IDeA Program Guidelines - June 29 2007

National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services

Division of Research Infrastructure
Institutional Development Award
(IDeA) Program
Program Guidelines
IDeA Centers of Biomedical Research
Excellence (COBRE)
IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research
Excellence (INBRE)

June, 2007

An Administrative Document Issued by the
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
Contact Information:
Division of Research Infrastructure
National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
One Democracy Plaza, Suite 6030
6701 Democracy Blvd, MSC 4874
Bethesda, MD 20892-4874
phone: 301-435-0788
fax: 301-480-3770
e-mail: [email protected]
Division of Research Infrastructure Web site:
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrastructure/

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD (IDEA) PROGRAM
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
CONTENTS

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD (IDEA) PROGRAM.. . . . . . . . . . .
Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Eligibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IDeA - 1
IDeA - 1
IDeA - 1
IDeA - 1
IDeA - 2
IDeA - 2

CENTERS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (COBRE).. . . . . . COBRE - 1
Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 1
Research Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 1
Eligibility Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 1
Mechanism of Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 2
Funds Available. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 2
Funding Restrictions.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 3
Cost Sharing or Matching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 3
Program Characteristics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 3
Principal Investigator (PI). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 4
Allowable Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 5
Faculty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 5
Meetings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 5
Consortia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 5
Renovations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 5
Up-to-date Information.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 5
Application Procedures.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 6
Letter of Intent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 6
General Information.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 6
Submission Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 6
Order of Content.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 7
Revised Applications.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 8
Budgets.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 8
Consortium Arrangements.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 8
External Advisory Committee (EAC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 9
Research Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 9
Individual Research Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 10
Criteria for Eligibility of Junior Investigators.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 10
Administrative Core. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 11
Research Core Facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 13
Alteration and Renovation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 13
Plan for Sharing Research Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 14

Sharing Research Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 14
Review Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 14
Review Criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 15
Traditional Review Criteria.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 15
Significance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 15
Approach.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 15
Innovation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 15
Investigators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 16
Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 16
Additional Review Criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 16
Administrative Leadership and Overall Potential for Enriching the Intellectual
Milieu for Doing Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 16
Effectiveness in Training and Promoting Junior Investigators. . . . . . . . COBRE - 17
Scientific Merit of the Individual Biomedical Research Projects. . . . . . COBRE - 17
Additional Review Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 17
Resubmission Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Protection of Human Subjects from Research Risk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Inclusion of Women, Minorities and Children in Research.. . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Biohazards.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Budget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Data Sharing Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Award Criteria.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 18
Award Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 19
Reporting Requirements.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 19
PHS 2590 Non-Competing Grant Progress Report
Annual Progress Report
Inquiries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COBRE - 19
IDeA NETWORKS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (INBRE). INBRE - 1
Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 1
Research Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 1
Eligibility Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 2
Mechanism of Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 2
Funds Available. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 3
Funding Restrictions.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 4
Cost Sharing or Matching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 4
Allowable Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 5
Salary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 5
Tuition Remission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 5
Ancillary Personnel Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 5
Facilities and Administrative Costs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 5
Renovations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 5
Other Allowable Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 6
Meetings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 6

Consortia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 6
Up-to-date Information.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 7
Program Characteristics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 7
Program Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 7
Principal Investigator (PI). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 7
Program Coordinator (PC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 8
Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 8
K-12 Institutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 9
Network Characteristics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 9
Cores.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 10
Mandatory Cores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 10
Administrative Core. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 10
Bioinformatics Core.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 11
Outreach Core. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 11
INBRE Committees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 11
Steering Committee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 11
External Advisory Committee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 12
Mentors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 12
Graduate and Undergraduate Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 13
Evaluation Plan.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 13
Plan for Sharing Research Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 13
Sharing Research Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 14
Reporting Requirements.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 14
PHS 2590 Non-Competing Grant Progress Report
Annual Progress Report
Inquiries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INBRE - 14

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD (IDeA) PROGRAM
PURPOSE
For many years, NIH has used the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program to make a
special effort to stimulate research at educational institutions that traditionally have not received
significant levels of competitive research funding from NIH. In FY 1998, investigators from the
23 eligible IDeA states and Puerto Rico accounted for only eight percent of the total number of
NIH research grant applications, most likely because there are too few investigators trained to
conduct biomedical research in those states.
The IDeA Program broadens the geographic distribution of NIH funding for biomedical and
behavioral research, fosters health-related research, and enhances the competitiveness of
investigators at institutions located in states in which the aggregate success rate for applications
to NIH has historically been low, by increasing the competitiveness of investigators through
support for faculty development and enhancement of the research infrastructure at institutions
located in the currently eligible 23 states and Puerto Rico.
ELIGIBILITY
Fiscal Year 2007 eligibility is limited to those states that attained a success rate of less than 20
percent in obtaining NIH grant awards or received less than an average of $120 million in NIH
grant funds over the five-year period, 2001-2005. Based on these two criteria, the following 23
states and Puerto Rico are currently eligible:
Alaska

Kansas

Montana

North Dakota

South Dakota

Arkansas

Kentucky

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Vermont

Delaware

Louisiana

Nevada

Puerto Rico

West Virginia

Hawaii

Maine

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

Wyoming

Idaho

Mississippi

New Mexico

South Carolina

OVERVIEW
The two main components of the IDeA Program are: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence
(COBRE) which augment and strengthen institutional biomedical research capabilities by
expanding and developing biomedical faculty research capability through support of a
multidisciplinary center, led by a peer-reviewed, NIH-funded investigator with expertise central
to the theme of the grant proposal; and IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence
(INBRE) which enhance biomedical research capacity, expand and strengthen the research

IDeA - 1

capabilities of biomedical faculty, and provide access to biomedical resources for promising
undergraduate students throughout the eligible states.
CENTERS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (COBRE)
NCRR’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) support thematic multidisciplinary centers that augment and strengthen institutional biomedical research capacity by
expanding and developing biomedical faculty research capability and enhancing research
infrastructure, including the establishment of core facilities needed to carry out the objectives of
a multidisciplinary, collaborative program.
COBREs are expected to grow through the promotion of collaborative interactive efforts among
researchers with complementary backgrounds, skills, and expertise; and to compete
independently for external peer-reviewed center or program project grant support. In some
instances, COBRE support will facilitate the development of new disease-specific research
centers or augment the capability of existing centers.
Each COBRE includes:
• a principal investigator who is an established biomedical or behavioral research scientist with
expertise central to the research theme of the center, has an active research laboratory, relevant
peer-reviewed funding, and has demonstrated administrative leadership and mentoring
experience;
• three to five individual research projects – each supervised by a single junior investigator –
that stand alone but share a common thematic scientific focus; and
• at least one mentor for each junior investigator, and a development and mentoring plan
addressing how the junior investigators will transition to competitive grant support from NIH
Institutes and Centers or other Federal or non-Federal agencies or organizations.
IDeA NETWORKS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (INBRE)
NCRR’s IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) promote the
development, coordination, and sharing of research resources and expertise that will expand the
research opportunities and increase the number of competitive investigators in the IDeA-eligible
states.
INBREs are intended to enhance the caliber of scientific faculty at research institutions and
undergraduate schools, thereby attracting more promising students to these organizations. INBRE
is the second phase of the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Networks (BRIN) Program, which
began by providing planning grants in 2001.
Each INBRE grantee establishes a multidisciplinary research network with a scientific focus that
will:

IDeA - 2

• build and strengthen the lead and partner institutions’ biomedical research expertise and
infrastructure;
• build and increase the research base and capacity by providing research support to faculty,
postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students at the participating institutions;
• provide research opportunities for undergraduate students and serve as a “pipeline” for
undergraduate students to continue in health research careers within IDeA states;
• provide outreach activities to students at undergraduate institutions, community colleges, and
tribal colleges participating in the state’s network; and
• enhance science and technology knowledge of the state’s workforce.

IDeA - 3

IDeA - 4

CENTERS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (COBRE)
PURPOSE
The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program is one of the approaches
taken by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to implement the Institutional
Development Award (IDeA) Program. COBRE awards are made to support investigators at
independent biomedical research institutions, or biomedical research institutions that award
doctoral degrees in the health sciences or sciences related to health, within IDeA-eligible states.
Collaboration with other non-doctoral degree-granting and research-performing institutes or
institutions is encouraged.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The COBRE program seeks to promote the initiation and implementation or expansion of
unique, innovative, state-of-the-art biomedical and behavioral research at institutions in
IDeA-eligible states. The research focus of this program cuts across the full spectrum of the
basic, translational, and clinical sciences (e.g., cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and
biotechnology, genetics and developmental biology, pharmacology, et cetera). NIH recognizes
that the contributions that the institutions in IDeA-eligible states can make are important and
essential in fulfilling the promise of the NIH research agenda.
The objectives of the COBRE program are to strengthen an institution’s biomedical research
infrastructure through the establishment of a thematic multi-disciplinary center, and to enhance
the ability of investigators to compete independently for complementary NIH individual research
grants or other external peer-reviewed support. Since a significant part of the COBRE program is
to build and develop thematic multi-disciplinary research centers, it is expected that progress will
be made toward establishing centers that can compete independently for external peer-reviewed
center or program project grant support. In some instances, Centers may be more effectively
maintained by the Centers’ investigators collectively competing for individual investigator-initiated research support.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
An eligible institution must be within an IDeA state, and be either a domestic, public or private,
or non-profit research institution that awards doctoral degrees in health sciences or sciences
related to health, or an independent biomedical research institute.
Applications are accepted from eligible institutions that hold two or less active COBRE awards.
Eligible institutions that do not hold a current COBRE award are encouraged to apply. Please
note that applications will NOT be accepted from institutions that hold three or more active
COBRE awards; these institutions cannot submit applications.

