Bridges to the Future Program: Supplemental Instructions for Form PHS 398
(For New, Competing Continuation, Revised, and Supplemental Applications)
Follow the specific instructions for completing the Form PHS 398 (Rev 5/01) except where modified below.
Assemble your application in the order below (Form PHS 398, page 3), number the pages, and enter the numbers on the appropriate line of the table. This will be page 3 of your application.
Special Note: Biosketches of key personnel other than the applicant (collaborators, faculty mentors, program coordinators) should be collected in the "Other Biographical Sketches" section, which immediately follows the section for the principal investigator/program director.
Bridges to the Future Mission
Elements of a Good Application
Review Criteria
Role of the Grantee Institution
Characteristics and Role of the Principal Investigator
Role of the Program Coordinator
Submission
Specific Instructions
I. Face Page
II. Description, Performance Sites, and Key Personnel
III. Research Grant Table of Contents
IV. Budget Pages
V. Biographical Sketch
VI. Resources and Environment
VII. Research Plan
Bridges to the Future Mission
The mission of the Bridges to the Future Program is to make available to the biomedical science research enterprise and to the nation the intellectual talents of an increasing number of underrepresented minority group members. The program helps students to make the transition from associate-degree to baccalaureate-degree institutions, and from master’s-degree to doctoral-degree institutions. It promotes effective partnerships between institutions to enhance the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students being trained as the next generation of scientists.
Elements of a Good Application
A good application has the following elements:
- Background information, including data relevant to your program goals, descriptions of the partner institutions, descriptions of previous and ongoing efforts to create transitional programs, and a survey of research literature relevant to your program goals
- A clear statement of your program goals
- A description of program activities to achieve your goals
- An evaluation plan, with specific measurable objectives
- Evidence of institutional support from all partner institutions
- Evidence that you (the applicant institution) can manage the grant successfully
Review Criteria
The Bridges to the Future Program Announcement (PA) specifies review criteria. The seven criteria are:
- Significance: If the aims of your program are achieved, what impact will they have on the diversity of the scientific workforce? Is a thorough evaluation plan, including specific goals and measurable objectives, in place?
- Approach: Is your program adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate for achieving your program goals? Do you acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? Does the program use the skills and resources at the partner institutions effectively?
- Innovation: Does your program use novel approaches or methods for recruiting, retaining, training, or mentoring students? Does your program challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?
- Investigator: Is your principal investigator appropriately trained and well suited to conduct this work? Does your principal investigator have the necessary leadership skills? Do the program director and coordinators have the qualifications and experience to conduct the program?
- Environment: Does the scientific environment of the institutions contribute to the probability of success? Is each institution committed to the program? Is the strength of the collaborations sufficient to foster professional training of underrepresented minority students?
- Pool Size: Is there a sufficient number of underrepresented minority students in the participating science departments who are interested in further studies in the biomedical sciences? Do underrepresented minority students at the partner institutions progress to higher education?
- Administration: Is your system for tracking participating students adequate to monitor the effectiveness of the program? Is the administrative plan adequate (e.g., are the space and other resources adequate)?
Role of the Grantee Institution
The grantee institution is legally responsible and accountable to NIH for the performance and finances of its program.
Characteristics and Role of the Principal Investigator
The principal investigator is a faculty member at the grantee institution. The principal investigator:
- Is a strong leader
- Has solid scientific and educational credentials
- Has the confidence of the partner institutions and their faculties
- Is responsible for promoting dialogue among partners
- Has knowledge of NIH policies, including the use of human subjects, use of animals, and hazardous materials
- Is the spokesperson to NIGMS for any grant-related issues
Role of the Program Coordinator
Each partner institution has a program coordinator. The program coordinator:
- Is a strong leader
- Has solid scientific and educational credentials
- Implements Bridges activities at his/her institution
- Represents his/her institution in the Bridges partnership
Submission
Affix the label in the PHS 398 application form to the bottom of the face page of your application. If you do not use this label, the processing of your application may be delayed and it may not reach the review committee in time for review. A sample label is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.
Send a signed, typewritten original of your application, including the checklist, and five 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 20872-7710
or, Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
The Center for Scientific Review must receive your application by May 14 or November 14.
Specific Instructions
Face Page (Use Form PHS 398, Page 1)
Item 1. Title of Project. The title should illustrate the overall theme of the program [e.g., "Bridges to the Baccalaureate at (name of institution)"].
Item 2. Response to Specific Request for Applications or Program Announcement or Solicitation. Check the box marked "YES." Beside "Number," type the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts notice number. Beside "Title," type the name of the program you are applying for (Bridges to the Baccalaureate or the Bridges to the Doctorate).
Item 3. Principal Investigator/Program Director. If you are submitting a renewal or a revised application, be sure to type your name exactly as it appeared on your previous submission.
