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SHARE: Initiative to Improve Education in the Principles of Rigorous Research
In 2022, NINDS funded the first awards for what has become known as the **Community for Rigor (C4R)** educational resource initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to improve training in the **principles of rigorous research** by developing an **online educational platform** that will serve the scientific community.

August 4, 2022 NINDS Press Release:

NIH Launches Experimental Science Rigor Initiative

This initiative is driven by awardees of two companion Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs): Creating an Educational Nexus for Training in Experimental Rigor (CENTER) and Materials to Enhance Training in Experimental Rigor (METER). The CENTER, awarded to the University of Pennsylvania, is responsible for administrative oversight of the initiative and for building, evaluating, and disseminating a user-friendly, harmonized, and openly accessible educational resource to promote awareness, understanding, and utilization of the principles of rigorous biomedical research. Multiple cohorts of METER awardees are responsible for drafting the core scholarly content of educational units within the online resource and ensuring their utility for a broad range of researchers in an array of learning environments. See the figure below for a depiction of this structure.


  Image
              Initiative to Improve Education in the Principles of Rigorous Research. Left: The Initiative aims to build an educational resource (showing icons of teaching and a web-based interface). The features of the resource will be that it is: online, freely available, user-friendly, accessible, engaging, modular, and adaptable. Right: The educational resource will contain different educational units, which are an assortment of materials that address a single principle of rigorous research.


The single CENTER and the first two rounds of METER have already been funded, and another cohort of METER awardees is expected to be funded in summer 2024. One final receipt date for METER is anticipated in October 2024. Please see below to learn more.



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Information

What is the purpose of this initiative?

Many biomedical publications do not transparently report complete methodologies, analyses, and measures taken at various stages of the research project to ensure rigor and minimize risks of bias (see Research Culture: Framework for Advancing Rigorous Research for more information). This lack of transparency in reporting, and potential lack of practice, may contribute to difficulties in building upon research findings and has been partially attributed to incomplete training in the principles of rigorous research. These two Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) together aim to facilitate teaching of fundamental principles of rigorous biomedical research by developing a new online educational resource for use by a broad range of researchers in an array of learning environments. Creating an Educational Nexus for Training in Experimental Rigor (CENTER) (UC2 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) supports a Center to build the online educational resource for training in experimental rigor. Materials to Enhance Training in Experimental Rigor (METER) (UE5 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) supports subject matter experts to provide educational materials to the CENTER in order to integrate them into the online educational resource for training in experimental rigor.

Which awards have already been funded?

The initiative launched on **August 1, 2022**. The single CENTER and two cohorts of METER have been awarded. Click on the accordions below to learn more about the awardees. You may also follow the resource's progress at c4r.io.

Below are tentative educational units in development as of August 1, 2023, as presented in this NINDS OPEN Stage webinar about ongoing NINDS Office of Research Quality activities. Also note that the unit topics mentioned here are subject to change as the initiative develops.


  Image
              ​Screenshot from a webinar showing a speaker in the upper right over a PowerPoint Slide with the title "Current Awards - One Year Since Start". There is a green box labeled "CENTER" with a screenshot from the c4r.io webpage and a picture of the PI, Konrad Kording from University of Pennsylvania. Under, there is a dark blue box labeled "METER Cohort 1" and a light blue box labeled "METER Cohort 2", each with 4 highlight boxes with institutions/PIs and educational units they are producing.
Creating an Educational Nexus for Training in Experimental Rigor (CENTER)

The Principal Investigator for the CENTER award is Konrad Kording from the University of Pennsylvania. See NIH RePORTER for more information about the award.

Materials to Enhance Training in Experimental Rigor (METER)

The Principal Investigators for METER awards are listed below. See NIH RePORTER for more information about these awards.

Cohort 1 (Started August 1, 2022)

Richard Born and Taralyn Tan, Harvard Medical School
	Gundula Bosch, Johns Hopkins University
	Michael Gionfriddo and Jordan Covvey, Duquesne University
	Mary Harrington, Smith CollegeCohort 2 (Started August 1, 2023)

Carl Bergstrom, University of Washington
	Sara Gombash Lampe, The Ohio State University
	Benedict Kolber, Salena Brody, and Regina Ybarra, University of Texas at Dallas
	Mark Kramer and Uri Eden, Boston UniversityWhere can I find videos and articles about the initiative?

