Applying for a Grant at the NIH

1. Applying for a Grant at the NIH Helen Quill, Ph.D. Chief, Basic Immunology Branch Division of Allergy, Immunology & Transplantation NIAID, NIH

2. The Application Process

4. 2 Independent Assignments for Your Grant Application upon Receipt at NIH

6. Peer Review “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.” -Steven Wright

7. CSR (Center for Scientific Review) Study Section peer review panel 15-25 reviewers, mostly from academia IRG (integrated review group) group of study sections

8. New Immunology IRG New Study Sections: est. June 2004 Innate Immunity & Inflammation (III) Immunity & Host Defense (IHD) Cellular & Molecular Immunology (CMI)-A Cellular & Molecular Immunology (CMI)-B Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune & Immune-Med. Dis. (HAI) Transplantation, Tolerance & Tumor Immunology (TTT) Vaccines Against Microbial Diseases (VMD) F32 Postdoctoral Grants

10. Institute Program Officer Designated Federal official with overall responsibility for the funding process • Scientist trained in area of coverage • Develops targeted research programs • Approves funding and oversees funded grants • Approves yearly progress reports • Assists PI with both administrative & scientific questions • Attends study section as observer

12. Review Process 6-8 wks before study section meeting SRA assigns and sends applications to primary, secondary, tertiary reviewers (mostly academics) for evaluation At study section meeting - These 3 reviewers give initial scores - Primary presents research plan, discusses PI, etc. - Secondary emphasizes points of agreement/disagreement - Tertiary adds his/her 2 cents worth - General discussion/questions among panel members - All panel members vote a priority score Less expected from new PI

13. Review Process 1-2 months after review - SRA prepares summary statement (written critique document) and calculates percentiles (R01s) - CSR or Institute mails summary statement to PI ~5 months after review Institute sends Notice-of-Grant Award by e-mail to PI’s business office

14. Paylines • Payline is based on percentile (rank) • Percentile: your score percentiled against current scores in that study section plus the previous 2 rounds of review in that study section • Each Institute determines its own payline (e.g. in 2003, NIAID 22.0%; NCI 20.0%) • Payline may be different from prior fiscal year • For most Institutes, percentiles within the payline get funded automatically • Study sections may recommend budget/time cuts; Institutes usually follow these recommendations

16. Funding Mechanisms

18. K08Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award • Clinical doctoral degree only • US citizenship or green card • 3-5 yrs of support • Salary: up to $75K + FB/yr • Supplies: up to $20K/yr • 75% effort required

19. K23Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award • M.D. or Ph.D. working with patients • US citizen or green card • Candidates just out of specialty or sub-specialty training • Project must be patient-oriented research • 3-5 yrs of support • Salary: up to $75K + FB/yr • Supplies: $25K/yr • 75% effort required

20. K22Research Scholar Development Award • Postdoc moving to assistant professor • Eligibility • Current NIAID intramural postdoc • Current postdoc on NIAID training grant/fellowship • US citizen or green card • 2 yrs non-renewable • Yr 1: $150K; yr 2: $100K • Can apply without a sponsoring institution

21. Grant Type F32 K02 K08 K22 K23 K24 T32 OVERALL 2002 Success Rate (%) 25 63 66 59 39 27 60 43 SUCCESS RATES FOR NIAID TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

23. R01 Success Rates (%)All PIs

24. R01 Success Rates (%)New PIs NIH-wide

25. Solicited Research ProgramsNIH Institutes

30. Help

31. How NIH Staff Can Help You CSR Scientific Review Administrator (SRA) Before review Advice on study section, amount of preliminary data, supplementary data, etc.

32. How NIH Staff Can Help You Institute Program Officer Before review Scientific advice on proposed Aims; on revised Aims; on study section, etc. After review • Discuss review, summary statement, revision • Provide information on payline, funding status • Rarely – help with funding outside the payline

33. How NIH Staff Can Help You Use the Institute Program Officer as your point person at NIH

35. Spend some time at the NIH and NIAID websites!

36. Websites • NIH Home Page: www.nih.gov • Training/Career Development: www.training.nih.gov • Grant Guidelines/Forms: • www.nih.gov/grants/documentindex.htm • How to Write a Grant: www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/write/index.htm • NIH Guide: • http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html • NIAID Solicited Biodefense Research Programs: • www.niaid.nih.gov/biodefense

37. New Immunology IRG New Study Sections: est. June 2004 Innate Immunity & Inflammation (III) Immunity & Host Defense (IHD) Cellular & Molecular Immunology (CMI)-A Cellular & Molecular Immunology (CMI)-B Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune & Immune-Mediated Diseases (HAI) Transplantation, Tolerance & Tumor Immunology (TTT) Vaccines Against Microbial Diseases (VMD) F32 Postdoctoral Grants