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RFA-RM-13-016 (Building Infrastructure Leading to
Diversity (BUILD))
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Department of Health and Human
Services Part 1. Overview
Participating
Organization(s)
Information
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Components of
Participating
Organizations
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is developed as a Common
Fund initiative (http://commonfund.nih.gov/) through the NIH Office of the
Director, Office of Strategic Coordination (http://dpcpsi.nih.gov/osc/). The
FOA will be administered by the National Institute on Minority Health and
Health Disparities (NIMHD) on behalf of the NIH.
Funding
Opportunity Title
NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to
Diversity (BUILD) Initiative (U54)
Activity Code
U54 Specialized Center- Cooperative Agreements
Successful applicants will receive support through the Linked Specialized
Center Cooperative agreement mechanism that includes a primary UL1
(Linked Specialized Center Cooperative Agreement) award, a RL5 (Linked
Education Project) award and a TL4 (Linked Undergraduate Institutional
Training) award.
Announcement
Type
New
Related Notices
January 10, 2014 - See Notice NOT-RM-14-003. Notice of Change in
Application Due Date.
January 3, 2014 - See Notice NOT-RM-14-002. Notice of Technical
Assistance Webinar.
Funding
Opportunity
Announcement
(FOA) Number
RFA-RM-13-016
Companion Funding
Opportunity
RFA-RM-13-015, U54 Specialized Center-Cooperative Agreements
RFA-RM-13-017, U54 Specialized Center-Cooperative Agreements
Number of
Applications
Only one application per institution is allowed, as defined in Section III. 3.
Additional Information on Eligibility.
Catalog of Federal
Domestic
Assistance (CFDA)
Number(s)
93.310
Funding
Opportunity
Purpose
The NIH encourages institutions that seek to engage undergraduate
students in innovative mentored research training programs to submit
applications for cooperative agreement awards through the NIH Building
Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative, one of three new
Common Fund initiatives that together aim to enhance diversity in the
biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research workforce.
Addressing a major leakage point in the research workforce pipeline, BUILD
awards are intended to support the design and implementation of innovative
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programs, strategies and approaches to transform undergraduate research
training and mentorship. BUILD awards will also support institutional and
faculty development to further strengthen undergraduate research training
environments.
Key Dates
Posted Date
December 19, 2013
Letter of Intent
Due Date(s)
(Extended to March 2, 2014 per NOT-RM-14-003), Originally February 18,
2014
Application Due
Date(s)
(Extended to April 2, 2014 per NOT-RM-14-003), Originally March 18, 2014
AIDS Application
Due Date(s)
Not Applicable
Scientific Merit
Review
June/July 2014
Advisory Council
Review
August 2014
Earliest Start Date
September 2014
Expiration Date
(Extended to April 3, 2014 per NOT-RM-14-003), Originally March 19, 2014
Due Dates for E.O.
12372
Not Applicable
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide except where instructed to do
otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all
requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. While some links are
provided, applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any
program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in
the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these
instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Note: A new version of the paper PHS 398 application form and instructions (revised 8/2012) must
now be used. Download the new application form and instructions from http: //grants.nih.gov/grants
/forms.htm.
Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
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Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Background
The NIH recognizes a unique and compelling need to promote diversity in the NIH-funded biomedical, behavioral,
clinical, and social sciences (collectively termed "biomedical") research workforce. The NIH expects efforts that
diversify the workforce to lead to the recruitment of the most talented researchers from all groups, improve the
quality of the training environment, balance and broaden the perspective in setting research priorities, improve
the ability to recruit subjects from diverse backgrounds into clinical research protocols, and improve the Nation's
capacity to address and eliminate health disparities.
With this need in mind, the NIH Director requested input from the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD)
regarding actions that the NIH should take to make transformative progress in this area. In 2012, the ACD
Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce explored ways to improve the recruitment of
individuals from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research and prepare them for successful
biomedical research careers. (These individuals include persons from underrepresented racial and ethnic
groups, people with disabilities, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds; see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics
/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27, and the latest NSF report on Women, Minorities, and Persons with
Disabilities in Science and Engineering, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/women/). The Working Group provided
recommendations, endorsed by the ACD, about how to develop and support individuals from diverse
backgrounds across the lifespan of a research career, from undergraduate study to acquisition of tenure in an
academic position or the equivalent in a non-academic setting. In response to these recommendations, NIH has
established the Common Fund Program "Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce” (see
http://commonfund.nih.gov/diversity/).
This Common Fund program is envisioned as a national collaborative through which awardee institutions, in
partnership with the NIH, will develop and implement novel and innovative programs to engage individuals from
diverse backgrounds and help them prepare for and succeed in biomedical research careers. This program is
being developed in the context of existing programs through which NIH and other entities have made significant
investments to engage scientists using a variety of training and mentoring approaches. Although existing
programs may show positive outcomes for trainees and participants, progress towards achieving a more diverse
NIH-funded workforce is still insufficient.
This program provides an opportunity to understand and address multi-dimensional factors (e.g., at institutional,
social, and individual levels) that may strongly influence student success, professional development, and
persistence within biomedical research career paths. It will build upon and move beyond existing programs and
paradigms to support transformative approaches to student engagement, research training, mentoring, faculty
development, and infrastructure development. Transformative approaches are ultimately expected to supplant
less-effective practices and methods to have a broad and sustained impact on the diversity of the NIH-funded
biomedical research workforce.
Relevant questions for this funding opportunity include, but are not limited to: What are the
hallmarks of a successful biomedical research career at each phase of the training process? What motivates
students to enter biomedical research career paths, and what factors contribute to their sustained
participation? What factors (e.g., institutional, social, and individual) influence emerging scientists,
particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to enter, exit, or sustain a biomedical research
career, and how can these factors be addressed? What must happen during different training stages to
ensure that trainees and participants, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, develop the
skills, knowledge, and competencies essential to success in biomedical research careers and careers in the
NIH-funded research workforce? How do institutional structures and resources facilitate successful research
training and professional development activities? How can approaches be designed so that their impact
continues beyond the period of NIH funding?
The program will consist of three highly integrated initiatives, in which awardees will work together as
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the Diversity Program Consortium:
The Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative:
Various approaches to increase undergraduate student persistence in the STEM-related fields have been
implemented (Graham et al., Science, 341, 1455-1456). Student participation in research experiences has
been associated with improved academic performance and sustained interest in research careers in the
basic and biomedical sciences (for example, see Fechheimer et al., CBE--Life Sciences Education,
10, 156-163 and Russell et al., Science, 316 (5824), 548-549). BUILD awards should emphasize research
opportunities for students in a multi-pronged approach to enhance diversity in the NIH research workforce.
Institutions are encouraged to consider additional innovative methods to engage and prepare students for
success. Flexibility to innovate is a hallmark of the BUILD initiative. Applicants are encouraged to think
creatively about how to address identified needs at their institutions and develop visionary approaches that
encompass institutional, social, and individual-level factors.
The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Initiative:
Lack of adequate mentoring is consistently described as a problem for trainees from all backgrounds. The
NRMN initiative will develop a highly networked set of motivated and skilled mentors from various disciplines
linked to mentees across the country – both from BUILD institutions and elsewhere – for individuals from the
undergraduate to early career faculty level. In addition to linking individuals to mentors, the NRMN will
develop best practices for mentoring, provide training opportunities for mentors, and provide networking and
professional opportunities for mentees. The NRMN is expected to contribute substantially to the attainment
of hallmarks of successful research career progression for each career stage.
The Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC):
The CEC will coordinate consortium-wide activities and evaluate BUILD and NRMN programs. The CEC will
facilitate the development of consortium-wide hallmarks, including core competencies, of successful
biomedical research career progression, and examination of the impact of BUILD and NRMN programs
according to these hallmarks. These consortium-wide development activities will be established through
consensus in Executive Steering Committee meetings facilitated by the CEC, (see Section VI for details
about the Executive Steering Committee.) The CEC will coordinate the collection and reporting of data from
BUILD and NRMN awardees. The CEC will also facilitate consortium-wide discussions of approaches,
progress, and lessons learned, and will serve as the focal point for dissemination of information to the
broader research training and mentoring communities.
The overarching goal of the Diversity Program Consortium is to enhance the diversity of well-trained biomedical
research scientists who can successfully compete for NIH research funding and/or otherwise contribute to the
NIH-funded workforce. The BUILD and NRMN initiatives are not intended to support replication or
expansion of existing programs at applicant institutions. For example, simply increasing the number of
participants in current NIH-funded research training or mentoring programs would not be responsive to
this funding announcement. Promising practices and principles derived from the literature or from pilot
programs may be leveraged to inform applicants' approaches and/or expansion of existing efforts in
novel ways. These initiatives are intended to allow institutions to develop and pilot novel approaches to
biomedical research training and mentoring and disseminate successful approaches.
Through this FOA, the BUILD initiative targets the loss of promising students, including the disproportionate loss
of those from underrepresented backgrounds, that occurs in the scientific pipeline during undergraduate training
and at the decision point to continue training at the graduate level.
Purpose/Objectives
The BUILD initiative's primary purpose is to provide opportunities and resources for eligible institutions to
implement transformative, broad-based approaches to the training of students to undertake biomedical and
behavioral research in matters relating to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases. Through
the BUILD initiative, eligible institutions will design and implement new models of biomedical and behavioral
research training for students that emphasize attainment of hallmarks of success. Participating institutions should
collectively consider all of the factors that are likely to prepare students to be successful in the NIH-funded
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workforce.
BUILD institutions should develop a variety of approaches to engage and train students and to examine the
efficacy of those approaches. While completion of undergraduate and graduate science degrees are requisite
milestones for career progression, other predictors of success in research careers should also be considered
and addressed. BUILD applicants should consider the substantial literature that addresses these factors and
design their approaches with these in mind. It is expected that BUILD resources will be used to devise strategies
to address various challenges at the institutional, social, and individual levels. In addition, BUILD awards will
support faculty and staff enrichment in novel ways to further enhance the research training environment.
