NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

Release Date:  November 19, 1998

PA NUMBER:  PA-99-017

P.T.

National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

This is a revision of program announcement PAR-93-040 that was published in the
NIH Guide, Vol. 22, No. 12, March 26, 1993.

PURPOSE

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
provide National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) to individuals for research
training in specified areas of biomedical and behavioral research (see Institute
Websites below) to help ensure that highly trained scientists will be available
in adequate numbers and in appropriate research areas and fields to meet the
nation's mental health, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and alcoholism research needs. 
As such, this program is intended to provide a mechanism to train future
generations of outstanding scientists committed to pursuing a career in mental
health, drug abuse, and/or alcohol abuse and alcoholism research.

Each Institute has different program goals and initiatives; therefore, potential
applicants should contact the appropriate Institute office, listed under
INQUIRIES, prior to preparing an application, to obtain current information about
each Institute's program priorities with regard to fellowships. Information may
also be obtained from the institute websites listed under INQUIRIES.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion
and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS-led national
activity for setting priority areas.  This Program Announcement (PA), National
Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships, is related to the
priority areas of mental health and mental disorders, alcoholism, alcohol and
other drugs of abuse, and tobacco.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of
"Healthy People 2000" at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000/

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

It is important that prospective applicants consult "National Research Service
Awards Guidelines," published in the NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 21, June 20,
1997.  It can be found at the following URL:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not97-009.html

Citizenship:  Applicants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United
States, or have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent
residence and have in their possession an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151
or I-551) at the time of award.

Degree Requirements:  Applicants must have received, as of the activation date
of the award, a baccalaureate degree and must be enrolled in a program leading
to a research doctorate such as the Ph.D. or D.Sc., or a combined clinical and
research degree such as M.D./Ph.D., by the proposed fellowship activation date. 
Research training applied toward preparation of a dissertation is permitted. 
NRSAs do not support study leading to the M.D., D.O., D.D.S., Psy.D., or similar
professional degrees unless they are part of a combined degree program (for the
latter see: Individual Predoctoral National Research Award for M.D./Ph.D.
Fellowships - PAR-96-003, which may be obtained from:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-96-003.html).

Sponsorship: Prior to formal submission of a fellowship application, an applicant
must arrange for appointment to an appropriate institution and acceptance by a
sponsor to supervise the research training experience.  The institutional setting
may be a domestic or foreign (if clearly justified), private (profit or non-
profit) or public institution, including the NIH intramural programs and other
Federal laboratories.  The sponsoring institution must have staff and facilities
available on site to provide a suitable environment for performing high-quality
work.

An NRSA may not be held concurrently with another federally sponsored fellowship
or similar Federal award that provides a stipend or otherwise duplicates
provisions of the NRSA.  An individual may not have more than one competing NRSA
application pending with PHS concurrently.  An NRSA recipient may, however,
accept concurrent educational remuneration from the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) and loans from Federal funds.  Receipt of non-Federal funds during
the Fellowship is allowable if it is in accordance with the sponsoring
institution's policy and does not detract from or prolong the approved research
training program.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

The mechanism of support is the NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31)
which is intended to provide biomedical or behavioral research training
experiences to individuals committed to pursuing a career in mental health, drug
abuse, and/or alcohol abuse and alcoholism research.  Women, minorities, and
individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Period of Support

By law, an individual may receive no more than five years of support in the
aggregate at the predoctoral level under the NRSA program, including any
combination of support from individual and institutional awards.  The applicant
and the institution must observe this limitation of support when requesting the
duration of the fellowship.  Accurate information regarding previous NRSA support
must be included in the application and will be considered at time of award. 
Recommendations of review committees are generally for two or three years of
support for individual fellows. However, up to five years of support can be
considered with adequate justification documented in the application.

Allowable Costs

Stipends:  The annual stipend for predoctoral individuals will remain fixed for
the period of support, unless the stipend level is changed in the NIH annual
appropriation.  Applicants should consult with Institute Program Staff for the
latest stipend level.  Alternatively, applicants may obtain information about
current stipend levels and other policy documents from the URL for "NIH Training
Related Policy Documents": https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm#policy

The Tax Reform Act of 1986, Public Law 99-514, describes the tax liability of all
persons supported under the NRSA program. The stipend is not a payment for
services performed, i.e., it is not a salary.  Further, NRSA fellows are not
considered to be in an employer-employee relationship with the NIH or the
sponsoring institution, and it is unallowable for institutions to seek funds for,
or to charge individual award recipients for, costs normally considered employee
benefits.  The stipend may be supplemented by the sponsoring institution without
obligation to the trainee fellow.  PHS grant funds may not be used for this
purpose.  An institution may also provide additional funds to a fellow in the
form of compensation (as salary and/or tuition remission) for services such as
teaching or serving as a laboratory assistant on a limited part-time basis apart
from the normal training activities.  Under no circumstances may the conditions
of stipend supplementation or the services provided for compensation interfere
with, detract from, or prolong the fellow's training, nor be for the same
research program.

