# Presentation: 329419

## Fundamentals of NLM Grants 

- National Library of Medicine Extramural Programs
- Updated Nov 2003

## Overview of slide set

- NLM grant programs overview
- Problem-oriented view and examples of funded grants
- Grant review & approval process
- Tips for successful applications

## Informatics Funding at NIH

- Biomedical Informatics is NLM’s research domain
- Clinical informatics & bioinformatics/biotechnology
- Basic & applied research
- NLM grants & training $60 million in FY2003
- Other NIH institutes support bioinformatics or informatics-related work, e.g., NIBIB, NCRR, NIGMS, NHGRI

## NLM Grant Programs

**Research grants** – investigator initiated research
**Resource grants** – infrastructure & applied informatics
**Training support** – individual fellowships, informatics research training at academic centers
**Career development support** –  career support and educational loan repayment
**Grants for small businesses** – commercialize good ideas

## Research Grants

- Focus on research & development in medical informatics, biotechnology information, health sciences library and information sciences
- Traditional investigator-initiated research grants (R01)
- Experimental/developmental research grants (R21)
- Small grants for pilot study/proof of concept (R03)
- IAIMS Testing & Evaluation grants (R24)
- Conference Grants (R13)

## Career Support Awards

- Focus on building the supply of researcher investigators in informatics
- Early Career Development Support (K-22)
- Loan Repayment Program (L30)

## Resource Grants

- Focus on improving access to and management of health-related information
- Internet Access to Digital Libraries Grants (G07)
- Information System Grants (G08)
- Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems Grants for planning & operations (G08)
- Biotechnology Resource Grants (P41)
- Publication Grants (G13)

## Training & Fellowships

- 18 University-based medical Informatics research training programs
- Individual Fellowships
- Individual Biomedical Informatics Fellowships (F37)
- Senior Individual Biomedical Informatics Fellowships (F38)
- Fellowships for IAIMS (F38)
- Fellowships for Informationist Training (F37 & F38)

## Grants for Small Businesses

- SBIR phase 1 and 2 grants for companies that want to bring a product to market
- Priorities are the same as for research grants in biomedical informatics
- Fast-track possible – combine phase 1 and 2 in a single application, but requires prior approval

## Problem: Access to Information

- Solution: grants for last-mile, wireless, gateway searches, single log-in, portals, new audiences
- Examples of recent awards – resource grants
- 4-States InfoSystem: Health Information Network
- VA Nationwide Palliative Care Network
- Distribution of a Primary Care Office Information System
- Hawaii Access to Computerized Health (HATCH)
- Animals as Sentinels of Human Environmental Hazards

## Problem: Information “Silos”

- Solution: grants for Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS)
- 5 IAIMS grants: planning, operations, pilot studies, testing & evaluation, internship
- Fundamental Areas to address in IAIMS
- Delivery of context-appropriate information
- Standards-based information management
- Integrated digital libraries
- Cross organizational & functional boundaries
- Recent awards: UMDNJ, U of Cincinnati

## Problem: Intelligent Information Retrieval

- Solution: grants for informatics/information sciences; tool development; pilot studies
- Examples of recent awards – research & resource grants
- Shape-Based Retrieval in Medical Image Databases
- Intelligent Critiquing of Clinical-Guideline Application
- Infobuttons to improve clinicians’ access to information
- PrimeAnswers: Knowledge at the point of primary care
- Content-based Neuro Image Classification

## Problem: Too Few Informaticians

- Solution: NLM-Supported Training Programs
- Columbia  - Harvard – Indiana – Hopkins - Minnesota – Missouri - Oregon – Pittsburgh - Rice – Stanford - S. Carolina - U. Washington – Wisconsin - UC-Irvine – UCLA – Utah – Vanderbilt –Yale
- Individual Research Fellowships (F37, F38)
- Loan repayment program for clinical researchers  in informatics
- Early Career support awards (K-22)

## Problem: Bring ideas to market

- Solution: grants for innovative R&D with potential for commercialization and public benefit. NLM informatics research interests apply
- Examples of recent awards - SBIR/STTR program
- Fractal modeling of biomedical time series
- Dynamic language modeling for transcription systems, using natural language processing
- High-throughput screening of functional data for proteins derived from genomic research