BUILD awards are intended to stimulate creative new approaches for training undergraduate students with a
broad range of biomedical and behavioral research interests. Accordingly, BUILD institutions are expected to cast
a wide net for student participants and offer innovative research training and mentorship activities across a
broad range of relevant disciplines. Applicant institutions may, at their discretion, partner with other institutions to
broaden the potential pool of participating students and maximize opportunities for research training and faculty
and staff development. The applicant (Primary) institution will have responsibility for the conduct and oversight of
the award, along with the flexibility to determine the optimal configuration with its partners (if applicable) to have
the maximum impact. Partnerships involving the Primary institution and one or more additional institutions among
the types described below are encouraged, but not required.
Primary Institutions - Baccalaureate degree-granting colleges and universities that receive less than
$7.5M annually in NIH funding (total costs) through Research Project Grants and that have relatively high
proportions of students from low-income backgrounds (see Eligibility Section for further details). These
institutions typically emphasize undergraduate training and may be ideally poised to encourage students
from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter research careers.
Pipeline Partner – Two- or four-year undergraduate institutions with student populations that will enrich
and expand the pool of students engaged in BUILD activities. Primary Institutions and Pipeline Partners
are expected to co-develop and implement programs that enable students to master the coursework
necessary to enter research careers, in addition to participating in research and mentoring activities.
They are also expected to address institutional, social, and individual-level factors that may influence
movement into research careers from Pipeline Partner Institutions.
Research Partner - Research-intensive institutions with investigators who are committed and able to
serve as effective mentors. Research Partners are intended to expand training, research and mentorship
opportunities available to participating students, as well as engage faculty at Primary Institutions through
collaborations and/or training opportunities. These partner institutions are expected to provide a
scientifically rich environment, expanding the pool of potential faculty mentors to include additional
actively funded investigators, and expanding the available curricula and hands-on research experiences.
Partnerships may also enhance student interactions between partner institutions through joint courses,
shared laboratory or field experiences, or other activities. In addition to academic research universities,
partnerships with industry, NIH intramural research laboratories, or other research institutions may be
established.
Graduate/Medical Partner Institutions - Medical and graduate institutions that do not have undergraduate
programs but do have research-active faculty and doctoral-level students engaged in research or
planning a research career, and that receive less than $7.5M annually in NIH funding (total costs) through
Research Project Grants. Primary Institutions and Graduate/Medical Partner Institutions will work
collaboratively to provide programs for undergraduate and graduate students at the respective
institutions. (See Eligibility Section for further details.)
The BUILD Primary Institution and its partners should draw from the relevant literature to collectively consider all
the factors, including institutional, social, and individual, that are likely to influence a student’s persistence in
biomedical research career paths. BUILD awards will provide extensive flexibility to participating institutions to
tailor approaches to their individual communities, building from existing strengths while enabling new approaches
to be developed and assessed. It is expected that each BUILD award will be unique, reflecting unique student
and faculty communities. Nevertheless, applicants should consider the following issues as all core activities are
developed:
Innovation: BUILD awards will enable institutions to try novel or promising approaches to enhance
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student engagement and research training, and/or to adapt strategies that have been piloted on a small
scale to implement institution-wide. Institutions should also explore innovative ways to enhance faculty
development and strengthen institutional research training infrastructure and capacity. Innovation
domains may include, but are not limited to, novel student engagement in the sciences and outreach
strategies, curricula and faculty development, incorporation of lab and field work into the curriculum,
scholarly activity in teaching and research training methodologies, mentoring, peer networking and
support, social media campaigns, faculty-led research, collaboration rooms, and/or other activities that
the institution considers fundamentally important for its ability to better prepare and support students for
research careers. Although institutions have high levels of flexibility to innovate, leveraging approaches
based on previous pilot activities or on successful approaches described in the literature are encouraged.
Innovation in approach - and the potential that the approaches will achieve a transformative impact - will
be key review criteria for each of the cores described below.
Mentoring: Effective research mentoring is a critical component of successful career progression. Each
BUILD award is expected to include activities that will enhance the mentoring that students receive within
and among participating institutions. Institutions will have flexibility to design novel mentoring strategies
with emphasis on innovation and promoting sustainable change at the institutional level. These strategies
should focus on enhancing student persistence in biomedical research training pathways, and exposing
and equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to become successful researchers.
Mentor/mentee interactions are essential for institutional change; therefore mentors must be adequately
equipped to prepare students for success. BUILD awardees are also expected to collaborate with the
NRMN to provide access to external mentors.
Student financial support: BUILD awards will afford flexibility to structure and distribute student financial
support for research training. Applicants are encouraged to consider how provision of tuition and paid
research experiences may be used most effectively to engage students. The nature and duration of
BUILD participant activities should be determined by the needs of individual participants. While the BUILD
initiative specifically seeks to enhance diversity among scientists with doctoral training engaged in
NIH-funded biomedical research, training activities for all aspects of the research enterprise are
encouraged. (See http://commonfund.nih.gov/workforce/ for related discussion of training for multiple
career options.) New models of training are expected to build from extant research demonstrating efficacy
of proposed approaches, and to extend from such research, identifying new methods for engaging
students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds.
Applications may propose an initial ramp-up period of up to 12 months during the first budget period to develop
the organizational capacity and strategy deemed necessary to enable an effective transition from the institutions'
current state to the transformative state. Activities during this initial phase could include, but are not limited to:
increasing outreach to/recruitment of students; identifying gaps and opportunities for improving student outcomes
above current baseline indicators; implementing innovative strategies through facilitated collaborations between
senior administrators, faculty, outside experts, and community via focus groups and/or workshops; implementing
plans for innovative curricula and laboratory training activities and putting them in place; and/or strengthening
research training infrastructure.
Use of the ramp-up period is optional. Applicant institutions that consider themselves ready to immediately
implement the novel strategies and approaches necessary for achieving BUILD objectives may propose to begin
student engagement, research, mentoring, faculty development, and other proposed activities at the start of the
project period.
Successful BUILD projects are expected to yield tangible advances in three key areas: institutional development,
faculty development, and student development. Expected outcomes must be described in the application.
Examples of advances in each area could include, but are not limited to:
1) Institutional Development
Enhanced institutional capacity to engage students, particularly those who express an early interest in
science but then exit the biomedical research training pathway, in biomedical research training and
sustain their interest in research through innovations in course structure or curricula, student advising,
group learning, and teaching methods.
Enhanced institutional commitment and capacity to sustain transformative student research training and
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mentorship activities beyond the grant funding period.
Strengthened infrastructure for research training and mentoring at participating institutions.
2) Faculty Development
Enhanced opportunities for faculty at participating institutions to incorporate more laboratory or field work
activities into existing undergraduate courses, or develop new course offerings that emphasize original
research.
Enhanced opportunities for faculty to engage in biomedical research; this may include opportunities for
sabbatical (or similar) research experiences, protected time to develop research projects or manuscripts
for publication, and other research-related opportunities.
Increased scholarly productivity as reflected in publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations
at national and/or international scientific conferences.
Increased participation in mentoring activities and enhanced efficacy as mentors; this may include
structured activities which engage experienced mentors to train the next generation of biomedical
research mentors.
3) Student Development
Enhanced pursuit of biomedical research-related undergraduate fields of study.
Enhanced transition of undergraduate students to accredited doctoral training programs.
Enhanced student perceptions and attitudes toward biomedical research careers and improved
understanding of the requirements for success in those careers.
Improved readiness for biomedical research careers as determined by measures of success that the
Diversity Program Consortium will develop.
Enhanced student engagement in research as reflected by authorship on peer-reviewed papers and
presentations at scientific conferences.
Enhanced student participation and competitiveness in applying for and receiving research fellowships,
scholarships, or other awards.
BUILD awardees will be expected to collaborate with the CEC on an ongoing basis throughout the project period
to assess the efficacy of approaches developed through the BUILD award. Specific approaches may need to be
adapted following discussion with the Executive Steering Committee to enable evaluation. Required data may be
modified based on early findings and recommendations of the Diversity Program Consortium that will guide
activities across the BUILD, NRMN and CEC. In addition, the NIH may request information from CEC and other
databases, PD(s)/PI(s) and BUILD participants. (See Section VI.3, Reporting).
Coordination among the CEC, BUILD, and NRMN programs for data collection and evaluation will be established
after awards are made. Therefore, it is not necessary for a BUILD application to include collaborations with
specific CEC or NRMN applicants.
Technical Assistance Webinars
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to participate in one or more pre-application Technical Assistance
webinars, which will provide an opportunity to clarify expectations for the FOA so applicant organizations can
present their strongest case for support. The webinar is scheduled for January 2014. Additional information will
be posted on the Common Fund website at http://commonfund.nih.gov/diversity/.
Section II. Award Information
Funding Instrument
Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be
substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial
involvement means that, after award, NIH staff will assist, guide, coordinate,
or participate in project activities.
Application Types
Allowed
New
The OER Glossary and the PHS 398 Application Guide provide details on
these application types.
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Funds Available
and Anticipated
Number of Awards
The NIH Common Fund intends to commit $30 million to fund approximately
ten awards, contingent on the number of meritorious applications received
and availability of funds.
Award Budget
Applications may request up to $3.0 million (total costs) in the first year.
Applications may propose budget increases in year 2 through year 4 to
support additional BUILD students, not to exceed $5.3 million (total costs) in
any one year. Because the nature and scope of the proposed projects may
vary among institutions, it is anticipated that the size of each award will also
vary.
Award Project
Period
The project period may not exceed 5 years.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and
awards made in response to this FOA.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible Organizations
Higher Education Institutions
Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
Private Institutions of Higher Education
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as
Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Hispanic-serving Institutions
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
Applicant Primary Institutions are limited to domestic baccalaureate-granting colleges/universities that receive
less than $7.5 million (total costs) of NIH research project grant (RPG) funding annually and have an awardeligible pool of undergraduate students, at least 25% of whom are supported by Pell grants. These eligibility
requirements are intended to target funds to relatively underresourced institutions with a demonstrated
commitment to students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. These requirements are based on the
recognition that (1) many students from low-income backgrounds are also nationally underrepresented in
biomedical research, and (2) institutional commitment to these students often comes at the expense of
investments in research infrastructure.