Research Allowance:  An allowance of up to $3,000 (exact amount varies with each
Institute) per predoctoral fellow per twelve month period will be provided to the
sponsoring institution to help defray such expenses as research supplies,
equipment, travel to scientific meetings, and related items for the individual
fellows, and to otherwise offset, to the extent possible, appropriate
administrative costs of graduate research training.  The allowance is provided
only upon official activation of the award, and the sponsoring institution is
expected to administer the allowance and disburse the funds.  If an individual
fellow is not in a training status for more than six months of the award year,
only one-half of that year's allowance may be charged to the grant.

Tuition and Fees:  Tuition and fees will be funded in accordance with the NIH
policy, "Tuition Costs on NIH NRSA Training Grant and Fellowship Awards--New
Policy," NIH Guide, Vol. 25, No. 2, February 2, 1996
(http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not96-020.html). 
NIH will reimburse 100 percent of the cost of tuition up to $2,000 and 60 percent
of tuition costs above $2,000 for the predoctoral fellow.  Tuition, for the
purposes of this NRSA policy, means the combined cost of tuition, fees, and self-
only health insurance.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The applicant should provide evidence of potential for a productive research
career based upon the quality of previous research training and academic record. 
The applicant must propose a research training program, which falls into one of
the research areas relevant to the mission of the NIMH, NIDA, or NIAAA.  The
research training experience must provide enhancement in the conceptualization
of research problems and in research skills, under the guidance and supervision
of a committed sponsor who is an active and established investigator in the area
of the applicant's proposed research.  The research training program should be
carried out in a research intensive environment that includes appropriate human
and technical resources and is demonstrably committed to research training in the
particular program proposed by the applicant so that the applicant can grow as
a creative scientist.

The application must include evidence that instruction in the principles of
responsible conduct of research will be incorporated into the proposed research
training plan.  Applications without plans for training in responsible conduct
of research will be considered incomplete and may be returned without review.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Awards must be activated within six months of receipt of award notice (see below
for application receipt, review, and start dates).  No funds may be disbursed
until the individual has started training under the award and an Activation
Notice (PHS 416-5) has been submitted to and accepted by the NIH awarding
component.

Individuals are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis,
devoting at least 40 hours per week to the training program.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their
subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral
research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling
rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with
respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research.  This
policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public
Law 103 43).

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical
Research," which was published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 (FR 59
14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23, No. 11,
March 18, 1994, available on the web at:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-105.html

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.  This
policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates
after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children as Participants in
Research Involving Human Subjects" that was published in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the following URL address:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program staff listed
under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant information
concerning the policy.

Schedule

Application Receipt Dates:  Apr 5       Aug 5       Dec 5
Initial Review Dates:       Jun/Jul     Oct/Nov     Feb/Mar
Earliest Start Dates:       Sep 1       Jan 1       May 1

Applications received after these receipt dates are subject to assignment to the
next cycle or may be returned to the applicant.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Prospective applicants should contact the relevant Institute Program Staff listed
under INQUIRIES, for pre-application consultation and information regarding the
application process.  The Individual National Research Service Award application
kit PHS 416-1 (rev. 8/95) must be used in applying for fellowships.  These forms
are available at most institutional office of sponsored research and may be
obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources,
National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD
20892-7910, Telephone: (301) 710-0267, FAX: (301) 480-0525, Email: 
GrantsInfo@nih.gov.  Application kits are also available on the WWW at:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm

The number and title of this program announcement must be typed in Item 3 on the
face page of the application form.  At least three completed letters of reference
in sealed envelopes must be attached to the application.  Applications without
the required number of reference letters will be returned without review.

An original and two copies of the completed and signed application are to be
submitted to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral
guidelines.  Applications that are complete will be evaluated for scientific and
technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened in accordance with
the standard NIH peer review procedures.  As part of the merit review, all
applications will receive a written critique and will be assigned a priority
score.  If an application lacks significant and substantial merit, it may be
designated as "not recommended for further consideration (NRFC)."

Review Criteria

The F31 individual predoctoral fellowship is designed to train future generations
of outstanding scientists committed to pursuing a career in mental health, drug
abuse, and/or alcohol abuse and alcoholism research.  The review of an
application should focus on the following: the applicant, the research training
plan, the sponsor, and the institutional environment/commitment.  Information
from the letters of reference should be used to inform considerations of these
factors, and the final priority score should reflect the overall evaluation of
the entire application.

Applicant:

o  the applicant's potential for, and commitment to, a productive scientific
career.  The reviewers may take into account the applicant's history as a
student, as well as past and current involvement in research activities.

Research Training Plan:

o  objectives, design, and direction of the proposed research program;

o  specificity and clarity of the description of the research skills and
knowledge to be acquired;

o  overall coherence and potential of the research training plan to provide the
fellow with individualized supervised experiences that will develop research
skills;

o  clarity, completeness, originality, and significance of the goals of the
proposed research training plans;

o  adequacy of knowledge of relevant literature and current methods in the
proposed research area;

o  adequacy of plans for the protection of human subjects, animals, or the
environment, to the extent they may be adversely affected by the research
proposed;

o  adequacy of plans to include women, children and minorities as subjects in
research, if applicable;

o  adequacy of plans to provide training in the responsible scientific conduct
of research.

