National Institutes of Health Restructures and Shortens Proposals
by Mickey McLaurin
Assistant Director for Sponsored Programs Administration, Pre-Award
Author's Note:
This article is a summary of major changes in NIH proposal requirements that will be effective in January 2010. Faculty who are planning to prepare and submit NIH proposals next year should consult the resources mentioned below to ensure they fully understand the new requirements. ORSP Program Development Specialists are available to help interpret the new guidelines and assist with proposal preparation, but it is the proposal writer’s responsibility to read, understand, and respond to the new instructions.
As part of the ongoing Enhancing Peer Review process, NIH will soon begin to enforce new page limits and content criteria on proposals.
These changes are being made so that proposal contents will more easily address NIH's Core Review Criteria: Significance, Investigator(s), Innovation, Approach and Environment. More detailed information on these Core Review Criteria and additional review criteria can be found in NIH Notice NOT-OD-09-025.
NIH also has a web site devoted to the changes in the peer review and application processes. This site contains details on the changes that are occurring, and provides many links for those preparing new proposals.
All applications due on or after January 25, 2010 require the use of new forms and new proposal instructions.
Shortened Page Limits
The old Research Plan consisted of four major sections: Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Studies, and Research Design and Methods. The new “narrative” will consist of only two sections: Specific Aims and Research Strategy. For all major mechanisms (R01, R03, R21) Specific Aims will be limited to one page. For R01 proposals, the Research Strategy will be limited to 12 pages. For R03 and R21 proposals, the Research Strategy will be limited to six pages.
As before, these page limits apply only to the sections stated and do not cover other narrative sections which may be required, such as the Introduction section for resubmissions, and sections on Animal Subjects, Human Subjects and Select Agent usage.
Resources
The Facilities and Other Resources section will be changed to require a description of how the scientific environment will contribute to the probability of success of the project, unique features of the environment, and for Early Stage Investigators, the institutional investment in the success of the investigator (e.g. resources, classes, etc.). The Facilities and Other Resources section is part of the R&R Other Project Information in the SF 424 (R&R) application, and part of the Resources Format Page in the paper PHS 398 application.
Biographical Sketch
A new Personal Statement will be incorporated into the biographical sketch for all personnel.
The Personal Statement should briefly describe why your experience and qualifications make you particularly well-suited for your role (e.g., PD/PI, mentor) in the project that is the subject of the application. Important Note: This change means that each biographical sketch must address the specific project it is being submitted with — no more automatic re-use or recycling of biographical sketches for multiple proposals!
Also, applicants should limit the list of selected peer-reviewed publications to no more than 15. These 15 publications should be chosen on the basis of recency, importance to the field, and relevance to the proposed research.
Remember: in preparing your proposal, do not short-change sections such as the Biographical Sketch or Facilities and Other Resources. These sections contain information that reviewers will examine closely.
Alignment of the Application with Review Criteria
It is CRITICAL that researchers read and understand the Review Criteria as well as how those criteria relate to the new application forms.
Many of the changes to the application were made to coordinate with review criteria used by reviewers in their assessment of scientific and technical merit. The table below shows the scored Enhanced Review Criteria for research grants and cooperative agreements, as announced in NOT-OD-09-025, and the location in the application where a particular criterion is addressed.
| Enhanced Peer Review Criteria | Complementary Section of Restructured Application Forms and Instructions |
|---|---|
| Overall Impact. Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following five core review criteria, and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed). |
|
| Significance. Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field? |
|
| Investigator(s). Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project? |
|
| Innovation. Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed? |
|
| Approach. Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? If the project involves clinical research, are the plans for 1) protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members of both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed? |
|
| Environment. Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements? |
|
Speaking of COS
How do I change the COS Keywords displayed in my profile?
You can add or remove keywords using the Funding Alert tools on your COS Workbench.
- Log on to your COS Workbench.
- Go to the “Your Saved Funding Searches” section of your Workbench.
- Click on “Options.”
- Scroll down to the bottom to select or deselect keywords currently associated with your account.
- If you'd like to add a completely new keyword, click either “ Edit” or “ Add a Search” from the “Your Saved Funding Searches” section.
- When you get to the page where you carry out a search, click on the “Browse” button at the top of the shaded box displaying all your current keywords. This will open a second browser window on top of the search page, displaying the top level of the keyword hierarchy.
- Browse or search for any keywords you wish to add to your profile. Click on the yellow folder to see more specific terms in the hierarchy, and on the term itself to add it to your account. Allow a second or two between keyword additions.
- Note: If you encounter an error in this process, make sure your web browser is set to accept JavaScript.
- Once finished, close or minimize this second browser window and return to the original search page. The keywords you added will be displayed in the shaded keyword box. If you decide not to use one of those keywords, simply click the adjacent box so the check mark disappears.