COBRE - 1

Applications are encouraged from veterinary and dental schools in IDeA states. Veterinary and
dental school components of institutions are treated as separate eligible entities and are allowed
to submit applications in addition to the parent institution.
No eligible institution, including veterinary and dental schools, can submit more than one
application per fiscal year. Multiple applications received from these institutions or applications
received from ineligible institutions (those that hold three or more active COBRE awards) are not
reviewed. If an institution is planning more than one application, it is the responsibility of that
institution to appoint a steering or selection committee to decide which single application to
submit.
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed
research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals
from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always
encouraged to apply for NIH support.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
The administrative and funding instrument for COBRE is the P20 exploratory grant award
mechanism.
Responsibility for planning, directing, and executing a proposed project is solely that of the
applicant. All current policies and requirements that govern the research grant programs of NIH
will apply to grants awarded for COBRE.
An applicant may request a project period of five or fewer years and a budget for direct costs of
up to $1.5 million/year, excluding F&A costs on consortium arrangements.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
An applicant may request a project period of five years and may request a budget for direct costs
of up to and no more than $1.5 million per year, excluding facilities and administrative (F&A)
costs on consortium arrangements. The applicant may also request additional direct costs – in
year one only – of up to $500,000 as a one-time expenditure for Alteration and Renovation of
laboratory or animal facilities. If Alteration and Renovation costs are requested, then the total
budget request for year one must not exceed $2 million in direct costs, excluding F&A costs on
consortium arrangements. Regardless whether Alteration and Renovation costs are requested,
budget requests for years two through five cannot exceed $1.5 million per year, excluding F&A
costs on consortium arrangements.
Funds may be used to develop Offices of Sponsored Programs or to recruit additional faculty
who complement the scope of the proposed program. Recruitment funds are limited to $200,000
per year for each position. These funds may be used for salary, supplies, and/or equipment costs.

COBRE - 2

The Principal Investigator (PI) must communicate plans for the expenditure of funds for
recruitment purposes to the NCRR for Programmatic Review.
FUNDING RESTRICTIONS
Pre-award costs are allowable. A grantee may, at its own risk and without NIH prior approval,
incur obligations and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the
initial budget period of a new or competing continuation award if such costs are necessary to
conduct the project, and would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior
approval. If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee must
obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is required for any costs to be
incurred more than 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget period of a new or
competing continuation award.
The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of a competing or non-competing award
imposes no obligation on NIH either to make the award or to increase the amount of the
approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to
cover the pre-award costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award
costs result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not impair the
grantee’s ability to accomplish the project objectives in the approved time frame or in any way
adversely affect the conduct of the project (NIH Grants Policy Statement;
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/nihgps_part6.htm).
COST SHARING OR MATCHING
This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement. The
most current Grants Policy Statement can be found at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm/

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
Each COBRE has to have a thematic science focus in one research area – such as neuroscience,
cancer, structural biology, immunology, or bioengineering – and may use basic, translational,
and/or clinical research approaches to attain its goals. The scientific leadership provided by one
or more established biomedical research faculty is critical to the success of this initiative,
especially for the mentoring of promising junior investigators. The Center is intended to support
investigators from several different disciplines, thereby developing a critical mass of
investigators who will enhance competitiveness in a research area, and increase success in
competing for other complementary NIH research grant support. It is also anticipated that, in
some instances, the support through this initiative will facilitate the development of new diseasespecific research centers, or augment the capability of existing centers.
Essential elements for the COBRE include a Principal Investigator/Magnet Investigator, core
laboratory (ies), new faculty recruits, and an external advisory committee.
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The prime objectives of this program are accomplished by supporting a magnet investigator to
serve as mentor to the junior investigators, and by supporting three to five research projects with
a thematic science focus. The Principal Investigator enhances the ability of the institution(s) to
compete for complementary NIH individual research grant support, and serves as a mentor for
more junior faculty at the institution(s). This initiative is not intended to replace the support for
ongoing, investigator-initiated research programs of established investigators, and the
investigator of a pilot project must submit one or more investigator-initiated external peerreviewed grant applications at the end of three years in order to receive continued support for the
fourth and fifth years.
Collaboration with other non-doctoral degree-granting and research-performing institutes or
institutions is encouraged. However, funds for research activities cannot be used at collaborative
institutions in non-IDeA states.
Each COBRE must include an External Advisory Committee (EAC) comprising scientists with
national scientific reputations in their fields and expertise directly relevant to the scientific theme
of the respective COBRE.
The EAC critiques the scientific progress of the COBRE and also offers advice on scientific
matters to the COBRE PI. The EAC activities include developing and planning concepts and
programs, encouraging and assisting faculty development and mentoring, identifying resources,
evaluating the development of the Center, evaluating the progress of the individual research
projects, and evaluating the junior investigators’ progress toward acquiring independent status.
The PI shares the advice and critiques provided by the EAC with other COBRE investigators at
the Center. The EAC also reviews and recommends candidate investigators for
replacement/substitute projects, as required, before such requests are forwarded to the NCRR for
Programmatic Review. The EAC must meet at least twice per year. Video-, teleconferencing or
other means may be used in situations where it would be difficult to hold an in person meeting. A
summary of the issues discussed at each EAC meeting, recommendations made, and actions
taken must be included in the yearly progress reports submitted to the NCRR.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI)
COBREs are expected to engage in future growth through the promotion of collaborative
interactive efforts among researchers with complementary backgrounds, skills and expertise, and
to compete independently for external peer-reviewed center or program project grant support.
This goal is accomplished through the direction provided by a PI who provides leadership to
junior investigators, and has the primary responsibility for administering the program and for
overseeing the development of the Center and its associated core facilities. The PI must be an
established biomedical or behavioral research scientist who has demonstrated the administrative
abilities to effectively carry out the objectives of the COBRE program and meet its goals; has an
active research laboratory and relevant peer-reviewed funding (either NIH, NSF or other Federal
or non-Federal investigator-initiated support); and has the administrative leadership and
mentoring experience needed to effectively carry out the objectives of the COBRE program and
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to meet its goals. A minimum time commitment of 25 percent is required for the PI. However, up
to 50 percent effort will be supported for mentoring and administrative oversight of the COBRE.
If the PI is not in place at the institution at the time of review or award, a plan to recruit such an
individual must be included in the application that will result in having that individual on the
full-time faculty within one year of the peer-review of the institution’s application. An award will
not be made until the institution has appointed a permanent COBRE PI.
ALLOWABLE COSTS
FACULTY
Funds may be used for faculty expansion (i.e. recruitment of additional faculty who complement
the scope of the proposed program) up to $200,000 per year for each position. These funds may
be used for salary, supplies, and equipment costs.
MEETINGS
The COBRE project should budget for an annual two-day meeting in Bethesda, Maryland with
NCRR staff.
CONSORTIA
Facilities and Administration (F&A) costs for consortium organization(s) are excluded from the
limit on the amount of direct costs that can be requested for the entire application. Applicants are
encouraged to review the NIH Grants Policy Statement for policy and procedures applicable to
consortium agreements.
RENOVATIONS
Alteration and Renovation (A&R) costs to improve existing research laboratories or animal
facilities are allowed.
UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
All potential applicants and grantees must ensure they have the latest information about the IDeA
and COBRE programs by visiting the IDeA and COBRE Web pages
(http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrastructure/ and
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrastructure/institutional_development_award/centers_of_bi
omedical_research_excellence/.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations
described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm).