For the purposes of determining eligibility as a Primary Institution, the annual level of NIH RPG funding received
will be the average level calculated over the preceding three fiscal years (FY 2011, FY 2012 and FY 2013),
excluding SBIR/STTR funding and RPGs received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) as reported on the NIH RePORT website under NIH Awards by Location & Organization
(http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm). The percentage of undergraduates with Pell grants will be based on
2012 student financial aid data for the applicant institution, as reflected in the National Center for Education
Statistics IPEDS Data Center website, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/Default.aspx. See Section IV.2,
Content and Form of Application Submission, for instructions on certification of eligibility.
Foreign Institutions
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Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement, are allowed.
For the purposes of this FOA, foreign component involvement is restricted to participation of students from the
applicant institution in research training activities and/or research projects at foreign sites.
Required Registrations
Applicant Organizations
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the PHS 398
Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the
application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration
process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to
complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be
issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA
Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the
grant application.
System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active
registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time
as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government
Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an
NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete
the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working
through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least
one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in
order to submit an application.
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account and should work with their organizational officials to either
create a new account or to affiliate an existing account with the applicant organization’s eRA Commons account.
If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one
for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the
Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization 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.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal
Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the PHS
398 Application Guide.
2. Cost Sharing
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement.
3. Additional Information on Eligibility
Number of Applications
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Only one application per institution, identified by a unique DUNS number, is allowed.
NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed within the past
thirty-seven months (as described in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement), except for submission:
To an RFA of an application that was submitted previously as an investigator-initiated application but not
paid;
Of an investigator-initiated application that was originally submitted to an RFA but not paid; or
Of an application with a changed grant activity code.
Student Trainees (TL4 linked training award)/Participants (RL5
Linked Education Project)
It is expected that eligibility for BUILD-supported activities will be open to all undergraduate students at
participating institutions, and all graduate students at Graduate/Medical partner institutions. The applicant
institution is responsible for selecting students who will receive BUILD financial support. Student trainees
supported through a TL4 linked training award must be U.S. citizens or non-citizen nationals or permanent
residents and must be enrolled full time in academic degree programs in biomedical science fields at the
applicant institution. Student participants supported through a RL5 linked award must be U.S. citizens or
non-citizen nationals or permanent residents and must be enrolled full time at the applicant institution or Pipeline
Partner or Graduate/Medical Partner institutions (if applicable). A non-citizen national is a person who, although
not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. This is generally a person born in a
land that is not a state, but that is under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or administration, e.g., American Samoa.
An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence must possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card
(USCIS Form I-551) or other legal verification of such status prior to receiving financial benefit from or
employment on the grant. Individuals on temporary visas, those seeking asylum, or refugees are not eligible for
support from this program. A limited range of enrichment activities, including research training and participation
in research projects, may be offered to high school seniors who are concurrently enrolled in college bridge
programs for biomedical sciences at participating institutions, but such students are not eligible to receive
financial support from BUILD awards.
Other Eligibility Information
Applicants are not required to be recipients of planning grants under RFA-RM-13-001, "Planning Grants for the
Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative."
Applicants for NRMN or CEC awards are eligible to apply to this FOA. However, the CEC awardee or its
Partnering Institutions will not be eligible to receive a BUILD award.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package
Applicants are required to prepare applications according to the current PHS 398 application forms in
accordance with the PHS 398 Application Guide.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide, except where instructed in
this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application
Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be
delayed or not accepted for review.
Letter of Intent
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.
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By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent
that includes the following information:
Descriptive title of proposed activity
Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
Names of other key personnel
Participating institution(s)
Number and title of this funding opportunity
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Toya V. Randolph, PhD, MSPH
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: 301-402-1366
Email: [email protected]
Application Submission
Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application forms and instructions for preparing
a research grant application. Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, five
signed photocopies and all copies of the Appendix files in one package to:
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710 (U.S. Postal Service Express or regular mail)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service; non-USPS service)
Page Limitations
All page limitations described in the PHS 398 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed,
in addition to the following page limitations to the Research Strategy section of each component of the
application.
Overall Component: 12 pages
Administrative Core: 12 pages
Institutional Development Core: 12 pages
Student Training Core: 12 pages
Research Enrichment Core: 12 pages
Instructions for the Submission of Multi-Component Applications
The following section supplements the instructions found in the PHS 398 Application Guide, and should be used
for preparing a multi-component application.
The application must consist of the following components:
Overall Component
Administrative Core
Institutional Development Core
Student Training Core
Research Enrichment Core
Awards issued through this FOA will divide the cores above into three linked awards: a UL1 Linked Specialized
Center Cooperative Agreement award will support activities described through the Administrative and Institutional
Development Cores; an RL5 Linked Education Project award will support activities described through the
Research Enrichment Core; a TL4 Linked Training Award will support activities described through the Student
Training Core.
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Overall Component
All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as
noted.
Face Page (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel,
Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
(Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Table of Contents (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
The budget for the Overall Component is a compilation of the itemized budget information provided for the
Administrative Core, Institutional Development Core, Student Training Core, and Research Enrichment Core
components. Provide an itemized summary (roll-up) budget for the initial budget period for the entire project,
representing summations of the itemized costs from the four Core components. Include and identify the total
direct costs from the Student Training Core component’s PHS 398 Training Budget form as a separate item
in the Other Expenses category.
Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
As above, provide a summary (roll-up) budget for the entire project, representing summations of the itemized
costs from the four Core components. Include and identify total direct costs from the Student Training Core
component’s PHS 398 Training Budget Cumulative Budget form as a separate item in the Other Expenses
category.
Biographical Sketch (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Resources (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Research Plan (Overall)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Specific Aims: Describe the specific aims for the BUILD project as a whole. These should not be the same
as the specific aims of the individual cores, but should be overarching and at a high level, and should
include a vision for how the project will allow participating institutions to develop and implement innovative
approaches to engage students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, sustain their interest,
and prepare them to pursue doctoral degrees leading to biomedical research careers.
Research Strategy: Describe factors that contribute to the exit of students from biomedical research
training pathways and how the award will allow the institution and its partners to address these factors.
Describe the expected impact that the award will have long term: how will the award transform - i.e., lead to
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sustained changes in - the way that students are engaged, mentored, and trained?
Describe the institution's vision for reaching students that would otherwise be likely to exit the biomedical
research training pathway and the vision for successful research career paths, predictors of success at
multiple stages, and novel activities related to student, faculty, and infrastructure development that create an
environment that facilitates achievement of student milestones. Describe potential measures for efficacy and
impact of proposed approaches.
Describe how the proposed activities will enhance the Primary Institution's capacity for undergraduate
research training, spur innovation, and position the participating institution(s) to achieve BUILD
programmatic goals. Applications that propose an initial ramp up period (up to 12 months) to develop an
organizational strategy and make necessary institutional infrastructure enhancements should provide a
rationale and describe the activities to be conducted and expected outcomes. For example, activities may
include but are not limited to: increasing outreach to/recruitment of students; identifying gaps and
opportunities for improving student outcomes above current baseline indicators; implementing innovative
strategies through facilitated collaborations between senior administrators, faculty, outside experts,
community, and NIH program staff via focus groups and/or workshops; implementing plans for innovative
curricula and laboratory training activities and putting them in place; and/or strengthening research training
infrastructure. The intent of the ramp up period is to allow institutions to establish the groundwork necessary
to successfully implement the programmatic activities specified in the application.
Identify proposed partners, if any, that have agreed to participate in the BUILD award. Provide the rationale
for participation of all partner institutions. Each partner institution should contribute substantially to the goals
of the program. Describe the leadership plan that will ensure effective communication and interaction
between partner organizations. Describe how the partnership will operate, the role of faculty or staff from
each partner organization, and the vision for student involvement from each.
Describe existing resources/grants/awards at the Primary and Partner institutions that aim to support the
engagement of students, including those from underrepresented groups, in biomedical research training and
sustain their interest in biomedical research. Describe activities to ensure that the BUILD award will
leverage existing resources, including (if applicable) existing biomedical research workforce diversity
programs at participating institutions, to have synergistic effects.
Describe past success of the Primary, and Graduate/Medical Partner Institution (if applicable), in engaging
science students into research careers and preparing them to be successful in research. Describe student
outcomes and compare to national statistics and reports on other student development programs, as
available. Provide institutional baseline data for the last five years. Include the number of students enrolled
at the institution, and undergraduate graduation data in BUILD-relevant sciences for all students and for
students from underrepresented backgrounds. Describe the impact that the BUILD award is expected to
have on the institution's ability to improve substantially its engagement of students in research career
pathways.
Letters of Support: The application should include a detailed statement from the applicant institution's
leadership describing institutional commitment to the transformative concepts proposed and to sustaining
new models of student engagement and training if they are shown to be effective through BUILD.
Institutional support for BUILD activities may include but is not limited to provision of adequate faculty
release time, support staff, facilities, and educational resources that will contribute to the proposed
activities; plans for using institutional resources to further enhance the training program (e.g., support for
additional student positions) and/or the institution’s ability to engage undergraduate students, including
those from underrepresented backgrounds, in biomedical research. The statement should also address
plans and prospects for long-term sustainability of institutional enhancements resulting from the BUILD
project, including, if applicable, how the BUILD award may be leveraged by the institution to build a broader
base of support.
Letters of collaboration must be provided by authorized officials from consortium partner institutions (if
applicable) addressing their institutional commitment to the proposed project and BUILD program goals. As
applicable, key faculty or senior investigators at partner organizations who will have substantial involvement
in curriculum development, teaching, research training and mentoring, or other activities should submit
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letters.
Certification of Eligibility: Applicant institutions are required to include a letter certifying institutional eligibility
as Primary Institutions for the BUILD program. The certification letter must be on institutional letterhead and
signed by the authorized institutional official.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing
Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as
provided in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
Administrative Core
All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as
noted.