- Note: If you have added a new keyword, you must use it in your search. Deselecting the new keyword will remove it completely from the search and you will not have the option to include it in your Expertise Profile.
- Click the “Do the Search” button at the bottom of the page. On your results page click the “Save Search” option. You'll be prompted to give your new search a name, as well as decide whether you'd like your newly added keyword included in your Expertise Profile.
Don’t know about COS?
Check out our COS page, the January 2005, September 2006, and March 2007 newsletter articles, and/or the COS home page. COS is for all UM faculty in all academic disciplines and research areas.
UM Research Funding News
Proposal and Award Activity
UM faculty and staff submitted 68 external funding proposals and received 59 external funding awards during October and November 2009. For complete listings, see the Monthly Reports: October 2009 and November 2009.
Faculty Travel Support
In October and November $4,285 was awarded by the ORSP to help support research-related travel. The ORSP's Faculty Travel Support program provides funds for UM faculty members to take part in development activities that will lead to new or extended research, scholarly or creative work. The program typically does not support travel to a conference for presentation of completed work unless the request includes specific development activities beyond the conference itself.
Examples of research purposes for which faculty have recently received support include:
- Meet with book collaborators and publishers while at conference
- Attend special focus symposium and meet with subject expert
- Conduct field work with collaborators and develop new field research course
- Expand ongoing research project by conducting in-person interviews in new location
- Collect research data for planned monograph through observations and interviews
Additional Information
Bits & Pieces
RAMP Classes for Spring 2010
Would you like to ramp up your skills in research administration? If so, then the ORSP’s Research Administration and Management Program (RAMP) is for you. We are offering the following classes in the spring semester. Class size is limited to ten participants. Contact Sandra Allen at x7482 or swallen@olemiss.edu to register.
Module 1: The Basics
Thursday, February 4, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., 208 Barr Hall
This module will discuss the research enterprise here at Ole Miss. It will talk about our mission as a public research institution and how research ties into our mission. It will give an overview of research at Ole Miss. It will talk about how to distinguish between sponsored programs and gifts; it will give information on the ORSP, as well as other University offices that are part of the research infrastructure at Ole Miss. It will explain the purpose of F&A (indirect costs) and explain how our F&A rate is determined.
Module 2: Proposal and Budget Preparation
Thursday, February 18, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 208 Barr Hall
Module 2 will discuss in detail each of the elements of a proposal, focusing intently on the proposal budget. Discussion of the budget will include topics related to direct costs and F&A (indirect) costs. This module will also explain allowable and unallowable costs. It will address the specifics of cost sharing. This module will also briefly talk about certifications and assurances that are commonly submitted along with proposals to external funding agencies.
Module 3: Overview of Regulations and Compliance
Thursday, March 4, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 208 Barr Hall
This module will cover federal, state and other regulations governing grants, cooperative agreements and contracts. This module will also cover federal agency-specific regulations governing research grants and cooperative agreements; university policies regarding common transactions on sponsored projects; and compliance issues in university research.
Module 4: Post-Award Administration of Sponsored Projects
Thursday, March 25, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 208 Barr Hall
This module will explain what happens after a proposal is funded including award receipt, award review, award negotiation, award acceptance, account set-up, and the basics of award management. This module will also provide detailed information on some of the most common post-award administration activities including changes to an existing award, subawards, regrants, reporting, award closeout, and beyond closeout.
Module 5: Financial Administration of Sponsored Projects
Thursday, April 8, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 208 Barr Hall
This module will provide detailed information on post-award financial topics including account set-up; allowability, allocability, and reasonableness of costs; unallowable costs; special costing issues; account oversight; and account closeout.
Module 6: Effort Reporting and Certification
Thursday, April 22, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 208 Barr Hall
Module 6 will provide detailed information on the effort reporting and certification process at The University of Mississippi.
Stauber Completes RAMP Certification
Congratulations to Casey Stauber, Pharmacognosy, for successfully completing the ORSP’s Research Administration and Management Program (RAMP). Casey received her Certificate of Completion on October 29, 2009. RAMP consists of a series of six workshops that are designed to facilitate responsible oversight of externally sponsored research projects.
A Few Program Announcements and Deadlines
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships ~ Deadline January 4
As a means of increasing the number of U.S. citizens and nationals trained in science and engineering disciplines of military importance, the Department of Defense (DoD) plans to award approximately 200 new three-year graduate fellowships in April 2010, subject to the availability of funds. The DoD will offer these fellowships to individuals who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships are awarded to applicants who will pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, an area of DoD interest within one of the following disciplines:
- Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
- Biosciences
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences
- Computer and Computational Sciences
- Electrical Engineering
- Geosciences
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
- Oceanography
- Physics
Fellowships are sponsored by the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the High Performance Computing Modernization program. The NSDEG Fellowship Program is administered by the American Society for Engineering Education.
