International Research and Training Opportunities through FIC and NIH

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International Research and Training
Opportunitiesthrough FIC and NIH

• Natalie Tomitch, MPH, MBAProgram Officer for
  Eurasia and
• Central and Eastern Europe
• Fogarty International Center

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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Office of the Director
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institute of Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
National Cancer Institute
National Institute on Aging
National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Rese
arch
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences
National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders
National Eye Institute
National Human Genome Research Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
National Institute of Nursing Research
National Library of Medicine
National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
National Center on Minority Health and Health
Disparities
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and
Bioengineering
National Center for Research Resources
Fogarty International Center
Center for Information Technology
Center for Scientific Review
Clinical Center
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The NIH Mission

• To uncover new knowledge that will lead to
  better health for everyone.

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NIH fulfills its mission by

• Conducting research in its own laboratories.
• Supporting the research of non-Federal scientists
  in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and
  research institutions throughout the country and
  abroad.
• Helping in the training of research
  investigators.
• Fostering communication of medicaland health
  sciences information.

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NIH Research Training Support Mechanisms

• Domestic Award with a Foreign Component,
  including FIRCA (common)
• Direct Award to a foreign institution (rare, but
  increasing)
• Research Training

R01, R03, R21, D43
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NIH Priorities and Opportunities Evaluated in
Peer Review
Ideas from Individual Scientists
Institute Advisory Councils
Scientific Review
NIH Grantees

• Scientists and public members examine the
  institute portfolio.
• Assess programs
• Approve applications
• Provide policy advice

Each year, NIH receives approximately 25,000
researchproject grant applications.
Applications are evaluated in peer review system.
Approximately 25 percent of NIH applicants gain
research funding.
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Some Considerations for NIH-funded Research

• Training of young researchers.
• Protection of human and animal research subjects.
• Research integrity and scientific accountability.
• Dissemination of research results.
• Technology transfer.
• Balance among laboratory research, clinical
  research, and epidemiological research.

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NIH Research Grants

• A foreign scientist is eligible to apply as P.I.
  or co-investigator to pursue research in any area
  normally funded by NIH
• - BUT -

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NIH Research Grants (contd)

• Application must address two questions
• (1) Why is the research being done abroad?
• - The foreign P.I. must demonstrate a special
  opportunity to further health research not
  readily available in the USA (due to special
  expertise or access to equipment, resources, or
  populations)
• (2) What is the benefit to the US population?

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NIH International Research Expenditures
Fiscal Years 1994 to 2000
Dollars
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Fogarty International Center

• MissionTo promote and support scientific
  research and training internationally to reduce
  disparities in global health and to prepare
  current and future health scientists in the U.S.
  and abroad to meet global health challenges.
• Science for Global Health

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Fogarty International Center
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Fogarty International Center

• Research and Training Opportunities for
  scientists in low- and middle-income countries
  and transitional economies
• Extramural Training Grants 13 Programs
• Extramural Research Grants 11 Programs

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Fogarty International CenterResearch Grant
Programs

• Fogarty International Research Collaboration
  Award (FIRCA)
• Ecology of Infectious Diseases
• Global Health Research Initiative Program for New
  Foreign Investigators (GRIP)
• International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups
  (ICBG)
• International Studies on Health and Economic
  Development
• International Tobacco and Health Research and
  Capacity Building
• Health Environment and Economic Development
  (HEED)
• Brain Disorders in the Developing World Research
  Across the Lifespan
• Stigma and Global Health Research Program

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Fogarty Intl ResearchCollaboration Award (FIRCA)

• Supports international research partnerships
  between NIH-supported U.S. scientists and
  collaborators in developing nations and countries
  in transition.

• Provides 32,000 per year (up to 3 years) for
  equipment and supplies for foreign lab, travel,
  and stipend for the foreign PI.
• Four reviews per year.
• CRISP database (Computer Retrieval of Information
  on Scientific Projects) lists current DHHS
  research projects (NIH, CDC, FDA, AHRQ) at
  http//crisp.cit.nih.gov/

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International Tobacco Health Research and
Capacity Building

• WHO Tobacco use is the leading cause of
  preventable death and disability in adults
  globally. By 2025, predicted 10 M deaths
  annually, 70 in developing world, straining
  resource needs.
• Goal development of scientific data for
  decision-making on tobacco issues, to include
  epidemiological-behavioral, prevention,
  communication, health services, and policy
  research of local relevance.
• Partners include NCI, NHLBI, NICHD, NIDA, NINR,
  CDC, WHO-TFI, Canadian IHR.