Face Page (Administrative Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel,
Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
(Administrative Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Table of Contents (Administrative Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Administrative Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Administrative Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed. Funds may be used to support staff time,
travel, face-to-face and virtual meeting costs, technical support or services, or related expenses required for
infrastructure development, strategic planning, and program implementation. Funds for travel to the Annual
Grantees Meeting, held in or near Bethesda, MD, should be included in the budget request. The first annual
meeting will take place during October 2014.
Biographical Sketch (Administrative Core )
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Resources (Administrative Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Research Plan (Administrative Core )
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Specific Aims: Describe the specific aims for the Administrative Core and how they relate to the
overall specific aims.
Research Strategy: Describe the BUILD project's organizational and governance structure and explain the
roles and responsibilities of Administrative Core personnel. Describe the processes to be used to allocate
and prioritize fiscal and other resources across the various components. Describe procedures for ensuring
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timely and effective communication among project cores and across participating partner institutions, if
applicable.
Describe the composition, roles, and responsibilities of any internal and external advisory committees or
boards proposed to help manage and oversee BUILD activities, including the required Steering Committee.
Describe the desired expertise of committee members, and how each committee will function in providing
oversight of the development, implementation, and evaluation of proposed activities. Include frequency of
meetings and other relevant information. Note that proposed external advisory committee members from
outside the institution should not be named in the application.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing
Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as
provided in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
Institutional Development Core
All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as
noted.
Face Page (Institutional Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel,
Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
(Institutional Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Table of Contents (Institutional Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Institutional
Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Institutional
Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Funds may be used to support development or enhancement of research training infrastructure and
research capacity, including but not limited to purchase of equipment to enhance research training;
alteration and renovation of space used for research training; incorporation of research experiences into
science curricula; faculty training in pedagogical skills development; and faculty sabbatical or workshop
training to augment the research and teaching environments at Primary or Graduate/Medical partner
institutions. Applications may request up to $500,000 for alteration and renovation of research training
space, to be expended within the first two years of the project period. Support for equipment and
alteration/renovation costs are limited to Primary, Pipeline, and Graduate/Medical partner institutions.
Biographical Sketch (Institutional Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Resources (Institutional Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
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Research Plan (Institutional Development Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Specific Aims: Describe the specific aims for the Institutional Development Core and how they relate to the
overall specific aims.
Research Strategy: Describe proposed approaches to conduct an assessment of capacity-building and
infrastructure needs at the Primary Institution and partner institutions (if applicable) relating to potential
advancements in undergraduate research training (e.g., administrative structure, key equipment or
laboratory space for research training purposes, required renovations, and/or curriculum development).
Describe how the proposed infrastructural improvements reflect and support innovative, potentially
transformative, approaches.
Describe any proposed institutional changes intended to enhance the research training environment.
Provide specific details about how such changes will be implemented and how they will benefit faculty
mentors, research support staff, and students at participating institutions, and ultimately increase the
likelihood of achieving expected outcomes. Describe activities that will be undertaken to ensure long-term
sustainability of successful approaches to be developed. How will this award provide long-term benefit to
the participating institutions beyond the period of Common Fund support?
Describe proposed approaches to conduct an assessment of faculty needs at the Primary Institution and
Pipeline and/or Graduate/Medical Partner Institutions (if applicable) as they relate to the ability to engage
students and prepare them for research careers, e.g., availability of faculty release time to support the
development of novel curricula or other research training activities, local mentor capacity for junior faculty,
mentor development, and support for sabbatical training to augment the research environment.
Describe potential strategies and novel approaches to enhance faculty development and mentoring
capabilities, and explain how the proposed faculty development activities will enhance the ability of faculty to
engage students and prepare them for research careers. Describe efforts that will be undertaken to enhance
faculty participation in research at the Primary Institution, and Pipeline and/or Graduate/Medical Partner
Institutions (if applicable), as reflected in publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at
national and/or international scientific conferences. Describe the types of research projects faculty may
undertake that are amenable to undergraduate student participation. Delineate specific activities to be
supported by the BUILD award to facilitate this type of research experience and describe expected
outcomes, both for the faculty and for the students.
Though not required, applicants may propose a pilot project program. A pilot project program may be used
to directly support mentored research projects for students if the intent is to develop projects that are
especially well suited for undergraduate research OR to provide seed funding to pilot or evaluate new
research training strategies. Applicants may propose either or both (or neither) of these types of pilot project
programs. If a pilot project program is proposed, describe the rationale for its inclusion, specifically, how it
will enhance research training for participants; the qualifications of individuals identified to manage the
program; its overall scope, types of projects to be supported, and expected impact on student outcomes and
institutional research training capacity; expected number of projects and students to be supported each
year; eligibility requirements; solicitation, submission, review, and selection criteria and processes; plans for
providing appropriate mentorship; procedures for program oversight and evaluation; limits on dollars
available and number of years of support per project. Do not include detailed descriptions of specific pilot
projects.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing
Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as
provided in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
Student Training Core
All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as
noted.
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Face Page (Student Training Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel,
Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
(Student Training Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional
modifications: List all of the locations where training, program management, and the research training
experiences described in the Research Training Program Plan will be performed. If a Project/Performance
Site will be engaged in research involving human subjects, it is the responsibility of the applicant
organization to assure that all Project/Performance Sites comply with the human subject protection
regulations in 45 CFR part 46 and NIH policies for the protection of human subjects. For research involving
live vertebrate animals, the applicant organization must supply information for all training sites where
animals will be used by trainees (TL4). The applicant organization is responsible for assuring that all
Project/Performance Sites have a current Animal Welfare Assurance and comply with the PHS Policy on
Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
Table of Contents (Student Training Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Student Training Core)
Use the PHS 398 Training Budget forms for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA)
institutional training grants. Download the PDF-fillable forms from the Common Fund Workforce Diversity
program website (http://commonfund.nih.gov/pdf/PHS398_Training_Budget_V1.pdf). Instructions for
completing the forms and budget justification are provided below.
BUILD Student Training Core linked awards (TL4) may be used to support stipends, tuition and fees for
undergraduate student trainees, trainee travel, and training-related expenses. Financial support for
postbaccalaureate predoctoral or postdoctoral NRSA trainees is not allowed under this component. Annual
stipend levels for undergraduate students are the same as for MARC and COR awards (see NOT-OD12-033). Additional information about stipend levels, tuition and fee levels, and training-related expenses
can be found on the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) web site and in the NIH
Grants Policy Statement: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards.
Part A. Stipends, Tuition/Fees
Enter the number of trainees, total stipend amount and total tuition/fees for each trainee category as
appropriate. If a category contains different stipend levels, e.g., for varying appointment periods, itemize in
the appropriate blocks. Enter the total stipends for all categories. See NOT-OD-12-033 and NOT-OD-13-064
for current NIH policy regarding payment of tuition and fees. Tuition and fees may be requested only to the
extent that the same resident or nonresident tuition and fees are charged to regular non-Federally supported
students. Where applicable, trainees should be divided into non-degree-seeking and degree-seeking
categories. Grantees should request full needs. The formula currently in effect will be applied by the NIH
awarding component at the time an award is calculated. Note that health insurance is not included as part of
this budget category (see Training Related Expenses below).
Part B. Other Direct Costs
Enter the total costs for Trainee Travel, Training Related Expenses, and Consortium Training Costs (if
applicable). Trainee travel costs are limited to attendance at scientific meetings and workshops that the
awardee institution determines to be necessary for the trainee's development and training experience. Enter
“0” in the line for Total Direct Costs from R&R Budget Form; the SF424 R&R Budget Form is not applicable
for the BUILD Student Training Core budget.
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Training Related Expenses (TRE): Applications may request up to $25,200 per trainee annually. Enter the
total TRE cost based on the number of trainees proposed. TRE may be used to defray training costs such
as personnel costs (see below); equipment and research supplies for training experiences; trainee
mentoring activities; faculty/staff travel directly related to the training program; student academic skills
development activities (e.g., workshops in problem-solving, critical thinking, effective communication and
time management); health insurance for trainees (self-only or family) to the extent that the same health
insurance fees are charged to non-Federally-supported students at the applicant institution; and other
program-related expenses. TRE expenses must be justified as specifically required by the proposed BUILD
training program and must not duplicate items generally available at the applicant institution. Faculty salary
support for the training program director(s) is limited to 3.0 calendar months per year. Support for
administrative personnel (e.g., program administrator, program coordinator, program assistant) is limited to
6.0 calendar months per person per year.
Consortium Training Costs (if applicable): If training will occur at more than one institution, and any transfer
of funds between institutions occurs, applications must include PHS 398 Training Budget forms for each
consortium training site; add the direct costs from all consortium training sites and insert the total amount on
the appropriate line for each budget period. The applicant institution is responsible and accountable for any
arrangements, expenditures, and submission of all required forms when more than one institution is involved
in the research training program.
Part C. Total Direct Costs Requested
The sum of Sections A + B will be calculated automatically in the PHS 398 Training Budget forms.
Part D. Indirect Costs
Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs will be awarded at 8%, excluding tuition/fees, equipment, and
consortium costs in excess of $25,000.
Indirect Cost Type: Enter “F&A”
Indirect Cost Rate (%): Enter “8”
Indirect Cost Base ($): Enter the sum of Stipends and Total Other Direct Costs requested. Indirect costs are
not paid on Tuition/Fees, equipment, and consortium costs in excess of $25,000.
Funds Requested ($): Enter the product of Indirect Cost Rate multiplied by Indirect Cost Base.
Part E. Total Direct and Indirect Costs Requested (C+D)
The sum of Total Direct Costs Requested and Total Indirect Costs Requested will be calculated
automatically in the PHS 398 Training Budget forms.
Part F. Budget Justification
Attach a detailed justification to the first budget period form, reflecting the entire project period. Explain in
detail the composition of requested cost items as necessary. Itemize tuition and individual fees. If tuition
varies (e.g., in-state, out-of-state, student status), identify these separately. State the purpose of any travel,
giving the number of trips involved, the destinations, and the number of individuals for whom funds are
requested. Note that PHS policy requires coach class air travel be used. Any foreign travel must be justified
in detail, describing its importance to the training experience and considering the type of opportunities
available for training, how those opportunities differ from and complement those offered by the grantee
institution, and the relationship of the proposed off-site training experience to the career stage of the
grantee.
Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Student Training
Core)
All values on the PHS 398 Training Budget, Cumulative Budget form are calculated automatically and
represent summations of the amounts entered for each individual budget period. If an amount displayed on
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this form appears to be incorrect, correct it by adjusting one or more values in the appropriate form(s) for
individual budget period(s).
Applications may propose cost increases in year 2 through year 4 to support additional undergraduate
trainees recruited each year. Total costs for the project, adjusted upward to reflect increased numbers of
trainees (Student Training Core) and student participants (Research Enrichment Core), may not exceed
$5.3 million in any one year.
Print all PHS 398 Training Budget Form pages, including the cumulative budget form page, and the detailed
budget justification attachment, and submit them together under this core in the paper application.
Biographical Sketch (Student Training Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Resources (Student Training Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Research Plan (Student Training Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Specific Aims: Describe the specific aims for the Student Training Core and how they relate to the overall
specific aims.
Research Strategy: Describe current institutional capacity for undergraduate research training in relevant
disciplines, including total undergraduate student enrollment, numbers of students in relevant degree
programs at the Primary Institution (and Pipeline partner institutions if applicable), membership of
participating departments/programs, and participating faculty members. Describe the planned strategy and
administrative structure to be used to oversee and monitor the Student Training Core, along with the
qualifications and administrative capabilities of key personnel identified to lead the training program.
Describe how the proposed activities for student development will enhance institutional capacity for
undergraduate research training and expand the pool of students, including the targeted outreach to
students from underrepresented backgrounds. Describe the total number of students currently enrolled in
graduate and doctoral biomedical research degree programs, and how the proposed activities are expected
to expand the pool of students entering biomedical research graduate level training. Describe the rationale
for each activity and how, either individually or collectively, they represent a transformative, new approach to
attract highly talented individuals into biomedical research careers who would otherwise be unlikely to
pursue this career path. Provide a timeline for implementation of each activity and plans to assess the
efficacy of each approach.
Training Program Faculty: Identify faculty who will be available to serve as research mentors, either during
the academic year or during summer months, to provide guidance and expertise to BUILD students. The
mentors should have strong records as researchers and experience mentoring undergraduates, including
those from underrepresented backgrounds. For research training at partner institutions (where proposed),
letters from potential training faculty that agree to mentor BUILD trainees should be included in the
application, along with biographical sketches. Applications that propose classroom-centered research
training activities should fully describe the learning objective(s), innovative attributes, participating faculty
(including biographical sketches), training frequency, expected impact on student outcomes, and other
relevant information.
Trainee Candidates: Describe in general terms the pool of potential candidates. Do not name prospective
trainees. Describe plans to recruit candidates from current student populations and explain how these plans
will foster the engagement of students in biomedical research, including those who would otherwise be likely
to choose other career paths. Describe how these approaches will be implemented. Identify and provide a
rationale for any novel selection factors or approaches designed to stimulate interest in scientific research
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careers across a much broader range of the student population than is typically targeted by existing
undergraduate research training programs (e.g., non-science majors, transfer students). Describe the
evaluation criteria to be used in the selection of trainees, and how training plans will be tailored to the needs
of prospective candidates.
Proposed Training: Provide an overview of the proposed training program, including near- and long-term
objectives. Describe strategies to be used and activities to be undertaken to ensure that proposed
objectives are met. Institutions with existing training programs must explain what distinguishes this program
from the others, how the programs will synergize, and how the faculty, potential trainee pool, and resources
are robust enough to support additional programs.
Describe plans to develop essential research skills, such as the ability to apply critical thinking to formulate
and design ways to test hypotheses, identify potential problems and propose solutions or alternative
approaches, and communicate research findings orally and in writing. Also include information about
planned courses, curricula, seminars, workshops, or tutorials that will be incorporated into the training
program and mentored research experiences. Describe how students will be made aware of NIH and other
funding opportunities.
Applications that propose research experiences at partner institutions with active NIH institutional training
grant (T32) programs should describe how the BUILD PD(s)/PI(s) will interact with the T32 PD(s)/PI(s) to
promote awareness of graduate research training programs in the biomedical sciences and encourage
BUILD students to apply for admission to research-oriented graduate degree programs. Most NIH Institutes
and Centers support T32 predoctoral training programs in various research areas; to identify such
programs, visit the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT ) website.
Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research: Every BUILD trainee supported through the
Student Training Core and every BUILD student participant supported through the Research Enrichment
Core is strongly encouraged to receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. All applications
must include a plan to provide such instruction. The plan must address five components (format; subject
matter; faculty participation; duration of instruction; and frequency of instruction) as detailed in NOT-OD10-019. The background, rationale and more detail about instruction in the responsible conduct of research
can be found in NOT-OD-10-019. Additional guidance on training in the responsible conduct of research can
be found at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/responsibleconduct.htm.
Applications lacking a plan for instruction for the Student Training Core in the responsible conduct of
research may not be reviewed.
Research Enrichment Core
All instructions in the PHS398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as
noted.
Face Page (Research Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Description, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel,
Other Significant Contributors, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
(Research Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional
modifications: List all of the locations where the research experiences described in the proposed research
enrichment program will be performed. If a Project/Performance Site will be engaged in research involving
human subjects, it is the responsibility of the applicant organization to assure that all Project/Performance
Sites comply with the human subject protection regulations in 45 CFR part 46 and NIH policies for the
protection of human subjects. For research involving live vertebrate animals, the applicant organization must
supply information for all sites where animals will be used by student participants. The applicant
organization is responsible for assuring that all Project/Performance Sites have a current Animal Welfare
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Assurance and comply with the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
Table of Contents (Research Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (Research Enrichment
Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Faculty support may include salary offset for faculty who spend substantial effort in the development and
use of novel curricula or mentoring activities; equipment and supplies for key training faculty to enable or
enhance mentored research experiences for students; faculty training in pedagogical skills development;
release time to conduct grant writing workshops or other activities to enhance student awareness and
competitiveness for extramural research fellowships and grant funding; and resources for highly effective
mentors to train new mentors.
Participant Costs: Participants are those students who benefit from the proposed activities and experiences
involved in the research enrichment program. Participant costs may be paid if specifically required for the
proposed research enrichment program and sufficiently justified. Participant costs must be itemized in the
proposed Research Enrichment Core budget. Allowable participant costs depend on the educational
level/career status of the individuals to be selected to participate. The salary and fringe benefits for an
undergraduate participant should be consistent with the institutional salary policies for employees in similar
positions.
Individuals supported by NIH training and career development mechanisms (K, T, or F awards) may receive
educational experiences supported by a BUILD award, as participants, but may not receive salary or stipend
supplementation from BUILD Research Enrichment Core funds.
Because the BUILD Research Enrichment component is not intended as a substitute for an NRSA
institutional training program, costs to support full-time participants (supported for 40 hours/week for a
continuous, 12-month period) are not allowable under the Research Enrichment Core.
Budget for Entire Proposed Period of Support (Research
Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Applications may propose budget increases in year 2 through year 4 to support additional cohorts of BUILD
participants recruited each year. Total costs adjusted upward to reflect increased numbers of participants
supported through the Research Enrichment Core and Student Training Core in years 2 through 4 may not
exceed $5.3 million in any one year.
Biographical Sketch (Research Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed.
Resources (Research Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed. Describe the institutional environment,
facilities, and training resources that will contribute to the planned Research Enrichment Core.
Research Plan (Research Enrichment Core)
All instructions in the PHS 398 Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Specific Aims: Describe the specific aims for the Research Enrichment Core and how they relate to the
overall specific aims.
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Research Strategy: Innovative approaches to engage students in research, to sustain their interests, and
to prepare them for research careers are intended to be a key outcome of this program. Provide a summary
of the research enrichment program to be developed, including its objectives, types of research activities to
be employed, and mentoring resources. Describe approaches that will be developed to identify and engage
talented students, including those who would otherwise be unlikely to pursue biomedical research careers.
Provide the rationale for these approaches and the impact that each is intended to have.
Describe the academic enrichment students will receive to enable them to be competitive for entrance into
science Ph.D. programs at accredited graduate institutions. This should include a contemporary science
curriculum rich in quantitative and/or qualitative, and cross-disciplinary skills, but may also include
coursework designed to foster innovation and other attributes of successful research scientists. Describe
novel curricula, field programs, or other activities to be developed, and the participants that they are
intended to reach.
Describe postbaccalaureate research experiences that may be provided, if applicable. Explain how such
experiences will enhance and/or sustain interest in biomedical research careers, and how they will prepare
participants to successfully compete for admission to graduate-level research training programs. Describe
how participants will be selected and the research and mentoring options that will be available to them.
Describe specific goals for the postbaccalaureate training period and how progress toward these goals will
be assessed.
Research Enrichment Core activities should also provide participants with professional skills development
opportunities and career guidance, including instruction and training in grant writing in order to successfully
apply for pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, career development awards, and independent research
grant support. Describe how participants will be made aware of NIH and other funding opportunities. Provide
programmatic detail on the specific activities proposed (e.g., courses, curricula, seminars, workshops).
Describe how the proposed enrichment activities to be developed are distinct from current activities at the
applicant and partner institutions. Describe how each partner institution will participate in proposed activities
and how faculty and student participants at partner institutions will interact. Describe the synergistic impact
that partnerships are expected to provide to the Research Enrichment component.
Describe arrangements for core administration and provide evidence that the Core Director is actively
engaged in research and/or teaching in an area related to the mission of NIH, and can organize, administer,
monitor, and evaluate the proposed research enrichment activities. Also provide evidence of institutional and
community commitment to, and support for, the proposed activities.
