# Presentation: 071088

## NLM Biomedical InformaticsTraining Programs - 2007

- NLM Biomedical InformaticsTraining Programs - 2007

- The National Library of Medicine supports training centers to meet the needs of scientific investigators and leaders trained in biomedical computing.
- The areas of training must be in health related domains:
- Health Care Delivery
- Basic Biomedical Research
- Clinical & Translational Research
- Public Health
- Professional Education

## NIH – DHHS Training Sites

**Office of Extramural Research Training & Research Career Opportunities including the NIH Loan Repayment Program:**
- _[http://grants1.nih.gov/training/extramural.htm](http://grants1.nih.gov/training/extramural.htm)_
_**NIH Forms & Applications:**_
- _[http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm](http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm)_
_**NIH Guide Announcement on delay of E-Application Submission for Training grants and Other NIH Grants and Fellowships:**_
- _[http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-038.html](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-038.html)_

## The NLM Trainees:

- Predoctoral Training Positions
- Holders of a Baccalaureate degree enrolled in a doctoral program leading to a Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D. or other research doctoral degree.
- Health-Professional students not enrolled in a formal combined degree program, e.g., M.D./Ph.D. that wish to temporarily postpone their studies to receive specialized training.
- Maximum Term of Appointment: 4 years in aggregate.  Maximum term includes any combination of support between a training program and an individual fellowship. _NLM __***does not***__ support individuals transitioning into a postdoc position for additional postdoc support._
- Library and other health professionals in a program not leading to a doctoral degree must be approved by the NLM Program Official.

## The NLM Trainees:

- Predoctoral Training Positions (continued)
- FY 2007 Stipend Levels:
- _Initial year_ of support begins with trainees placement within the stipend chart based on current professional years of experience.  All subsequent years of support from that point onward will be incremented by 5% per year, _or_ the NIH level, if greater than 5%.
- Example: Someone appointed in their first year at the 4 yrs. exp. level would receive $28,772, $30,211 (2nd yr.), $31,722 (3rd yr.), $33,308 (4th yr.) based on a 5% increase.
- Priority Field:  computer science, engineering, biological sciences, library and information science, mathematics.

**CS – Computer Science    E- Engineering    PF – Priority Field  **

## The NLM Trainees:

- Predoctoral Training Positions (continued)
- The annual progress report should include all _new_ requests for to-be-appointed predocs that meet the years of professional experience requirement and include the following:
- A c.v. that reflects professional work experience for the number of years applicable.
- A letter from the Program Director countersigned by the institutional business office in support of the request(s).
- All requests will be approved by the NLM Program Official and Grants Management Officer and will be reflected in the non-competing Notice of Grant Award.

## The NLM Trainees:

- Postdoctoral Training Positions
- Postdoctoral research training for those individuals having received a Ph.D. or M.D. or other comparable doctoral degree. (certification of degree must be obtained prior to enrollment)
- Maximum Term of Appointment : 3 years in aggregate.  Maximum term includes any combination of support between a training program and an individual fellowship.
-  FY 2007 Stipend Levels:
- Physicians or other health professionals should, at the time of their appointment, agree to do at least two consecutive years of training as this has been shown to be a strong correlate to post-training research involvement.

| Yrs. Exp. | 0
Inc.  | 1
Inc. | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 (+) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Postdoc | $36,996 | $38,976 | $41,796 | $43,428 | $45,048 | $46,992 | $48,852 | $51,036 |

## The NLM Trainees:

- Short Term Training Positions (STTPs)
- 3 month training positions specifically directed to those individuals who are medical or health-professional students; providing some exposure to training in the varying informatics (and quantitative science) fields of study generally during the summer months.
- Those individuals in formal research degree programs are ineligible for a STTP.
- All appointed trainees must be in a full time training status.
- Short-Term Health-Professionals - required to have completed 1⁄4 of a clinical doctorate program (1st yr. of program) or master’s degree in a quantitative science prior to enrollment.
- Schools of Pharmacy – only Pharm. D. degree candidates are eligible for short term training.
- Reflects a 1⁄4 predoc appointment reimbursement, $5,193 -
-     FY 2007 Stipend Level.
- Terminal degree trainees are _encouraged_  to seek multiple STTP enrollments in the years leading up to the degree.

## Diversity Recruitment Plan

- The NLM has requested, for future annual progress reports, _a minority recruitment plan _consistent with that of the parent grantee institution and including _a recruitment and retention report_.  The submission should included the following:
- Submission and explanation of the overall plan.
- Successful and unsuccessful outcomes of the plan as part of the recruitment strategies used in the previous award period.
- Racial and ethnic (new NIH coding) distribution matrix for previous award period to include:
- Pre or Postdocs _who applied_ for training relative to the research training program.
- Pre or Postdocs _who were offered_ a training appointment relative to the research training program.
- Pre or Postdocs _who were actually appointed_ to the research training program.

