Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31)

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31) is sponsored by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

This fellowship supports promising graduate students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who are pursuing training and research in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of participating NIH institutes. It provides up to five years of support for research training leading to a Ph. D.

or equivalent research degree, or combined M. D. /Ph.

D. degree.

Expired PA-07-106: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research This notice has expired. Check the NIH Guide for active opportunities and notices.

Department of Health and Human Services Participating Organization National Institutes of Health (NIH), ( http://www. nih. gov/ ) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), ( http://www.

ahrq. gov ) Components of Participating Organizations National Cancer Institute (NCI), ( http://www. nci.

nih. gov/ ) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), ( http://www. nccam.

nih. gov/ ) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), ( http://www. ncrr.

nih. gov/ ) National Eye Institute (NEI), ( http://www. nei.

nih. gov/ ) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), ( http://www. nhlbi.

nih. gov ) National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), ( http://www. nhgri.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute on Aging (NIA), ( http://www. nia.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), ( http://www. niaaa.

nih. gov / ) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), ( http://www. niaid.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), ( http://www. niams.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), ( http://www. nibib.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), ( http://www. nichd.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), ( http://www. nidcd.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), ( http://www. nidcr.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), ( http://www. niddk.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), ( http://www. nida.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), ( http://www. niehs.

nih. gov ) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), ( http://www. nigms.

nih. gov ) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), ( http://www. nimh.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), ( http://www. ninds.

nih. gov/ ) National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), ( http://www. ninr.

nih. gov/ ) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), ( http://www. ods.

od. nih. gov ) L.

Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) revises and replaces PA-06-481 that was previously released on July 21, 2006.

This revision changes the application receipt dates, amends the submission requirements as described and updates the Tuition/Fees, and Institutional Allowance as detailed in NOT-OD-06-093 . Note: The PHS 416-1 (rev. 9/2008) must be used for December 2008 application receipt dates.

See also: NOT-OD-09-004 . Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued: June 12, 2009 - This PA has been reissued as (PA-09-209). February 5, 2008 - See Notice (NOT-OD-08-039) Applications submitted for this PA are required to include a letter with the application from the institution certifying eligibility of the fellow for this program..

Looking ahead : As part of the Department of Health and Human Services' implementation of e- Government, during FY 2006, the NIH will gradually transition each research grant mechanism to electronic submission through Grants. gov and the use of the SF 424 Research and Related (R&R) forms.

Therefore, once the transition is made for a specific grant mechanism, investigators and institutions will be required to submit applications electronically using Grants. gov. For more information and an initial timeline, see http://era. nih.

gov/ElectronicReceipt/ . NIH will announce each grant mechanism change in the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts ( http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/guide/index. html ). Specific funding opportunity announcements will also clearly indicate if Grants.

gov submission and the use of the SF424 (R&R) are required. Investigators should consult the NIH Forms and Applications Web site (http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/forms. htm) for the most current information when preparing a grant application. Program Announcement (PA) Number: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 93.

272, 93. 173, 93. 279, 93.

894, 93. 282, 93. 853, 93.

866, 93. 361,93. 847, 93.

848,93. 849,93. 855,93.

856, 93. 286, 93. 865, 93.

121, 93. 867, 93. 859, 93.

233, 93. 837, 93. 838, 93.

839, 93. 172, 93. 389, 93.

225 Release Date: December 12, 2006 Application Receipt Date(s): April 13, August 13, December 13 Peer Review Date(s): June-July, October-November, February-March Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): December, April, July Expiration Date: New Date June 12, 2009 (per issuance of PA-09-209 ) Original Date: April 14, 2010 Additional Overview Content The primary objective of this funding opportunity announcement is to help ensure that diverse pools of highly trained scientists will be available in appropriate research areas to carry out the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical research agenda.

This initiative seeks to improve the diversity of the health-related research workforce by supporting the training of predoctoral students from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented. Such candidates include individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Detailed eligibility criteria are described in the full announcement.