Describe the characteristics and responsibilities of the participating faculty; provide evidence that the
participating faculty and preceptors are actively engaged in research or other scholarly activities related to
the mission of NIH. Provide evidence that faculty at participating institutions are committed to the
development and use of the innovative curricula, field exercises, or other activities to be developed. Faculty
training in pedagogical skills and modern teaching modalities that confer improved learning outcomes is
encouraged to enhance the academic learning environment at the institution. BUILD awards can provide
support for faculty to attend workshops, seminars, and other professional development activities to acquire
the knowledge and skills necessary for improved pedagogy as well-justified in the budget.
Describe a mentoring plan with specific goals. The plan should include how faculty will be selected to serve
as mentors and any training activities designed to enhance the cultural competence of faculty to provide
mentorship to mentees from diverse backgrounds. In addition, the plan should describe how identified
standards of effective mentoring will guide development and content of mentoring opportunities, and
describe how mentor training will be tailored for undergraduate mentees.
Describe strategies and plans for recruiting, selecting, and assigning participants to research activities.
Describe the anticipated duration of research experiences, the months in which they will occur, and the
allocation of each participant's time to be spent in various activities. All BUILD awards are expected to
include a mentored summer research program under this Core. Provide details about the pool of expected
participants, including the number of students potentially engaged, their qualifications, etc. Do not name
prospective participants.
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Applications may propose outreach activities to raise awareness of the BUILD initiative and stimulate
interest in the biomedical sciences among high school students in surrounding communities. Further, a
limited range of enrichment activities, including mentored research experiences, may be offered to high
school seniors who are concurrently enrolled in college bridge programs in relevant sciences at participating
institutions (note: BUILD awardees will be expected to provide documentation certifying enrollment in a
college bridge program). If such activities are proposed, describe the target population, the specific activities
to be conducted, key personnel, and anticipated benefits to participants and to the BUILD project as a
whole.
While the proposed program may complement ongoing research training programs at participating
institutions, the proposed enrichment activities must be distinct from those currently supported by NIH or
other federal programs. The applicant organization should clearly describe the distinction between the
intended participants in the proposed research enrichment program and research training supported by
other programs. Adaptations of components of existing research enrichment programs may be considered,
but the application should clearly describe the innovative and distinct nature of the proposed activities, e.g.,
the addition of unique components and/or a proposal to determine portability of an existing methodology
Though not required, applicants may propose a pilot project program. A pilot project program may be used
to directly support mentored research projects for students OR to provide seed funding to pilot or evaluate
new research training strategies. Applicants may propose either or both (or neither) of these types of pilot
project programs. If a pilot project program is proposed, describe the rationale for its inclusion, specifically,
how it will enhance research training for participants; the qualifications of individuals identified to manage
the program; its overall scope, types of projects to be supported, and expected impact on student outcomes
and institutional research training capacity; expected number of projects and students to be supported each
year; eligibility requirements; solicitation, submission, review, and selection criteria and processes; plans for
providing appropriate mentorship; procedures for program oversight and evaluation; limits on dollars
available and number of years of support per project. Do not include detailed descriptions of specific pilot
projects.
Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research: Every BUILD trainee supported through the
Student Training Core and every BUILD student participant supported through the Research Enrichment
Core is strongly encouraged to receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. All applications
must include a plan to provide such instruction. The plan must address five components (format; subject
matter; faculty participation; duration of instruction; and frequency of instruction) as detailed in NOT-OD10-019. The background, rationale and more detail about instruction in the responsible conduct of research
can be found in NOT-OD-10-019. Additional guidance on training in the responsible conduct of research can
be found at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/responsibleconduct.htm.
Applications lacking a plan for instruction for the Research Enrichment Core in the responsible conduct of
research may not be reviewed.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing
Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as
provided in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
Appendix for the Entire Application
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix (please note all format
requirements) as described in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
3. Submission Dates and Times
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates.
Information on the process of receipt and determining if your application is considered “on-time” is described in
detail in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
Applicants may track the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants
administration.
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4. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
5. Funding Restrictions
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the
NIH Grants Pol i cy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement.
Awards issued through this FOA will divide the cores above into three linked awards: a UL1 Linked Specialized
Center Cooperative Agreement award will support activities described through the Administrative and Institutional
Development Cores; an RL5 Linked Education Project award will support activities described through the
Research Enrichment Core; a TL4 Linked Training Award will support activities described through the Student
Training Core. The costs associated with each component will be allowable only to the corresponding linked
award.
6. Other Submission Requirements and Information
Applications must be postmarked on or before the due dates in Part I. Overview Information.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review and
responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete and/or
nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
Responsiveness Criteria
BUILD awards are intended to support novel approaches for enhancing undergraduate research training, and
mentorship across a range of scientific disciplines. Applications that focus exclusively on a particular scientific
discipline, research topic area, or that restrict eligibility for participation to a particular demographic group are not
responsive to this FOA. However, institutions are encouraged to conduct targeted outreach activities to raise
awareness among students from underrepresented backgrounds about opportunities afforded by the BUILD
project.
Similarly, the BUILD is intended to provide training, mentorship and other opportunities relevant to the pursuit of
a biomedical research career. Applications that focus on general science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education, or on the preparation of individuals exclusively for clinical, teaching, or other
non-research careers, are not responsive to this FOA.
Post Submission Materials
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.
Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all
applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical research are evaluated for scientific and technical
merit through the NIH peer review system.
Overall Impact - Overall
Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert
a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria
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and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
Scored Review Criteria - Overall
Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a
separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have
major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a
field.
Significance
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the
project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be
improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies,
treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
In addition, specific for this FOA: Is the project likely to substantially enhance the engagement of
undergraduate students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, in biomedical research
training, sustain their interest, and prepare them to successfully pursue research careers? Will students be
reached who would otherwise be unlikely to pursue biomedical research as a career choice? If the
objectives of this award are met, will the awardee institution be positioned to sustain its success? Do the
activities suggest that the program to be developed will not merely expand existing programs, but instead
will build from and synergize with existing training programs and resources at participating institutions? Are
ongoing activities taken into account such that the program to be developed will allow the Primary Institution
and its partners to engage and serve many more students than are currently served and/or to dramatically
improve the research training to be provided? Are specific metrics included that document the numbers of
students entering biomedical research careers from the applicant institution and its partners, if any? Are
plans clearly described to improve above the stated baseline of students entering graduate level biomedical
research programs?
Investigator(s)
Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage
Investigators or New Investigators, or in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate
experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that
have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have
complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational
structure appropriate for the project?
In addition, specific for this FOA: Do the investigators show evidence of the ability to lead institutional
transformation, develop, and direct a program focused on biomedical research, research training and
mentorship, including for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds? Are the key personnel
committed to research training for students from underrepresented backgrounds, and is there evidence of
past success in motivating such students to pursue research careers and preparing them to be successful?
Are activities planned to ensure active engagement of faculty from all partner institutions?
Innovation
Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing
novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the
concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or
novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts,
approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?
In addition, specific for this FOA: Are the approaches to be used innovative in the ways in which students
from diverse backgrounds are engaged and trained? Are factors that contribute to student exit from
biomedical research training considered and are innovative strategies to address these factors included?
Are novel and creative approaches to research training and/or mentoring clearly described and likely to
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substantially increase student participation in research, including students from underrepresented
backgrounds? If the proposed model is already in existence, is it being adapted or applied in innovative
ways to engage and train students from diverse backgrounds? Have the PD(s)/PI(s) developed innovative
ways to engage faculty in research mentoring and teaching across Partnering Institutions?
Approach
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the
specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success
presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will
particularly risky aspects be managed?
If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the
protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis
of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of children, justified in terms of the
scientific goals and research strategy proposed?
In addition, specific for this FOA: Is the overarching vision for development of transformative approaches to
biomedical research training compelling, and are the activities well suited to address this vision? Is there a
plan to make students aware of NIH and other funding opportunities? Do the approaches provide a
comprehensive strategy to address factors that lead students to exit the biomedical research career
pathway? Are the approaches likely to encourage experiences that may lead students to select and enter
biomedical research careers? Will the proposed approaches enrich the biomedical research training
environment at participating institutions? Is each of the approaches to be utilized well justified and will each
contribute substantially to the overarching vision established by the PD(s)/PI(s) and collaborators? Are the
proposed activities distinct from ongoing research training activities, such that synergies will result if the new
activities are conducted?
Is an appropriate rationale for the selection and inclusion of partner organizations provided? Will each of the
partner organizations make substantial and meaningful contributions to the goals of the project?
Environment
Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are
the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for
the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject
populations, or collaborative arrangements?
In addition, specific for this FOA: Are the combined environments of all partner institutions likely to foster
effective collaborations for teaching and mentoring diverse students in coursework and in research? Are
partnerships envisioned that will provide robust research experiences for undergraduate students? Will the
partnerships provide a robust mentoring pool for students to integrate with and form long-lasting
mentor/mentee relationships to help shape their future careers?
Additional Review Criteria
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining
scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these
items.
Overall Component
Does the application articulate a compelling and well-grounded vision for successful research career
paths and predictors of success at multiple stages?
Are the activities related to student, faculty, and infrastructure development novel, well integrated, and
likely to create an environment that fosters achievement of proposed milestones, leading to overall gains
in student outcomes above institutional baseline indicators?
Does the application describe how the proposed activities will enhance the Primary Institution's capacity
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for undergraduate research training, spur innovation, and position the participating institution(s) to
achieve BUILD programmatic goals?
If the application proposes to use up to 12 months post-award to develop an organizational strategy and
make necessary institutional infrastructure enhancements, does it provide a rationale for taking a phased
approach and clearly describe the proposed activities and expected outcomes?
Have existing resources/grants/awards at the Primary and Partner institutions been appropriately
leveraged to help achieve the stated aims?
If Partner Institutions are proposed, are their roles clearly described and justified?
Do the letters of support from authorized institutional officials and key personnel at the Primary and
Partner Institutions (if applicable) demonstrate strong support for the proposed activities and include
tangible examples of institutional commitment that engender confidence in the likelihood of success?
Are there specific project milestones that are directly related to achieving the programmatic goals, and is
the proposed timeline feasible and realistic?
Administrative Core
Is the organizational and governance structure likely to support timely execution of the project and
attainment of proposed priorities and objectives?