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APPLICATION PROCEDURES
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following
information:
•
•
•
•
•

Descriptive title of proposed research
Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator
Names of other key personnel
Participating institutions
Number and title of the announcement to which the applicant is responding

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a
subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential
review workload and plan the review. The letter of intent is to be sent by the date, and to the
person, listed in the relevant announcement.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Applications must be prepared using the most current approved version of the PHS 398 research
grant application instructions and forms, following standard instructions except where modified
according to the COBRE announcement in response to which the application is being submitted.
The PHS 398 application instructions are available in an interactive format at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html.
Applications must have a D&B Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the
universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The D&B
number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form. The D&B number
can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dnb.com/us/.
The title and number of the funding opportunity must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the
application form and the YES box must be checked.
For further assistance, contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email:
[email protected]. Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-0088.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
An application for a COBRE award must include the following:
• A clear and full explanation of the necessary administrative, fiscal, and scientific aspects of
the proposed COBRE.
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• A research plan for five years that describes the organization and component functions of the
COBRE. The plan should demonstrate the applicant’s knowledge, ingenuity, practicality, and
commitment to developing and maintaining a significant and productive research program.
• A description of and justification for the proposed individual research projects and core
service facilities that collectively will contribute to the Center. Applicants should ideally
propose at least three and up to five meritorious individual research projects and must describe
the nature and scope of any scientific research collaborations
• A description of the research and research training or career development goals and
capabilities of the proposed COBRE.
• A description of the infrastructure for conducting studies aimed at developing a nationally
competitive biomedical research program.
ORDER OF CONTENT
Applicants should follow the order of content described in the PHS 398 document instructions
and indicated on the Table of Contents page. With respect to specific sections:
• The Budget section should begin with the summary or composite budget for the Center,
followed by the individual budgets for all projects, cores, consortia and contractual
arrangements. Do not separate the individual project budgets into each project section.
• All Biographical Sketches should be grouped together with the PI’s biographical sketch
presented first followed by all other sketches in alphabetical order. Do not separate the
biographical sketches into each project section.
• The Research Plan for the Center should be followed with letters indicating institutional
commitment and any letters of support for the proposed center (if applicable). Do not place
these letters in the Appendix.
• The Research Plan for the Center (including letters) should be followed by the core
descriptions and individual investigator Research Plans.
• Although a PHS 398 face page must not be used for each individual research project, a
cover page should be included that indicates the project title, the name of the investigator
supervising the project, the name of the mentor(s) if applicable, whether human
subject/human subject materials will be used in the project, and whether vertebrate animals
will be used in the project.
• A Description page that provides an Abstract of the proposed project is required, and
should immediately precede each project’s Research Plan. As necessary, each project
section can be concluded with letters of commitment from mentors and, as needed, letters
of commitment from collaborators and/or consultants. Do not place these letters in the
Appendix.
• Consecutively number the pages throughout the application. Do not include unnumbered
pages and do not use suffixes, such as 5a, 5b, et cetera.
• The main body of the application should be self-contained, and the Appendix must not be
used to circumvent page limitations. Applicants must adhere to the guidelines described in the
PHS 398 document instructions regarding the preparation and presentation of materials that
can be included in the Appendix.

COBRE - 7

REVISED APPLICATIONS
Applicants submitting a revised application should follow the instructions for revised
applications described in the PHS 398 document instructions. The revision must include an
Introduction of not more than three pages that summarizes substantial additions, deletions, and
changes. The Introduction must include responses to the criticisms and issues raised in the
Summary Statement. Insert the Introduction just before the very beginning of the Research Plan.
Identify within the Research Plan the changes made by clearly bracketing, indenting, or changing
typography, unless the changes are so extensive as to include most of the text. This exception
should be explained in the Introduction. Do not underline or shade changes.
Individual projects and core descriptions that are retained in the revision must each include a
separate section of not more than one page entitled “Response to Previous Review” that
summarizes the substantial additions, deletions, and changes from the project that was originally
submitted with the prior COBRE application. The Response to Previous Review should be
inserted just before the very beginning of the individual project’s Research Plan section. Revised
text should be marked as described above.
BUDGETS
Individual research projects and core facilities that are proposed to begin in year one should have
corresponding individual budgets. Although an applicant can propose research projects and/or
core facilities to begin in later years, each year’s budget should include costs for those projects or
cores that will be active in that year only. Individual project and core facility budgets should be
grouped together with justifications and prefaced by a summary or composite budget for the
entire Center.
CONSORTIUM ARRANGEMENTS
When a grant application includes research activities that involve institutions other than the
grantee institution, it is considered a consortium effort. Such activities may be included in the
COBRE grant application, but it is imperative that a consortium application be prepared so that
the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative considerations are explained fully. In addition, the
thematic scientific focus of the COBRE must be evident in applications that include consortia
arrangements. Applicants for COBRE grants should exercise great diligence in preserving the
interactions of the participants and the integration of the consortium project(s) with those of the
parent institution because synergism and cohesiveness can be diminished when projects are
located outside of the group at the parent institution. Facilities and administrative costs requested
by consortium participants are not included in the direct cost limitation (see NOT-OD-05-004;
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-05-004.html).

COBRE - 8

EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (EAC)
The PI must select and name in the application at least three, but no more than five scientists who
will serve as EAC members. Furthermore, the participation of each member in the EAC must be
confirmed by inclusion in the application of a letter of acceptance and a current biographical
sketch of each proposed member. The PI may recruit additional members or remove members to
the EAC after an award is made. The PI must communicate the selection of additional EAC
members or the removal of EAC members to the NCRR for Programmatic Review.
RESEARCH PLAN
Each application must describe an overall research plan to justify support of a thematic
multi-disciplinary COBRE program for five years.
The Research Plan section of the application describing the Center, but not including the
individual investigators’ research projects and core facilities, is limited to no more than 25 pages,
including all text, tables, graphs, figures, diagrams and charts. The Research Plans for the
investigators’ research projects and core descriptions are limited to no more than 10 pages each.
These limitations do not include the sections describing Human Subject Research, Vertebrate
Animals, Literature Cited, Consortium/Contractual Arrangements, Consultants, and/or
supporting letters. Each Biographical Sketch is limited to no more than four pages. If not
specifically cited in the PHS 398 document instructions, no page limit is in place for any other
section. However, applicants are strongly urged to be succinct.
Ideally, it is recommended that the research plan contain the descriptions of three to five
individual research projects. However, the research plan cannot contain fewer than three
individual research projects. In addition, an administrative core providing a detailed plan for
development and mentoring junior investigators must be included. The establishment of research
core facilities necessary to carry out the objectives of a multi-disciplinary, collaborative program
may be proposed.
The overall research plan should describe the unique research opportunities that will be provided
to the junior investigators and to the institution. If the proposed COBRE research is closely
related to ongoing research or an existing center, an explanation how the research activities of the
COBRE will complement but not overlap with existing research should be described. In addition,
the application should describe how the efforts of each junior investigator will assist in the
establishment of a multi-disciplinary research center.
Although no non-Federal matching funds are required for these applications, clear evidence of
institutional commitment must be included with the application. The level of institutional
commitment will differ among applicant institutions because of the variability of resources
available among institutions. At a minimum, a letter of support from a senior institutional official
(e.g., President or Dean) should outline the commitment of resources and facilities to sustain and

COBRE - 9

support the COBRE throughout the period of funding and to maintain these resources beyond the
period of grant support.
The institutional environment and resources that are available to investigators must be briefly
described. Available resources (e.g., laboratory facilities, patient populations, geographic
distributions of space and personnel) and collaborative resources should be described. If core
facilities are included for support, the relationship of each component research project to the
core(s) should be described.
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
Each COBRE program should ideally include three to five individual research projects that stand
alone, but share a common thematic scientific focus. Each program must propose a minimum of
three individual research projects. Each research project should be supervised by a single junior
investigator who is responsible for ensuring that the Specific Aims of that project are met. An
initial minimum commitment of 50 percent effort is required for this individual. It is recognized
that during the development of a junior investigator’s career (for example, the acquisition of
other research support) it may be necessary to reduce this effort. Investigators should consult
with NCRR Program staff regarding appropriate reductions.
Each individual research project should describe the Specific Aims in the selected area of
research and the goals for the first year and for the long term. The design principles supporting
the research or the hypotheses to be tested should be delineated. Preliminary studies are not
required for COBRE applications, but applicants with preliminary results should describe them.
In the absence of preliminary results, applicants should describe the rationale and scientific basis
for the proposed research. Furthermore, each research project should describe the area of
multi-disciplinary research that is the focus of the COBRE and critically assess the existing
knowledge and approaches that have been or are being directed in the area with an emphasis on
specifically how the multi-disciplinary COBRE approach will advance the field. Moreover, the
importance and health-relevance of the proposed research to the Specific Aims should be
concisely stated.
CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY OF JUNIOR INVESTIGATORS
For the purpose of eligibility, a junior investigator is defined either as (1) an individual who does
not have or has not previously had an external, peer-reviewed Research Project Grant (RPG) or
Program Project Grant (PPG) from either a Federal or non-Federal source that names that
investigator as the PI or (2) an established investigator who is making a significant change to
his/her career. Senior funded investigators who are not making a significant career change must
not be proposed as leaders for individual research projects.
With respect to item (1), grants that name an individual as a co-investigator, collaborator,
consultant, or to a position other than PI do not disqualify that investigator. Starter grants (such
as NIH’s FIRST award mechanism, R29), Academic Research Enhancement Award grants
COBRE - 10

