RFA-OD-27-006: Maximizing the Scientific Value of Data Generated by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program: Dissertation Grant (R36)

RFA-OD-27-006: Maximizing the Scientific Value of Data Generated by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program: Dissertation Grant (R36) is sponsored by NIH Office of the Director. Provides funding for doctoral students to analyze and interpret data from the ECHO Program to enhance child health outcomes.

RFA-OD-27-006: Maximizing the Scientific Value of Data Generated by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program: Dissertation Grant (R36 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health ( OD ) All applications to this funding opportunity announcement should fall within the mission of the Institutes/Centers. The following NIH Offices may co-fund applications assigned to those Institutes/Centers.

Office of Research on Women's Health ( ORWH ) Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes ( ECHO ) Funding Opportunity Title Maximizing the Scientific Value of Data Generated by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program: Dissertation Grant (R36 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Check for any recent Notices of NIH Policy Changes that may impact application requirements.

Funding Opportunity Number (FON) Companion Funding Opportunity Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Assistance Listing Number(s) Funding Opportunity Purpose The goal of this NOFO is to support doctoral candidates studying high-priority areas of child health for the completion of their doctoral dissertation research project. This NOFO seeks to advance research in child health by stimulating the use of Environmental Influences on Child Health ( ECHO ) Cohort data by doctoral students in relevant scientific areas.

This RFA will provide students working on dissertations the opportunity to access the ECHO data within the NICHD Data and Specimen Hub (DASH) repository. ECHO's DASH dataset integrates de-identified longitudinal data from more than 71,000 participants across the U.S. Prenatal and child exposure data include physical, chemical, social, behavioral, and biological factors.

ECHO's five primary pediatric outcome areas are pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes, upper and lower airway, obesity, neurodevelopment, and positive health. This award will facilitate the entry of promising new investigators into the field of early environmental exposures and child health research, enhancing the pool of highly talented researchers.

Funding Opportunity Goal(s) This listing covers multiple offices in the NIH Office of the Director that offer assistance awards or supplements to assistance awards. Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide , except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced.

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.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants. gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants. gov and eRA Commons to track your application.

Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Use Grants. gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.

Part 1. Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I.

Notice of 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 Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Description The goal of this funding opportunity is to support doctoral candidates studying high-priority areas of child health for the completion of their doctoral dissertation research project.

The purpose of these grants is to support promising candidates in appropriate scientific disciplines during their dissertation research on high-priority child health needs under the guidance of their faculty advisor. The proposed research should provide opportunities for experience that expand the individual's understanding of child health determinants, rigorous research design, and analysis of large data sets.

The research experience should also enhance potential to develop into a productive, independent child health researcher. Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) ECHO'S mission is to enhance the health of children for generations to come, with the overall scientific goal of investigating how exposure to a broad range of early environmental factors affects child health and development.

Over the entire research program, ECHO has longitudinal data from more than 40,000 pregnancies and 60,000 children from 69 maternal-child cohort studies in the U.S. Combining data across these cohorts has yielded large and diverse participant samples, enabling power for important child health research questions and generalizability of findings.

Prenatal and child exposure data include natural and built environments, and physical, chemical, social, behavioral, and biological factors. ECHO data prioritizes five pediatric outcome areas: pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes, upper and lower airway, obesity, neurodevelopment, and positive health, or well-being.

De-identified data from ECHO's first 71,000 participants (including pregnancies and children) are available through the NICHD Data and Specimen Hub ( DASH ). ECHO's Data Analysis Center will deposit updated data at least on yearly intervals. DASH is a centralized resource that allows researchers to access data from ECHO and other studies via a controlled-access mechanism.

A description of the data available for analysis including the study protocol is available in the ECHO portion of the DASH platform (see Descriptive Documents). A key ECHO goal is to catalyze research using this accessible resource by the broad scientific community, especially among emerging researchers not already supported by the ECHO Program.

ECHO data in DASH provide an exceptional opportunity for doctoral students pursuing important scientific questions about child health outcomes. This NOFO seeks to advance research and training in high-priority areas of child health by stimulating the use of ECHO data broadly by doctoral students from relevant scientific disciplines.

Examples of data elements available for analysis include socio-demographics; child and family health histories; pregnancy-related factors; caregiver psychosocial elements; chemical exposures; home/social environment; child physical health and functioning; child neurodevelopmental health and functioning; child health behaviors/lifestyle-related data elements; child social role performance and functioning; child sleep health; and child well-being.

ECHO data on DASH have moved to a new server in the Spring of 2026. This may result in an interruption in access, with resumption of access anticipated later in 2026. Applicants can examine what data will be available for analysis in DASH using the ECHO PlatIPUS system.