Item 4. Human Subjects Research. The Office for Human Research Protections is a resource for policies on the use of human subjects in research. For most applications, the answer to the question will be "no." For example, using questionnaires to evaluate Bridges program activities does not constitute use of human subjects. A student's research project that involves human subjects should be covered by a faculty mentor's pre-existing approval from the Institutional Review Board.
Item 5. Vertebrate Animals. The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare is a resource for policies on the care and use of laboratory animals. For most applications, the answer to the question will be "no." A student's research project that involves vertebrate animals should be covered by a faculty mentor's pre-existing approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
Item 6. Dates of Proposed Period of Support. Your application to the Bridges to the Future Program should be for 3 years. For the appropriate submission deadline, see the table below:
| Receipt, Review, and Award Cycles |
| Application Receipt Dates |
Review and Award Schedule |
| |
Scientific Merit Review |
Advisory Council Review |
Earliest Project Start Date |
| Cycle I: May 14 |
July |
September |
January |
| Cycle II: November 14 |
February |
May |
July |
Items 7-16. See Form PHS 398.
Description, Performance Sites, and Key Personnel (Use Form PHS 398, Page 2)
In the description (abstract) of your proposed program, outline your overall program goals, objectives, and anticipated outcomes and briefly describe your plans for achieving these goals. Explain how the proposed program's goals are consistent with the goals of the Bridges to the Future Program. Note: if the project is funded, your project description will be entered into an NIH database and will become public information.
Under Performance Site(s), list the name, city, and state of each partner institution. You will need a Consortium Agreement from each institution (see Consortium Agreements and Letters of Support below).
Under Key Personnel, include the program coordinators at each partner institution and other individuals who contribute substantively to the content and quality of the program. You must include a biographical sketch for each person listed as key personnel. Faculty mentors may be considered key personnel if they play a substantive role in the content and quality of the program. If the program has many faculty mentors, include representative biographical sketches in an appendix.
Research Grant Table of Contents (Use PHS 398, page CC)
Your application to the Bridges to the Future Program must be structured using these supplemental instructions as a guide. You must submit a complete and accurate Table of Contents with your application.
Budget Pages (Use PHS 398, pages DD and EE)
Do NOT submit a modular budget.
You may request a total of $600,000 for 3 years of support under the Bridges to the Future Program. The Program Announcements for the Bridges to the Baccalaureate and the Bridges to the Doctorate programs describe allowable costs; see also the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts and the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Your overall budget must consist of two separate parts: 1) a Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Form PHS 398, page DD) and 2) a Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Form PHS 398, page EE).
Follow the budget guidelines in the Program Announcement and in the instructions for Form PHS 398. You must provide a complete description and justification for each budget item.
Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period
Under "Personnel" on Form PHS 398, page DD, include the program director, key personnel, and student salaries (as appropriate). Include only the portion of personnel and student time that is directly for the Bridges program.
Allowable costs and expenses include the following:
- Administrative costs
- Salary support
- Extramural consultants
- Equipment (including computers)
- Travel to Bridges meetings
- Student travel to scientific meetings
- Limited remission of tuition (see below)
- Limited remuneration of students (see below)
NIH allows administrative costs, which you may determine, for example, by the number of students involved, the number of institutions involved, the complexity of the program, and the amount of support the institution(s) provides. You must carefully justify all costs in terms of the proposed program.
Faculty may receive salary support for planning and implementing programs, teaching Bridges courses, obtaining professional development, or conducting or participating in other Bridges activities specifically described in the application.
Allowable expenses for extramural consultants (e.g., evaluator, trainer, advisory group) may include plane fare, ground transportation, per diem, and consulting fees. You must present both the breakdown and justification of costs in your application.
You also must justify the cost of each item of equipment in terms of the proposed program. With regard to computers, the institution(s) must retain ownership of them, and they may not be used as rewards or incentives for students' participation.
Include in your budget funds for the program director, a grants manager from the grantee institution, and the program coordinators from the partner institutions to travel to the annual Bridges Program Meeting. Also include the costs of student travel, with per diem, to scientific meetings.
NIH allows for remission of students' tuition only for specific coursework and workshops necessary for student employment. You must specify in your application the courses requested for remission of tuition.
NIH limits remuneration of students to underrepresented minorities who are matriculated at the partner institution(s). Remuneration may include salaries or wages and/or other forms of compensation paid in lieu of wages for participating in research experiences. The NIH allows expenditures for remission of tuition (or other forms of compensation paid in lieu of wages) if all the following conditions are met:
- The student is performing necessary work
- The student is employed by the institution
- The total compensation is reasonable for the work performed
- The institution provides compensation for all students under similar circumstances, regardless of the source of support for the activity
You should request salaries for students at an hourly rate based on the prevailing scale at the institution.
The cost of consultants for evaluating program outcomes may be included as consultant costs.