(AREA, R15), exploratory/pilot project grants (such as NIH R03 and R21 awards), career
development awards (such as NIH K01 and K08 awards), or other Federal or non-Federal
funding whose purpose is to provide preliminary support in anticipation of a RPG or PPG also do
not disqualify the investigator. The intent of this initiative is not to disallow promising
investigators whose early career support consists of awards geared toward initiating their
intended area of research. However, investigators who have managed to obtain significant
support in the form of a RPG or PPG (e.g., NIH R01 or P01, NSF, or other Federal or
non-Federal agency awards) are not eligible.
Investigators who propose to develop a new or alternate line of research, but whose intention is
to maintain support through an active RPG or PPG in a different area of research are also not
eligible. Investigators should indicate in the Biographical Sketch their current and previous
history of peer-reviewed research support.
A junior investigator must hold a faculty appointment (or equivalent at a research institute) at the
time that the award is made. Moreover, a clear commitment to support this appointment
independent of the outcome of this application must be demonstrated from the institution by a
letter(s) from the appropriate senior institutional official(s). Postdoctoral fellows or other
positions that do not carry independent faculty status will disqualify that individual and his/her
research project from further consideration.
With respect to item (2), support may be provided to an established investigator who is making a
significant change to his/her career goals by initiating a new line of research that is distinctly and
significantly different than his/her current investigative program. The current or previous history
of independent peer-reviewed research support, which may be indicated in the Biographical
Sketch, in a different investigative area than that proposed in this application does not disqualify
the investigator. Furthermore, this individual can be of any faculty rank. The intent of this
initiative is to allow established investigators the opportunity to initiate and develop a new line of
research. However, investigators whose current research is already supported by a RPG or PPG
and who are not changing their current research program are not eligible.
This initiative is not intended to replace support for ongoing investigator-initiated research
programs of established investigators. Instead, established investigators should serve as mentors
to advance the junior investigators’ careers.
The PI of the COBRE is not eligible for research project support, nor can he/she use COBRE
funds to supplement research activities within his/her laboratory.
ADMINISTRATIVE CORE
A clear plan for the development of junior investigators and for their transition to and attainment
of independent status must be included. This plan should detail the long-term goals as to how the
institution intends to make the transition from the research support of multi-disciplinary COBRE
projects to competitive grant support through applications submitted by its faculty members to
COBRE - 11

relevant NIH Institutes and Centers or to other appropriate Federal or non-Federal agencies or
organizations. Each junior investigator must submit an investigator-initiated RPG application by
the end of two years of support to maintain continued funding through the COBRE award.
The development plan must include both formative and summative evaluation strategies with
specific milestones, including, but not limited to, the acquisition of independent status by the
investigators, competition for complementary NIH, Federal or non-Federal external
peer-reviewed research grant support, and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Faculty
development should include a mentoring plan that involves oversight by established senior
faculty members assigned as mentors, constructive evaluations by members of the External
Advisory Committee (EAC) and coordinated management of all of these individuals by the PI of
the COBRE program. Additional oversight may be augmented through the use of an internal
advisory committee, but this committee should not act as a substitute for the EAC.
Each junior investigator should have at least one mentor. The mentor must be an established
investigator who has demonstrated the ability to advise others through the acquisition of external
support and the maintenance of an independent research laboratory. In some instances a suitable
mentor may not be available within the applicant’s institution and it is therefore acceptable to
enlist appropriate mentors from outside institutions. Mentors may be provided 10 to 15 percent
effort, and should be listed in the Administrative Core’s budget section of the application and not
in the individual projects’ budget sections. The junior investigators should clearly designate in
the text the identity of their mentors and describe their qualifications, both scientific and
advisory, that make them appropriate to assist in the oversight of the project.
The award of a Research Project Grant (RPG) to a junior investigator should be viewed as a
milestone and a criterion for changing the status of an investigator from mentored support to
independent investigator. A junior investigator may also be considered for a status change if
independence is indicated by the acquisition of sufficient skills and knowledge. However, it is
stressed that the goal of the COBRE program is to promote the development of an independent
and sustainable center. Investigators who have acquired independent status or completed a
research project should not be excluded from Center activities. These investigators should be
allowed access to core facilities and should be encouraged to participate in collaborative research
efforts. If appropriate, an investigator who has acquired independent status may direct a core
facility or serve as a mentor.
COBRE support cannot be provided in instances where a junior investigator’s new award
overlaps or is significantly similar to that described in the COBRE program. However, if the
specific aims of the junior investigator’s RPG are significantly different from the project
described in the COBRE, then the junior investigator has an obligation to remain in the program
to complete his/her COBRE project. In this latter case, continued support for personnel (e.g.,
postdoctoral associates, graduate students, technicians, etc.) associated with the COBRE project
but also listed on the other award can be provided. However, the percent efforts of these
individuals must be appropriately adjusted.

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A junior investigator who has achieved independent status and no longer supervises a research
project may be replaced by a new investigator. Replacement investigators and new research
projects may be substituted following review by the PI and the EAC. The PI must communicate
the EAC’s recommendation to the NCRR for Programmatic Review.
In some instances, a junior investigator may be placed on probation or considered for removal
from the COBRE program if a review by the EAC indicates a failure by the investigator to make
significant progress toward achieving the specific aims of his/her project or, as noted above, to
submit an investigator-initiated RPG application by the end of two years of COBRE support.
RESEARCH CORE FACILITIES
Funds may be requested to establish core facilities. The applicant must demonstrate that each
proposed core will serve the scientific needs of the individual research projects and must show
how each core will impact the development of the Center. Although the COBRE award is not
intended to replace support for ongoing investigator-initiated research projects of established
investigators, both the mentors, as well as other investigators at the institution, may use these
facilities. Additional justification may be offered by showing how a core facility will benefit
these individuals and improve the research infrastructure of the institution. Each core’s
description should indicate the qualifications of personnel selected to manage the facility and/or
plans to recruit personnel to operate the core, if needed. Furthermore, the PI should indicate any
institutional commitment to support and maintain the proposed facilities.
ALTERATION AND RENOVATION
Up to $500,000 in direct Alteration and Renovation (A&R) costs – only in year one of the award,
as a one-time cost expenditure – are allowed to improve existing research laboratories or animal
facilities. Direct costs requested for A&R are not subject to facilities and administrative costs
(F&A). Although this amount will be provided only in year one, the proposed A&R work does
not have to be completed in year one. However, PIs are strongly encouraged to complete all A&R
work in an expeditious manner and all A&R work must be completed before expiration of the
award. Alteration and Renovation projects must be relevant to the scope of the proposed
research. Sufficient detail must be provided to estimate the cost and suitability of the project.
Failure to adequately justify an A&R request will likely result in its deletion from the requested
budget. Support will not be provided for new construction, including the completion of shell
space, or for movable research equipment/instrumentation, or for equipment intended for
teaching or other non-research related purposes.
Alteration and Renovation costs will be approved only for facilities improvements at the
applicant’s organization. Proposed improvements at consortia sites are not allowed.
The expenditure of funds for all A&R projects in excess of $300,000 is restricted until project
documentation/architectural drawings have been reviewed and approved by NIH staff. A&R
projects of less than $300,000 that support the installation of fixed equipment or other structural
COBRE - 13

alterations should not be initiated until the project documentation/architectural drawings have
been reviewed and approved by NIH staff.
For any proposed A&R, a narrative summary, line drawings, and cost estimates must be
provided.
PLAN FOR SHARING RESEARCH DATA
All applicants must include a plan for sharing research data in their application. The data sharing
policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing. All investigators
responding to this funding opportunity should include a description of how final research data
will be shared, or explain why data sharing is not possible.
The reasonableness of the data sharing plan, or the rationale for not sharing research data, will be
assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into
the determination of scientific merit or the priority score.
The precise content of the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data being collected and
how the investigator is planning to share the data. Applicants who are planning to share data may
wish to describe briefly the expected schedule for data sharing, the format of the final dataset, the
documentation to be provided, whether or not any analytic tools also will be provided, whether or
not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so, a brief description of such an agreement
(including the criteria for deciding who can receive the data and whether or not any conditions
will be placed on their use), and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under their own auspices by
mailing a disk or posting data on their institutional or personal website, through a data archive or
enclave, et cetera). Investigators choosing to share under their own auspices may wish to enter
into a data-sharing agreement. References to data sharing may also be appropriate in other
sections of the application.
SHARING RESEARCH RESOURCES
NIH policy expects that grant recipients make unique research resources readily available for
research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication.
Investigators should include a plan for sharing research resources addressing how unique
research resources will be shared or explain why sharing is not possible. The adequacy of the
resources sharing plan and any related data sharing plans will be considered by Program staff
when making recommendations about funding applications. The effectiveness of the resource
sharing will be evaluated as part of the administrative review of each non-competing Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590).
REVIEW PROCEDURES
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review
(CSR) and for responsiveness by NCRR staff. Applications that are incomplete and/or
COBRE - 14

non-responsive, or exceed the maximum first-year direct cost limit of $1.5 million, excluding
F&A costs for consortium budgets, will be returned to the applicant without further
consideration.
Applications that are complete and responsive will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit
by a initial review group convened by NCRR using the review criteria stated below. As part of
the initial merit review, all applications will:
• Undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest
scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed and
assigned a priority score.
• Receive a written critique.
• Receive a second level of review by NCRR’s National Advisory Research Resources Council
(NARRC).
REVIEW CRITERIA
TRADITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA
The goals of NIH supported research are to advance our understanding of biological systems, to
improve the control of disease, and to enhance health. In their written critiques, reviewers will be
asked to comment on each of the following criteria in order to judge the likelihood that the
proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals:
Significance
Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how
will scientific knowledge or clinical practice be advanced? What will be the effect of these
studies on the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative
interventions that drive this field?
Approach
Are the conceptual or clinical framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed,
well integrated, well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant
acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?
Innovation
Is the project original and innovative? For example: Does the project challenge existing
paradigms or clinical practice; address an innovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in
the field? Does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools,
or technologies for this area?