To gain access to PlatIPUS, please send a request through this link: Request Access to PlatIPLUS . Note: In PlatiPLUS, applicants to this NOFO should select "DASH Public" using the toggle switch at top of the Browse and Query pages To be responsive to this announcement applications must propose to use ECHO data on DASH. Applications that do not propose use of ECHO data on DASH will be withdrawn without review.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations. Section II.

Award Information Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. Application Types Allowed The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO.

Not Allowed: This NOFO only accepts applications that do not propose clinical trials. Note: Applications may propose activities involving human subjects that are not deemed clinical trials. Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. NIH intends to fund an estimate of 8 awards, corresponding to a total of $1,260,000, for fiscal years 2027-2028. Future year amounts will depend on annual appropriations.

This NOFO allows for budget requests to cover, per year, a salary consistent with the current fiscal year National Research Service Award (NRSA) predoctoral stipend level ( https://grants. nih. gov/training/nrsa.

htm#policy ) and up to $15,000 for additional expenses such as fringe benefits in accordance with institutional policies including health insurance for self and family members, travel to scientific meetings, and dissertation research costs. NIH requires dissertation research activities and associated didactics to be one hundred percent effort.

Except for costs associated with the dissertation (i.e., dissertation credits), the PD/PI may use no funds to pay tuition or fees. Other specific costs not allowed on dissertation research grants are equipment, alterations/renovations, space rental, contracting or consortium costs, dissertation defense or deposit fees, membership fees, research assistant support, and faculty or consultant effort.

This listing is not exhaustive, and the applicant organization should contact NIH staff regarding any other cost item they are considering. For more information on allowable and unallowable costs, see https://grants. nih.

gov/grants/policy/policy. htm . NIH reimburses indirect costs (also known as facilities & administrative [F&A] Costs) at 8% of modified total direct costs.

The initial award project period requested must be at least 12 months and may not exceed twenty-four months. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO. Section III.

Eligibility Information Higher Education Institutions - Includes all types Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses) City or Township Governments Special District Governments Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized).

Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Independent School Districts Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Faith-based or Community-based Organizations Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) 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 Policy Statement , are not allowed. NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts.

All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. See NIH Grants Policy Statement 16. 8 Collaborative International Research Awards .

Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding.

This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components , funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply- 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.

Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2. 3. 9.

2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information. System for Award Management (SAM) – 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. Foreign organizations must obtain a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.

gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application. eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.

gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. 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. Grants.

gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants. gov registration. Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.

PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. 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.

All PD(s)/PI(s) must be registered with ORCID . The personal profile associated with the PD(s)/PI(s) eRA Commons account must be linked to a valid ORCID ID. For more information on linking an ORCID ID to an eRA Commons personal profile see the ORCID topic in our eRA Commons online help .

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 their organization to develop an application for 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 How to Apply-Application Guide. Eligible PDs/PIs include predoctoral students at the dissertation stage of training.

The candidate must have an approved dissertation proposal (at the time of award), show evidence of high academic performance in the field of study and a commitment to a career as an independent research scientist, an independent physician-scientist or other clinician-scientist (dual-degree training) This NOFO is available to predoctoral students who are in good standing in accredited research doctoral programs in the United States (including Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories or possessions; see Section III for additional information regarding eligibility for this program).

The PD/PI must have a baccalaureate degree and be currently enrolled in a PhD or equivalent research degree program (e.g., EngD, DNSc, DrPH, DSW, PharmD, PsyD, ScD), a formally combined MD/PhD program, or other combined professional/clinical and research doctoral (e.g., DDS/PhD) in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences. NIH does not allow multiple PD/PIs.

By the time of the award, the individual must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551 or other legal verification of such status). This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1. 2 Definition of Terms .

3. Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 7. 4 Submission of Resubmission Application .

This means that the NIH will not accept: A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application. A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.

An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 2. 3. 9.

4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications ). At the time of award, NIH requires individuals to pursue their research training on a full-time basis, normally defined as 40 hours per week or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. Section IV.

Application and Submission Information 1. Requesting an Application Package The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants. gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution.

Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants. gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise (in this NOFO, in a policy notice , or other notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). 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. All page limitations described in the How to Apply- Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed. Instructions for Application Submission The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply- Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. SF424(R&R) Other Project Information All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

Other Attachments: Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research All applications must include a plan to fulfill NIH's Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR); s ee NOT-OD-22-055 .

The plan must address the five, required instructional components outlined in the NIH policy: Format - the required format of instruction, i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups or real-time discussion groups (a plan with only on-line instruction is not acceptable) Subject Matter - the breadth of subject matter, e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, research ethics Faculty Participation - the role of the mentor(s) and other faculty involvement in the instruction Duration of Instruction - the number of contact hours of instruction (at least eight hours are required) Frequency of Instruction – instruction must occur during each career stage and at least once every four years.