The number of awards and the total amount of funding that the participating NIH Institutes and Centers, and AHRQ expect to award through this announcement will depend on the scientific merit of applications received, relevance to the program priorities of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers, and AHRQ, and the availability of funds. This PA uses the Ruth L.

Kirschstein Individual Predoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA) F31 award mechanism. Eligible sponsoring organizations include for-profit or non-profit organizations, public or private institutions such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories; eligible agencies and labs of the Federal government, including NIH intramural labs, domestic or foreign institutions/organizations.

Applicant fellows must identify a primary sponsor as well as co-sponsors where needed. As an applicant, the candidate together with his/her sponsor(s) and institution are jointly responsible for planning, directing, and executing Applicant fellows must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for Permanent Residence.

Non-citizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States, i.e.; American Samoa and Swains Island. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. Individuals may apply for the F31 in advance of admission to the United States as a Permanent Resident recognizing that no award will be made until legal verification of Permanent Resident status is provided.

Applicants must be enrolled in a Ph. D. or equivalent research degree program, a formally combined M.

D. /Ph. D.

program, other combined professional doctoral/research Ph. D. graduate program in the biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences, or have been accepted by and agreed to enroll in such a graduate program in the academic year for which funds are sought.

See Section III for definitions associated with the specific eligibility requirements. Applicants submitting revised applications must follow the instructions for Revised Applications, PHS 416-1 . Up to two revised applications may be submitted.

It is important to note that the PHS 416-1 application form has been restructured and the instructions have been significantly modified. See NOT-OD-07-002 released October 5, 2006. Telecommunications for the hearing impaired is available at: TTY 301-451-5936.

Part I. Overview Information Part II. Full Text of Announcement Section I.

Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information 1. Mechanism(s) of Support Section III.

Eligibility Information 2. Cost Sharing or Matching 3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria Section IV.

Application and Submission Information 1. Address to Request Application Information 2. Content and Form of Application Submission 3.

Submission Dates and Times A. Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates B. Sending an Application to the NIH C.

Application Processing 4. Intergovernmental Review 6. Other Submission Requirements Section V.

Application Review Information 2. Review and Selection Process A. Additional Review Criteria B.

Additional Review Considerations D. Sharing Research Resources 3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates Section VI.

Award Administration Information 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements Section VII. Agency Contact(s) 1.

Scientific/Research Contact(s) 2. Peer Review Contact(s) 3. Financial/ Grants Management Contact(s) Section VIII.

Other Information - Required Federal Citations Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description 1. Research Training Objectives Background and Objectives The Ruth L.

Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research will provide up to five years of support for research training leading to the Ph. D. or equivalent research degree, the combined M.

D. /Ph. D.

degree; or another formally combined professional degree and research doctoral degree in biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences.

These fellowships will enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral, health services, and clinical research labor force in the United States by providing opportunities for academic institutions to identify and recruit students from diverse population groups to seek graduate degrees in health-related research and apply for this fellowship.

The overall goal of this program is to increase the number of scientists from diverse population groups who are prepared to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral, social, clinical, or health services research. The NIH recognizes a unique and compelling need to promote diversity in the biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences research workforce.

The NIH expects that efforts to diversify the workforce to lead to: the recruitment of the most talented researchers from all groups; an improvement in the quality of the educational and training environment; a balanced perspective in setting research priorities; an improved capacity to recruit subjects from diverse backgrounds into clinical an improved capacity to address and eliminate health disparities.

Accordingly, the NIH continues to encourage institutions to diversify their student and faculty populations and thus to increase the participation of individuals currently underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences. This announcement seeks to stimulate the participation of individuals from the following groups: A. individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups; B.

individuals with disabilities; C. individuals from socially, culturally, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds that have inhibited their ability to pursue a career in health-related research.