2022 NINDS Director's Message

In 2022, NINDS Director Walter Koroshetz wrote a Director's Message entitled "Improving Training in Scientific Rigor: Announcing a New Educational Platform" about the first round of funding for this initiative. See the Director's Message for more information.

2022 NINDS Press Release

NINDS published a press release on August 4, 2022 entitled "NIH Launches Experimental Science Rigor Initiative" announcing the first awards and the launch of the initiative. You may read the press release here.

2021 Informational Webinar

NINDS hosted an informational webinar about these funding opportunities on August 17, 2021, before the first receipt date. It was an opportunity to learn briefly about the initiative and ask questions of NINDS staff. You may watch the recording directly on the NIH Videocast website.

2021 Initiative Video by NINDS Staff

This video from 2021, before any CENTER or METER applications were received, contains an overview of the initiative as well as information about the two funding opportunities. You may view this video below or directly from the NINDS Youtube channel.


  
2021 NINDS Director's Message

In 2021, NINDS Director Walter Koroshetz wrote a Director's Message entitled "Good Science is Rigorous Science" about the launch of this initiative. In it, Dr. Koroshetz describes the initiative and states that "[e]xperiments designed, conducted, and analyzed without sufficient rigor are wasteful of resources and the scientist’s time" and that "incorporation of a scientific rigor curriculum into a lab’s culture will help maintain its research at a high level of quality." See the Director's Message for more information.

2020 NINDS Concept Clearance

In 2020, Director of the NINDS Office of Research Quality, Shai Silberberg, presented the concept for developing an educational resource on the principles of rigorous research at the February 2020 NANDS Council Meeting. You may watch the recording via NIH Videocast.

Who is the audience for this new educational resource? In what environment(s) could it be used?

Biomedical researchers across various disciplines and career stages will be able to use the educational units easily and effectively, including undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and independent researchers. The online resource will be adaptable to different educational settings, including utilization as part of lectures or laboratory meetings, independently performed problem-based coursework, and individual pursuit of practical advice while in the laboratory. A key feature of the resource will be its customizability by users to create individualized curricula containing a subset of educational units and to select differentiated levels of information detail and depth based on learning goals. Individual users should be able to specify the exact units, modes of learning, and individual components with which they would like to engage. Additionally, educators should be able to compile individual educational units into customized curricula, choose which subsets of content or tools they would like to use in their classrooms, and personalize scientific examples to increase relevance to their students. You may follow the resource's progress at c4r.io.

What are “principles of rigorous biomedical research”?

Principles of rigorous biomedical research are **cross-cutting concepts, processes, and practices that promote rigorous, transparent, and robust scientific experiments**. These principles **apply across a wide variety of scientific disciplines, techniques, and approaches**. NIH defines scientific rigor as “the strict application of the scientific method to ensure robust and unbiased experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation and reporting of results. NIH expects full transparency in proposing and reporting experimental details so that reviewers may assess the proposed research and others may reproduce and extend the findings.” A list of example practices that fit the goals of this initiative can be found in the slideshow below and in Section IV.2 Research Strategy/Research Education Program Plan of the METER NOFO. Additional examples of high-priority principles of rigorous research for NINDS can be found here.




Examples of Principles of Rigorous Biomedical Research: Understanding the philosophical foundation of science, evaluating existing evidence, conducting experiments and obtaining data
          Examples of Principles of Rigorous Biomedical Research: planning and executing appropriate analyses, managing data and project workflows, reducing the effects of a broad range of cognitive biases
          Examples of Principles of Rigorous Biomedical Research: reporting methodology and results transparently, understanding and measuring uncertainty, designing rigorous experiments with validated methods and materials


What is an "educational unit"?

For the purpose of this initiative, an educational unit is defined as an assortment of educational materials, lessons, and activities that collectively address a *single principle of rigorous research*(i.e., one principle per educational unit). Each educational unit will be independently incorporated into the online resource by CENTER. It is estimated that one educational unit, at its maximal breadth and depth of material, will provide the equivalent of one week of instructional material if used as part of a traditional undergraduate or graduate course, although real-world users will also be able to select short, individual components of the unit with which to interact (e.g., a single 5-minute video, set of step-by-step instructions, or package for presenting at laboratory meetings). Each unit should contain effective and engaging educational components, including measurable and attainable learning objectives, a broad and deep overview of the principle of rigorous research, guidance on why and how to apply the principle, complex and realistic neuroscience-relevant scientific examples, interactive components, effective multi-media (e.g., text, videos, graphics, animations), instructional supports for diverse learners, and additional resources.