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Health, Environment, and Economic Development
(HEED)

• Goal support interdisciplinary, international
  research collaborations on the linkages among
  health, environment, and development in
  developing nations and countries in transition
• Developmental grants in 2003, full RO1s in 2005
• Strong research capacity building
• Policy relevance and dissemination plans
• Evaluation of impacts
• Partners include NIEHS, NICHD, NIDA, OBSSR, USGS

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Stigma and Global Health Research Program

• Stigma prevents seeking prevention and care and
  participating in research that could lead to
  effective interventions.
• Goal to stimulate interdisciplinary research on
  the etiology and role of stigma in health, and to
  develop evidence-based interventions to prevent
  or reduce its negative effects on the health of
  individuals, groups and societies.
• Partners include NCMHD, NHGRI, NIAAA, NIAID,
  NIDCR, NIDA, NIMH, NINDS, OAR, OBSSR, ORWH, HRSA,
  Canadian IHR.

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Fogarty International Center Research Training
Grant Programs

• HIV/AIDS
• Building Capacity in Support of ICIDR sites
• Global Infectious Disease Research Training
• Environmental and Occupational Health
• International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups
• FIC-NLM Medical Informatics
• Maternal and Child Health
• Population and Health
• Research Bioethics
• Malaria
• Clinical, Operational and Health Services
  Research (ICOHRTA)
• Genetics

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FIC Research Training Grants(D43 )

• Opportunities for scientists and health
  professionals from low- and middle-income nations
  to train at the Ph.D., Masters, and post-doctoral
  levels while working on international research
  projects.
• Low- and middle-income as defined by World Bank
  (per capita income lt 9,000).

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FIC Research Training Grants

• Institutional training grant to U.S. universities
  and non-profit research institutions in response
  to a specific request for application (RFA).
• Awardees are current NIH grant recipients with
  demonstrated research collaboration with foreign
  research institutions.
• Purpose support training of scientists for
  building of research capacity in developing
  nations and countries in transition.

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Support Available Through FIC Training Grants

• Masters and Doctoral Degrees Tuition,
  Stipends, Travel, Related Expenses
• Post-doctoral Fellowships Tuition, Stipends,
  Travel, Related Expenses
• Short Courses (in U.S. or In-country) Tuition,
  Travel, Per diem
• Training-related In-country research grants and
• Re-entry grants
• Limited salary, admin support for U.S. university

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FIC Training Program Characteristics

• Systematic approach
• Stability and Long-term Commitment
• Response to Local Needs and Priorities
• Long-term Mentoring
• Mutual Reinforcement of Training/Research
• Empowerment and Mutual Respect

• Individual and Institutional Partnerships
• Advanced In-country Research (upon return to home
  country)
• Networking
• Flexibility
• Leverage

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AIDS International Training and Research Program
(AITRP)

• Purpose development of epidemiological skills in
  AIDS diagnosis, prevention and treatment
  research, including clinical trials.
• Training of researchers, technicians, and allied
  mid-level health professionals.

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AITRP Programs in CEE and NIS

• Baylor College of Medicine (Texas) Romania
• State University of New York (SUNY)/ Brooklyn
  Armenia, Baltic States, Czech Republic, Georgia,
  Hungary, Poland, Russia
• University of Alabama at Birmingham Russia,
  Ukraine
• Johns Hopkins University Russia, Tajikistan
• Yale University Russia

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Global Infectious Disease Research Program

• Support of collaborative research related
  training on infectious diseases that are
  predominately endemic in or impact upon people
  living in developing nations and countries in
  transition. 
• Partners NIAID, CDC, USAID
• Programs in CEE and NIS
• NY State Department of Health Armenia, Czech
  Republic, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Poland
• University of California at Berkeley Czech
  Republic

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International Training and Research Program in
Environmental and Occupational Health (ITREOH)

• Training of health scientists, clinicians,
  epidemiologists, toxicologists, engineers,
  industrial hygienists, chemists, and allied
  health workers.
• Focus on epidemiology and prevention research,
  environmental monitoring, and engineering
  control.
• Partners NIEHS, NIOSH/CDC

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ITREOH Programs in CEE and NIS