See Section III for additional information regarding eligibility Research Training Program Fellowship awardees are required 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. An NRSA fellowship may not be used to support studies leading to the MD. , D.

O. , D. D.

S. , D. V.

M. , or other similar health-professional degrees. Neither may these awards be used to support the clinical years of residency training.

Research clinicians must devote full time to their proposed research training and confine clinical duties to those activities that are part of the research training program. The sponsoring institution must have adequate faculty and facilities available to provide a suitable environment for a high-quality research training experience.

The research training should occur in a research-intensive environment that has appropriate human and technical resources and is demonstrably committed to research training in the particular program proposed by the applicant.

The applicant’s research training should be guided and supervised by a committed sponsor who is an active and established investigator in the area of the applicant’s proposed research and who will be committed to the research training of the individual. The sponsor must also document the availability of sufficient staff, research support, and facilities for high-quality research training.

Each NIH Institute and Center has a unique scientific purview and different program goals and initiatives that evolve over time. Prior to preparing an application, it is critical that all applicants consult the appropriate Institute website (listed with each Institute's name at the beginning of this announcement) for details of research areas supported by that Institute.

In addition, applicants should contact the appropriate Institute program representative listed in the linked F31 Web site ( http://grants. nih. gov/archive/grants/guide/contacts/PA-07-106_contacts.

htm ) prior to preparing an application to obtain current information about Institute specific program priorities and policies. This action is of utmost importance because applications with marginal or no relevance to the participating Institutes will not be accepted for review or possible funding See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations , for policies related to this announcement.

This funding opportunity will use the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA individual predoctoral fellowship (F31) award mechanism. As an applicant, the candidate together with his/her sponsor/mentor and institution are jointly responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.

Information for participating Institute contacts and any IC mission-specific initiatives for F31 programs may be found in ( http://grants. nih. gov/archive/grants/guide/contacts/PA-07-106_contacts.

htm ). Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications, the program priorities of the participating Institutes, and the availability of funds. The NRSA mechanism provides a stipend, tuition and fees and an institutional allowance.

For information, see: http://grants. nih. gov/training/nrsa.

htm , and NIH Notice NOT-OD-06-026 , released January 9, 2006, and NIH Notice NOT-OD-06-093 released August 18, 2006. Ruth L. Kirschstein-NRSA awards provide stipends to predoctoral fellows as a subsistence allowance to help defray living expenses during the research training experience.

The awards are not provided as a condition of employment with either the Federal government or the sponsoring institution. The current stipend level can be found on the NIH website at http://grants. nih.

gov/training/nrsa. htm . The awarding NIH Institute will adjust awards on the anniversary date of the fellowship award to ensure consistency with the stipend level in effect For fellows sponsored by domestic non-federal institutions, the stipend will be paid through the sponsoring institution.

For fellows sponsored by Federal or foreign institutions, the monthly stipend payment will be deposited in the fellow's U.S. bank account or paid directly to the fellow by U.S. Department The NIH will offset the combined cost of tuition and fees costs at the rate in place at the time of the award.

The rate currently in place, as indicated in the NIH Guide announcement NOT-OD-06-093 released August 18, 2006, will provide an amount per fellow equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year. If the program supports formal combined dual degree training (e.g., M. D.

-Ph. D.) the amount provided will be 60% of these costs up to $21,000 per year.

The current policy can be located at: NOT-OD-06-093 . The NIH provides an institutional allowance to help offset expenses such as research supplies, equipment, health insurance (either self-only or family as appropriate), and travel to scientific meetings.

At the time of publication of this funding opportunity announcement (and as indicated in the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-06-093), F31 fellows receive an institutional allowance of $4,200 per 12-month period to non-federal, or nonprofit or foreign sponsoring institutions.

Self-only health insurance (available to fellows without families) or family health insurance (available to fellows with families) is an allowable cost for fellows at the awardee or sponsoring institution only if such self or family health insurance is required of all persons in a similar training status regardless of the source of support.