COBRE - 15

Investigators
Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work
proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers?
Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the project (if
applicable)?
Environment
Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of
success? Do the proposed studies benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, or
subject populations, or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of
institutional support?
Each of the preceding criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score,
weighting them as appropriate for each application. Note that an application does not need to be
strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high
priority score. For example, an investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its
nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field forward.
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA
The review of a COBRE application is not only based on the traditional review criteria
(Significance, Approach, Innovation, Investigator, Environment), but also on the qualifications of
the PI to provide both scientific and administrative leadership and on the feasibility and potential
for investigators to become competitive for independent funding. Specifically, the Scientific
Review Group will evaluate the 1) administrative leadership and overall potential for enriching
the intellectual milieu for doing research, 2) effectiveness in training and promoting junior
investigators, and 3) scientific merit of the individual biomedical research projects.
Administrative Leadership and Overall Potential for Enriching the Intellectual Milieu for
Doing Research
Does the PI have the qualifications to provide scientific and administrative leadership in
developing and directing the COBRE, and establishing thematic collaborative research efforts?
As noted previously, the PI must demonstrate that he/she is an established biomedical or
behavioral research scientist, that he/she has an active research laboratory, that he/she has
relevant peer-reviewed funding (either NIH, NSF or other Federal or non-Federal
investigator-initiated support), and that he/she has shown administrative leadership and
mentoring experience.

COBRE - 16

Does the application describe how institutional biomedical research capacity will be augmented
and strengthened? How will basic and/or clinical research be encouraged? How will a scientific
thematic focus be established and maintained? Have appropriate and suitable evaluation
strategies and specific milestones to measure progress toward attaining long-range goals been
selected, and how will these be employed?
Are the nature, scope, and effectiveness of the plans for coordination and cooperation among
research project investigators appropriate, and will they contribute to the establishment of the
Center? Are the strengths, academic qualifications and biomedical expertise of the project
investigators appropriate and sufficient for research productivity?
Is the level of institutional commitment sufficient to provide support for the development of a
thematic multidisciplinary center? Has the application demonstrated that the resources and
facilities to sustain the COBRE program are present (including, but not restricted to, existing
relevant equipment, animal, and/or computer resources, and departmental or interdepartmental
cooperation)? Has the applicant demonstrated the need for the proposed core facilities and the
effectiveness of these facilities to enhance the research effort? Has the applicant demonstrated
that each proposed core will serve the scientific needs of the individual research projects and has
he/she shown how each core will impact the development of the Center?
Has the PI selected a suitable External Advisory Committee and does he/she describe plans to
make effective use of this committee to achieve the objectives of the Center? Has the PI selected
appropriate and suitable evaluation strategies and specific milestones to measure progress, not
only of the junior investigators, but of the Center as a whole, toward attaining its long-range
goals?
Effectiveness in Training and Promoting Junior Investigators
Are plans to direct and manage the research training, career development and mentoring of junior
investigators well-described, and will these plans be effective in transitioning these investigators
toward independent status? If the PI plans to recruit new faculty to the Center, are these plans
suitable and consistent with the effective growth and development of the Center?
Scientific Merit of the Individual Biomedical Research Projects
Has the PI shown effective judgment in the selection of research projects? Are the projects
related to and consistent with the overall goals of the Center? Although the Scientific Review
Group will evaluate the qualifications of each junior investigator using the traditional criteria and
considerations indicated in this PA, do the junior investigators have the potential and ability to
achieve independent status?
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

COBRE - 17

In addition to the above criteria, the following items will continue to be considered in the
determination of scientific merit and the priority score:

Resubmission Applications (formerly “revised/amended”)
Are the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group adequate? Are the
improvements in the resubmission application appropriate?
Protection of Human Subjects from Research Risk
The involvement of human subjects and protections from research risk relating to their
participation in the proposed research will be assessed (see the Research Plan, Section E on
Human Subjects in the PHS Form 398).
Inclusion of Women, Minorities and Children in Research
The adequacy of plans to include ubjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and
subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research will be assessed.
Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated (see the Research Plan,
Section E on Human Subjects in the PHS Form 398).
Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research
If vertebrate animals are to be used in the project, the five items described under Section F of the
PHS Form 398 research grant application instructions will be assessed.
Biohazards
If materials or procedures are proposed that are potentially hazardous to research personnel
and/or the environment, determine if the proposed protection is adequate.
Budget
The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period of support in relation to the
proposed research. The priority score should not be affected by the evaluation of the budget.
Data Sharing Plan
The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data may be
assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into
the determination of scientific merit or the priority score. The funding organization will be
responsible for monitoring the data sharing policy
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing).
COBRE - 18

AWARD CRITERIA
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
• Scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review
• Availability of funds
• Relevance of program priorities
In addition, the final selection of awards will depend upon the National Advisory Research
Resources Council, geographic distribution, program balance, and the enhancement of the
research competitiveness of the institution.
AWARD CONDITIONS
An award will not be made unless the institution has appointed a COBRE Director who is an
established biomedical scientist with an active research program that is supported by peerreviewed NIH, NSF, or other investigator-initiated research support in the scientific area of the
Center and has the professional skills needed to direct the Program. If this individual is not in
place at the institution at the time of review or award, a plan to recruit such an individual must be
included in the application. The administrative and leadership skills of the established
investigator, research productivity, and capacity to obtain and use the resources effectively will
be assessed by NCRR staff.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
A Non-Competing Grant Progress Report (NIH form 2590) is required annually as part of the
non-competing continuation award process, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement,
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm. Instructions for the NIH form 2590
can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm.
For NCRR-supported Center and Resource grants, the PHS form 2590 incorporates an Annual
Progress Report (APR), which provides information in greater detail than the standard NIH form
2590. The NCRR uses the information contained in the APR to facilitate programmatic
stewardship of the grant, and to respond to inquiries from other governmental agencies and the
public. Specific instructions for completing an APR and including it with the NIH form 2590 can
be found at http://aprsis.ncrr.nih.gov.
INQUIRIES
Written and telephone inquiries concerning the COBRE program are strongly encouraged,
especially during the planning/budgeting phase of application development. Please contact:

COBRE - 19

Yanping Liu, MD, PhD.
COBRE Program Officer
Division of Research Infrastructure
National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
6701 Democracy Boulevard, Room 930
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4874
Telephone: 301-451-4217
FAX:
301-480-3770
E-mail:
[email protected]

COBRE - 20

IDeA NETWORKS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (INBRE)
PURPOSE
The IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program is one of the
approaches taken by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to implement the
Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program. INBREs enhance the research capacity of
institutions through collaborative partnerships, the development of areas of potential research,
staff development, and access to research resources, so they can participate more fully in the
competition for NIH awards.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
For many years, the NIH has made a special effort to stimulate research at educational
institutions that traditionally have not received significant levels of competitive research funding
through the NIH. The IDeA program was established for the purpose of broadening the
geographic distribution of NIH funding for biomedical and behavioral research by enhancing the
competitiveness for research funding of institutions located in states in which the aggregate
success rate for applications to the NIH historically has been low. A major factor, which may
contribute disparately to the funding distribution, is that there are relatively few investigators in
the IDeA states who conduct competitively supported biomedical and behavioral research. The
statewide IDeA networks are intended to develop the research resources and modern laboratories
needed to attract established investigators, as well as the research skills of talented investigators
and promising students.
The purpose of each INBRE is to promote the development, coordination and sharing of research
resources and expertise that will expand the research opportunities and increase the number of
competitive investigators within the IDeA states. The size, structure, and operational principles
of the emerging networks were essentially established during phase one of INBRE – Biomedical
Research Infrastructure Networks (BRIN) – by the very nature of which support, NCRR staff
fully recognized that some networks are more advanced than others.
INBREs augment and strengthen the state’s biomedical research capacity and investigator
pipeline through flexible support to further expand and develop the competitive biomedical
research capability for faculty; in addition, support via INBRE is used to further enhance the
research infrastructure through support of a multi-disciplinary network, led by an established
peer-reviewed investigator with expertise directly related to the research theme(s) of the INBRE.
Each INBRE must include a scientific focus in one to three thematic areas, such as neuroscience,
cancer, genomics, proteomics, developmental biology and genetics, toxicology or any of the
biomedical and behavioral scientific areas relevant to the mission of NIH, and may include basic,
and/or translational, and/or clinical research approaches to attain the goals of the network. The
scientific leadership provided by one or more established biomedical research faculty members is
critical to the success of this initiative, especially for the mentoring of promising investigators,
postdoctoral fellows, and students. The network is intended to support investigators from several
INBRE - 1