NSF Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation ~ Deadlines February 4-5
Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) is NSF’s bold five-year initiative to create revolutionary science and engineering research outcomes made possible by innovations and advances in computational thinking. Computational thinking is defined comprehensively to encompass computational concepts, methods, models, algorithms, and tools. Applied in challenging science and engineering research and education contexts, computational thinking promises a profound impact on the Nation’s ability to generate and apply new knowledge. Collectively, CDI research outcomes are expected to produce paradigm shifts in our understanding of a wide range of science and engineering phenomena and socio-technical innovations that create new wealth and enhance the national quality of life.
CDI seeks ambitious, transformative, multidisciplinary research proposals within or across the following three thematic areas:
- From Data to Knowledge: enhancing human cognition and generating new knowledge from a wealth of heterogeneous digital data;
- Understanding Complexity in Natural, Built, and Social Systems: deriving fundamental insights on systems comprising multiple interacting elements; and
- Virtual Organizations: enhancing discovery and innovation by bringing people and resources together across institutional, geographical and cultural boundaries.
Our office can facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary teams and help develop the most competitive proposals possible. For more information and proposal development assistance, please contact the Program Development Specialists in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
NSF Proactive Recruitment in Introductory Science and Mathematics (PRISM) ~ Deadline March 9
The goal of the program in Proactive Recruitment in Introductory Science and Mathematics is to strengthen the nation's scientific competitiveness by increasing the numbers of well-prepared, successful U.S. undergraduate majors and minors in science and mathematics. The program will fund innovative, potentially transformational partnerships between the mathematical sciences and other science or engineering disciplines that widen the cross section of the mathematical sciences to which freshman and sophomore students are exposed and that provide these students increased opportunities for research experiences involving the mathematical sciences.
Additional Resources
Some Upcoming Events
The New Green Economy ~ January 20-22 in Washington DC
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is offering the 10th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment: The New Green Economy. The conference will engage leading thinkers and doers from a diversity of disciplines, sectors, and perspectives in a structured conversation about the meaning of the green economy and how investment in green education, research and jobs can help solve both the economic and environmental crises.
The New Green Economy conference will bring together leaders in sustainable business, environmental policymakers, civil society, university faculty, students from across the nation, and educated citizens.
NCSE leverages a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach to bring together involved scientists and decision-makers from a wide range of organizations. Conferences are highly interactive, including speakers, topical symposia to explore issues in more depth, and breakout sessions to develop (and publish) recommendations on how to advance science and connect it with policy and decision-making.
Vulcan at the SNS: Scientific Opportunities, Industrial Applications, and Challenges ~ January 21-22 at Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is conducting a workshop entitled Vulcan at the SNS: Scientific Opportunities, Industrial Applications, and Challenges which will be held January 21-22, 2010, at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) facility at ORNL. Please note the following:
- Abstracts are being solicited for poster presentations – see http://neutrons.ornl.gov/conf/Vulcan2010/abstracts.shtml
- Scholarship funding (limited amount) is available for faculty and students of EPSCoR states from grant funds through the University of Tennessee. For more information on this, please contact Hope Moore-Webb, University of Tennessee, hmoore2@utk.edu
- Advanced registration is required to attend the workshop – see http://neutrons.ornl.gov/conf/Vulcan2010/registration.shtml
VULCAN, an engineering diffractometer at the Spallation Neutron Source, is completed and is now in its commissioning phase. This instrument is designed for materials science and engineering studies.
2nd International Conference on Communications and Mobile Computing ~ April 12-14 in Shenzhen, China
CMC 2010 intends to be a global forum for researchers and engineers to present and discuss recent advances and new techniques in communications and mobile computing. CMC 2010 is organized by the College of Information Engineering, Shenzhen University, China. In addition to research papers, CMC 2010 also seeks exhibitions of modern products and equipment for communications and mobile computing.
School of Criticism and Theory Summer Session ~ June 13-July 22 at Cornell
The School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University was founded in 1976 by a group of leading scholars and critical theorists in the conviction that an understanding of theory is fundamental to humanistic studies. Today the SCT offers professors and advanced graduate students of literature and related social sciences a chance to work with preeminent figures in critical thought — exploring the relationships among literature, history, art, anthropology and the law; examining the role of ideological and cultural movements; and reassessing theoretical approaches that have emerged over the last fifty years. Application deadline is February 1; admissions decisions are announced in March.