## NLM Grant Deadlines

|  | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Research, Career, Resource | 
1-February | 
1-June | 
1-October |
| Conference | 15-April | 15-August | 15-December |
| Revised Applications | 1-March | 1-July | 1-November |
| SBIR/STTR | 1-April | 1-August | 1-December |
| Fellowships | 5-April | 5-August | 5-December |

## Peer Review for NLM Grants  

- Center for Scientific Review assigns all applications to a study section and a funding Institute
- NLM has a standing study section
- Biomedical Library & Informatics Review Committee (BLIRC)
- Some NLM grant applications are reviewed by a Special Emphasis Panel or another study section
- SBIR grants reviewed by CSR study section

## Review Steps for Grants

- REVIEW STEP
- Received at CSR       
- 1st Review by BLIRC  
- 2nd Review by BOR   
- Final Decision, NLM  

- TIMETABLE
- Feb 1 (Jun 1, Oct 1)
- June (Nov, Mar)
- Priority scores @ 1 week
- Summary statement @ 5 weeks
- Sept (Feb, May)
- @ Nov (Apr, Aug)
- Notice of grant award mailed

## Grant Review Outcomes

**PRIORITY SCORES**
- 100-150 (most likely to be funded)
- 150-200 (sometimes funded)
- 200-250 (rarely funded)
- 250- 500 (never funded except some SBIR)

- SUCCESS RATES
- Research grants - @ 20-25%
- Resource grants - @ 25-30%
- Revised applications - @ 40-50%

## NIH Review Criteria for Research Grants

| Criterion | Questions in Reviewer’s mind |
| --- | --- |
| Significance |  Does  it address an important problem? |
| Approach |  Is the conceptual framework sound?
 Is related work discussed?
 Are potential problems recognized? |
| Innovation |  Are the aims, concepts, methods and/or outcomes novel? |
| Investigator |  Does the PI/team have appropriate training and experience? |
| Environment |  How sound is the scientific environment? |

## NIH Review Criteria for Resource Grants

| Criterion | Questions in Reviewer’s mind |
| --- | --- |
| Significance |  Is there an expressed need? Benefits for wider audience? |
| Approach |  Are the resources sufficient to the task?
 Are the timeline & milestones realistic?
 Are the methods sound?
 Are potential problems recognized? |
| Innovation |   Not required |
| Investigator |  Does the PI/team have appropriate training and experience? |
| Environment |  Is the system sustainable? |

## Components of Good Proposals

- Responsive to the program statement or NLM’s research interests
- Clearly-stated goals and methodology
- A work plan that fits the stated goals
- A timeline and milestones
- References to the published literature, especially for R01
- Familiarity with other, similar work

## Components of Good Proposals

- Evidence of advance planning, ‘interesting’ pilot data or user survey data
- Key personnel with relevant expertise and adequate FTE dedicated to the work
- Sincere letters of support from stakeholders
- Letters of support from named collaborators & consultants
- Evidence that problems & contingencies have been considered

## Other Helpful Hints

**DO**
- Observe page and font size limits
- Name the grant program (e.g., NLM IADL grant)
- Request BLIRC if you want it reviewed by NLM
- Contact program officer in advance

**DON’T**
- Put information in appendix that is needed to judge merit
- Request more than $500K/yr without approval

## Points of contact at NLM/EP

- Dr. Milton Corn  –  BISTI, bioinformatics, career development, SBIR, training programs
- Dr. Valerie Florance – research & resource grants; fellowships; IAIMS; disaster management grants; publication grants; conference grants
- Dr. Hua-Chuan Sim  - loan repayment program

## For more information

- 301-594-4882 for Florance
- 301-496-4621 for Corn
- 301-496-4253 for Sim
- _[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep)_
-    program announcements, links to application forms
- _[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/faq.html](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/faq.html)_ answers many specific questions
- _[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/funded.html](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/funded.html)_ for list of funded projects