# Presentation: 329420

## Fundamentals of NLM Grants 

- National Library of Medicine Extramural Programs
- Updated May 2007

## Contents of this slide set

- NLM grant programs overview
- Grant review & approval process
- Tips for successful applications
- Electronic Grants Administration
- Contact information

## Informatics Funding at NIH

- Informatics is NLM’s research domain
- Computer/information sciences applied to medicine, biology/biochemistry or public health domain
- Basic & applied research
- NLM grants & training $66 million in FY2005
- Other NIH institutes also support biomedical informatics, e.g., NIBIB, NCRR, NIGMS, NHGRI, NIMH, NCI

## Types of 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 biomedical or public health informatics, or bioinformatics
- 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 biomedical/ public health informatics or bioinformatics
- NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
- Loan Repayment Program (L30) (restricted to biomedical informatics)

## Resource Grants

- Focus on optimizing the management & use of health-related information
- Knowledge Management & Applied Informatics Grants (G08)
- Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems Grants for Planning (G08)
- Grants for Scholarly Works in Biomedicine & Health (G13)

## Training & Fellowships

- 18 University-based medical Informatics research training programs
- Individual Fellowships
- Fellowships for Informationist Training (in context information specialists) (F37)

## Grants for Small Businesses

- SBIR phase 1 and 2 grants for companies that want to bring a product to market
- Fast-track – combine phase 1 and 2 in a single application. Requires prior approval by NLM staff
- Priorities are the same as for research grants in biomedical informatics

## Multi-Institute Grant Programs

- NLM also partners with other NIH organizations on grant programs. Examples:
- Innovations in Biomedical Science & Technology (BISTI)
- Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy
- See _[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep)__ Grant Programs listing_

## NLM Grant Deadlines	

- Same as for other NIH Research Grants
- Through the end of 2006: NLM Research, Resource and Career grants: Feb 1, June 1, Oct 1; Amended Applications and Competing Continuations: Mar 1, Jul 1, Nov 1; Special deadlines for SBIR/STTR, Fellowships, RFA
- Beginning in 2007, new ‘rolling’ calendar of deadlines, see _[http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-001.html](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-001.html)__ for the NEW DATES_

## Peer Review for NLM Grants  

- Center for Scientific Review (CSR) receives all applications, assigns them to a study section and a funding Institute
- NLM study sections review most of NLM’s grants
- Biomedical Library & Informatics Review Committee (BLIRC)
- Special Emphasis Panels (SEP)  for some NLM grants
- Multi-Institute grants in which NLM is a participant, such as SBIR grants and BISTI, are reviewed by CSR study sections

## Review Steps for Grants - Example

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

- TIMETABLE
- Feb 1
- June – in NIH Commons
- Priority scores @ 5 days
- Written comments @ 6 weeks
- Sept
- Only scores of 250 or less
- @ Nov (Apr, Aug)
- Exact date varies

## Grant Review Outcomes

**PRIORITY SCORES**
- 100-150 (most likely to be funded)
- 150-170 (sometimes funded, esp new investigators)
- 170-200 (seldom funded)
- 200- 250 (rarely funded)
- 250-500 (never funded)
**SUCCESS RATES FY 2006**
- Research grants – @10% varies by program
- Resource grants – @10% varies by program
- Success rate = # of awards/# of applicants

## NIH Review Criteria for Research Grants

| Criterion | Questions in Reviewer’s mind |
| --- | --- |
| Significance |  Does  it address an important informatics problem? How will science or clinical practice be advanced? |
| Approach |  Is the conceptual or clinical framework sound? Are potential problems discussed? |
| Innovation |  Are the aims, concepts, methods, outcomes novel? Do they challenge paradigms? |
| Investigator |  Does the PI/team have appropriate training and experience? |
| Environment |  Does the study benefit from this scientific/clinical 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 FTE/expertise sufficient to the task?
 Are the timeline & milestones realistic?
 Are the methods appropriate?
 Is the evaluation clear and meaningful? |
| Innovation |   Not required |
| Investigator |  Does the PI/team have appropriate training and experience? |
| Environment |  Is there a plan for future support?  |

## Components of Good Proposals

- Responsive to the program announcement and NLM stated priorities
- Clearly-stated goals and methodology
- A detailed work plan that fits the stated project goals
- A timeline and milestones
- References to publications, placing the work in context of other, similar work and state of the art

## Components of Good Proposals

- Evidence of advance planning, e.g., pilot data or user needs assessment
- Key personnel with relevant expertise and adequate FTE dedicated to the work
- Evidence that problems & contingencies have been considered
- Letters of agreement from named collaborators & consultants

## Other Helpful Hints

**DO**
- Contact program officer with questions
- Name the grant program (e.g., PAR 03-108 ) on box 2 of face page
- Register with NIH Commons and grants.gov
- Use most recent application form & instructions – watch for transitions to electronic application!!!

**DON’T**
- Put information in appendix that is needed to judge merit
- Request more than $500K/yr without prior written approval by NLM
- Send the same application to 2 institutes
- Send the same application at 2 different deadlines

## Electronic Grants Administration

- Register with the NIH eRA Commons for access to priority scores and summary statements
- Register at https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/
- Both PI and Institutional Official need Commons accounts
- eRA Commons registration is REQUIRED for electronic submissions through Grants.gov
- All NIH grant programs are moving to electronic grant submission. Institution MUST register at Grants.gov at least 2 weeks before the grant deadline. The transition to online applications began in December 2005.  Full details at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/

## Program points of contact

- Dr. Milton Corn – Overall grant programs at NLM.
- Dr. Valerie Florance – Informatics training programs and translational informatics.
- Dr. Hua-Chuan Sim – Clinical and public health informatics in research grants (R01), small project grants (R03), exploratory/developmental grants (R21), conference grants, BISTI grants, and Pathway to Independence grants (K99). Also responsible for IAIMS grants, Knowledge Management & Applied Informatics grants, Scholarly Works grants, health literacy grants, AREA grants, and the Loan Repayment Program.
- Dr. Jane Ye – Bioinformatics and computational biology in research grants (R01), small project grants (R03), exploratory/developmental grants (R21), conference grants, BISTI grants, and Pathway to Independence grants (K99). Also responsible for SBIR/STTR grants.

## For more information

- Program: 301-594-4882 for Florance, Sim, & Ye;301-496-4621 for Corn
- _[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
- _[http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/](http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/)_ for electronic applications information