Research Funding Opportunities: The Role of the NIDA Program

1
Research Funding OpportunitiesThe Role of the
NIDA Program
David Shurtleff, Ph.D. Director, Division of
Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral
Research National Institute on Drug
Abuse National Institutes of Health U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services College
on Problems of Drug Dependence June 2008
2
Who/What is a Program Officer?

• A Program Officer
• is a Scientist and Administrator
• manages grants, contracts, and cooperative
  agreements
• identifies needs in scientific areas
• identifies scientific areas of special interest
  and communicates interest
• monitors research progress
• advocates for the best science
• attends Study Section
• listens to grant reviews
• observes review process

3
Application Funding Process

• The application process
• Contacting the right person
• K and R Awards
• Writing and submitting your application
• After the application is reviewed, then what?
• Funding
• Conclusions.

4
The Application Process
National Institutes of Health
5
The Application Process
National Institutes of Health
Center for Scientific Review
School or Other Research Center

• Principal
• Investigator

Assign to
IC and IRG
Submits Application
Initiates Research Idea
Scientific Review Group
Scientific Merit
Review for
Institute
Evaluate for
Relevance
Advisory Council or Board
Recommend
Action
Allocates Funds
Program staff
Research is Conducted
6
Application Funding Process

• The application process
• Contacting the right person
• K and R Awards
• Writing and submitting your application
• After the application is reviewed, then what?
• Funding
• Conclusions.

7
Who are you going to call?
A Program Officer

• Before you apply for an NIH grant, contact a
  Program Officer.

8
Before You Apply,

• Talk with NIDA Staff

and learn about

• Funding Mechanisms
• Program Priorities
• Grant Process
• Application Procedure
• Review Process and Review Committees
• New Initiatives ?
• RFAs, PAs
• Research Interests
• NIH Roadmap NIH Neuroscience Blueprint.

9
NIDA
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Office of the Director
AIDS Research Program
Nora D. Volkow, M.D.,
Special Populations Office
Director
Jacques Normand, Ph.D., Director
Lula Beatty, Ph.D., Director
Timothy P. Condon, Ph.D.,
Deputy Director
Mary Affeldt
Associate Director for Management
Office of Science Policy Communications
Office of Planning Resource Management
Office of Extramural Affairs
Center for the Clinical Trials Network
Timothy Condon, Ph.D.
Betty Tai, Ph.D.
Mary Affeldt
Teri Levitin, Ph.D.
Division of Epidemiology, Services Prevention
Research
Intramural Research Program
Division of Pharmacotherapies Medical
Consequences of Drug Abuse
Division of Clinical Neuroscience
Behavioral Research
Division of Basic Neuroscience Behavioral
Research
Barry Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.
Wilson Compton, M.D., M.P.E.
David Shurtleff, Ph.D.
Frank Vocci, Ph.D.
Joseph Frascella, Ph.D.
10
http//www.nida.nih.gov/about/organization/Organiz
ation.html
11
http//grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html
12
Application Funding Process

• The application process
• Contacting the right person
• K and R Awards
• Writing and submitting your application
• After the application is reviewed, then what?
• Funding.

13
Career Development Plan
R01
14
Mentored K Awards
15
Mentored Career Development Awards

• Mentored Research Scientist Development Award
  (K01)
• Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
  (K08)
• Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career
  Development Award (K23)
• Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development
  Award (K25)
• NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00).

16
Features of the Mentored Career Awards

• Purpose
• Provide applicant who has professional degree
  with 3-5 years of additional supervised research
• Training must be in an area new to the applicant,
  and/or one in which additional supervised
  research experience will substantially add to the
  research capabilities of the applicant
• Focus on progression to independence ? the
  candidate must provide a plan for achieving
  independent research support by the end of the
  award period
• Allowable Costs
• Annual Salary of 48,000-90,000
• Research Development Support up to 50,000 per
  year.