## Diversity Recruitment Plan

- The report should include the duration of training support and whether a candidate completed their training in “good standing”.
- No additional slots will be created for diversity recruitments, minority appointees should come from the existing slots allotted in the grant award.
- Underrepresented minority groups include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Black or African Americans
- Hispanic or Latino
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- NLM does not accept Asian as an “underrepresented” minority; Asians are well represented in bioinformatics and related fields of training.

## Statement of Appointment Form

- NLM will only accept the current “Statement of Appointment Form” (revised 9/2004)
- In FY 2008 NLM is moving to electronic submission via the X-Train eRA initiative and e-submissions of the 2271 will be made through electronic processes.
- The latest form is required by the Office of Management and Budget and meets the standards for the collection of data on race and ethnicity.
- Verifying ethnicity first
- Verifying race secondly; multiple races may be selected
- Instructions and form are available via the web:
- 	_[http://](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm#training)__[grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm#training](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm#training)_
- _Common data omissions on the 2271 form_:
- Periods of appointment are missing or incorrect
- Complete PHS Grant Number is missing
-    (type, activity, ID serial no.)
- Prior Support
- Citizenship
- Deviations from originally approved stipend levels must provide justification
- Post Secondary Education Information

## Statement of Appointment Form

- No stipend or training allowances may be paid to a trainee until the Statement of Appointment Form (PHS – 2271) has been submitted to NLM.
- NIH has codified the sciences into Field of Training (FOT) Codes, e.g.:
- 	**Series 4400** **Statistics/Research Methods/Informatics**
- 		  4410 – Biostatistics and/or biometry
- 		  4420 – Bioinformatics
- 		  4430 – Computational Sciences
- 		  4440 – Information Science
- 		  4450 – Clinical Trial Methodology
- Please indicate one of the above codes in the PHS-2271 if applicable.

## Citizenship

- Citizen or Non-Citizen National of the U.S. or have been lawfully admitted for *permanent residence at the time of appointment.
- Non-Citizen Nationals – Owe permanent allegiance to the U.S. e.g., Samoa Islands, Swains Island.
- Requirements:
- Other Legal Verification
- Alien registration Card (I-551)
- *Permanent Residency Requirement – notarized statement must be submitted with the PHS - 2271 to NLM – _no exceptions_. If an individual has not been lawfully admitted with _full documentation_ as required, they cannot be appointed to the training program.
- Other Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) verifications of status will be acceptable and a copy of such status verification must be submitted to the NLM.

## Awarded Cost Reimbursements

- Stipends:
- Predocs - $20,772 Base Amount
-     [NLM Table for Priority Fields & Education as applicable]
- Postdocs - NLM uses the NRSA stipend schedule ranging from  $36,996 - $51,036
- STTPs - $5,193 Predocs - $20,772 Base
- NLM Tuition Formula:
- _Tuition Reimbursement_:
- Predocs:  60%  x requested = (x) ≤ $16,000
- Postdocs:  60%  x requested = (x) ≤ $16,000
- STTPs: 1⁄4 of predoc = $4,000 ceiling amount
- NLM does not distinguish between degree/non-degree programs for purposes of tuition reimbursement.

## Awarded Cost Reimbursements

- Training Related Expenses (TRE) with Health Insurance
- Predocs:  $6,500 (TRE) + $2,000 (Hlth. Ins.) = $8,500
- Postodocs:  $6,500 (TRE) + $4,000 (Hlth. Ins.) = $10,500
- STTPs:  1⁄4 of  predoc = ($200 x 3 mos. Summer) + $500 = $1,100
-     [NLM provides $200/mo. TRE per the program announcement]
- Used to defray the costs of “other” research training costs, faculty and staff training salaries, consultant costs, equipment research supplies and faculty travel.
- Applies to single and family coverage options.
- Pre and Postdocs training at the NLM – please indicate how your institution plans to cover the NLM fellow while they are on fellowship.  NLM does not reimburse, directly, for health insurance coverage.