complementary disciplines at the grantee’s and partner graduate and undergraduate institutions.
The network may extend to appropriate institutions in other IDeA states if the grantee state has
no other appropriate institutions to include within its boundaries. The faculty at these institutions
may receive support to establish their research laboratories, acquire specialized equipment, and
hire postdoctoral fellows, students and technical assistance, enabling them to develop a critical
mass of investigators and to enhance their competitiveness in a specific research area that
positions those investigators to successfully compete for their own competitive NIH research
grant awards. It is also anticipated that, in some instances, support through this initiative will
facilitate the development of new disease-specific research networks or augment the capability of
existing networks.
The overarching objectives of the INBRE program are to:
• establish a multi-disciplinary research network with a scientific focus that will build and
strengthen the lead and partner institutions’ biomedical research expertise and infrastructure;
• build and increase the research base and capacity by providing research support to faculty,
postdoctoral fellows and graduate students at the participating institutions;
• provide research opportunities for undergraduate students and serve as a “pipeline” for
undergraduate students to continue in health research careers within IDeA states
• provide outreach activities to students at undergraduate institutions, community colleges,
tribal colleges and K-12 institutions participating in the state’s network [see “K-12
Institutions,” below]; and,
• enhance science and technology knowledge of the state’s workforce.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applications were accepted ONLY from institutions that currently held a Biomedical Research
Infrastructure Network (BRIN) award (RFA: RR-01-005).
Under BRIN/INBRE, an eligible institution must be within an IDeA state, and be either a
domestic, public or private, or non-profit research institution that awards doctoral degrees in
health sciences or sciences related to health, or an independent biomedical research institute.
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed
research was invited to work with their institution, and each institution worked within its state,
to develop one state-wide application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and
ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH
support.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
The administrative and funding instrument for INBRE is the P20 exploratory grant award
mechanism.

INBRE - 2

Responsibility for planning, directing, and executing an INBRE project is solely that of the
grantee. All current policies and requirements that govern the research grant programs of NIH
apply to grants awarded for INBREs.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
An applicant could request a project period of up to five years and a budget of up to $2.5 million
per year in direct costs.
The maximum allowable direct cost for the INBRE program is $2.5 million dollars per year. Up
to $1.25 million is available to the awardee institution. $1.0 million of those funds may support
the Administrative and Bioinformatics Cores, Core facilities, training and mentoring activities,
and research activities at the awardee institution and at other research-intensive institutions in the
network. Up to $250 thousand of that $1.25 million may be used to support the Outreach Core to
sponsor outreach activities to other institutions in the state that are not part of the research
network.
A maximum of $1.25 million of the available direct costs may be expended at the
baccalaureate/masters degree institutions that are part of the scientific network of INBRE, to
build infrastructure and research capacity for the proposed multi-disciplinary research areas.
These funds are to be allocated to these institutions as consortium arrangements and/or
subcontracts, and are to cover expenses for including but not limited to salary and research
support, alteration and renovation of the research and animal facilities, equipment. A
memorandum of understanding (MOU) must clearly describe the arrangements between the
baccalaureate institutions and the grantee institutions and must provide for release time for
investigators and consideration of research accomplishments in any advancement/tenure criteria.
A maximum of 15 percent of the total direct cost requested at each baccalaureate institution may
be used for administrative costs. Individual research projects may be funded at a level not to
exceed $150 thousand/year in direct costs.
It was not expected that each applicant would request the categorical maximum allowable costs
stated above. Those numbers were provided as a guide for purposes of developing the INBRE
proposed network. The actual costs requested were to be based on the proposed INBRE network
(i.e. number of participating institutions) and activities (i.e. number of proposed scientific
projects, core support costs) providing the justification for the appropriate expenditure of
proposed costs.
The applicant institution for an INBRE scientific network that is located in a state that has no
medical school and fewer than four additional accredited undergraduate institutions that award
degrees in both biology and chemistry, could consider the budgetary allocation guidelines
regarding the available $2.5 million direct costs to be flexible.
Funds are provided for building and strengthening the infrastructure and capacity-building at the
lead and partner graduate and undergraduate institutions, including Alteration and Renovation
INBRE - 3

(A&R) of research laboratories and animal facilities, instrumentation for Core Laboratories, and
staffing (investigators, junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate
students, and technical assistance).
F&A costs for the parent institution and consortium organization(s) are excluded from the limit
on the amount of direct costs that can be requested for the entire project. Grantees are encouraged
to review the NIH Grants Policy Statement for policy and procedures applicable to consortium
agreements.
FUNDING RESTRICTIONS
Pre-award costs are allowable. A grantee may, at its own risk and without NIH prior approval,
incur obligations and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the
initial budget period of a new or competing continuation award if such costs are necessary to
conduct the project, and would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior
approval. If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee must
obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is required for any costs to be
incurred more than 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget period of a new or
competing continuation award.
The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of a competing or non-competing award
imposes no obligation on NIH either to make the award or to increase the amount of the
approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to
cover the pre-award costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award
costs result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not impair the
grantee’s ability to accomplish the project objectives in the approved time frame or in any way
adversely affect the conduct of the project (NIH Grants Policy Statement;
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/nihgps_part6.htm).
COST SHARING OR MATCHING
This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy
Statement. Although no non-Federal matching funds were required for consideration of INBRE
applications, clear evidence of institutional and state commitment had to be be included with the
application. The level of institutional commitment differed among applicant institutions because
of the variability of resources available among institutions and states. At a minimum, a letter of
support from a senior institutional official (e.g., President or Dean) outlining the commitment for
resources and facilities to sustain and support the INBRE throughout the period of funding had to
be submitted. This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants
Policy Statement. The most current Grants Policy Statement can be found at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/.

INBRE - 4

ALLOWABLE COSTS
SALARY
Salary costs are allowable to the extent that they are reasonable; conform to the established
policy of the organization consistently applied regardless of the source of funds; and reflect no
more than the percentage of time actually devoted to the NIH-funded project. If full-time
12-month salaries are not currently paid to comparable staff members, the salary proposed must
be appropriately related to the existing salary.
It is expected that the project investigators and junior investigators will devote at least 50 percent
of their professional effort to career development and research activities. Institutions must
provide release time for project investigators, thus permitting a significant time commitment to
the research enterprise.
TUITION REMISSION
Tuition remission is allowable provided:
• the individual is performing activities necessary to the grant;
• tuition remission and other forms of compensation are provided in accordance with
established institutional policy, consistently provided to students performing similar activities
conducted in non-sponsored as well as in sponsored activities; and
• during the academic period, the student is enrolled in an advanced degree program at a grantee
or affiliated institution and the activities of the student in relation to the federally sponsored
research project are related to the degree program.
ANCILLARY PERSONNEL SUPPORT
Salary for mentors is allowed as long as the mentors are members of the established investigator
pool, which is to interact directly with and mentor the junior investigators. The grantee may
request 10-20 percent effort for mentors who are extensively involved in the INBRE activity.
Salary and research support will be provided for participating graduate and undergraduate
students, and postdoctoral fellows.
FACILITIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
Facilities and Administrative Costs (F&A) will be reimbursed at the negotiated rate.
RENOVATIONS
A&R costs to improve existing research laboratories or animal facilities, and allowable fees
associated with A&R projects at the lead and scientific network partner institutions are allowed.
INBRE awards could provide up to $750 thousand in direct costs (10 percent of awarded direct
costs) over the period of the first three years. A&R costs could be be approved for facilities
INBRE - 5

improvements at the awardee institution as well as at the partner institutions. No more than $250
thousand of that $750 thousand may be used for A&R at the awardee institution. Proposed
improvements at consortia sites are allowed. A&R projects must be relevant to the scope of the
proposed research and at the institutions involved in the research network, and sufficient detail
must be provided to estimate the cost and suitability of the project. Proposed renovations in
successful applications required subsequent submission of design documents for review and
approval before the renovation project could commence. Support is not provided for new
construction, including the completion of shell space.
Direct costs requested for A&R are not subject to F&A. Installation of fixed equipment or other
structural alterations should not commence until architectural documents have been reviewed and
approved by NIH staff. Expenditure of funds for all A&R projects in excess of $300 thousand are
restricted until project documentation/architectural drawings have been reviewed and approved
by NIH staff.
OTHER ALLOWABLE COSTS INCLUDE:
•
•
•
•