This allowance is intended to cover training-related expenses for the individual awardee and is not available until the fellow officially activates the award. If an individual fellow is enrolled or engaged in training for less than six months of the award year, only one-half of that year's allowance may be charged to the grant. The Notice of Research Fellowship Award will be revised and the balance must be returned to the NIH.

NIH will currently provide an institutional allowance of up to $3,100 for F31 fellows sponsored by Federal or for-profit institutions for expenses associated with travel to scientific meetings, health insurance, and books. For fellows at for-profit institutions, the $3,100 will be paid to the institution for disbursement to the fellow. Funds for fellows at Federal laboratories will be disbursed from the awarding IC.

Funds are not available to cover the costs of travel between the fellow’s place of residence and a domestic training institution. However, in an individual case of extreme hardship, a one-way travel allowance may be authorized by the sponsoring institution. Such travel must be paid from the institutional allowance.

The Institutional Allowance is adjusted from time-to-time. Prospective applicants are advised to check for the current Institutional Allowance in the most recent documentation related to NRSA stipends at http://grants. nih.

gov/training/nrsa. htm . Additional funds may be requested by the institution when the training of a fellow involves exceptional circumstances.

In all cases, the additional funds requested must be reasonable in relationship to the total dollars awarded under the fellowship and must be directly related to the approved research training experience. Such additional funds shall be provided only in exceptional circumstances that are fully justified and explained by the sponsoring institution in the application.

Reasonable accommodations As part of this award, additional funds may be requested by the sponsoring institution to make changes or adjustments in the academic or research environment that will make it possible for an otherwise qualified individual with disabilities to perform the work necessary to meet the requirements of the degree program in which he/she is enrolled.

Individuals with disabilities are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The accommodations requested under this program must be directly related to the work required to meet the requirements as regards to both course work and laboratory experience, and must be appropriate to the special needs of the applicant.

Some types of accommodations that might be provided under this award include, but are not limited to: specialized equipment, assistive devices, and personnel such as readers, interpreters, or assistants. This award is not meant to relieve the sponsoring institution of its obligation to provide reasonable accommodations as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

NIH will not provide funds for infrastructure alterations such as lowering countertops, widening doorways, etc. Off-site research training As part of this award, additional funds may be requested by the sponsoring institution if the research training of a fellow involves extraordinary costs for travel to field sites remote from the sponsoring institution.

Foreign site research training As part of this award, applications that include training at a foreign site may include a single economy or coach round-trip travel fare. No allowance is provided for dependents. U.S. flag carriers must be used to the maximum extent possible when commercial air transportation is available for travel between the United States and a foreign country or between foreign countries.

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs Facilities and administrative costs are not allowed on individual fellowship Supplementation of Stipends, Compensation and Other The sponsoring institution is allowed to provide funds to the fellow in addition to the stipend paid by the NIH in accordance with its own formally established policies governing stipend support.

These policies must be consistently applied to all individuals in a similar status, regardless of the source of funds. Such additional amounts either may be in the form of an augmented stipend (supplementation) or in the form of compensation, provided the conditions described below are met.

Under no circumstances may the conditions of stipend supplementation or the services provided for compensation interfere with, detract from, or prolong the fellow's approved Kirschstein-NRSA Supplementation, or additional support to offset the cost of living, may be provided by the sponsoring institution. Supplementation does not require additional effort from the fellow.

DHHS funds may not be used for supplementation under any circumstances. Additionally, no funds from other Federal agencies may be used for supplementation unless specifically authorized by the NIH and the other Federal agency. The sponsoring institution may provide additional funds to a fellow in the form of compensation (as salary and/or tuition remission) for services such as teaching or serving as a research assistant.

A fellow may receive compensation for services as a research assistant or in some other position on a Federal research grant, including a DHHS research grant. However, compensated services should occur on a limited, part-time basis apart from the normal full-time research training activities.