How many educational units/principles of rigorous research will the resource host?

CENTER is expected to incorporate 30-50 total educational units into the online resource by the end of the project.

CENTER

What is the purpose of CENTER? What does the CENTER do?

The CENTER is being led by Konrad Kording from the University of Pennsylvania. This CENTER will build, evaluate, and disseminate the user-friendly, harmonized, and openly accessible educational resource to promote awareness, understanding, and utilization of the principles of rigorous biomedical research. CENTER is responsible for providing comprehensive administrative oversight, expertise required to establish and maintain the educational platform, and infrastructure to create cutting-edge digital educational components (e.g., videos, interactive activities, relevant scientific examples). These components are being adapted from content provided by subject matter experts supported by the companion METER NOFO. CENTER is assembling and managing a team of platform developers, specialists in creating and evaluating engaging digital content, and experts in pedagogy and educational techniques in order to carry out these CENTER activities. CENTER will create, evaluate, modify, disseminate, and maintain the educational resource’s digital platform and coordinate collaborations between the external subject matter experts providing the scholarly content, champions of rigor in the scientific community, and CENTER’s technical and educational experts ensuring high-quality educational delivery and impact. You may follow the CENTER's progress at c4r.io.

How do the Steering Committee and External Advisory Committee work for this initiative?

The Steering Committee meets regularly to facilitate effective collaboration among CENTER and METER awardees, assist in annual meeting planning, help set the scope of the educational resource, provide guidance on CENTER governance and implementation, and ensure the production, evaluation, and dissemination of a harmonized and high-quality educational resource. The Steering Committee includes at least one individual each from CENTER, NINDS staff, and the METER awards. The External Advisory Committee meets less often and provides the CENTER and Steering Committee guidance and feedback on activities, accomplishments, and areas for improvement. The External Advisory Committee includes individuals with relevant scientific, education, evaluation, and technical expertise who are not funded by CENTER or METER awards.


  Image
              Graphic showing how initiative entities interact. CENTER and METER collaborate directly and via the Steering Committee, which also has NIH staff. The SC fosters collaboration, advises on governance, guides decisions, and provides annual meeting input. CENTER organizes the annual meeting, which enhances collaboration between CENTER, METER, and the scientific community. An External Advisory Committee of external experts provides feedback to the SC on initiative governance, accomplishments, and improvement.
What will happen to CENTER and the resource at the end of the funding period?

Next steps after the end of the funding period will depend upon the evolving organization and success of the initiative.

METER

*NEW***Notice of Intent to Reissue Materials to Enhance Training in Experimental Rigor (METER) Funding Opportunity**

The purpose of this Notice is to alert the community that NINDS plans to reissue initiative RFA-NS-21-033 Materials to Enhance Training in Experimental Rigor (METER) with one receipt date in **October 2024**.

Overview

What is the purpose of this NOFO? What does a METER do?

The purpose of this NOFO is to support the compilation and refinement of educational units on principles of rigorous research, which comprise the core scholarly content of the online resource. These materials should enable acquisition of knowledge and skills to recognize and conduct rigorous experimental research. METER awardees serve as the primary subject matter experts for one or more educational unit(s) focused on individual principles of rigorous research and provide the scholarly material to CENTER, which is supported by a separate NOFO to build the final web-based platform and produce digital elements for the online resource that are beyond the technical capabilities of METER awardees (e.g., interface, graphics, interactive components).

Where is the line between CENTER and METER, and who leads each activity?