Congratulations from the VCRSP
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs oversees funding for research, service, and education projects. These activities complement the fundamental aspects of The University of Mississippi’s mission and are among its most tangible contributions to the future. Funding for these activities is one of the best measures of a university’s success in engaging with national and international communities.
All of us who have sought funding to test our ideas know that it is difficult and that the communities to which we belong are highly competitive. That spirit of competition is critical and it contributes more than a little to the relief and excitement a researcher feels on receiving a funding award.
Listed below are our colleagues who have been notified of external funding awards in the last calendar month. Please join me in congratulating them. The news of their discoveries and the importance of their contributions are part of all of our futures and the future of Ole Miss.
Alice M. Clark, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs
Summary of Awards Received in October and November 2009
| PI Name | PI Department/Unit | Co-PI Name/s |
|---|---|---|
| Abadie, Ann (2 awards) | Center for the Study of Southern Culture | |
| Angle, Timothy | Division of Outreach and Continuing Education | |
| Angle, Timothy | Division of Outreach and Continuing Education | Phillips, Justin |
| Aranchuk, Vyacheslav | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Sabatier, James |
| Avery, Mitchell A | Medicinal Chemistry | Cutler, Stephen |
| Banahan, Benjamin | Center for Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management | Bentley, John P Pace, Patrick West-Strum, Donna Yang, Yi |
| Boyd, Carol Minor | Social Work | |
| Chambers, James | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | |
| Cheng, Alexander | Civil Engineering | |
| Church, Charles | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | |
| Clancy, Thomas | National Center for Justice and Rule of Law | |
| Cremaldi, Lucien M | Physics and Astronomy | Kroeger, Robert S Quinn, Gene Summers, Don |
| Davidson, Gregg R | Geology and Geological Engineering | |
| Di, Xiao | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Gilbert, Kenneth |
| Easson, Gregory L | Geology and Geological Engineering | |
| Ekimov, Alexander | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Sabatier, James |
| Frazier, Garth | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Gilbert, Kenneth Raspet, Richard |
| Frazier, Garth | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Gilbert, Kenneth |
| Garner, John | Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management | |
| Gilbert, Kenneth (2 awards) | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | |
| Gladden, Joseph | Physics and Astronomy | |
| Gross, Alan M | Psychology | |
| Hallam, Jeffrey S | Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management | Valliant, Melinda |
| Harper, Maxine | Center for Educational Research and Evaluation | Rutherford, Joey |
| Howard, Joshua | History | |
| Jacob, Melissa | National Center for Natural Products Research | |
| Johnson, Jay K | Sociology and Anthropology | Haley, Bryan |
| Khan, Ikhlas | National Center for Natural Products Research | |
| Khan, Ikhlas | National Center for Natural Products Research | Walker, Larry |
| Khan, Ikhlas | National Center for Natural Products Research | ElSohly, Mahmoud Smillie, Troy Weerasoriya, Aruna |
| Lackey, Ellen (2 awards) | Mechanical Engineering | Vaughan, James G |
| Lutken, Carol | Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute | McGee, Thomas M |
| Manly, Susan | National Center for Natural Products Research | Ashfaq, Khalid |
| McManus, Jeff | Landscape Services | Black, Bonnie Hill, Denise |
| Metcalf, Michael (2 awards) | Office of the Provost | Dyer, Donald |
| Metcalf, Michael | Modern Languages | |
| Muir, Thomas | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Sabatier, James |
| Nordstrom, Timothy W | Political Science | |
| Ownby, Ted M | Center for the Study of Southern Culture | |
| Prasad, S N | Civil Engineering | |
| Repka, Michael A | Pharmaceutics | Majumdar, Soumyajit |
| Rutherford, David | Public Policy Leadership | Lovorn, Carley |
| Sabatier, James (2 awards) | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | |
| Schafer, Ellen | Health Promotion | Keena, Linda |
| Schafer, Ellen | Center for Health Promotion and Health Behavior | Hallam, Jeffrey S |
| Seiner, John | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | Chambers, James |
| Shelton-Richey, Ellen | Division of Outreach and Continuing Education | |
| Showalter, Stephanie | Mississippi Law Research Institute | |
| Sims, James | Pharmacognosy | |
| Summers, Don | Physics and Astronomy | |
| Wang, Sam (2 awards) | National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering | |
| Waxler, Roger | Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics | |
| Wu, Weiming | National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering |
- October 2009 Report: A list of awards received and proposals submitted by The University of Mississippi during October.
- November 2009 Report: A list of awards received and proposals submitted by The University of Mississippi during November.
- October-November Proposals Submitted: 68 from 53 Principal Investigators
- October-November Awards Received: 59 totaling $12,544,200
- FY10 Year-to-Date Number of Active Sponsored Projects: 450
- FY10 Year-to-Date Number of Active Investigators: 256