Unallowable costs:
- Salaries and expenses for students who are not underrepresented minorities
- Housing or food expenses for students, except when they are attending scientific professional meetings
- Programs for non-matriculated students or their teachers
- Recruitment expenses
- Salary support solely for faculty mentoring
- Support for faculty research
- Support for student textbooks, incentives, memberships, and internet
subscriptions Students who complete the associate degree and enter the partner baccalaureate program should receive financial support, if needed, from the baccalaureate institution. The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program does not provide funds to students in the baccalaureate program. In your application, you should describe the institutional support that will be available to students who transfer to the baccalaureate institution.
Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support
You must prepare an overall summary for the entire 3-year project period using Form PHS 398, page EE.
Biographical Sketch (Use Form PHS 398, page FF)
Include a biographical sketch for each person listed in Key Personnel. If your program has many potential faculty mentors, include representative biographical sketches in an appendix.
Resources and Environment (Use Form PHS 398, page HH)
Research Plan
Specific Aims (Use Form PHS 398, continuation pages)
List the program's long-term goals and specific objectives in one page or less.
Background and Significance
Baseline data are critically important for reviewers when evaluating the merits of your proposal (see the article by Dr. Clifton Poodry, director of the MORE Division, for an explanation of the nature and importance of baseline data in the MARC and MBRS programs, as it is equally relevant to Bridges to the Future).
You must also provide evidence of the institutions' commitment to the training of minority students. Briefly describe and summarize any significant achievements made within the past 4 years in any specialized programs at your institution that have encouraged and helped to retain underrepresented minority students and faculty.
Unified Plan
As part of a unified plan, institutions that have active MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research, or MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement or Initiative for Minority Student Development programs must explain how these programs complement each other and are coordinated.
Consortium Agreements and Letters of Support
You must submit a consortium agreement signed by each partner institution, and the agreement must state the following:
"The appropriate programmatic and administrative personnel of each institution involved in this grant application are aware of the NIH consortium grant policy and are prepared to establish the necessary inter-institutional agreement(s) consistent with that policy."
A consortium agreement may be in the form of a letter(s) signed by the administrative official(s) (president, chancellor, or vice president for academic affairs) for each partner institution. You must include the letter(s) in the main part of your application (not in an appendix). If you fail to submit the consortium agreement with your application, NIGMS will return your application without reviewing it.
If you have collaborations or special agreements with consultants, provide letters of support from them to document exactly what they will provide to the program. These letters should be specific and current.
New Applications
Clearly state how the Bridges to the Future Program will promote effective inter-institutional partnerships that will enhance the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students who are being trained as the next generation of scientists. Provide a summary of the degrees awarded by your partner institutions during the past 4 years to the student populations targeted in your program.
Competing Continuation Applications
If you have a new program director since you last submitted an application, attach a cover letter to your application with the name of the previous program director and the name of the new program director. This will ensure that NIH codes your application correctly in its database of grants.
You must include a progress report that summarizes the progress made in your overall program since your last competitive award.
Beginning with the current project period, you should provide a detailed analysis of the academic achievements of all Bridges students, including their academic and research experiences, attendance at meetings, transfer to other institutions, and other achievements relevant to the goals of your program.
For the progress report on your overall Bridges program, provide an analysis of your program accomplishments in narrative text, tables, and/or graphs. State your original goals and objectives and your anticipated milestones and outcomes. Describe what you have learned and accomplished during the project period and the effect of the Bridges activities on your partner institutions. Include benefits such as attracting new faculty and students, collaborations, seminars, special courses, and meetings for faculty and students. List significant honors, publications, papers presented, and awards to faculty and students (with specific dates).
Evaluation Plan
In this section, describe your institution's plan for evaluating the effectiveness of your activities in the Bridges to the Future Program. Your evaluation should emphasize improvement based on the specific goals and measurable objectives that you and your partners set forth. Your application should state the goals of the evaluation, the criteria for improvement that you will address in the evaluation plan, and the methods you will use for analyzing data. You should define how you will fulfill the mission of the Bridges to the Future Program by accomplishing your institution's goals and objectives.
Organizational Structure and Administration of the Program
Describe the structure of your program's administration and show how the NIGMS program director will interface with your administrative structure. Describe the lines of authority and indicate how the proposed structure will enable the participants to implement activities.
Bridges to the Future Program Advisory Committee
We highly recommend that you establish an internal or external advisory committee. Describe the composition and functions of the existing or proposed advisory committee, and list the names, titles, and affiliations of all committee members.
Partner Institutions
Describe the criteria for selecting institutions to participate in the partnership.
Faculty and Student Participants
Describe how students and faculty will be selected to participate and specify your criteria for selection.
Checklist (Use PHS 398, page II)
Note that the F&A rate that will be awarded for Bridges grants is 8 percent of direct costs, excluding equipment, tuition, and other standard exclusions.
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