Suggestions for Preparing Applications for NIGMS Institutional Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards, and Items Considered in the Review of Applications

A. Information Required in the Application (See the most recent NIH T32 Announcement, PA-02-109, and Updated NIGMS NRSA Guidelines for additional guidance and the PHS 398 for complete application instructions.  However, bear in mind the following points.)

1. The application must clearly define the "Program" of training that the training grant is to support, the rationale for its organization, and the means for identifying students that are considered to be part of the program.
2. The application should clearly identify students who are eligible for support by the training grant. For competing continuation applications, students who have been supported in the past should also be fully documented. At the institution's discretion, it may be useful to provide data on ALL students who are considered to be part of the program and are participating in all of its activities and requirements. A complete set of data that carefully documents all of the students, regardless of the source of student support, should then be provided for review. Training grant-eligible, non-eligible, and eligible underrepresented minority students should be distinguished by suitable footnotes and totals. In the case of very broad programs, umbrella admissions mechanisms, and programs drawing small fractions of the students from many departments, the application must clearly distinguish the fraction of the total students from these potential sources that are truly likely to complete the proposed program of training. The following groups have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research nationally: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders. 
3. A set of sample tables, useful in compiling data relevant to an application, is provided below. While applicants are not required to use these specific formats, their use is suggested as a convenient way to organize the data.

B. Items Considered by Reviewers in Evaluating Applications

Program Direction/Administrative Structure

• Research, training, and leadership ability the program director
• Adequacy of the program administration and advisory structure

Training Faculty

• Composition of the faculty (by rank and distribution in different fields/departments)
• Mechanisms and criteria for inclusion/exclusion
• Current independent research grant support (competitive, national)
• Publication records
• Nature and breadth of research conducted
• Evidence of collaboration and cooperation among faculty members
• Experience in the supervision of research training (related to the proposed program)

Training Program

For all training grants:

• Aims of the program in relation to NIGMS program announcement
• Program components (nature and extent of courses, research/rotation opportunities, seminars, examinations, teaching opportunities, other), including any innovative features
• Opportunities for interdisciplinary training and collaborative research
• Provisions/activities to promote cohesiveness of the program
• Integration of medical and basic science training (where relevant)
• Mechanisms to monitor and guide trainees (e.g., by the Ph.D. degree departments/programs, training program, mentors, thesis committees)

In addition, for all predoctoral and MSTP training grants:

• For ongoing programs, efforts to include new scientific disciplines or fields
• Mechanisms to provide relevant quantitative training needed to pursue cutting-edge biomedical research in the area of proposed program

Applicant Pool

• Size, distribution (regional or national, proportion eligible for training grant support)
• Quality (based on academic credentials and other factors, e.g., research experience)

Trainees and Candidates for Training

• Mechanisms and criteria for the recruitment and selection of trainees
• Number; distribution in departments, programs, and among training faculty
• Caliber of current and/or potential trainees and others identified with the program
• Racial and ethnic diversity of the trainee pool (including participation of underrepresented minority students)
• Quality of research; postdoctoral and career plans

Outcomes

• Record of completion of training
• Average time to completion of degree(s)
• Publication records of past and current trainees
• Success of graduates:  nature, quality, and research relevance of subsequent positions--e.g., postdoctoral, academic, industrial, clinical (where relevant)

Research and Training Environment

• Institutional support for the training program
• Other sources of training support available
• Facilities and resources available to the program (including clinics, where relevant)
• Numbers of predoctoral and postdoctoral students affiliated with participating laboratories

Additional Considerations (evaluation of the following items by the review committee are  included in special administrative notes)

• Minority Recruitment and Retention Plan:  In addition to consideration as an aspect of the candidate pool (see above, under Trainees and Candidate for Training), the minority recruitment plan and report (for competing renewals) will be evaluated after a score has been assigned and described in an administrative note (see instructions to reviewers).
   
• Training in Responsible Conduct of Research:  The plan will be assessed on the basis of the appropriateness of topics, format, amount and nature of faculty participation, and frequency and duration of instruction after the overall determination of merit and is not a factor in assigning a priority score.

Sample Formats for Compiling Data Requested in National Research Service Award Institutional Training Grant Applications

Certain information needed to describe a training program is more readily comprehended in tabular form, and the application (PHS 398, rev. 5/01, Section V, Institutional National Research Service Awards, pp. V-3 through V-7) instructs that various Tables and Lists be provided. Applicants frequently seek guidance on how best to present the requested data. NIGMS staff has developed a set of tables to assist you in this effort. The sample tables illustrate formats that have proven effective and helpful to reviewers, but you are not limited to these; common sense should prevail, and the data should be presented in a way that is suitable for your application and best conveys: (1) the goals and the effectiveness of the training program; (2) the training experience and research opportunities offered by the participating faculty members; and (3) the results of the program's recruitment and training efforts. If you have any questions regarding the organization of your application, feel free to contact the Office of Scientific Review (301-594-2881), and an appropriate staff member will be happy to assist you.

The attached tables refer directly to the instructions in Form 398 (rev. 5/01), and the specific references are cited as footnotes. For relatively small applications, it may be suitable to intersperse the tables with the text, but for large applications, in which the data to be presented are extensive and the tables very long, it is better to group them all at the end of the program description (section 9). However, be sure to include all tables in the body of the application (with pages numbered accordingly) and not in an appendix.

Please note that each application must present a detailed plan to recruit underrepresented minority students specifically into this training program, and in renewal applications, the results of past efforts must be provided. Review committees will evaluate the adequacy of the plan and achievements in this area. Several of the sample tables provided incorporate data on minority recruitment, admission, retention, and completion records.

Sample NRSA Tables

NIGMS Procedures for the Implementation of the NIH Requirement for the Recruitment of Underrepresented Minority Individuals into NRSA Research Training Grants, developed by a working group of the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council

Minority Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Responsible Conduct of Research in NRSA Training Grants

NIGMS Review Committee Structure