17
K Review Criteria
18
Review Criteria for Mentored Career Development
Awards

• Candidate
• Quality of the candidate's research, academic,
  and/or clinical record
• Potential to develop as an independent
  Researcher, and commitment to a research career
• Career Development Plan
• The content, phasing, and duration of the plan
• Consistency with the candidate's career goals
• Likelihood the plan will contribute to achieving
  scientific independence
• Research Plan
• Methodology
• Relevance to the candidate's career objectives
• Appropriateness of the plan to the stage of
  research development
• As a vehicle for developing research skills for
  career development.

19
Review Criteria for Mentored Career Development
Awards

• Mentor/Co-Mentor
• Research qualifications
• Quality and extent of Mentors role in providing
  guidance
• Previous experience in fostering Researchers
• History of research productivity
• Adequacy of support for the research project
• Environment and Institutional Commitment
• Adequacy of research facilities and training
• Quality of the environment for applicant
  development
• Institution's commitment to candidate
• assurances that the institution intends for the
  candidate to be an integral part of its research
  program
• Institution's commitment to balance of research
  and other responsibilities, including 75 effort
  to K Award.

20
Mentored K Awards Success Rates
21
Number of Mentored K-Awards Received and
Funded(NIDA-FY07)
(35)
(29)
(32)
(34)
(50)
(35)
Number of Applications
22
Dollars Obligated New Mentored
K-Awards(NIDA-FY08)
Dollars in Millions
23
Research Funding MechanismsTo Become an
Independent Scientist
24
Research Mechanisms forNewly Independent
Investigators

• NIDA B/START I/START
• A 1-year award
• Provide newly independent Investigators with an
  opportunity to conduct small-scale exploratory
  (i.e., pilot) research
• Establish a rapid review and funding to jump
  start research
• NIDA A-START (AIDS-Science Track Award for
  Research Transition)
• Seeks to facilitate the entry of both newly
  independent and early career Investigators to the
  area of drug abuse research on HIV/AIDS
• A 2-year award up to 100,000 per year, to a
  maximum of 200,000
•   
• Early Career Award in Chemistry of Drug Abuse and
  Addiction (ECHEM) (PAS-07-327)
• Facilitate entry of beginning Investigators into
  basic chemistry research
• NIH Small Research Grant (R03) award mechanism
  125,000 direct per year, up to 2 years.

25
Other Research Funding Mechanisms

• Investigator-Initiated Research Grant (R01)
• Small Grant Program (R03)
• Pilot or feasibility studies
• Secondary analysis of existing data
• Small, self-contained research projects
• Development of research methodology or new
  research technology
• Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21)
• Test feasibility of a novel area of investigation
  
• Studies may involve considerable risk but may
  lead to a breakthrough that could have a major
  impact on a field.

26
Review Criteria

• Significance Does the work address an important
  problem? Will scientific knowledge or clinical
  practice be advanced? What will be the effect of
  these studies on the field?
• Approach Are the design, methods, etc.,
  adequately developed, well integrated, reasoned,
  and appropriate to the project? Are potential
  problem areas considered and alternative tactics
  proposed?
• Innovation Is the project original? Challenge
  existing paradigms address an innovative
  hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in the
  field? Employ novel concepts, approaches, etc.?
• Investigators Is the work proposed appropriate
  to the experience level of the Principal
  Investigator and other researchers? Does the
  team bring complementary and integrated expertise
  to the project (if applicable)?
• Environment Does the scientific environment
  contribute to the probability of success? Do the
  proposed studies benefit from the scientific
  environment, or subject populations, or employ
  useful collaborative arrangements? Is there
  evidence of institutional support?