CENTER provides overall leadership to the project. This requires project management of educational resource development, creation of the free online platform that contains multiple educational units on principles of rigorous biomedical research, coordination of appropriate expertise for each component of the resource, and collaboration with a range of stakeholders. This includes coordinating Steering Committee and External Advisory Committee meetings, leading resource evaluation and dissemination efforts, and hosting the annual meetings. METER awardees, on the other hand, serve as the primary subject matter experts for one or more educational unit(s) focused on individual principles of rigorous research and provide scholarly material to CENTER for conversion into digital educational units. CENTER is responsible for harmonization across the platform, including the educational units, and for producing multi-modal, effective, and engaging content delivery. CENTER provides educational expertise to guide METER awardees during development of their materials to ensure both harmonization across the resource and optimal educational effectiveness. METER awardees ensure accuracy and efficacy of the digital learning materials produced by CENTER and recommend modifications as necessary. After the educational units are refined enough to begin formal evaluation, METER awardees participate in evaluation and dissemination efforts organized by CENTER. All of these activities, however, are performed under the collaborative guidance of the Steering Committee, which consists of CENTER representation, METER awardees, and NIH staff. To use a loose film analogy, during resource development CENTER will function like a producer and director while METER awardees will function like script writers and editors. Collaboration between each of these entities is vital for the project to succeed.


  Image
              Table listing common and unique CENTER and METER activities. CENTER leads the overall initiative, builds the technical components, provides the interface and graphic design, provides educational input, leads and participates in evaluation and dissemination, and collaborates effectives. METER provides educational input, write the educational unit content, participates in evaluation and dissemination, and collaborates effectively.
How are the variety of ideas and approaches proposed between CENTER and multiple METER awards harmonized and integrated?

CENTER is responsible for harmonization across the platform, including the educational units, which ensures functionality, seamless navigation among related units, effective user experiences, and uniform appearance and organization. CENTER provides overall project leadership, governance, and oversight, including through effective conflict resolution, and it is vital that CENTER forge successful collaborations with METER awardees in order to create the educational units. METER awardees, however, are encouraged to contribute innovative ideas for consideration by CENTER and the Steering Committee. This process of harmonizing and integrating ideas occurs under the collaborative guidance of the Steering Committee, which consists of CENTER representation, METER awardees, and NIH staff.

Application Logistics

Where and how do I apply?

See the NIH Application Guide and this NOFO for instructions on how to apply for funding.

When are applications due?

There were three receipt dates for the original NOFO. There will be one receipt date for the reissued funding opportunity that will be released in Summer 2024.

How many METER applications will be awarded?

The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations, the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications, and the balance of proposed educational units with NINDS program priorities.

What is the timeline for CENTER and METER given METER’s multiple receipt dates?

The initiative launched on August 1, 2022. CENTER is expected to be a longer award, and the annual receipt dates for METER will solicit applications with award periods of up to 3 years each. For this reason, the start dates for METER awards will be staggered over the first few years of CENTER, but they will all end by the completion of CENTER’s longer award period.

Can an applicant apply for more than one award?

Individuals may serve as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) or senior/key personnel on more than one application submitted to this NOFO as long as the applications do not contain overlap. Individuals may *not* also serve as PD(s)/PI(s) or senior/key personnel for the CENTER.

Who is eligible to apply?

See the NOFO for eligibility criteria. Note that key personnel on applications for this NOFO cannot also be key personnel on applications for the CENTER.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) applications allowed?

Foreign institutions, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components *are* allowed. See the NOFO for eligibility criteria.

Who can I ask about whether my application idea fits the NOFO?

You may direct any questions about scientific/research/programmatic content of the initiative here:

Devon Crawford
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Email: devon.crawford@nih.gov

Who can I ask about grant policies, such as allowable costs?

You may direct any questions about grant policy here:

Chief Grants Management Officer
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Email: ChiefGrantsManagementOfficer@ninds.nih.gov

What are the indirect cost (F&A) rates for this funding opportunity?

The F&A rates for METER are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs (exclusive of tuition and fees, expenditures for equipment and consortium costs in excess of $25,000) rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement.

If my application is not funded, can I prepare a resubmission?

Resubmissions are allowed as long as there are remaining receipt dates.

How do cooperative agreements differ from typical NIH grants?

According to NIH, a cooperative agreement “is distinguished from a grant in that it provides for substantial involvement between the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity and the non-Federal entity in carrying out the activity contemplated by the Federal award.” In other words, “under a cooperative agreement, NIH expects to be substantially involved in carrying out the project.” In addition to normal stewardship of grant awards, NIH staff will provide advice and guidance to awardees to facilitate activities and achievement of goals, disseminate information about progress, and serve as a source of information and a point of contact with the NINDS. Applicants are responsible for setting project milestones with specific timelines and criteria for evaluation, which will be approved by NINDS and evaluated annually.