## Awarded Cost Reimbursements

- Trainee Travel
- Predocs & Postdocs - $2,000/trainee-yr. for Full Time Training Position (FTTP). This includes  Annual Informatics Training Conference. No travel expenses provided for STTPs.
- Facilities and Administration Expenses (F&As) formerly Indirect Costs (IDCs)
- Reimbursed at 8% of the total direct costs of training; subtracting the amounts for tuition from the total direct cost amount to arrive at the F&A base amount.
- Formula:  .08 x (TDC- tuition) = F&A

## Annual Training Conference  - Accounting for Costs

- Charges made for travel expenses associated with the annual meeting at the NLM can  be charged to either the current budget period or the upcoming non-competing budget period as pre-award (up to 90 days prior to the start date) expenses . Which budget period these costs are charged to is up to your individual institution and must adhere to a consistently applied accounting practice.
- Sponsoring institutions that support the annual training conference will be reimbursed for the “NLM Fair Share” of related conference expenses and in keeping with the OMB A-21 Cost Principals.

## Unobligated Grant Balances:  Carryover vs. Partial Award Funding

- The NLM does not approve carryover of unobligated/unexpended grant funding balances from prior budget periods into the currently active budget period of the grant.
- Some Institutes/Centers at NIH provide auto-carryover to their NRSA – T32 but there commitment is reduced by the same amount so that no additional funding is authorized over the original commitment level.

## Unobligated Grant Balances:  Carryover vs. Partial-Pay Award Funding (continued)

- NIH Appropriation is remaining relatively flat so unexpended grant funding is used to sustain the overall commitment base for the program.
- Congress does not provide the NIH- ICs additional training funding for increases in costs for stipends, institutional trainee allowance, etc. so that unobligated/unexpended grant balances are used to support the funding for the annual training program awards.

## Unobligated Grant Balances:  Carryover vs. Partial-Pay Award Funding (continued)

- The NLM funding “Offset” as partial-pay to the funding award:
-   $1,000,000 Total Cost Award - NLM Commitment
-   _-   250,000 *Available unobligated balance of $300,000 reported on FSR_
-   $  750,000 New fiscal year funding added to make NLM commitment
- * Of the $300,000 reported on the FSR as an unobligated balance, $50,000 was used to partial-pay prior year award so only $250,000 is available to fund the current year award.

## Unobligated Grant Balances:  Carryover vs. Partial-Pay Award Funding(continued)

- NIH Appropriation is remaining relatively flat so unexpended grant funding is used to sustain the overall commitment base for the program.
- _Carryover Errors:_ NLM has experienced accounting errors by grantees concerning “carryover funding authorizations”.
- Grantees should know that NLM  does not provide carryover funding
- Grantees should check their Federal Cash Transaction Reports (PMS-272) authorization
- Grantees should carefully review the Notice of Award (NoA) funding amounts and the accompanying terms and conditions of award

## Cost Reimbursements on NLM Training Grants

- The recent changes in the NIH tuition formula, in addition to the coupling of health insurance with the training related expenses, has meant that NIH has reduced its level of cost reimbursement.
- In the future, if NLM increases the tuition reimbursement or the training related expenses and health insurance, the NLM would have to correspondingly reduce trainees slots from the grant.

## NIH/PHS/DHHS Conflict of Interest Policy

- NIH/PHS/DHHS sponsored grantee institutions are required to comply with Title 42, Part 50, Subpart F, “Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for Which PHS Funding is Sought” for guidance on Conflict of Interest (COI).
- Section 50.604:  “Institutional Responsibility Regarding Conflicting Interests of Investigators”
- _Each grantee institution_:
- must maintain an appropriate written, enforced policy on conflict of interest that complies with Subpart F _*including informing each investigator*_  of the governing policy and what the investigator’s reporting responsibility are regarding reporting COIs.
- _NIH/PHS/DHHS Specific Requirement_:
- Grantees, prior to expending NIH/DHHS funding, must identify any COIs related to investigators (PIs, Key Personnel, Sub-awardees, etc.) and notify the NIH/DHHS awarding component.

## NIH/PHS/DHHS Conflict of Interest Policy(continued)

- _Each grantee institution must_:
- Send a letter to the awarding component with specific language extracted from the policy:
***    ******Saturn University has identified a conflict of interest for Dr. John Smith and this conflict of interest has been managed, reduced or eliminated in accordance with  Title 42, Part 50, Subpart F, g.,(2).***
- Grantees are not required to disclose the nature of the COI or other details however, this information must be made available upon request of the DHHS awarding component.

## NIH/PHS/DHHS Conflict of Interest Policy(continued)

- _NIH/DHHS Response by  Institute or Center (IC)_:
-      The NIH awarding component will respond to the grantee that the
-      cognizant IC at the NIH received the notification of a COI.  The IC may choose at that time to inquire about the surrounding details of   the COI which then should be provide to the IC awarding component as requested.