your Commons status for correct ESI!!!
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New Innovator Awards (DP2) RFA-RM-17-006
• Early stage investigators (ESI) only
• Bold and highly innovative research
• Broad, important problems in any area relevant to NIH mission
• No preliminary data required
• Multi-year up to $300,000 direct costs/year for 5 years
• Must commit at least 25% research effort
• Not renewable
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NIH Loan Repayment Programs
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• Sometimes the decision to pursue research is decided by debt and student loans…
• LRP will repay up to $35K annually of educational debt
• There 5 LRPs programs:
– Clinical research
– Pediatric research
– Health disparities research
– Contraception and Infertility research
– Investigators from disadvantaged backgrounds
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NIH Loan Repayment Program s
(LRPs)IH Loan Repayment
Programs (LRPs)payment Programs (LRPs)
• Must be doing research but doesn’t have to be NIH-supported
• Renewable, up to two years of support • Competitive program • Approximately 40% of applicants funded • A great opportunity…
https://www.lrp.nih.gov/
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Online Application Period: Sept 1,2017-Dec 1, 2017 Online Application Period: Sept 1,2017-Dec 1, 2017
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Institutional Awards – your department, program, institution can apply
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Institutional Research Training Grants (T32)
• Programs/departments apply, appoint trainees
• 2-3 years research training
• Rigorous postdoctoral research
• A focused research program
• Different NIH institutes offer T32 with different clinical focus, often aligned with subspecialty fellowships
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Institutional Research Training Grants (T32)
• Provides stipend, fringe, tuition, health insurance, travel
• Provides research mentors and resources
• Provides protected time from clinical responsibilities (~90% commitment)
• Great start but more training may be required for independence (e.g., K award)
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Clinical Scientist Institutional Career Development Program (K12)
• To prepare newly-trained clinicians in research
• Postdoc/residency stage
• Facilitate their transition to more advanced support mechanisms (K08, K23, etc)
• Participating NIH institutes (separate FOAs):
o NEI
o NIDA
o NCI
o NIDCR
o NINDS
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Institutional K Awards (KL2)
• “KL2” mentored career development award
• Affiliated with CTSA centers nationally
• Start late postdoc or early faculty
• Apply to a program at an institution
• 2-3 years of continued research training
• 75% effort
• Stipends, tuition, travel…
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Initiate Research Idea
Thinking of Applying
Electronic Submission
Review
Program Director Program Director
Program Director Program Director
Summary Statement
Fund or Resubmit
Summary Statement
Fund or Resubmit
Scientific Review
Officer (SRO)
Scientific Review
Officer (SRO)
Who to Contact at NIH (and when)...
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Tips for Working with NIH Staff
• Send questions (or specific aims) initially in e-mail; follow-up with a phone call
• Be prepared before you call: do your homework
• Be timely (don’t wait until last minute)
• Be as specific with your questions as possible
• Check multiple institutes..how does your research relate to NIH institutes & missions
• www.nih.gov See “Institutes at NIH”
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Getting Started:
• What research question do you want to pursue?
• Talk, talk, talk with faculty, mentors, fellows who are pursuing research
• How does your research relate to NIH institutes and their missions?
• Check multiple institutes
• Check institute mission, budgets, success rates
• www.nih.gov See “Institutes at NIH”
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Getting Started:
Talk with program officials at multiple institutes..they can help you:
• Determine best fit by topic & methods
• Determine the right grant mechanism
• Provide advice on your research
• Help you keep track of institutes rules, practices & policies
• Find out what’s currently funded….
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Getting Started:
• Start early: talk with colleagues, faculty
• Attend research seminars & meetings
• Find local resources
– Who is already funded with a K grant?
– Who is already funded with an R grant?
– Who has reviewed NIH grants?
• Develop a mentoring team for you!
• Identify institutional/foundation research support (e.g., FAER)
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Resources For New Investigators
• NIH RePORTer: powerful search engine
– Lists all funded NIH grants & training awards
– What is funded in your area, read abstracts
– Which NIH Institute supports it
– Which study section reviews it
– Success rates by mechanism, institute
– Tutorials on how to use
http://report.nih.gov/
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RePORT & RePORTER: http://report.nih.gov
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Resources For New Investigators
• NIAID “All About Grants: Tutorials and Samples”
Sample Topics:
– Strategy for NIH funding
– Creating your Application
– Advice on Research Training and Career Awards
– New Investigator Guide to NIH Funding
– Know What to Look for When Choosing a Mentor
– And much, much more http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/grant/
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Resources For New Investigators
• Center for Scientific Review (CSR) “Meet The Experts” Webinars
Live and archived
Topics • Mechanisms: R01, Fellowships, Small Business Grants, etc
• How Your Application is Reviewed
• Key Things to Know About the NIH Grants Program
• Jumpstart Your Career with CSR’s Early Career Reviewer Program
http://public.csr.nih.gov/Pages/csrwebinar.aspx
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For more information: Grants & Funding
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
NIH Training & Career Development https://researchtraining.nih.gov/
NIGMS
https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx
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Thank you!
[email protected]
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Tips for ESI: Avoid Application Missteps
• Weak project : Lacks significance, fishing expedition, low impact
• Unfocused hypothesis or specific aims: diffuse, overambitious
• Flawed project design: Remember, priority score most correlated with research strategy
• Misfiring on Innovation : Cutting edge without going over the edge, balance innovation and feasibility
• Poor writing and presentation:
Reviewers have low tolerance for sloppiness, disorganization
Follow instructions!!
Write to excite – reviewers are voting on their enthusiasm
• Lack of follow-through (persevere!)
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• A meaningful hypothesis AND a means of testing it
• A sound rationale for the hypothesis
Hypothesis
Preliminary Data
Well Organized Research Plan
• Documents feasibility of the proposed project
• Shows training for research proposed and ability to interpret results
• Include alternative interpretations and address limitations of methods
• Aims focused (relate to each other and the hypothesis)
• Rationale for methods proposed, with alternatives
• Research flow and priorities clearly indicated
• Sufficient experimental detail to show you understand methods
• Emphasize MECHANISM (avoid “descriptive data gathering”)
Key Features of Successful Application