• Great Lakes Center for Occupational
   Environmental Safety and Health, University of
  Illinois, Chicago
• Focus on epidemiology, exposure assessment
  (Chernobyl-related health effects)
• Ukraine, Belarus, Russia
• State University of NY (SUNY) School of Public
  Health, Albany
• Focus on air pollution, hazardous waste
  management, industrial hygiene, environmental
  and occupational health policy
• Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania,
  Ukraine, Uzbekistan

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ITREOH Programs in CEE and NIS

• University of Iowa, Center for International
  Rural and Environmental Health
• Focus on exposure assessment to agricultural
  toxins, pesticides
• Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania,
  Slovakia, Slovenia
• Michigan State University
• Focus on Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN)
• Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia

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International Bioethics Education and Career
Development Award in CEE and NIS

• Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
• M.A. in Bioethics, including online interactive
  research ethics course, clinical ethics rotation,
  and analysis of case studies in international
  research ethics, research proposal development.
• Russia (St. Petersburg State University)
  Romania
• Bangladesh Medical Research Council
• Multidisciplinary training and capacity
  building of health research professionals in
  curriculum development and support of relevant
  research.
• Kazakhstan (School of Public Health, Almaty)

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International Clinical, Operational, and Health
ServicesResearch and Training (ICOHRTA)

• Supports integrated multidisciplinary, clinical,
  operational, and health services research and
  training collaborations.
• First series of grants focused mostly on mental
  health and drug abuse-related research training
  programs.
• Participating NIH Institutes and Centers
  FIC, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, NCCAM, NIDCR.

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ICOHRTA Sites in CEE and NIS

• University of Michigan at Lansing Focus on
  substance abuse.
• Poland (Institute of Neuropsychiatry)
• Childrens Hospital, Boston Focus on childrens
  developmental disorders and mental health.
• Turkey (Ankara University)
• University of California at Berkeley Focus on
  financing of mental health services.
• Czech Republic (Charles University)
• University of Alabama, Birmingham Focus on
  substance abuse treatment, prevention and control
  of related health problems (HIV).
• Ukraine (Pirogov Medical University, Vinnitsa)

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Trauma and Injury Research Training Program (new,
active RFA)

• Addresses the growing burden of morbidity and
  mortality in the developing world due to trauma
  and injury.
• Training across the range of basic to applied
  science epidemiology of risk factors acute care
  and survival rehabilitation and long-term
  mental health consequences.
• Partners seven NIH partners, the Center for
  Disease Control and Prevention's National Center
  for Injury Prevention and Control, the Pan
  American Health Organization, and the World
  Health Organization (WHO).

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Other OpportunitiesNIH Visiting Program

• Provides opportunities for foreign scientists to
  train and conduct collaborative research at NIH
  (1-3 years).
• Open to scientists at all career levels.
• Appointment must be requested by a senior NIH
  intramural scientist on behalf of the foreign
  scientist.

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Other OpportunitiesNational Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) INVEST Fellowship

• Provides opportunities for foreign scientists to
  train and conduct collaborative research related
  to drug abuse at NIH.
• Open to scientists at all career levels.
• Foreign scientist must seek appointment from a
  senior NIH intramural scientist.

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Other OpportunitiesU.S. Civilian Research
Development Foundation (CRDF)

• With NIH funding, supports joint biomedical
  behavioral research between U.S. and NIS
  investigators.
• Catalyzing new linkages and development of
  scientific infrastructure.
• Direct transfer of and equipment to NIS
  scientists, exempt from tax and customs.
• New targeted HIV/AIDS Initiative (1) workshops
  (2) grants competition and (3) final conference
  to set research agenda, formulate appropriate
  program interventions and policy implications.
• http//www.crdf.org

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Bridges in Life Sciences

• Budapest, October 2003 Regional networking
  meeting and technology transfer workshop for U.S.
  and CEE researchers supported by NIH (150 grants
  in 8 disciplines). www.varimed.hu Conferences
• Purpose to strengthen US-CEE and intra-regional
  collaborations, to bridge other efforts (EU), to
  address training needs as countries enter the EU.
• Recommendations continue regular targeted
  scientific networking meetings and training
  sessions in TT and grantsmanship.
• May 2004 Reproductive health/ LBW (Bratislava,
  Slovakia) October 2004 HIV and Related
  Conditions (Bucharest, Romania) June 2005
  Pan-European Forum (Dubrovnik, Croatia).

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Questions?

• Please contact
• Natalie Tomitch, MPH, MBA
• Program Officer for Russia, NIS (Eurasia) and CEE
• Tel [phone]
• E-mail tomitch_at_nih.gov