Where can I find the Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions?

See the “Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award” under Section VI Award Administration Information in the NOFO.

Application Content

What is the maximum project period that can be proposed?

The maximum project period is 3 years.

What format should the application follow?

Follow the instructions in the SF424 R&R Application Guide as modified by the instructions in the NOFO. Please note that there are additional requirements in the following sections:

Page Limitations
	SF424(R&R) Other Project Information Component
	SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile Expanded
	R&R Budget
	PHS 398 Research Plan (Research Strategy/Research Education Program Plan)
	Resource Sharing PlansWho, if anyone, besides the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) should be listed as “key personnel?”

Key personnel include any other individuals who contribute to the development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way whether or not they receive salaries or compensation under the grant. Typically, these individuals have doctoral or other professional degrees, although individuals without such degrees may be considered senior/key personnel if they have extensive expertise in relevant disciplines and their involvement meets this definition. Consultants may be considered senior/key personnel if they meet this definition. Senior/key personnel must devote measurable effort to the project whether or not salaries or compensation are requested. "Zero percent" effort or "as needed" are not acceptable levels of involvement for those designated as senior/key personnel.  See Grants & Funding- Senior/Key Personnel FAQs for additional information on the use of key personnel in your application.

What areas of expertise are required in the application? Are teams allowed?

Teams are encouraged. The required and strongly advised areas of expertise for Program Directors/Principal Investigators and senior/key personnel are listed under “SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile Expanded” in the NOFO. Also note that a one-page attachment must be included in the “SF424(R&R) Other Project Information Component” section that describes how personnel meet the expertise requirements.

What is the maximum budget that can be proposed?

Application budgets may not exceed direct costs of $250,000 over the course of the project period.

What should I include in my budget?

Projects under this NOFO have a maximum project period of 3 years, and budgets are limited to a maximum of $250,000 direct costs. The requested budget should include information for anticipated costs related to accomplishing the activities proposed in the application. Specific components that should be included in the budget can be found under “R&R Budget” in the NOFO:

*"Follow all instructions provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with the following additional modifications:*

*Include all personnel other than the PD(s)/PI(s) in the Other Personnel section, including clerical and administrative staff.*
	*Applicants should budget travel funds in each funding year for the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) (and Co-Investigators as appropriate) to attend annual 2-day meetings in the continental U.S. organized by CENTER or NINDS.*
	*Applicants should include an estimate of costs to develop educational materials that is commensurate with the number and complexity of educational units that are being proposed.*
	*Budget categories should not include inflationary escalation for recurring costs in out years."*METER applicants do not need to budget for graphic design, web development, other technical aspects of building digital components of the resource, or evaluation and dissemination activities, as these aspects are being led by CENTER.

Should the budget depend directly on the number of educational units proposed?

Although there is no specific budget cap for each educational unit developed within the $250,000 direct cost limit, applicants should include an estimate of costs to develop educational materials that is commensurate with the number and complexity of educational units that are being proposed. The budget must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Will carryover of an unobligated balance from one budget period to another be permitted?

Automatic carryover of unobligated balances does *not* apply for cooperative agreements like this NOFO. Carryover of unobligated balances requires NINDS prior approval unless otherwise noted in the Notice of Award.

How many educational units can I propose? Do they have to be related?

A typical METER award is expected to propose content for 2-4 educational units to be developed over a 3-year award period, but there is no formal limit on the number that can be proposed. **Prior funded METER awardees have found that their maximum capacity tends to be about 3-4 units.** Applicants should include a proposed set of learning objectives for each educational unit; complex and realistic neuroscience-relevant scientific examples that demonstrate the importance of the principle and how to implement or apply the principle; as well as creative, engaging, and effective educational and narrative ways to approach digital component delivery in each educational unit (e.g., videos, graphics, activities, resources, exercises, and interactive techniques) that could potentially be incorporated in collaboration with CENTER platform developers and education specialists. Applicants also need to address each of the educational unit requirements described under Section IV of the NOFO. If applicants propose creating materials for more than one educational unit/principle of rigorous research, each unit may be thematically distinct (i.e., they do not need to be encompassed by a single general topic listed in the NOFO). CENTER is expected to incorporate 30-50 total educational units into the online resource, so a breadth of topics is expected to be covered by the total body of funded METER applications.