Sponsor:

o  caliber of the sponsor as a researcher, including successful competition for
research support;

o  evidence of the proposed sponsor's understanding of and commitment to
fulfilling the role of sponsor and mentor;

o  evidence of an understanding of the applicant's research training needs and
a demonstrated ability, on the part of the sponsor, to assist in meeting those
needs;

past research training record of the sponsor in terms of the rate at which former
predoctoral trainees obtain their doctoral degree and go on to postdoctoral or
other scientific careers.

Institutional Environment/Commitment:

o  training environment including the institutional commitment to research
training and career development,  the quality of the facilities and related
resources (e.g., equipment, laboratory space, computer time, subject populations)
and the availability of research support.

AWARD CRITERIA

The responsibility for award decisions resides solely with authorized program
staff of the Institutes.  The following criteria will be used in making award
decisions: (1) overall merit of the application; (2) relevance of the application
to the research priorities and mission of the awarding institute and program
balance; and (3) availability of funds.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are encouraged.  Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit each
Institute's Internet Website in order to obtain current information about program
priorities, research topics of interest, and policy guidelines:

NIMH: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/grants/rtcd.htm
NIDA: http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResTrainingSites.html
NIAAA: http://silk.nih.gov/silk/niaaa1/grants/grants.htm

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Henry Khachaturian, Ph.D.
Office of Science Policy and Program Planning
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 17C-26
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-4335
FAX:  (301) 443-3225
Email:  hkhachat@mail.nih.gov

Walter Goldschmidts, Ph.D.
Division of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Research
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11-103
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone: (301) 443-3563
FAX: (301) 443-1731
Email: wgoldsch@mail.nih.gov

Mary F. Curvey
Division of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Research
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11-103
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-3107
FAX:  (301) 443-1731
Email:  mcurvey@mail.nih.gov

Della Hann, Ph.D.
Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research and AIDS
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18C-17
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-5944
FAX:  (301) 480-4415
Email: dhann@mail.nih.gov

Fred Altman, Ph.D.
Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research and AIDS
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18-105
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-9700
FAX:  (301) 443-6000
E-mail: faltman@mail.nih.gov

Kenneth G. Lutterman, Ph.D.
Division of Services and Intervention Research
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-99
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-3373
FAX:  (301) 443-4045
E-mail: klutterm@mail.nih.gov

Enid Light, Ph.D.
Division of Services and Intervention Research
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10-77
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-1185
FAX:  (301) 443-4045
Email: elight@mail.nih.gov

Andrea Baruchin, Ph.D.
Science Policy Branch
National Institute on Drug Abuse
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10A-55
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: (301) 443-6071
FAX: (301) 443-6277
Email: ab47j@nih.gov

Cindy Miner, Ph.D.
Deputy Research Training Coordinator
National Institute on Drug Abuse
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10A-55
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone: (301) 443-6071
FAX: (301) 443-6277
Email: cm171w@nih.gov

Tina Vanderveen, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Division of Basic Research
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Room 402, MSC 7003
Bethesda, MD  20892-7003
Telephone:  (301) 443-2531
FAX:  (301) 594-0673
Email:  tvanderv@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

Darryl Bertolucci
Division of Biometry and Epidemiology
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Room 514, MSC 7003
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Telephone:  (301) 443-4898
FAX:  (301) 443-8614
Email:  dbertolu@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

Wendy Smith, Ph.D.
Division of Clinical and Prevention Research
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Room 505, MSC 7003
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Telephone:  (301) 443-8771
FAX:  (301) 443-8774
Email:  wsmith@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

Benedict Latteri
Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Building 31, Room 1B58, MSC 2088
Bethesda, MD 20892-2088
Telephone:  (301) 402-1227
FAX:  (301) 402-0016
Email:  dick@dicbr.niaaa.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Diana S. Trunnell
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 7C-08
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone: (301) 443-2805
FAX:  (301) 443-6885
Email: dtrunnel@mail.nih.gov

Gary Fleming
Grants Management Branch
National Institute on Drug Abuse
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 8A-54
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone: (301) 443-6710
FAX:  (301) 443-9127
Email:  gf6s@nih.gov

Linda Hilley
Grants Management Branch
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Room 402, MSC 7003
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Telephone:  (301) 443-4704
FAX:  (301) 443-3891
Email:  lhilley@willco.niaaa.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Nos.
93.272, 93.278, and 93.282.  Awards are made under authorization of the Public
Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law
99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and
Federal Regulations 42 CFR 66 and 45 CFR Part 74.  This program is not subject
to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health
Systems Agency review.  Awards will be administered under PHS policy as stated
in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (October 1, 1998).

PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free
workplace and promote the nonuse of all tobacco products.  In addition, Public
Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain
facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or
routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development
services are provided to children.  This is consistent with the PHS mission to
protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.


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