Key Dates

Related Announcements

August 4, 2022 - Notice of Change to NIAMS Acceptance of Diversity Supplement and Re-Entry Supplement Applications. See Notice NOT-AR-22-024

PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

Issued by

Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)

Office of Strategic Coordination (Common Fund)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

The goal of this program is to provide support for a mentored research training experience for individuals with high potential to re-enter or re-integrate into an active research career, after an interruption for family responsibilities or other qualifying circumstances described below. This program encourages re-entry and re-integration administrative supplement applications to existing NIH research grants to support full or part-time mentored research experiences by these individuals. The supplement grants are intended to provide these scientists an opportunity to update or extend their research skills and knowledge and prepare them to re-establish their careers in basic biomedical, behavioral, clinical, translational or social science research. It is anticipated that by the completion of the supplement support period, the re-entry/re-integration scientist will be prepared to apply for a fellowship (F), career development (K) award, a research award (R), or other types of independent research support.

The Re-entry Supplements program is intended to provide mentored research training opportunities for a minimum of 1 year to re-enter biomedical research to individuals with doctoral degrees, who have interrupted their research careers for family responsibilities or other qualifying circumstances.

The Re-integration Program addresses the critical need to provide individuals, including predoctoral students, who are adversely affected by unsafe or discriminatory environments resulting from unlawful harassment, to rapidly transition into new safer, and more supportive research environments. The goal is to provide these individuals a timely and seamless continuation of their research training programs and to safely reintegrate into the biomedical workforce. Unsafe environments may consist of threatening behavior such as sexual and gender harassment; harassment based on being a member of a racial, ethnic, sexual, or gender minority group; disability-based aggression; aggressions associated with religion; and other similar circumstances.

In all cases, the proposed research experience must be within the scope of the NIH-supported grant project and be an integral part of the approved, ongoing research of the parent award. The candidate’s proposed mentored research experience must have the potential to contribute significantly to the research career development of the candidate. The individual supported under this supplemental award must be allowed to act as a full participant in the research project and must be given an opportunity to update and enhance their research capabilities. This will allow the candidate to begin the process of re-establishing a career as a productive, competitive investigator. Supplemental awards are expected to strengthen the existing research program and reflect the overall programmatic balance and priorities of the NIH funding program.

Special Note: Because NIH ICs may have varying degrees of flexibility in implementing the Re-entry/Re-integration program, potential applicants should consult with the contact at the NIH awarding component at the earliest possible stage to discuss their unique situation (see Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts). This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is designed specifically for applicants proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to a clinical trial. Applicants to this FOA are permitted to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor.

Number of Applications

A parent grant may support only one individual on a re-entry/re-integration supplement award. Candidates may receive support from only one NIH award at a time but maybe supported by more than one supplement during the development of their research careers.

Eligible Candidates for the Supplement Program

Candidates for the Re-entry supplements will have a doctoral degree, such as M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D., O.D., D.V.M., or equivalent. In some NIH ICs, pre-doctoral students, including those enrolled in dual-degree programs (e.g. MD-PhD, DDS-PhD, DVM-PhD) may also be eligible to apply. Please consult the Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts

Post-doctoral and predoctoral students are eligible to apply for Re-integration supplements to allow them to transition to a new, safe and supportive research environment and complete their graduate degree.

All candidates must be planning a career in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, translational, or social science research. Candidates who have begun the re-entry/re-integration process through a fellowship, traineeship, or similar support at the time of application, are not eligible to apply for this program. Awards are limited to citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States or to individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551) at the time of the award.

Qualifying Circumstances

Candidates with a doctoral degree-seeking Re-entry: In general, the duration of the career interruption should be at least six months for re-entry purposes, and no more than eight years. Examples of qualifying interruptions for re-entry supplements include, but are not limited to: a complete or partial hiatus from research activities for child-rearing; an incapacitating illness or injury of the candidate, spouse, partner, or a member of the immediate family; job offers rescinded as a result of natural disasters or public health emergencies (e.g., COVID-19), relocation to accommodate a spouse, partner, or another close family member; pursuit of non-research endeavors that would permit earlier repayment of debt incurred in obtaining a doctoral degree; and military service. The program is not intended to support additional graduate training and is not intended to support career changes from non-research to research careers for individuals without prior research training. Generally, the candidate should be in a complete or partial hiatus from research activities at the time of application and should not be engaged in full-time paid research activities.

Because NIH ICs may have varying degrees of flexibility in implementing the Re-entry program, potential applicants should consult with the contact at the NIH awarding component at the earliest possible stage to discuss their unique situation (see Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts)

Re-integration: Candidates with doctoral degrees and graduate students seeking to transition out of unsafe research environments because of discriminatory and unlawful harassment are eligible to apply for re-integration supplements as soon as supplement support to continue research training in a new and safe research environment has been identified

Eligible Awards

For eligible awards, see the listing of Activity Codes under PA-18-592. PD(s)/PI(s) at domestic institutions who hold an active grant or cooperative agreement may be eligible to submit a request for an administrative supplement to the awarding component of the parent grant. The P20, P30, and P60 award mechanisms are eligible for supplements only if they contain research components. In all cases, the mechanism of support under this program is the supplemental award.