27
Research Project Funding Success Rates
28
B/START I/START Success Rates
29
Funding Success Rates(FY 07)
Funded
30
Success Rate for NIDA NEW PI R01 Investigators
(52)
(61)
(60)
of New R01s Funded
31
Dollars Obligated New and Competing
Awards(NIDA-FY07)
Dollars in Millions
32
FY06 FY07 Percent Funded by Priority Score
Percent Funded
Priority Score
Outstanding Excellent Very Good Good
33
FY06 FY07 Percent Funded R01s by Percentile
Percent Funded
Outstanding Excellent Very Good Good
34
2006 2007 Percent Funded by Priority Score
Percent Funded
Priority Score
Outstanding Excellent Very Good Good
35
Writing Your Application
36
Writing Your Application

• Develop your idea!
• Contact NIH to reach people who can help you
  finalize your concept
• Look to PAs and RFAs Colleagues Mentors NIH
  Staff to develop
• the idea and concept further
• Determine funded grants related to your idea
  (CRISP data base)
• http//crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_query.
  generate_screen
• Generate preliminary data most important for
  R01
• Enlist collaborators
• Include letters from them
• Clearly spell out the collaborations in your
  proposal
• Must demonstrate active, appropriate, and
  significant involvement in the proposal
• Help write and provide feedback on application,
  as necessary
• Look at successful proposals of colleagues in
  your field.

37
Writing Your Application

• Prepare your proposal early do not rush!
• Make your first proposal your best proposal
  convey confidence and enthusiasm
• Do your homework know the literature and
  issues, questions, and controversies in your area
• Place your work in perspective
• Cite others, especially members of the review
  committee, if appropriate
• If there are two camps, make sure you cite both
  sides
• Make your priorities clear
• Provide a timeline
• Be focused and use a clear and concise writing
  style
• Know the relevant review criteria and address
  them in your proposal.

38
Writing Your Application

• Discuss potential problems and pitfalls
  describe alternate strategies
• Carefully consider your funding needs
• Keep in mind that the Reviewers will judge your
  competence, in part, by how well your funding
  request matches the scope of the project
  
• Proof read! Reviewers and NIH staff have zero
  tolerance for tipografical errors, misspallings,
  or sloppy formatting.
• Critique your own proposal
• Have others read your final draft.

39
Think like a Reviewer
40
Submitting Your Application Dear Center for
Scientific Review

• Include a cover letter with application
• Request funding agency
• Primary assignment
• Dual assignment, if appropriate
• Request review committee assignment
• NIDA Review groups
• http//www.nida.nih.gov/IRGCouncil/IRGStructure.ht
  ml
• CSR Review Group
• http//www.csr.nih.gov/Committees/rosterindex.asp
  A

41
After Your Application is Reviewed,

• Talk with Program Staff
• about

• Your Priority Score
• Summary Statement
• Funding (?)
• Next Steps
• Revision
• Other ideas and options.

42
The Summary Statement
Program Officer
Note This is a Privileged Communication to be
transmitted to the PI only.
Review Group
Council Date
Priority Score / Percentile
Animal / Human Subjects
Requested Budget
Reviewers may recommend budget adjustment noted
at the end of Summary Statement.
43
Summary Statement Critiques
Critique is organized based on NIH review
criteria.

44
If at first you dont succeed
45
Percent Funded and Application Amendment Status
46
Making Funding DecisionsWho Gets Paid, and Why?

• Scientific Merit
• Priority score
• Percentile score
• Summary Statement Reviewers comments
• Programmatic Relevance
• Gap area?
• Submitted under an RFA?
• New Investigator
• Availability of Funds
• Advisory Council Recommendations
• Congressional Mandates (e.g., HIV / AIDS).

47
In Conclusion
48
Before You Apply

• Talk with NIDA Staff

and learn about

• Funding Mechanisms
• Program Priorities
• Grant Process
• Application Procedure
• Review Process and Review Committees
• New Initiatives
• RFAs, Pas
• Research Interests
• NIH Roadmap and NIH Neuroscience Blueprint.

49
After Your Application is Reviewed

• Talk with Program Staff

about

• Your Priority Score
• Summary Statement
• Funding(?)
• Next Steps
• Revision
• Other ideas and options.

50
Career Development Plan
R01
51
BE PROACTIVE!!!
BE PERSISTENT!!!
ENGAGE A PROGRAM OFFICER!!!
52
(No Transcript)