Are the roles and responsibilities of Administrative Core personnel clearly delineated?
Are proposed processes to allocate and prioritize fiscal and other resources clearly described and well
justified?
Is a plan provided to ensure timely and effective communication across project cores and the Diversity
Program Consortium as a whole?
Does the proposed management plan clearly describe the composition and roles of any proposed
advisory committees or boards and engender confidence that advisers will be effectively utilized?
Is the infrastructure to support data collection to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the proposed
program described, and are proposed plans for evaluation likely to enable meaningful comparisons with
institutional baseline data and outcomes from other training programs locally or at the national level?
Are there personnel with appropriate expertise to collaborate with the CEC to develop data collection and
analysis protocols for the evaluation of the BUILD?
Institutional Development Core
Is the need for institutional development adequately described and justified in the context of enhancing
undergraduate research training?
Are specific details about planned infrastructural enhancements likely to yield transformative long-term
changes at the institutional level in student research training and mentorship environments?
Does the application include a plan for assessing faculty needs as they relate to preparing students for
research careers?
Are proposed plans for assessing faculty needs as they relate to preparing students for research careers
well thought out and likely to inform strategies for enhancing the institutional training environment?
Are plans for sustainability beyond the period of Common Fund support addressed?
Does the application reflect an environment supportive of the innovation space needed to develop and
test novel ideas?
Is it clear how the proposed institutional development activities will benefit the faculty and students
participating in BUILD?
Student Training Core
Training Program and Environment
Are the research facilities and research environment conducive to preparing trainees for successful
careers as biomedical research scientists?
Are the objectives, design and direction of the proposed research training program likely to ensure
effective training?
Are training opportunities appropriately tailored for undergraduate trainees?
Do the courses, where relevant, and research experiences provide opportunities for trainees to acquire
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state-of-the-art scientific knowledge, methods, and tools that are relevant to the goals of the training
program?
Does the program provide appropriate inter- or multidisciplinary research training opportunities?
Is the proposed training program likely to ensure trainees will be well prepared for research-intensive and
research-related careers?
Is the level of institutional commitment to the training program, including administrative and research
training support, sufficient to ensure the success of the program?
Is it clear how the proposed training program is distinguished from other externally funded training
programs at the institution?
Are the proposed trainee development activities likely to enhance institutional capacity for undergraduate
research training and expand the pool of students that enters graduate level research training, including
those from underrepresented backgrounds?
Are the proposed trainee activities transformative, feasible, and measureable?
Are proposed strategies to improve student academic learning communities and curriculum development
well reasoned and justified?
Are the proposed training activities likely to enable trainees to thrive as they move through each step of
the biomedical research career pathway?
Program Director
Does the training program director have the scientific background, expertise, and experience to provide
strong leadership, direction, management, and administration of the proposed academic and research
training program?
Does the program director plan to commit sufficient time to the program to ensure its success?
If there are multiple program directors, is a strong and compelling leadership approach evident, including
the designated roles and responsibilities, governance, and organizational structure consistent with and
justified by the aims of the training program and with the complementary expertise of each program
director?
Preceptors/Mentors
Are sufficient numbers of experienced preceptors/mentors with appropriate expertise and funding
available to support the number and level of trainees proposed in the application?
Do the preceptors/mentors have strong records as researchers, including successful competition for
research support in areas directly related to the proposed research training program? Do the
preceptors/mentors have strong records of training undergraduate students?
Are appropriate plans in place to ensure that preceptors lacking sufficient research training experience
are likely to provide strong and successful mentoring?
Are trainees broadly distributed among research faculty?
Trainees
Are the selection processes and criteria for BUILD trainees clearly stated, and likely to engage a broad
range of students at participating institutions?
Is the description of the issues facing trainees as they consider biomedical research careers through their
undergraduate and postbaccalaureate years well reasoned, and are the approaches to be undertaken
likely to address these factors? Is this likely to enhance the ability of the institution and its partners to
engage a diverse group of students in biomedical research training pathways?
Is the potential applicant pool of sufficient size to warrant the proposed size of the training program?
Training Record
Does the proposed training program have a rigorous evaluation plan to assess the quality and
effectiveness of the training?
Are effective mechanisms in place for obtaining feedback from trainees and monitoring their subsequent
career development?
Does the applicant institution (and partner institutions, if applicable) have a strong track record in
providing research training to undergraduate students and sending students on to research-oriented
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doctoral degree programs in the biomedical sciences?
Research Enrichment Core
Are planned research enrichment, and mentoring activities clearly described and likely to be successful?
Is the description of the issues facing participants as they consider biomedical research careers through
their undergraduate and postbaccalaureate years well-reasoned, and are the approaches to be
undertaken likely to address these factors? Is this likely to enhance the ability of the institution and its
partners to engage a diverse group of students in biomedical research training activities?
If applicable, are the selection processes and criteria for BUILD postbaccalaureate participants clearly
stated, and likely to engage a broad range of students at participating institutions?
Is the Core leadership actively engaged in research or teaching activities related to the mission of NIH?
Do plans for engaging students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, and sustaining
their interest in research engender confidence that the program is likely to be successful?
Will proposed enrichment activities likely result in decisions by participants to enter graduate level
training, and enable these individuals to be successful in future biomedical research career phases?
Are faculty development activities tailored to the needs and interests of the faculty at the Primary and
Participating Institutions?
Will the approaches be likely to enrich and strengthen faculty credentials as biomedical research
mentors?
Is the selection process for identifying faculty mentors clearly stated?
Are proposed training strategies likely to strengthen the cultural competency of mentors across
Participating Institutions?
Is it clear how identified mentorship standards will guide the development of BUILD participants?
Are plans to promote faculty interactions between Partnering Institutions robust, and will they contribute to
stronger mentoring of students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, at all institutions?
If outreach activities are proposed, are specific populations, key personnel and activities appropriate for
the proposed activities?
If the Primary or Partner Institutions have current training awards, does the application clearly distinguish
between the proposed research training program and the training activities supported by other programs?
Protections for Human Subjects
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that
are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human
subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the
following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits
to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring
for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of
research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the
exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional
information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of
Human Subjects.
Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will
evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race,
and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the
scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion
section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.
Vertebrate Animals
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment
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according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and
numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and
numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and
injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of
analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of
euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For
additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review
of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
Biohazards
Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research
personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Resubmissions
Not Applicable
Renewals
Not Applicable
Revisions
Not Applicable
Additional Review Considerations - Overall
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give
scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.
Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research
All applications for support under this FOA must include a plan to fulfill NIH requirements for instruction in the
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Taking into account the specific characteristics of the training
program, the level of trainee experience, and the particular circumstances of the trainees, the reviewers will
evaluate the adequacy of the proposed RCR training in relation to the following five required components: 1)
Format - Does the plan satisfactorily address the format of instruction, e.g. lectures, coursework and/or real-time
discussion groups, including face-to-face interaction? (A plan involving only on-line instruction is not
acceptable.); 2) Subject Matter – Does the plan include a sufficiently broad selection of subject matter, such as
conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research
misconduct, research ethics? 3) Faculty Participation - Does the plan adequately describe how faculty will
participate in the instruction? 4) Duration of Instruction - Does the plan meet the minimum requirements for
RCR, i.e., at least eight contact hours of instruction? 5) Frequency of Instruction – Does the plan meet the
minimum requirements for RCR, i.e., at least once during each career stage (undergraduate, postbaccalaureate,
predoctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty levels) and at a frequency of no less than once every four years? Plans
will be rated as ACCEPTABLE or UNACCEPTABLE, and the summary statement will provide the consensus of
the review committee.
Applications from Foreign Organizations
Not Applicable
Select Agent Research
Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select
Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s)
will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s),
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and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).
Resource Sharing Plans
Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing
the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3)
Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).
Budget and Period of Support
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and
reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s)
convened by the CSR, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review
criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:
May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific
and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned
an overall impact score.
Will receive a written critique.
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted response to this FOA.
Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center and will compete for available funds with
all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review,
recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Council on Minority
Health and Health Disparities. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
Availability of funds.
Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary
Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement.
Section VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant
as described in the NIH Grants Pol i cy Statement.
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for
successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will
be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of
an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the
NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable
pre-award costs.
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Awards issued through this FOA will divide the cores above into three linked awards: a UL1 Linked Specialized
Center Cooperative Agreement award will support activities described through the Administrative and Institutional
Development Cores; an RL5 Linked Education Project award will support activities described through the
Research Enrichment Core; a TL4 Linked Training Award will support activities described through the Student
Training Core. The costs associated with each component will be allowable only to the corresponding linked
award.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, SAM Registration, and
Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.
Prior Approval of Pilot Projects
All Awardee-selected pilot projects require approval by NIMHD prior to initiation. For research projects that
involve human subjects:
The awardee institution will provide NIMHD with written study protocols that address risks and
protections for human subjects in accordance with NIH’s Instructions for Preparing the Human Subjects
Section of the Research Plan, NOT-OD-12-129 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOTOD-12-129.html), and NOT-OD-12-130 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOTOD-12-130.html).
The awardee institution will provide NIMHD with specific plans for data and safety monitoring, and will
notify the IRB and NIMHD of serious adverse events and unanticipated problems, consistent with NIH
DSMP policies.
If live vertebrate animals are to be involved, follow NIMHD policy (NOT-MD-08-002).
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement as part of the NoA.
For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Pol i cy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant
Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and
Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award
Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.
Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local
Governments are eligible to apply), and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.
The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an
"assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic
involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative
agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise
working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility,
or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility
resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among
the awardees and the NIH as defined below.
The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:
All aspects of the study, including any modification of project design, conduct of the project, quality
control, data analysis and interpretation, preparation of publications, and collaboration with other
investigators will be verified, confirmed and established when necessary by the Steering Committee.
Awardee will agree to the governance of the Steering Committee and, for issues affecting the consortium
as a whole, of the Executive Steering Committee.