Document any prior instruction during the candidate's current career stage, including the inclusive dates instruction was last completed by the candidate. The attachment must be no longer than one page. Applications lacking a Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research, or containing an attachment more than one-page long, are noncompliant and will not be reviewed by the NIH.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: The proposed research plan should meet the standards of rigor and quality for dissertation research at the candidate's doctoral institution and enhance the candidate's potential as a productive child health researcher. Applicants may propose any scientific question appropriate for use of the ECHO data.

Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Exposure-outcome associations, such as: Influence of exposure to environmental contaminants during pregnancy or early childhood on neurodevelopment Associations of mother's diet and weight trajectory during pregnancy with childhood obesity Relationship between maternal exposures and preterm birth Associations of infant sleep health with development of asthma, obesity, neurocognitive, and positive health outcomes Analyses of developmental trajectories of weight-related, neurodevelopmental, or other outcomes Identification of reliable bio-behavioral, environmental, and/or familial signatures that predict positive health outcomes, including global health, life satisfaction, and/or meaning and purpose Development of new methodologies for etiology and prediction Pre-Submission Consultation Candidates should explain how completion of the project will help the PD/PI to advance his/her research career goals.

Applicants must explain the following: The importance of the question that the proposed project addresses How the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or health practices in one or more broad fields How addressing the aims will change the understandings, methods, programs, or preventive practices that drive this field Applicants must combine all letters into a single pdf file, including Candidate Eligibility Statement: The faculty advisor, dissertation committee chair, or university official directly responsible for supervising the dissertation research must submit a signed letter on institutional letterhead certifying that the PD/PI meets the eligibility criteria for the award.

Advisor and Reference Letters: The faculty advisor and at least one other member of the dissertation committee must submit letters, each no longer than 2 pages, that assess (a) the doctoral candidate's progress to date; and (b) the candidate's commitment to child health -related research and her/his prospect of becoming an independent investigator in this area.

The reference letters should address the institutional supports and resources available to foster the completion of the dissertation project. We encourage candidates to consult with NIH scientific/research staff when planning an application.

Early contact provides an opportunity for NIH scientific/research staff to provide guidance on program scope and appropriateness of the proposed research and training for potential funding in response to this NOFO. Applicants should contact NIH scientific/research staff as early as possible before the due date.

Resource Sharing Plan : Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide . All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable for this NOFO. Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed.

Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide . No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply- Application Guide , with the following additional instructions: If you answered "Yes" to the question "Are Human Subjects Involved?"

on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record. Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. PHS Assignment Request Form All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) See Part 2. Section III.

1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants. gov 4. Submission Dates and Times Part I.

contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday , the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants. gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons , NIH's electronic system for grants administration.

NIH and Grants. gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.

gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 9. 2 Electronically Submitted Applications .

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission. Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply-Application Guide . 5.

Intergovernmental Review (E. O. 12372) This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement . Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7. 9.

1 Selected Items of Cost. 7. Other Submission Requirements and Information Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply – Application Guide .

Paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III.

Eligibility Information contains information about registration. For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide . If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance.

For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII. All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form . Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements. The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply – Application Guide .

See more tips for avoiding common errors. Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200. 113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.

1. 35 . Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at grantdisclosures@oig.

hhs. gov . Post Submission Materials Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

For this particular announcement, note the following: The NIH intends this NOFO to facilitate completion of a doctoral research project and dissertation in a research area relevant to the ECHO mission and research priorities. Because NIH restricts the Research Plan component to 6 pages, a dissertation research grant application will not have the same level of detail or extensive discussion found in an R01 application.

Accordingly, reviewers should evaluate the conceptual framework and general approach to the problem, rather than methodological details and preliminary data. Review for funding should evaluate significance within the context of a doctoral dissertation. Applicants may provide appropriate justification for the proposed work through literature citations, data from other sources, or from investigator-generated data.

NIH does not require preliminary data. 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 scored review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact. Reviewers will consider Factors 1, 2 and 3 in the determination of scientific merit, and in providing an overall impact score. In addition, Factors 1 and 2 will each receive a separate factor score.

Factor 1. Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation) Evaluate the importance of the proposed research in the context of current scientific challenges and opportunities, either for advancing knowledge within the field, or more broadly. Assess whether the application addresses an important gap in knowledge in the field, would solve a critical problem, or create a valuable conceptual or technical advance.

Evaluate the rationale for undertaking the study, the rigor of the scientific background for the work (e.g., prior literature and/or preliminary data) and whether the scientific background justifies the proposed study. Evaluate the extent to which innovation influences the importance of