Research equipment and instrumentation for laboratories
Supplies for research
Salaries for support and technical staff as well as professional staff who will direct Cores
Salary support for a Program Coordinator

MEETINGS
• The Principal Investigator and Program Coordinator could budget for an annual two-day
meeting in Bethesda, Maryland with NCRR staff. These meetings will provide a forum for the
exchange of IDeAs and information, and address problems that arise. In addition, NIH staff
will provide updates on policies and regulations that relate to the conduct of research,
including discussions of conflicts of interests, NIH Electronic Research Administration,
ethics, and protection of human subjects to strengthen the program and the network.
• The Principal Investigator and Program Coordinator should budget for an annual a meeting of
INBREs in the grantee’s IDeA region.
CONSORTIA
When an INBRE includes research activities that involve institutions other than the grantee
institution, it is considered a consortium effort. Such activities may be included in the INBRE,
but it is imperative that a consortium agreement be prepared so that the programmatic, fiscal, and
administrative considerations are explained fully. In addition, the emerging network’s thematic
scientific focus must be evident in consortia arrangements. INBREs should exercise great
diligence in preserving the interactions of the participants and the integration of the consortium
project(s) with those of the parent institution, because synergism and cohesiveness can be
diminished when projects are located outside of the group at the parent institution.

INBRE - 6

UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
All grantees must ensure they have the latest information about the IDeA and INBRE programs
by visiting the IDeA and INBRE Web pages (http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrastructure/
and
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrastructure/institutional_development_award/idea_networks
_of_biomedical_research_excellence/).
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations
described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm).
PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
This program seeks to promote the development and expansion of unique, innovative,
state-of-the-art biomedical and behavioral research at institutions in IDeA-eligible states. The
research focus of this program encompasses the full spectrum of the basic and clinical sciences
and includes cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and biotechnology, developmental
biology and genetics, pharmacology, toxicology and others. The NIH recognizes that the
contributions from the institutions in IDeA-eligible states are important and essential in fulfilling
the promise of the NIH research agenda. The intent of INBRE is to assist these institutions to
implement and use the technologies and other resources needed to conduct state-of-the-art
biomedical and behavioral research.
Each INBRE program should include multi-disciplinary, collaborative, developmental research
projects that stand alone, but share common scientific themes. A single investigator at the
awardee or network institutions should supervise each research project. Each investigator is
responsible for ensuring that the project's specific aims are met. The research excellence of these
projects will be enhanced by effectively using the scientific and technical strengths of
collaborating investigators and/or mentors. Promising investigators who are resident at
institutions in IDeA states but are not a part of the scientific network of the INBRE may receive
research support through an adjunct appointment at one of the partner institutions or as
collaborators on sponsored research projects.
At the request of an INBRE grantee, the NCRR will identify one or more program staff from an
NIH Institute or Center with a research mission directly relevant to the thematic research area(s)
to be developed within the INBRE. This arrangement will provide additional advice by NIH staff
in areas directly relevant to the scientific focus proposed in the application.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI)
The goal of this program is accomplished through the direction provided by a PI, who provides
leadership to investigators and has the primary responsibility for administering the program and
INBRE - 7

for overseeing the development of the scientific network and its associated core facilities. The
INBRE PI must be an established research scientist and have administrative and leadership skills
to direct this multi-faceted program. The PI at the lead institution serves as the director of the
INBRE and coordinates its activities.
This person should devote a minimum time commitment of 30 percent, however up to 50 percent
effort will be supported for mentoring and administrative oversight of the INBRE. This
individual serves as a research advocate. The PI also directs the Administrative Core and
establishes an administrative structure that ensures efficient utilization of the scientific facilities
and investigators within the network. The PI is responsible for management, staffing and
resource allocation, and for administering the award in accordance with NIH policies. The PI, in
consultation with the Steering Committee, selects the directors for the mandatory cores.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR (PC)
Support will be provided at a 30-50 percent effort for an additional faculty member within the
INBRE network to serve as a Program Coordinator (PC). The PC complements the
administrative efforts of the PI and acts as a liaison between the lead institution and the partner
institutions in the network. The PC must have demonstrated ability to organize, administer, and
stimulate collaborative initiatives in the planned network.
INSTITUTIONS MAKING UP THE NETWORK
An INBRE scientific network must include a doctoral degree-granting institution or research
institute (the previous BRIN grantee institution) and ideally three to five baccalaureate or
master’s level degree-granting institutions participating in the thematic multidisciplinary research
activity. New undergraduate institutions that have not been a part of the original BRIN but
contribute to the thematic research effort may be included, if appropriate, in the scientific
network. The states that elect to do so, or states that do not have appropriate eligible
undergraduate/graduate institutions with focus on the scientific area relevant to the thematic
focus, may include partner institutions from other IDeA states. The inclusion of minority-serving
institutions is encouraged as well as diversity among faculty and candidates included in the
INBRE.
The initiative is intended to strengthen the basic science departments of undergraduate
institutions. INBRE provides opportunities for undergraduate institutions to support current
productive faculty and recruit outstanding faculty who can conduct research in the specific
proposed thematic area and pique the interest of their promising students in health-related science
through both the didactic training and the research experiences. As a consequence, more students
who are well trained in science and technology may enhance the quality of the workforce and
help attract biotechnology industries that may enhance the economies within the IDeA states in
the future. With better employment opportunities, more students may choose to stay within the
state. The undergraduate institutions also serve an important “feeder” role to the science
departments of graduate schools within IDeA states and Puerto Rico to pursue graduate
INBRE - 8

education. With access to promising, well-educated students, the graduate schools in the IDeA
states can more readily build a critical mass of investigators by recruiting competitive
investigators from other institutions as well as recruiting their own graduates.
The four to six baccalaureate or master’s level degree-granting institutions that participate in the
thematic multidisciplinary research activity serve as a pipeline for future independent biomedical
investigators. Principally undergraduate institutions are also eligible if they are a component of a
university that includes a graduate school that confers doctoral degrees in one or more science,
but are not research intensive or do not conduct biomedical research as a principal activity.
Faculty at the undergraduate colleges of research-intensive institutions who do not have
appointments in the graduate school may also receive research support via this initiative. Further,
new undergraduate institutions that have not been a part of the original BRIN but contribute to
the thematic research effort may be included, if appropriate, in the proposed scientific network.
K-12 Institutions
On October 16, 2006, NIH informed the scientific community that it was amending INBRE
overarching objective 4 to include K-12 institutions [Notice Number: NOT-RR-07-002]. No
additional funds will be provided to support this activity. Those grantees who have an interest in
expanding outreach activities to K-12 institutions may rebudget funds available in the Outreach
Cores of their INBRE Networks to accomplish this activity.
NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS
A network within a state should have a research institute or doctoral degree-granting institution
serve as the network’s lead institution and also serve as the grantee institution on behalf of the
INBRE. One or two additional biomedical research-intensive institutions may participate in the
network and share in the portion of the budget dedicated to the lead institution. The statewide
network is to be composed of baccalaureate or master’s level degree-granting institutions or
non-profit research institutes that will provide the sites for the conduct of the thematic,
multidisciplinary, biomedical and behavioral research.
The research capacity-building may focus on clinical, and/or translational, and/or basic types of
research in a creative, integrated approach. Collaborations between or among IDeA-eligible
states as well as collaborations with institutions in other states is allowable, but no IDeA grant
funds awarded to an IDeA state may be used for activities in a non-IDeA state. It is the
responsibility of the leadership of the INBRE to define an effective partnership and collaboration.
The network is to include undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as well
as undergraduate and graduate science department faculty. Special efforts must be undertaken to
enhance the recruitment and career development of participating students, fellows and faculty.
Collaborations with investigators from outside an IDeA state are permissible, but must be agreed
upon by the INBRE Steering Committee (see below).

