PAR-00-139: POST-BACCALAUREATE RESEARCH EDUCATION PROGRAM (PREP)

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)

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This Program Announcement expires on December 13, 2003, unless reissued. POST-BACCALAUREATE RESEARCH EDUCATION PROGRAM (PREP) Release Date: September 22, 2000 (see NOT-GM-03-106) PA NUMBER: PAR-00-139 (see replacement, PAR-03-140) National Institute of General Medical Sciences Application Receipt Date: December 13, 2000 PURPOSE The Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program Branch of the Division of Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) provides research training opportunities for students from minority groups who are underrepresented in the biomedically- relevant sciences, including mathematics. As part of the ongoing commitment to the development of prospective underrepresented minority researchers and the enhancement of their training, the MARC Program provides support to stimulate underrepresented minority students to consider biomedical research as a viable career. The MARC Branch announces the establishment of a new institutional initiative, the Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), to encourage underrepresented minorities who hold a recent baccalaureate degree in the biomedically-relevant sciences, to pursue a research doctorate. The purpose of this program is to maintain the interest of the post-baccalaureate participants in such areas of scientific research as cell biology, biophysics, biochemistry, genetics, neurobiology, physiology, computational biology and behavioral sciences. It is anticipated that participation in this program will facilitate the development of a cohort who will become the scientists who address the health problems that disproportionately affect minorities and the medically underserved people of this country. Participants in this program will acquire stronger research skills, and improve the skills and competitiveness necessary for the successful pursuit of a graduate degree. Institutions with graduate programs in the biomedical sciences and/or behavioral sciences can request from six to ten post-baccalaureate positions for individuals to engage in mentored research studies and student development activities under the direction of faculty preceptors. For this Program Announcement, underrepresented minority baccalaureates are individuals belonging to a particular ethnic or racial group that has been determined by the grantee institution to be underrepresented in biomedical research. Nationally, individuals who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedically relevant research include, but are not limited to, United States citizens who are African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands. In this Program Announcement, the term science means the biological, chemical, computer, physical, and behavioral sciences, including mathematics, which have relevance to biomedical research. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 The Public Health service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 2010 , a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This Program Announcement (PA), the Post-baccalaureate Research and Education Program, is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2010 at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Institutional Applications will be accepted from domestic private and public universities, and research institutions or centers with graduate programs that offer a solid research environment as evidenced by a high level of faculty involvement in biomedical and/or behavioral research. An applicant institution may submit only one application for this program announcement. PREP Scholars To be eligible for participation in the program as a PREP scholar, individuals from underrepresented minority groups must have graduated with a baccalaureate degree in a biomedically relevant science from an accredited U.S. college or university no more than 36 months prior to the date of submission of the application. All individuals selected as scholars must intend to apply, within two years, for graduate education that will eventually lead to the research doctorate. In addition, PREP scholars must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The period of appointment for scholars participating in this post- baccalaureate program is for up to two years. During the period of appointment, the scholars will work as apprentice scientists in a preceptor’s laboratory and participate in student development and/or educational activities at the applicant institution. The applicant institution should set as goals for its PREP scholars, academic criteria that would allow for their admission to the institution’s graduate program. It is expected that if the PREP scholar performs satisfactorily, he/she will be strongly encouraged to apply for admission to the graduate program of the applicant institution. The PREP scholar’s preceptor must be an active researcher with a funded research program. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT Awards under this program will use the Institutional Educational Project (R25) mechanism. The responsibility for planning, direction, execution and tracking for evaluation of the proposed program lies solely with the applicant institution. The maximum initial grant period is five years with the opportunity to compete for renewal at the end of the period. Allowable Costs Costs for the overall administration of the PREP initiative, including coordination and evaluation of the program, are allowable. Such costs include salary support for the Program Director (up to 15% effort) for the portion of time devoted specifically to administering the program, salary support for secretarial or clerical help when directly related to the PREP initiative, and support for evaluation activities. PREP Scholars Salaries: Remuneration for PREP scholars is through salary and wages. Beginning PREP scholars will be paid a salary of $21,000/year. The maximum compensation package which includes fringe benefits and tuition and fees (if applicable) a PREP scholar can be paid should not exceed $30,000/year. The following conditions must be met: o The PREP scholar must be performing necessary work relevant to the proposed training plan. o There must be an employer-employee relationship between the scholar and the university. o The total compensation must be reasonable for the work performed. o It is the institution’s practice to provide compensation for all students in similar circumstances, regardless of the source of support for the activity. Tuition Remission: The applicant institution may request tuition remission for a course(s) it deems necessary to enhance the preparedness of a PREP scholar for graduate studies in biomedical science. Travel: Applicants may request support for travel of PREP scholars to scientific meetings or to present scientific papers. Requests for scholars travel to scientific meetings must be carefully and specifically justified. Facilities and Administration Allowance: A facilities and administration (F&A) allowance based on eight percent of total allowable direct costs (this excludes tuition, fees, health insurance, and equipment) will be paid. Unallowable Costs Housing, food, or recruitment expenses of any kind are not allowable costs under this program. Support for faculty research is not allowable, since faculty preceptors in competitive programs are expected to have their own research support and an active research program capable of supporting the mentored research experience of PREP scholars. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES In the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, NIH was encouraged to increase the number of underrepresented minorities participating in biomedical and behavioral research. In response to the Act, institutions with graduate programs in the biomedical sciences and faculty involved in biomedical research would have an opportunity to target those talented and promising minority baccalaureate graduates who, for a variety of reasons, have decided to postpone application to graduate school. The overall goal of this initiative is to increase the number of competitively trained underrepresented minority students who enroll in biomedical research graduate programs that will eventually lead to the research doctorate. In addition, we hope to develop a cohort who will eventually become the scientists who conduct research on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, respiratory diseases, HIV and other STDs, substance abuse, and other areas that address reducing health disparities. Applicant institutions should define the goals and specific measurable objectives of their proposed program and how meeting those institutional goals and objectives will fulfill the objectives of this Program Announcement. The application should make clear how each of the proposed programmatic activities will contribute to the achievement of the PREP scholars needs and the institution’s stated goals and specific measurable objectives. The application should provide a plan to evaluate whether the specific measurable objectives, as stated in the application, have been met and how those data obtained will be analyzed. Applicant institutions are required to submit the following information: o Evidence of the applicant institution’s commitment to the advancement of underrepresented minority students in the participating science departments. o Evidence of the applicant institution’s efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented minority students in the participating science departments. o Evidence of previous involvement of faculty in providing meaningful mentoring to students in the proposed participating departments. o Description of a clear plan for the development of PREP scholars that includes courses and developmental activities that could provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to address any biomedical/behavioral scientific problem including those that pertain to health disparities, in addition to conducting mentored research. Applicant institutions are expected to provide detailed plans for the recruitment and selection criteria of PREP scholars and involvement of the scholars in any special developmental activities. For example, a program’s curriculum or developmental activities might provide a broad overview of subjects as well as the skills and knowledge relevant to the national need of addressing health disparities, such as the human genome project or translational research. In addition, the overall curriculum should strengthen the mathematical and quantitative skills needed by the scholars to eventually complete the research doctorate degree. Thus, the application should clearly describe how the PREP scholars would be better prepared for graduate training, and how the applicant institution will evaluate the quality and success of their PREP initiative. The application should also provide information on the credentials of the proposed faculty preceptors, including their experience as mentors, current research programs and publications, and current grant support. Summary It is anticipated that this program will result in strengthening the biomedical/behavioral science research skills and competitiveness of PREP scholars while also promoting and stimulating their interest in addressing the problems of domestic health disparities. Scholars participating in this program will be better prepared to pursue and eventually complete graduate education leading to the research doctorate. In addition, there is the potential for developing a cohort of scholars who might use their training to address the problems of domestic health disparities. 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 sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification are provided indicating 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 UPDATED "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on August 2, 2000 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html); a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm: The revisions relate to NIH defined Phase III clinical trials and require: a) all applications or proposals and/or protocols to provide a description of plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b) all investigators to report accrual, and to conduct and report analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences. 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://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html. Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff listed under INQUIRIES. Program staff may also provide additional relevant information concerning the policy. URLS IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES All applicants and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may be comprised when they directly access an Internet site. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Responsible Conduct of Research Applicant institutions must describe in detail plans for teaching responsible conduct in biomedical research to all PREP scholars and provide progress reports of the type of instruction given, who attended, and who taught. This is mandatory for all PREP grant applicants. Applications without plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research will be considered incomplete and may be returned to the applicant without review. Although NIH does not establish specific curricula or formal requirements, PREP programs are encouraged strongly to consider instruction in the following areas: conflict of interest, responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects, and data management. Within the context of training in scientific integrity it is also beneficial to discuss the mutual responsibilities of the institution and the post-baccalaureate participants supported by this program. Plans must address the subject matter and format of the instruction, the amount of faculty participation, attendance of PREP scholars, and the frequency of instruction. In addition, the rationale for the proposed plan of instruction must be provided. During peer review the plans will be judged acceptable or unacceptable separately from the overall merit of the training program. The judgement will be based on the appropriateness of the topics, format, participation of the faculty, and the frequency and duration of instruction to the level and type of training being provided. The plan will be discussed after the overall determination of merit, so that the quality of the plan will not be a factor in the determination of the priority score. Regardless of the priority score, applications with unacceptable plans will be not be funded. Reporting Requirements A progress report will be required two months before the end of each budget period. A final report will be required within 90 days after the termination date of the award. All progress reports must include information on each PREP scholar’s progress and the benefits that the scholar derived from the program. In addition, the progress report should also include information on the applicant institution’s success in motivating these scholars to enroll in graduate school. Based on each year’s progress report, the number of PREP slots may be modified depending on the rate of the PREP scholars enrolling in graduate programs at the applicant institution or other institutions. In addition to the progress report, a Financial Status Report (FSR) will be required 90 days after the end of each budget period. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) and must be received by the application receipt date listed in the heading of this Program Announcement. Application kits are available at most offices 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) 435- 0714, e-mail grantsinfo@nih.gov and from the NIGMS program director listed under INQUIRIES. The title and number of the program announcement must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be checked. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist and three photocopies of the signed application in one package 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) At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and appendix materials must be sent to: Helen Sunshine, Ph.D. Office of Scientific Review National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 1AS.13, MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed administratively by NIH staff. Incomplete and/or unresponsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. Those applications that are complete and responsive will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria stated below for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the NIGMS. The National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council will provide the second level of review. Review Criteria Applications will be evaluated for technical and scientific merit by a suitable Review Group assembled by the NIGMS based on the following criteria: o merit of the measurable specific objectives and the plan for the evaluation of the program; o merit of the proposed research training and student development activities to provide a meaningful experience for the PREP scholars; o qualifications and experience of the program director to carry out the proposed program; o quality and experience of the proposed research faculty as investigators and mentors; o evidence of the institution’s adequacy and availability of research resources and research training environment; o evidence of the applicant institution’s efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented minority students in the participating departments; o evidence of previous involvement of faculty in providing meaningful mentoring to underrepresented minority students in the proposed participating departments; o description of a clear plan for the development of PREP scholars that includes courses and developmental activities that could provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to address any biomedical/behavioral scientific problem including those that pertain to health disparities, in addition to conducting mentored research; and o appropriateness of the scope of the program and its benefit to the PREP scholars. Additional Review Considerations o acceptability of the Responsible Conduct of Research plan. AWARD CRITERIA Award decisions will be based on the merit of the application and the applicant’s ability to meet the goals and objectives of the Program Announcement. Awards are made only to institutions with financial management systems and management capabilities that are acceptable under NIH policy. Awards will be administered under the NIH Grants Policy Statement. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries concerning this Program Announcement are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcomed. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Adolphus P. Toliver, Ph.D. Division of Minority Opportunities in Research National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 2AS.37, MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594-3900 FAX: (301) 480-2753 Email: tolivera@nigms.nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Ms. Antoinette Holland Grants Management Officer National Institute of General Medical Sciences 45 Center Drive, Room 2AN.50B, MSC 6200 Bethesda, MD 20892-6200 Telephone: (301) 594 5132 FAX: (301) 480-2554 Email: HollandA@nigms.nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.375. Awards are made under authorization of sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 of Health Systems Agency review. The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use 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, and 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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