Awardee will agree to accept close coordination, cooperation, and participation of the Enhancing the
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Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce Working Group in those aspects of scientific and technical
management of the project as described under "NIH Program Staff Responsibilities."
Awardee will provide goals and progress toward those goals at regular intervals as requested by the
Steering Committee and the Executive Steering Committee.
Awardee will ensure that resources (e.g. data sets; procedure manuals) developed as part of this project
are made publicly available and that results are published in a timely manner.
Awardee will adhere to the Executive Steering Committee policies regarding intellectual property, data
release and other policies that might be established during the course of this activity that are consistent
with applicable NIH policies, laws, and regulations.
Awardee will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these
awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and NIH policies.
The CEC and consortium will develop plans for data sharing among awardees. All evaluation-related
data will be shared with the NIH at the conclusion of the award.
NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship
role in awards, as described below:
The Project Scientists for the project will serve on the Steering Committee and the Executive Steering
Committee. The Project Scientists may work with the awardees on any issues that come before these
Committees.
The Project Scientists will serve as a liaison between the awardee and the Enhancing the Diversity of the
NIH-Funded Workforce Working Group. The Coordinators of the Enhancing the Diversity of the
NIH-Funded Workforce Working Group will periodically report progress to the Director of the Division of
Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), and the Chairs of the Working
Group.
The NIH reserves the right to withhold funding or curtail the study (of an individual award) in the event of
(a) substantive changes in the agreed-upon work scope with which NIH cannot concur, (b) human subject
ethical issues that may dictate a premature termination; (c) or project not progressing well.
Support or other involvement of industry or any other third party in the study--e.g., participation by the
third party; involvement of project resources or citing the name of the study or NIH support; or special
access to project results, data, findings or resources--may be advantageous and appropriate. However,
except for licensing of patents or copyrights, support or involvement of any third party will occur only
following notification of and concurrence by NIH.
Additionally, an NIH Program Official will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic
stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice.
Areas of joint responsibility include:
A Steering Committee will serve as the primary governing board for the cooperative agreement funded under this
FOA. The Steering Committee membership will include the NIH Program Official, NIH Project Scientist(s), the
PD(s)/PI(s) of the awarded cooperative agreement, who will serve as Steering Committee Chair(s), and two
external members not involved in the project who are selected by the PDs/PI(s). Additional members of the
Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce Working Group may be appointed to the Steering
Committee by the co-chairs of the Working Group, but the total number of NIH votes may not exceed 1/3 of the
Steering Committee voting membership. Other government staff may attend the Steering Committee meetings, if
their expertise is required for specific discussions.
The Steering Committee will:
Meet at least annually or as needed, with intermittent conference calls as needed.
Develop recommendations for uniform procedures and policies necessary to meet the goals of the FOA
and the goals of the Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce Program as a whole.
Provide input to the PD(s)/PI(s) with respect to the activities of the BUILD, its coordination with the NRMN
and CEC, and progress in meeting the goals of the FOA.
Schedule time for, and prepare concise (3 to 4 pages) summaries of, the Steering Committee meetings,
which will be delivered to members of the group within 30 days after each meeting.
Provide representation on the Executive Steering Committee (see below) to address issues relevant to
the Diversity Program Consortium as a whole.
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Dispute Resolution:
Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between
award recipients and the NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of
three members will be convened. The three members will be a designee of the Steering Committee chosen
without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is
chosen by the other two. In the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the
individual awardee. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the awardee's right to appeal an
adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulation 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and
DHHS regulation 45 CFR Part 16.
Executive Steering Committee:
An Executive Steering Committee (ESC) will be responsible for providing general oversight and guidance to the
Diversity Program Consortium. The ESC membership will include one non-NIH member from the Steering
Committee of each of the BUILD, NRMN, and CEC awards, the NIH Program Official and/or Project Scientists for
each program, and a member of the Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce Working Group, who
will serve as ESC Chair. The co-chairs of the Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce Working
Group may appoint additional members from the Working Group to serve as members on the ESC, but the total
number of NIH votes may not exceed 1/3 of the Executive Committee voting membership. Awardee members of
the ESC will be required to accept and implement policies approved by the ESC. The CEC will be responsible for
communicating ESC feedback and guidance to the BUILD, NRMN, and CEC Steering Committees.
The ESC will meet at least once annually, with intermittent conference calls as needed. The first ESC meeting
will take place during the Annual Grantees Meeting in October 2014.
Responsibilities of the ESC include the following:
Form sub-committees as necessary to work through detailed issues that affect the Diversity Program
Consortium as a whole.
Define competencies to be targeted through BUILD and NRMN activities.
Define hallmarks of success in biomedical research careers at various career stages.
Develop policies for adoption of mentoring standards.
Develop procedures and policies for sharing information between projects and with the wider community.
Review and consider issues and progress of individual awardees so that lessons learned can be shared,
and plans of the Diversity Program Consortium as a whole and of individual projects may be modified to
have maximal impact.
Contribute content and ideas for a program website managed by the CEC for the purposes of sharing
information.
Develop a public summary of lessons learned across the Program as a whole and applicability of the
lessons to the wider community.
3. Reporting
When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant
Progress Report (PHS 2590 or RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Pol i cy
Statement. The applicants should anticipate the need for data collection, collation, verification, and transmission
of data relevant to the evaluation of BUILD activities.
The Diversity Program Consortium Executive Steering Committee and the CEC will advise with respect to any
additional required data elements, format, and frequency of data reporting. If the NIH implements new
procedures or systems for tracking outcomes of trainees during the course of the BUILD award, the awardee will
be expected to participate in these new procedures or systems in accordance with NIH policy.
If a pilot project program is included in the project, progress reports should briefly describe status of pilot
projects, including data and safety monitoring, and should notify NIH of serious adverse events and
unanticipated problems.
Other Reporting Requirements
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The institution must submit a completed Statement of Appointment (PHS Form 2271) for each student
who receives financial support from a BUILD TL4 linked training award to work or participate in a BUILD
activity full time for eight weeks or more or the equivalent. Grantees must submit the PHS 2271 data
electronically using the xTrain system. More information on xTrain is available at xTrain (eRA Commons).
An appointment or reappointment may begin any time during the budget period, but not before the budget
period start date of the project.
A notarized statement verifying possession of permanent residency documentation must be submitted
with the Statement of Appointment (Form PHS 2271). Individuals with a Conditional Permanent Resident
status must first meet full (non-conditional) Permanent Residency requirements before receiving support.
TL4 Trainee Termination Notice: Within 30 days of the end of the total support period for each student,
the institution must submit a Termination Notice (PHS Form 416-7) via xTrain for each student appointed
full time for eight weeks or more, or the equivalent.
eRA Commons IDs for all students supported under the RL5 award who participate for at least one
person month must be reported on annual progress reports (NOT-OD-13-097).
NIH may request information from CEC and other databases, PD(s)/PI(s) and BUILD students themselves. If the
NIH implements new procedures or systems for tracking outcomes of students during the course of the BUILD
award, the awardee will be expected to participate in these new procedures or systems in accordance with NIH
policy.
A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are
required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement
for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation
under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and
cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at
www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on
this reporting requirement.
4. Evaluation
Evaluation of the BUILD initiative will be carried out continuously over the first five years of the program. The
findings of this evaluation will determine whether the initiative will be continued for an additional five years as
configured, continued with modifications, or discontinued.
The Diversity Program Consortium through its inclusive governance structure will establish and define any
additional data elements required to effectively evaluate the BUILD, including data intended to measure
hallmarks of success at each career stage and the impact that BUILD activities are having on student
achievement of these hallmarks. The Consortium and/or the CEC will disseminate these requirements and obtain
OMB clearance of recommended data as needed.
The NIH will periodically evaluate the BUILD awards to assess impact toward the overarching goal of engaging a
diverse talent pool (e.g., supplemental instruction and other service learning opportunities), sustaining research
interests of emerging scientists, and preparing them for successful careers in biomedical research. In assessing
the effectiveness of this Program, NIH may request information from CEC and other databases, PD(s)/PI(s), and
BUILD trainees and participants themselves. The BUILD program will be evaluated on the impact of BUILD in
contributing to a diverse NIH-funded workforce. At a minimum it is expected that the BUILD will be evaluated on
the following key outcomes related to trainees and participants:
Completion of undergraduate or graduate degree, completion of postdoctoral research training, and
entrance into graduate programs, postdoctoral research training or faculty position.
Involvement in research appropriate to career stage (e.g., ranging from research assistantships for
undergraduates to early career faculty participating as investigators, etc.).
Authorship on publications in peer-review journals.
Receipt of NIH or other peer-reviewed grants or fellowships.
Where necessary, PD(s)/PI(s), scholars, and other students participating in BUILD activities may be contacted
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after the completion of the BUILD program for periodic updates on subsequent educational or employment
history and professional activities. Upon the completion of a program evaluation, NIH will determine whether
lessons learned from BUILD should inform other NIH-funded training efforts.
Section VII. Agency Contacts
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions
from potential applicants.
Application Submission Contacts
eRA Commons Help Desk (Questions regarding eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an
application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Web ticketing system: https://public.era.nih.gov/commonshelp
TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: [email protected]
GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone: 301-435-0714
TTY: 301-451-5936
Email: [email protected]
Scientific/Research Contact(s)
Toya V. Randolph, PhD, MSPH
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-402-1366
Email: [email protected]
Peer Review Contact(s)
Delia Olufokunbi Sam, PhD Center
for Scientific Review (CSR)
Telephone: 301-613-6206
Email: [email protected]
Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)
Priscilla Grant, JD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-8412
Email: [email protected]
Section VIII. Other Information
Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices
published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and
conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Poli cy Statement.
Authority and Regulations
Awards are made under the authority of sections 301, 402, 405, and 487 of the Public Health Service Act as
amended (42 USC 241, 282, 284, and 288) and the Code of Federal Regulations, 42 CFR Parts 52 and 66, and
45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
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NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
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NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health®
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| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | RFA-RM-13-016: NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative (U54) |
| Author | tseeman |
| File Modified | 2019-11-19 |
| File Created | 2016-01-10 |