Form 2 Applicants

OMB# ­ 0925-0476 EXP. DATE: 06/30/2012

Customer Satisfaction Survey for Applicants

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: NIH, Project Clearance Branch, 6705 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7974, Bethesda, MD 20892-7974, ATTN: PRA (0925-0476). Do not return the completed form to this address.

Section I: Background

1. How did you first learn about the Early Independence Award (EIA) program?

Dr. Collins’ article in Nature

The NIH website (webpage, e-newsletter posting, blog, etc.)

An NIH-sponsored listserv email or notice

Posted announcement on NIH’s Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) webpage

Posted announcement on the Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Group listserv of

the Association of American Colleges (AAMC)

Your institution’s listserv email or notice

A notice from a professional society

Promotional flyer at a scientific meeting

A faculty mentor

Other (please specify):_________________________

2. Which option below best describes your situation? Please note that “current institution” refers to the institution at which you are completing your doctoral degree or medical residency, or have a position/appointment. Please select only one option.

A. The institution with which I applied for the NIH EIA program was the same as my current institution at the time of application

B. The institution with which I applied for the NIH EIA program was different from my current institution at the time of application

3. Which option below best describes your degree status at the time of application? Please select only one option.

A. Within the following 12 months, I will complete all the requirements for a doctoral degree

B. Within the following 12 months, I will complete my medical residency

C. Within the preceding 12 months, I received my terminal doctoral degree

D. Within the preceding 12 months, I completed my medical residency

If responses are “A” or “B” for question 3, please continue with VERSION A of the application survey.

If responses are “C” or “D” for question 3, please complete VERSION B of the applicant survey.

VERSION A: APPLICANTS WHO ARE COMPLETING THEIR DEGREE

4. How many institutions did you apply to, in order to receive support through the NIH EIA program? Please note that “current institution” refers to the institution at which you are completing your doctoral degree or medical residency. Please select only one option.

A. I applied to ____ institution(s), including my current institution

B. I applied to ____ institution(s), and did not apply with my current institution

Section II: Seeking an Institution to receive support for the EIA Program

5. Please indicate how you would prioritize each of the following factors when seeking an institution to receive support through the NIH EIA program.

Factors	High Priority	Medium Priority	Low Priority	Not a Priority/ Not Applicable
a. Scientific fit to my own research at the institution
b. Familiarity with program and faculty at the institution
c. Access to collaborators at the institution
d. Reputation of the institution
e. Clear and comprehensive picture of support environment from the institution
f. Financial support from the institution
g. Likelihood of being accepted at the institution
h. Confirmed appointment/position at the institution
i. Desirability of geographic location
j. Personal, family reasons
k. Other_1 (please specify):_____________
l. Other_2 (please specify):_____________
m. Other_3 (please specify):____________

6. If you ONLY applied to receive support for the NIH EIA program at your current institution, which of the following factors were considered in your decision process?

Factors	Yes	No	Not Applicable
Beneficial to research goals to stay at current institution
Resources (staff, equipment, etc.) provided by my current institution meet the needs of my research
Access to collaborators at my current institution
Established relationships at my current institution
Already have a position at my current institution
Insufficient time to search for other institutions
Not sure how to go about finding other institutions
Other (please specify):________________________

7. If you applied to institutions other than your current institution, what strategies did you use to seek an institution to receive support through the NIH EIA program?

8. What difficulties did you encounter due to the time allowed after the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-RM-10-019 was released to actually submit an application?

9. What was the process you went through to be selected by the institution(s)? Include key challenges.

Section III. NIH EIA Grant Application

10. What challenges did you encounter in preparing the content of the NIH grant application to comply with the RFA instructions for the EIA program?

Section IV. Plans

11. In addition to submitting the NIH grant application for the EIA program, have you applied for other position(s)/appointment(s)? For example, postdoctoral position, faculty position, fellowship for a medical specialty, etc.

I have NOT applied for any other position/appointment.

I have applied for other position(s)/appointment(s). Please list the types of appointments below:

_________________________________________________________________

12. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of “skipping the post-doc or clinical fellowship” in terms of your career?

Section V. Suggestions

13. How can the current method of host institutions and candidates seeking and selecting each other be improved?

14. What are alternative methods for matching host institutions and candidates that might be more effective than the current method? Examples may include, awarding grants to institutions which then find suitable candidates, or allowing NIH to match host institutions and candidates.

15. How could NIH improve the EIA program (e.g., eligibility requirements, RFA instructions, letters of recommendations, review criteria and process, length of time, size and number of awards, etc.)?

VERSION B: APPLICANTS WHO RECEIVED THEIR DEGREE AND HAVE A POSITION/APPOINTMENT

4. What position/appointment do you have at your current institution at the time of application? For example, postdoctoral position, faculty position, etc.

4. In addition to your current institution at the time of application, did you seek to receive support for the NIH EIA program through another institution?

A. I only sought support through my current institution

B. I sought support through ____ institution(s), including with my current institution

C. I sought support through ____ institution(s), but NOT with my current institution

Section II: Seeking an Institution to receive support for the EIA Program

4. Please indicate how you would prioritize each of the following factors when seeking an institution to receive support through the NIH EIA program.

Factors	High Priority	Medium Priority	Low Priority	Not a Priority/ Not Applicable
a. Scientific fit to my current research at the institution
b. Familiarity with program and faculty at the institution
c. Access to collaborators at the institution
d. Reputation of the institution
e. Clear and comprehensive picture of the support environment from the institution
f. Financial support from the institution
g. Likelihood of being accepted at the institution
h. Confirmed appointment/position at the institution
i. Desirability of geographic location
j. Personal, family reasons
k. Other_1 (please specify):_____________
l. Other_2 (please specify):_____________
m. Other_3 (please specify):____________

4. If you ONLY applied to receive support for the NIH EIA program at your current institution, which of the following factors were considered in your decision process?

Factors	Yes	No	Not Applicable
Beneficial to research goals to stay at current institution
Resources (staff, equipment, etc.) provided by my current institution meet the needs of my research
Access to collaborators at my current institution
Established relationships at my current institution
Already have a position at my current institution
Insufficient time to search for other institutions
Not sure how to go about finding other institutions
Other (please specify):________________________

4. If you sought support through institutions other than your current institution, what strategies did you use to seek an institution to receive support through the NIH EIA program?

5. What difficulties did you encounter due to the time allowed after the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-RM-10-019 was released to actually submit an application?

4. What was the process you went through to be selected/nominated by the institution(s)? Include key challenges.

Section III. NIH EIA Grant Application

4. What challenges did you encounter in preparing the content of the NIH grant application to comply with the RFA instructions for the EIA program?

Section IV. Plans

4. In addition to submitting the NIH grant application for the EIA program, have you applied for other position(s)/appointment(s)? For example, postdoctoral position, faculty position, etc.

I have NOT applied for any other position/appointment.

I have applied for other position(s)/appointment(s). Please list the types of appointments below:

_________________________________________________________________

Section V. Suggestions

4. How can the current method of host institutions and candidates seeking and selecting each other be improved?

4. What are alternative methods for matching host institutions and candidates that might be more effective than the current method? Examples may include, awarding grants to institutions which then find suitable candidates, or allowing NIH to match host institutions and candidates.

4. How could NIH improve the EIA program (e.g., eligibility requirements, RFA instructions, letters of recommendations, review criteria and process, length of time, size and number of awards, etc.)?

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