Announcements and Updates
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) will Award up to $81 million:
- Evidence gaps that limit patients' ability make better-informed health care decisions.
- Health outcomes that are meaningful to patients and those who care for them.
- Issues relevant to the real-world settings where patients make decisions.
Letters of intent (LOI) are due June 15 and completed applications are due August 15. Awards will be announced by mid-December.
If you are interested in being a PCORI-funded researcher, you can sign up for a series of free informational webinars, May 21-May 30. Find out how to register here. For more details on PCORI’s latest round of funding and updated PFAs, please see this new blog post from Martin Dueñas, PCORI's Director of Contracts Management. You can also find out more about online application system in this second post from Martin. Please contact NSU Office of Sponsored Programs immediately if you decide to apply to any of these initiatives.
NIH Fiscal Policy for Grant Awards - FY 2013
On May 8, 2013, NIH issued fiscal policies for grant awards for FY 2013 (NOT-OD-13-064) addressing funding levels, inflationary increases new investigators, and salary limits. NIH expects the non-competing continuation grants, both research and non-research, will continue to be funded at reduced levels (funding levels have generally been 90% of previously committed levels). At this time, commitments for continuation awards in FY 2014 and beyond are unchanged. It is expected that there will fewer competing awards in FY 2013; the success rates for new investigators on R01 equivalent submissions will remain comparable to success rates for established investigators. Current salary limits and stipend levels will be continued in FY 2013. Discontinuation of inflationary increases for future year commitments for competing awards will be extended through FY 2013. Additional details, and specific funding strategies adopted by each participating Institute/Center, will be posted at http://grants.nigh.gov/grants/financial/index.htm. For complete information, see NOT-OD-13-064.
National Institutions of Health Regional Seminar in Baltimore, MD on June 26-28
The National Institutes of Health will hold the annual NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration from June 26-28, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. The session will provide access to more than 35 NIH and HHS experts representing NIH program, policy, review, and grants management. Sessions of interest include NIH AREA (R15) Program Update, NIH Peer Review Process, Grant Writing for Success, Budget Building Blocks for Investigators, and Working with NIH Program Officials. Registration is now open. For more information and links to complete agendas, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/regionalseminars/Baltimore_2013/index.html.
SRA International Sequestration Resource Center Website
SRA International, a non-profit organization serving members of the research administration community, has established the Sequestration Resource Center on its web site as a resource for the research administration community to provide the latest news and federal agency information related to sequestration. To visit the site, please go to http://www.srainternational.org/sra03/template/tntbAB.cfm?id=5632 .
DHHS Funding Agencies Issue Information Regarding Impacts on Sequestration
The Department of Health and Humans Services and its operating divisions have issued a communication that, while they are taking steps to mitigate effects imposed by sequestration, grants and cooperative agreement awards may be impacted. Specifics are unknown at this time, but impacts could include not issuing continuation awards, negotiating reductions in scope of work, or rescoping, delaying, or canceling plans for new grants. Individual NIH Grant Management Officers will contact awardees on a case-by-case basis with additional details, if fiscal year 2013 funds on a particular award are going to be affected. The budget cuts imposed by sequestration do not affect awards made with FY 2012 resources.
NIH Public Access Policy
The NIH has issued a notice related to changes to Public Access Policy compliance efforts with anticipated start dates on or after July 1, 2013 (NOT-OD-13-042 and NOT-OD-12-160). Three new podcasts have been issued to help grantees understand the NIH Public Access Policy. For information, visit http://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2013/01/31/new-podcasts-on-nih-public-access-policy/. Note: The weekly list of NIH notices and funding opportunities is available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm?WeekEnding=02-15-2013
NSF Project Reporting and Proposal Submission Update
NSF is changing the FastLane proposal and project report submission process. Effective March 18, 2013, Principal Investigators will be required to use Research.gov to meet all NSF reporting requirements, including final, annual and interim project reports. (Please see Dear Colleague Letter at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13041/nsf13041.jsp?org=NSF ). Also on March 18, FastLane will begin an automated compliance check for required sections of proposals as detailed in the new Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.
NIH Requires Use of RPPR for All SNAP Progress Reports (NOT-OD-13-035)
The use of the eRA Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) module for submitting SNAP reports will be required for awards with start dates on or after July 1, 2013 (i.e., report due dates on or after May 15, 2013). For more information, please see NOT-OD-13-035.
NSF Issues Revised Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide, effective January, 2013
The new version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 13-1), has been issued; it is effective for proposals submitted on or after January 14, 2013. The document incorporates the Grant Proposal Guide, which provides guidance on proposal preparation and submission, and the Award & Administration Guide, which contains requirements for managing NSF awards. The new PAPPG version includes revisions to clarify and improve the function of NSF Merit Review Criteria, changes to instructions for preparation of biosketches, and other modifications and clarifications. Additional information and resources related to the Merit Review criteria are available on the NSF website by clicking here. Frequently Asked Questions related to FastLane and the changes to the PAPPG can be accessed at the NSF website by clicking here .