How will applicants know which principles of rigorous biomedical research/educational units have already been funded?

There will be multiple avenues to help potential METER applicants determine whether their planned educational units have already been chosen for development under the initiative. For example, CENTER is expected to maintain communication about initiative progress with the scientific community, including through the annual meeting; potential applicants can view already funded awards in the FAQs above or by using the NIH RePORTER tool; NINDS has issued Notices in the NIH Guide; and potential applicants can contact the Program Officer to ask about whether the idea fits with the goals of the initiative.

What happens if there are overlapping rigor principles/educational units in multiple METER applications?

In the case of overlap between different METER awardees, the division of responsibility for each individual educational unit will be determined in consultation with NINDS and CENTER after funding decisions have been made. Likely scenarios include, but are not limited to:

Adjusting each educational unit to address related but non-overlapping topics
	Dropping the educational unit from all but one METER award
	Working with other METER awardees to collaboratively develop the unitWhy should scientific examples within each educational unit be related to neuroscience?

Although the principles of rigorous research are expected to be broadly applicable across scientific disciplines, scientific examples are expected to be within NINDS areas of focus in order to ensure relevance to NINDS-funded investigators. Also note that mechanisms will be developed by CENTER for educators to incorporate customized scientific examples into educational units to increase relevance for their students, so non-neuroscience examples may be developed over time.

Can previously developed/already existing educational materials be integrated into the resource by CENTER and METER awardees?

Due to the specific requirements for educational units under this initiative, no existing resource will likely have all the required elements or already be harmonized with other educational units for direct integration into the new resource. METER applicants, however, can propose to modify and build upon already developed materials as long as permissions are obtained or not needed for such modification and usage. Keep in mind that materials are expected to be open source once integrated into the resource, so METER applicants should explain their plans and provide assurance that such modification and usage is allowed and will be consistent with the requirements of the educational resource.

Since CENTER is responsible for organizing evaluation and dissemination activities, how will METER awardees be involved?

METER awardees will assist CENTER in the evaluation, modification, and dissemination of the educational resource. Although formal evaluation and dissemination plans are not required in METER applications because CENTER will provide leadership and coordination of these activities, METER applicants should describe plans to collaborate with CENTER to evaluate the effectiveness of educational units developed under this award, improve and update the content in each unit, and disseminate the finished online educational units at no cost to individuals. **It is advised to show a balance in vision between knowing how the activities should be properly evaluated and flexibility for allowing CENTER to lead and guide the evaluation activities.** Proposed approaches to evaluation and dissemination will be considered and potentially integrated by CENTER under the collaborative guidance of the Steering Committee, which consists of CENTER representation, METER awardees, and NIH staff.

Should I propose human subjects research for the evaluation and dissemination activities?

It is up to the applicant whether they want to propose activities that require human subjects according to NIH and federal policy. Note that **clinical trials are not allowed under this NOFO**, and CENTER is responsible for coordinating IRB approvals and evaluation/dissemination activities that are likely to include human subjects. For this reason, **METERs are not required to propose inclusion of human subjects in their proposals.**If CENTER determines at a later date that METERs need to add human subjects activities to their individual studies, prior approval from NIH will be required.

What may I include in the Appendix?

Allowable items are described under “Appendix” in Section IV.2 of the NOFO.

What should I put in my milestones?

Milestones are clear, quantifiable goals that can be achieved by the applicant over the course of the project period. They should be described briefly in the Research Strategy/Research Education Program Plan section of the application as described under “Milestones” in the NOFO. Additionally, a timeline describing the major milestones and activities for each funding year of the award must be included in “Other Attachments” under Section IV.2 SF424(R&R) Other Project Information.

Should I submit letters of support?

Yes. For this NOFO, an Institutional Commitment Letter of Support is required, describing institutional commitment to support the proposed work (see “Letters of Support” under Section IV.2). If one is not provided, your application may be withdrawn. You may also include letters of support from collaborators and other institutions/organizations providing significant support for the proposal.