INBRE - 9

Some grantee institutions may have faculty who hold significant peer-reviewed funding from
either Federal or private sector sources to conduct research. Those faculty members may be
included as mentors and scientific members of a multi-disciplinary steering committee. The focus
of the research network will determine the need for core research facilities and modern
instrumentation. The research plan for proposed projects may be in basic, and/or translational,
and/or clinical areas of research, but must be relevant to the proposed thematic focus. There are
unique populations within the IDeA states and investigators are strongly encouraged to include
representations of those populations for valid analyses of differences that may affect health
disparities. The NIH is committed to working toward elimination of health disparities among
racial and ethnic minority populations. Since the NIH is concerned about the
under-representation of minorities in biomedical and behavioral research, the inclusion of
institutions that serve these populations is encouraged.
CORES
Each network must have at least three cores; Administrative, Bioinformatics, and Outreach. In
addition, a network must include a research network with a multi-disciplinary thematic science
focus. Training and mentoring aspects of the program are to be included under the
Administrative Core. Applications may include additional cores, such as a Centralized Research
Facility Core – several research projects may need access to one or more technologies included in
the Centralized Research Facility Core; the Core Laboratory is to include professional technical
expertise to optimize use of the Core Laboratory’s technology. All INBREs must include an
evaluation component, described below.
Mandatory Cores
Administrative Core
The Administrative Core isdirected by the PI of the INBRE and provides the logistical support
for the network. Systematic communication among investigators within the research network is
essential. The Administrative Core also develops programs to meet the training and mentoring
needs of the junior research faculty, fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students. For
example, special training may be designed for students, fellows and junior faculty to hone their
investigative skills. Support may also be provided for attending national scientific meetings and
workshops to interact with the scientific leaders in the field and learn about the most current
research advances in the field. Salary support is provided for mentors, based on their level of
effort for mentoring students and promising investigators. Salary support may also be provided
for an administrative assistant if required.
The Administrative Core also serves as a clearinghouse for ongoing research activities, any
clinical studies, analysis of research results, other funding sources, and other information relevant
to the thematic scientific focus that is being investigated within the Network. The Administrative
Core may also provide electronic networking to inform investigators both within and outside the

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network of the availability and access to modern technologies at research core facilities both
within the network and located at other NIH-supported sites around the country.
Additionally, regional scientific grantsmanship and scientific presentation workshops, seminar
and lecture series, and visiting faculty programs can be organized as a part of the Administrative
Core’s scope of training and mentoring activities. Those workshops can provide a forum for
Federal and private sector agencies to present their missions and goals and provide updates on
research funding opportunities for investigators within the INBRE.
Bioinformatics Core
The Bioinformatics Core is essential to provide investigators access to the technical expertise and
data management and analysis tools required for competitive, multi-disciplinary biomedical
research. Careful consideration must be given to optimizing access to bioinformatics and other
related tools for investigators in the network. This core will have a substantial impact on enabling
the pursuit of research areas by the multi-disciplinary research team of the network; and will
promote informatics training and education as well as understanding of approaches and methods
for data management, develop methods for multi-center research and resource sharing, and
provide methods for secure and confidential data-sharing.
Outreach Core
The Outreach Core may include a number of role-modeling and related training activities for
four-year undergraduate institutions, junior/community colleges and tribal colleges that are not
part of the scientific network. A maximum of $250 thousand of the total direct funds awarded to
the grantee institution may be expended for the Outreach Core. This core can support research
projects of faculty and some students to expose them to and provide them with research
experiences. INBRE programs are encouraged to develop mentoring/training activities designed
to increase the number and quality of graduate program applications submitted by students in the
life and related sciences. Outreach activities to these institutions through mechanisms such as
(but not limited to) seminars, lectures, workshops or short courses are encouraged. Activities
could also include sponsorship of graduate school workshops and networking activities, career
counseling, and laboratory/research experiences at active network research laboratories.
INBRE Committees
Steering Committee (SC)
The PI serves as Chairperson of the Steering Committee (SC), one of two required INBRE
committees. The PI, PC and research network institutional representatives must form and agree
to participate as members of the Network’s SC. The Vice President for Research of the awardee
institution, or their surrogate, must participate as a member of the SC. The members of the SC
establish the policies and operating procedures of both itself and the INBRE. The SC meets at
least three times during the first year of the award and at least semi-annually thereafter. The SC
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also develops strategies as to how it will interact with the External Advisory Committee, the
other mandatory committee described below. The members of the SC oversee the development
of relevant workshops, lecture series, et cetera, and periodically review the progress of
student-mentor teams. The Administrative Core provides logistical support to the SC. The PC, in
conjunction with SC, designs an Evaluation Plan to determine the impact of their program on the
development of the participating institutions and investigators’ development.
External Advisory Committee (EAC)
Each INBRE includes an External Advisory Committee (EAC), comprising three to five
scientists with national scientific reputations in their field; whose expertise must be directly
relevant to the scientific themes of the INBRE. The SC establishes rules governing the
composition of the EAC and the tenure of the Chairperson. The EAC critiques scientific progress
of the INBRE and also offers advice on scientific matters to the PI. The EAC activities include
concept development, program planning, encouraging and assisting with faculty development
and mentoring, identifying resources, and evaluating progress toward stated goals. The PI will
share the advice and critiques provided by the EAC with the PC and network investigators. The
EAC also reviews and approves candidates for additional projects and investigators as required,
before such requests are forwarded to NCRR for confirmation and approval. The members can
monitor the longitudinal progress of INBRE development. The Administrative Core provides
logistical support to the EAC. Expenses of the EAC, including honoraria, are included in the
budget. The EAC must meet at least twice per year on average. A summary of the issues
discussed at each EAC meeting, recommendations made, and actions taken must be included in
the yearly progress reports submitted to the NCRR.
Mentors
Mentors must have research expertise relevant to the scientific area(s) to be developed within the
INBRE. The mentor may be a collaborator on the junior investigator’s research project. Mentors
will help oversee the proposed training and career development of promising investigators. Each
junior investigator should be assigned to at least one mentor. The mentor is an established faculty
member who has demonstrated the ability to advise others through the acquisition of external
support and the maintenance of an independent research laboratory. In some instances a suitable
mentor may not be available within the investigator’s institution; therefore it is acceptable to
enlist appropriate mentors from outside institutions. Mentors may request between 10 and 20
percent effort and are included in the Administrative Core’s budget, not in the individual
projects’ budgets. The junior investigators should clearly designate the identity of their mentors
and describe the qualifications, both scientific and advisory, that make them appropriate to assist
in the oversight of the project. In some cases, Center of Biomedical Research Excellence
(COBRE) graduate investigators may serve as mentors to junior investigators and/or students.

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Graduate and Undergraduate Students
Graduate and undergraduate students on various projects must be recruited in the first three years
of the program. The NCRR Staff must administratively review the addition of students in Years
four or five.
Evaluation Plan
An evaluation component is to be included in the INBRE to assess whether the effectiveness of
the approach taken is meeting the goals or benchmarks for building an effective institutional and
statewide scientific network. Grantees were required to include in their applications an evaluation
plan describing the development and implementation of the plan for formative and summative
evaluations of the network along with strategies for revisions, if deemed necessary. In addition,
the evaluation plan is to set benchmarks for the network’s impact on recruitment of outstanding
faculty and students at participating undergraduate and graduate institutions. There may be other
novel elements that the grantee may choose to include in the evaluation plan, such as quality and
number of students, productivity of the mentors and junior investigators, and impact on state’s
biotechnology industry and workforce.
Plan for Sharing Research Data
All grantees had to include a plan for sharing research data in their application. The data sharing
policy is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing. All applicants had to
include a description of how final research data will be shared, or explain why data sharing is not
possible.
The reasonableness of the data sharing plan, or the rationale for not sharing research data, was
assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers did not factor the proposed data sharing plan into
the determination of scientific merit or the priority score.
The precise content of the data-sharing plan varied, depending on the data being collected and
how the investigator is planning to share the data. Applicants who planned to share data were to
describe briefly the expected schedule for data sharing, the format of the final dataset, the
documentation to be provided, whether or not any analytic tools also will be provided, whether or
not a data-sharing agreement will be required and, if so, a brief description of such an agreement
(including the criteria for deciding who can receive the data and whether or not any conditions
will be placed on their use), and the mode of data sharing (e.g., under their own auspices by
mailing a disk or posting data on their institutional or personal website, through a data archive or
enclave, et cetera). Investigators choosing to share under their own auspices could enter into a
data-sharing agreement.

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Sharing Research Resources
NIH policy expects that grant recipients make unique research resources readily available for
research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication.
Investigators were required to provide a plan for sharing research resources addressing how
unique research resources will be shared or explain why sharing is not possible. The adequacy of
the resources sharing plan and any related data sharing plans were considered by Program staff
when making recommendations about funding applications. The effectiveness of the resource
sharing is evaluated as part of the administrative review of each non-competing Grant Progress
Report (PHS 2590).
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
A Non-Competing Grant Progress Report (NIH form 2590) is required annually as part of the
non-competing continuation award process, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement,
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm. Instructions for the NIH form 2590
can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/2590/2590.htm.
For NCRR-supported Center and Resource grants, the PHS form 2590 incorporates an Annual
Progress Report (APR), which provides information in greater detail than the standard NIH form
2590. The NCRR uses the information contained in the APR to facilitate programmatic
stewardship of the grant, and to respond to inquiries from other governmental agencies and the
public. Specific instructions for completing an APR and including it with the NIH form 2590 can
be found at http://aprsis.ncrr.nih.gov.
INQUIRIES
Written and telephone inquiries concerning the INBRE program are strongly encouraged,
especially during the planning/budgeting phase of application development. Please contact:
Krishan K. Arora, Ph.D.
INBRE Program Officer
Division of Research Infrastructure
National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
6701 Democracy Boulevard, Room 938
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4874
Telephone: 301-435-0760
Fax:
301-480-3770
E-mail:
[email protected]

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