# Presentation: 501875

## Research Grants and the Peer Review Process

**Mark Swieter, PhD**
**Chief,**
**Training and Special Projects Review Branch**
**Office of Extramural Affairs**
**National Institute on Drug Abuse**

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## Dual Review System for Grant Applications

**First Level of Review**

**Scientific Review Group (SRG)**
**Provides Initial Scientific Merit               Review of Grant Applications**
**Rates Applications and Makes Recommendations for Appropriate Level of Support and Duration of Award**

**Second Level of Review**

**Council**
**Assesses Quality of SRG Review of Grant Applications**
**Makes Recommendations to Institute Staff on Funding**
**Evaluates Program Priorities and Relevance**
**Advises on Policy**

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## Review Process for a Research Grant

**Principal**
**Investigator**

**School or Other**
**Research Center**

**National Institutes of Health**

**Initiates**
**Research Idea**

**Conducts Research**

**Submits**
**Application**

**Allocates**
**Funds**

**Center for Scientific Review**

**Scientific Review Group**

**Institute**

**Advisory Council or Board**

**Institute Director**

**Assign to**

**IC +/- SRG**

**Reviews **
**  ****for**

**Scientific**
**Merit**

**Evaluates for**

**Relevance**

**Recommends**

**Action**

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## CSR

-  Receipt&Referral

- Institute
-  Receipt&Referral

- Review Cmte

- To pay or not to pay

- Institute Advisory Council

- Scores and percentiles
- Summary Statements

- Institute
- Review Cmte

- = times applicant
- is notified by NIH

- = times to check eRA Commons

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## Grant Submissions

**Grant Submissions**

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

**Notes:**
The goal is to give some insight on what happens between putting an application in a FedEx drop box and receipt of a summary statement many months later

What happens, who is involved, and things you can do.

## Receipt Date			Review Date		Council Date

- _Receipt Date_			_Review Date_		_Council Date_
- February 1 			May-Aug		Sept-Oct
-    March 1
-       April 5
-          May 1
- June 1			Sept-Dec		Jan-Feb
-    July 1
-       August 5
-          September 1
- October 1			Jan-Apr		May-June
-    November 1
-       December 1
-          January 2
- _	__	__	__	__	__	__	__	__	_

- New		 	 			Fellowship
- Revised or Competing Continuation 	HIV/AIDS

## Your application is here.

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## About Receipt and Referral

- With >70,000 applications to process each year (>20,000 each round), some mistakes are made
- Therefore, you may want to keep track of the progress of your application

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## Deciphering the Application Number

- 1 R01 DA 12345 - 01  A1

**Type**

**Mechanism**

**Version**

**Serial Number**

**Funding Institute**

**Year**

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## What do I do if my application has been misassigned? 

- Contact the SRA of the committee to which the application has been assigned and find out if s/he agrees that it has been misassigned
- If so, s/he will most likely contact the SRA of the more appropriate review committee and pursue reassigning the application

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## What does an SRA (Scientific Review Administrator) do? 

**Analyzes applications for completeness and determines who will review them**

**Authorizes release of scores and summary statements**

**Assesses scientific knowledge and review skills  of potential reviewers and selects study section members**

**Manages and oversees scientific peer review group meetings and is legally responsible for ensuring NIH regulations and policies are followed**

**Prepares summary statements reflecting study section recommendations**

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## WHAT IS STREAMLINING?

***WHAT IS STREAMLINING?***

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE ON STREAMLINING

- All Career Development Award applications are being subjected to what is called “streamlining”.  This is the process by which the most meritorious applications (generally the top half of those reviewed) are identified and only those are given a score by the review committee.  Those applications deemed to be in the bottom half in terms of merit are left unscored rather than being fully discussed and rated by the review committee.  It is important to recognize that because applications are reviewed on the basis of several criteria, it is possible for unscored applications to have some components of considerable scientific and technical merit.  The fact that an application is initially unscored does not preclude the possibility that the problems identified in the review may be later corrected or adequately addressed, suggesting that revision and resubmission may be warranted.  Candidates are encouraged to review the Summary Statements, discuss the comments with their mentors (if applicable) and contact relevant NIDA Program Staff to discuss a strategy for resubmission, if appropriate.

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## Where to Find Information

- CSR website (_[http://www.csr.nih.gov](http://www.csr.nih.gov/)__)_
- Forms (PHS 398, PHS 416)
- SRG Structures and Rosters
- Institute websites (_[http://www.nida.nih.gov](http://www.nida.nih.gov/)__)_
- Program Announcements
- Institute Divisions and Offices
- SRG Structures and Rosters

- NIDA/OEA 6/06

## Two Keys to Success

- Be Resilient

- Be Proactive

- Know the System

- NIDA/OEA 6/06