Review

Who can I ask about the review process?

You may direct any questions about the review process here:

Chief, Scientific Review Branch
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Email: nindsreview.nih.gov@mail.nih.gov

How will applications be reviewed?

Review will be by a special emphasis panel organized by the NINDS Scientific Review Branch. Reviewers will be instructed to evaluate each application according to the review criteria listed in the NOFO under Section V.

Why might my application not be reviewed?

Applications that are non-responsive or incomplete may not be reviewed. The following are considered non-responsive or incomplete for this NOFO:

Applications without an Institutional Commitment Letter of Support.
	Applications without milestones included.
	Applications without a one-page attachment with a timeline of major milestones. Project timelines must include producing draft material within the first year of funding and participating in evaluation, improvement, and dissemination of educational units thereafter.
	Applications without a one-page attachment describing how the senior/key personnel meet the expertise requirements of the NOFO. Applications must incorporate expertise related to the foundations and application of one or more principle(s) of rigorous biomedical research.
	Proposed educational materials that do not address one or more principle(s) of rigorous research.
	Proposed educational materials that do not address required elements of an educational unit.
	Applications that do not propose materials for adaptation into a variety of media formats.
	Applications without a Resource Sharing Plan.What is the estimated timeline for application review and award?

Applications will be reviewed by a scientific review group (study section) in March, undergo a second level of review by the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NANDS) Council in May, and be awarded around July for an August 1 start date.

Can I appeal the review of my application?

No. Therefore, be sure to inform NINDS of any potential reviewer conflicts in a cover letter included with the application at the time of submission. Current Research
  
    

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            Research Funded by NINDS
                                                              
                    
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                                      Office of Global Health and Health Disparities
                                                              
                    
                                      HERN Initiative
    
            U.S.-Japan Brain Research Cooperative Program (BRCP)NeuroNEXT
                                                              
                    
                                      NeuroNEXT Clinical SitesNeuroscience Research
                                                              
                    
                                      Fundamental Neuroscience ResearchTranslational Research
                                                              
                    
                                      Active Projects for Partnering
    
            CREATE Bio
                                                              
                    
                                      CREATE Bio Application Support Library
    
            CREATE Bio Contract Resources/Consultants
    
            CREATE Bio Guidance DocumentsDTR Staff Publications about Programs
    
            Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE Program)
                                                              
                    
                                      IGNITE - Definitions for Key Terms
    
            IGNITE Milestone ExamplesONETOX: Neural Exposome and Toxicology Programs
                                                              
                    
                                      The Neural Exposome
    
            Chemical Threats
    
            Chemical SafetyTranslational Devices
                                                              
                    
                                      Device Frequently Asked Questions
    
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            Milestones for Translational Device Cooperative AgreementsUltra-rare Gene-based Therapy (URGenT) Network
                                                              
                    
                                      Current URGenT Projects
    
            URGenT External Consultant Board (ECB) Members
    
            URGenT Project Consultants & ContractsResearch at NINDS
                                                              
                    
                                      Blue Ribbon Panel Review of NINDS Intramural Research Program
                                                              
                    
                                      Blue Ribbon Panel Highlights
    
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            Charge to the Blue Ribbon Panel
    
            Executive Summary of the NINDS Blue Ribbon Panel ReviewScientific Resources
                                                              
                    
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                                      CounterACT Program
                                                              
                    
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            FDA Guidance Documents
    
            NIH CounterACT Researcher Honors and AwardsICARE: Interagency Collaborative to Advance Research in Epilepsy
    
            Interagency Research Coordinating Committees
    
            NINDS' Role in the HEAL Initiative
                                                              
                    
                                      Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-Net)
    
            Pain Therapeutics Development Program
    
            Preclinical Screening Platform for Pain (PSPP)Office of Emergency Care Research
                                                              
                    
                                      OECR Funded Awards
    
            Research Involving an Exception from Informed ConsentRigor & Transparency
                                                              
                    
                                      Initiative to Improve Education in the Principles of Rigorous Research
    
            Rigor Champions and Opportunities
                                                              
                    
                                      NINDS Sustainable Transformation of Institutional Research Rigor (STIRR) Initiative
    
            Rigor IconsRigor and Transparency Resources

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