In addition, compensation may not be paid from a research grant supporting the fellow's research training A full description of the policy for stipend supplementation and compensation is located in the NIH Grants Policy Statement at: http://grants. nih. gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part10.

htm . Educational Loans or G. I.

Bill An individual may make use of Federal educational loan funds and assistance under the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act (G. I. Bill).

Such funds are not considered supplementation or compensation. III. Eligibility Information 1.

A.

Eligible Institutions You may submit (an) application(s) if your sponsoring organization has any of the following characteristics: Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, Eligible agencies and labs of the Federal government including NIH intramural The sponsoring institution must have staff and facilities available on site to provide a suitable environment for performing high-quality research training.

An applicant must include in the application the name of his/her sponsor who will supervise the training and research experience. Applicants requesting fellowship support for foreign research training must demonstrate in the application that the foreign institution and sponsor offer unique opportunities and clear scientific advantages that are not currently available in the United States.

Only if there is a clear scientific advantage will foreign training be supported. For the purpose of this announcement, institutions are encouraged to identify candidates who will increase diversity on a national or institutional basis. As discussed, the NIH is particularly interested in encouraging the recruitment and retention of the following classes of candidates: A.

Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see http://www. nsf. gov/statistics/showpub.

cfm? TopID=2&SubID=27 ). In addition, it is recognized that under-representation can vary from setting to setting and individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be convincingly demonstrated to be underrepresented by the grantee institution are eligible for support under this program.

B. Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more C. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds.

These thresholds are based on family size; published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe. hhs.

gov/poverty/index. shtml .

For individuals from low income backgrounds, the institution must be able to demonstrate that such candidates have qualified for Federal disadvantaged assistance or they have received any of the following student loans: Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL), Loans for Disadvantaged Student Program, or they have received scholarships from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Scholarship for Individuals with Exceptional Financial Individuals who come from a social, cultural, or educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that have demonstrably and recently directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

Eligibility related to a disadvantaged background is most applicable to high school and perhaps to undergraduate candidates, but would be more difficult to justify for individuals beyond that level of academic achievement.

By the time of award, the individual applicant applying for the Kirschstein-NRSA fellowship award must be a citizen or non-citizen national of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for Permanent Residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or other legal verification of such status).

Non-citizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States (i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island). Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.

Individuals may apply for the F31 in advance of admission to the United States as a Permanent Resident recognizing that no award will be made until legal verification of Permanent Resident An applicant must have a baccalaureate degree and be currently enrolled in a Ph. D. or equivalent research degree program (e.g., Eng.

D. , D. N.

Sc. , Dr. P. H.

, D. S. W.

, Pharm. D. , Psy.

D. , Sc. D.)

, a formally combined M. D. /Ph.

D. program, or other combined professional doctorate/research Ph. D.

graduate program (e.g., D. D. S.

/Ph. D.) in the biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences, or have been accepted by and agreed to enroll in such a graduate program in the academic year for which funds are being sought.

With the exception of the combined degree programs described above, the F31 may not be used to support studies leading to the M. D. , D.

D. S. , or other clinical, health-professional training (e.g., D.

C. , D. M.

D. , D. N.

P. , D. O.

, D. P. M.

, D. V. M.

, N. D. , O.

D. ,). 2.

Cost Sharing or Matching There is no required cost sharing. The most current Grants Policy Statement can be found at: http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/nihgps_Part2. htm#matching_or_cost_sharing . 3.

Other-Special Eligibility Criteria An individual may not have two or more competing NIH fellowship applications pending review concurrently. In addition, CSR will not accept for review any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed.

Individuals may receive up to five years of aggregate Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level, including any combination of support from institutional training grants (T32) and an individual fellowship award. However, it is not possible to have concurrent NRSA support (e.g., F31 and T32). Applicants must consider any prior NRSA predoctoral research training in determining the duration of support requested.