Expected Time Commitment

Administrative supplements provided under this program may be for either part-time or full-time (equivalent to 12 person-months) support for the candidate, and all supported time must be devoted to updating and enhancing research skills and competencies. Proposed part-time appointments may not be less than 50% effort (equivalent to 6 person-months).

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

• PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
• Application Due Date(s) Submission dates vary by awarding IC. See Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts for more details.

When developing applications in response to this NOSI, all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:

• For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-OD-21-134 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4b) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4b will not be considered for this initiative.
• The Research Strategy section (limited to 6 pages) should be completed and must include a summary or abstract of the funded parent award or project. Other sections should also be included if they are being changed by the proposed supplement activities. Applications for supplements must include a description of how the candidate's proposed research activities relate to one or more aims of the parent project, and a plan to enhance the candidate’s research skills and knowledge regarding the selected area of biomedical, behavioral, clinical, translational, or social sciences The application must demonstrate that the PD(s)/PI(s) is willing to provide appropriate mentorship and has developed a mentoring plan to facilitate the re-entry or re-integration of the candidate into a productive and independent research career.

• Senior/Key Personnel Profile (Expanded) form: List the PD/PI as the first person (regardless of their role on the supplement activities). List the candidate to be supported through this supplement as the second person.
• Candidates for supplement support must have an eRA Commons account and the candidate's Commons Username must be entered in the Credential field. Candidates should designate their specific role in the context of the project.
• Biographical Sketch: Include a biosketch for the candidate, any mentors, and any senior or key persons directly involved in activities related to the supplement. Biosketches of mentors and other senior and key persons should provide evidence of past mentoring experience.

• R&R Other Project Information form, in the "Other Attachments" field:
• Attach a Personal Statement of the candidate, including short-term and long-term research objectives and career goals, a justification for the request for supplemental support, and a plan to return to full productivity at the end of the supplement period.
• Attach a Candidate Eligibility Statement: A signed statement from an institutional official establishing the eligibility of the candidate for support under this program
• Home Institution Approval: Under unusual circumstances where the applicant and mentor would be at a site other than the grantee institution, an appropriately signed letter from the institution where the research is to be conducted must also be submitted. The request must be signed by the PD/PI, the candidate, and the appropriate institutional business official.
• Sub-recipient Approval: If any of the research is to be conducted at an organization other than the grantee institution, a signed statement from an institutional official from the institution where the research is to be conducted must be submitted.
• Attach an Institutional letter of commitment that includes details of resources and mentoring to be made available to the candidate to ensure strong productivity on the parent grant. The letter should also detail the institutional commitment to the candidate’s return to full productivity and research career trajectory at the end of the supplement period.
• It is strongly recommended that the applicants contact their respective program officers at the Institute or Center supporting the parent award to confirm ahead of time that the supplement falls within the scope of the parent award. Further, applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact at the Institute supporting the parent award (See Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts) that a request has been submitted in response to this FOA to facilitate efficient processing of the request.

Application Review Information

Administrative Supplements do not receive peer review. Instead, the administrative criteria described below will be considered in the administrative evaluation process.

The staff of the NIH awarding component will evaluate requests for a supplement to determine its overall merit. The following general criteria will be used

Budget and Period of Support

NIH staff will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

Overall Impact

NIH staff will consider the ability of the proposed supplement activities to increase or preserve the parent award’s overall impact within the original scope of award:

The staff of the NIH awarding component will review requests for a supplement to determine their overall merit. Only the administrative review criteria described below will be considered in the review process:

• The qualifications of the re-entry/re-integration candidate, including career goals, prior research training, research potential, relevant research experience prior to the onset of hiatus, and length of career hiatus.
• The plan for the proposed mentored research experience and its relationship to the parent grant.
• Evidence from the PD(s)/PI(s) that the experience will enhance the candidate’s research potential, knowledge, and/or skills
• Evidence from the PD(s)/PI(s) that the activities of the re-entry/re-integration candidate will foster the candidate’s independent research career trajectory. Evidence of effort by the re-entry candidate to initiate the re-entry process, such as attending scientific meetings, or keeping current with journals.
• Evidence that proposed research will achieve the stated objectives of the re-entry/re-integration supplement.
• Quality and appropriateness of the mentoring and career development plans, including the consistency of the proposed plan with the candidate's prior research experience and current and future research career goals.
• Strength of the mentor’s commitment to the applicant's continued research career development and independence.
• Strength of Institutional commitment to immediately address unlawful harassment and fully support and protect the candidate’s pursuit of continued research training in a safe and supportive environment

PIs are encouraged to contact the Program staff of the awarding component for specific IC requirements (see Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts).

Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact of the parent award that a request has been submitted in response to this NOSI to facilitate efficient processing of the application.

Inquiries

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)

Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)

Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages)

Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726

Email: support@grants.gov

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)

Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)

Telephone: 301-945-7573

Please direct all other inquiries to:

Xenia T. Tigno, Ph.D., M.S.
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
Telephone: 301-480-1145
Email:xenia.tigno@nih.gov