Accurate information regarding previous Kirschstein-NRSA support must be included in the application and will be considered Individuals are required 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.

Continuation of the fellowship award for each subsequent year beyond the first award period is based upon evidence of satisfactory progress in the graduate program. Before submitting a fellowship application, the applicant must identify a sponsoring institution and an individual who will serve as a sponsor (also referred to as mentor or supervisor) who will supervise the training and research experience.

The sponsor should be an active investigator in the area of the proposed research who is committed to the research training of the individual and who will directly supervise the candidate's research. The sponsor must also document the availability of sufficient staff, research support, and facilities for a high-quality research training experience. The applicant must work with his/her sponsor in preparing the application.

The sponsoring institution must have appropriate faculty and facilities available on site to provide a suitable environment for high-quality Applicants requesting foreign training are required to provide detailed justification for the foreign training, including the reasons why the facilities, the sponsor, or other aspects of the proposed experience are more appropriate than training in a domestic setting.

The justification is evaluated in terms of the scientific advantages of the foreign training as compared to the training available domestically. Foreign training will be considered for funding only when the scientific advantages are clear. Applicants seeking training abroad are encouraged to contact the relevant participating Institute or Center or AHRQ prior to preparing an application ( http://grants.

nih. gov/archive/grants/guide/contacts/PA-07-106_contacts. htm ).

Several special provisions apply to applications submitted by foreign organizations. Additional information regarding foreign grants is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement ( http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part12. htm#_T0c54600260 ). IV.

Application and Submission Information 1. Address to Request Application Information The fellowship application instructions are available at interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: [email protected] .

Note that the PHS 416-1 has been restructured (Rev. 10/05), and the instructions have been significantly modified. See the NIH Notice NOT-OD-07-002 released October 5, 2006.

Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-5936. 2. Content and Form of Application Submission Applications must be prepared using the Ruth L.

Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship Application Form (PHS 416-1(Rev. 10/05). Applications must have a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements.

The D&B number can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at http://www. dnb. com/us/ .

The D&B number should be entered on line 13b of the face page of the PHS 416-1 form The title and number of this funding opportunity must be typed on line 3 of the face page of the application form. If the applicant has been lawfully admitted to the United States for Permanent Residence, the appropriate item should be checked on the face page of the application.

Applicants who have applied for but have not yet been granted admission as a permanent resident should check the Permanent Resident block on the face page of the PHS 416-1 application, and should also write in the word "pending." A notarized statement documenting legal admission for permanent residence must be submitted prior to the issuance Additionally, the following must be included with the application at the time of submission.

Failure to include any of these items may delay review of the application: At least three completed references using the PHS 416-1 Reference Page. These reference letters must be submitted in sealed envelopes affixed to the original face page of the application. Applications without at least three letters of references may be delayed in review or returned to the applicant without review.

Information applicable to the required references in located in the Application instructions, Part I, Section E. Applicants must also provide scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), if available. MD/PhD applicants should provide MCAT scores, if available.

A listing of the applicant’s courses with grades from all undergraduate and graduate institutions in which the applicant is/has been enrolled must be included in the Applicant/Fellow Biographical Sketch Format Page. DO NOT include transcripts with the application (applicants may be asked to send transcripts prior to award).

A description of the graduate or combined degree program in which the applicant is either enrolled or has been admitted and agreed to enroll must be included Information must be submitted by the applicant Institution in a letter certifying that the applicant belongs to one of the following groups as further defined in Section III. 1. B.

Eligible Individuals : (A) An individual from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis; or (B) An individual with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or (C) An individual from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A description of plans to receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research must be included in the application. No award will be issued if an application lacks this component. 3.

Submission Dates and Times Applications must be mailed on or before the receipt date described below ( Section IV. 3. A ).

Submission times N/A. Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates Application Receipt Date(s): April 13, August 13, December Peer Review