Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by NIH National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Encourages early career researchers to pursue independent research in genomics.

RFA-HG-25-009: Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations National Human Genome Research Institute ( NHGRI ) Funding Opportunity Title Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) R01 Research Project Grant March 31, 2025 - This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities.

Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025. See Notice NOT-OD-24-084 .

August 31, 2022 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023. See Notice NOT-OD-22-198 . August 5, 2022 - Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.

See Notice NOT-OD-22-189 . Funding Opportunity Number (FON) Companion Funding Opportunity See Section III. 3.

Additional Information on Eligibility . Assistance Listing Number(s) Funding Opportunity Purpose This Notice of Funding Opportunity is intended to identify and support research projects by exceptionally promising Early Stage Investigators with a long-term career interest in pursuing innovative research in genomics.

This opportunity is open to research in all areas relevant to the mission of NHGRI, including genomic sciences, genomic medicine, genomic data science, and ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genomics. Funding Opportunity Goal(s) NHGRI supports the development of resources and technologies that will accelerate genome research and its application to human health and genomic medicine.

A critical part of the NHGRI mission continues to be the study of the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genome research. NHGRI also supports the training and career development of investigators and the dissemination of genome information to the public and to health professionals.

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.

No late applications will be accepted for this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 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. 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 An essential element of the mission of NHGRI is to support talented researchers early in their careers, clearing a path for them to drive innovation at the forefront of the field of genomics. NHGRI is committed to the NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative, which aims to promote the growth and stability of the biomedical workforce through a focus on early career stages.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is intended to support early career researchers as they begin to establish a vibrant, independent research program in genomics. For the purposes of this NOFO, the term "genomics" encompasses issues and activities in all of the foundational areas of research that are of interest to NHGRI, as outlined in the NHGRI 2020 Strategic Vision .

Research Goals and Scope: This program is aimed at supporting genomics researchers who are early in their independent research career. Consistent with this, Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must have Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status as defined by the NIH.

NHGRI welcomes applications supporting early stage investigators with a long-term interest in pursuing genomics research from a variety of backgrounds, for example, individuals at institutions that have not traditionally received significant funding from NHGRI, and individuals who have not previously been involved in NHGRI funded research programs.

PD/PIs must propose a defined research project that is responsive to the mission of NHGRI. This includes the development of resources, approaches, and technologies that accelerate and support studies focused on the structure and biology of genomes; the genomics of disease; the implementation and effectiveness of genomic medicine; genomic data science and bioinformatics; and ethical, legal, and social issues related to genomic advances.

More information about NHGRI's vision and priority areas can be found in the NHGRI 2020 Strategic Vision and on the web pages for the NHGRI Division of Genome Sciences , Division of Genomic Medicine , and Division of Genomics and Society .

PD/PIs are strongly encouraged to discuss planned applications with the listed Scientific Contact for this RFA, in order to ensure that their proposed research meets the goals of this program, and is scientifically within the mission of NHGRI.

Examples of research that would not be appropriate include, but are not limited to: the use of genomic approaches to understand a specific disease or limited set of diseases, including projects that focus on tumor or somatic cancer genomes; research focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying disease or other biological processes; the development of technologies or approaches that target a limited subset of loci or genomic regions.

Applications that fall outside of the mission of NHGRI will be considered non-responsive to this announcement and will not proceed to review. An important goal of this program is the career development of outstanding, early stage investigators in genomics.

In addition to a detailed experimental plan, the application must include a plan for professional and scientific activities which includes engaging an advisory committee to provide feedback on the research program and offer career guidance, commitment from the institution to actively support the research program development of the PD/PI, and additional career enhancement activities as appropriate.

Applications that do not include this plan will be considered non-responsive to the announcement and will be withdrawn prior to review. See Section IV. 2 for detailed application instructions.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs. 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 Resubmission applies to applications originally submitted in response to RFA-HG-22-001 or to this NOFO (RFA-HG-25-009).

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. Optional: Accepting applications that either propose or do not propose clinical trial(s).

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial? Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards NHGRI intends to commit a minimum of $2 million in FY 2022, 2023, and 2024 to fund 3-5 awards. The actual number of awards is contingent on NIH appropriations, and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Application budgets need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project, and cannot exceed $400,000 in direct costs per year. The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 5 years.

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 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 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 allowed. 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.

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. 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.

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.

The PD/PI must be an NIH defined Early Stage Investigator at the time of application submission, and this eligibility must be included in the PD/PI's eRA Commons record prior to the review of the application. If a PD/PI is not identified as an ESI in eRA Commons, it may result in the application not being reviewed.

PD/PIs are responsible for reviewing and/or updating their degree information in their eRA Commons account prior to submission.

In addition, the PD/PI must be an independent researcher with a faculty appointment that is tenure track or equivalent (generally at the level of Assistant Professor or Research Assistant Professor), and have dedicated, independent laboratory space or access to the research resources which will allow them to conduct the research proposed in the grant application as the lead PD/PI.

Researchers that are still in a mentored status at the time of application (such as postdoctoral fellows) are not eligible to apply. Due to the focus on the career enhancement of the individual, multiple PD/PI applications will not be accepted. Recipient PD/PIs are required to commit at least three-person-months (25%) of their research effort each year to activities supported by this award.

Applicant PD/PIs may work with their organizations to submit or have an NIH R01 or other grant application (including an ESI MIRA R35 application) pending concurrently with the application responsive to this NOFO, but scientific overlap is not allowed per NIH policy .

If a pending grant with a grant mechanism that is not on t he list of smaller NIH grants and awards that maintain ESI status becomes active prior to this award being made, the applicant PD/PI is no longer eligible to receive this award. 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 ). 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. 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.

Professional and Scientific development plan: Applications submitted in response to this NOFO must include a document (maximum: two pages) that describes plans for professional and scientific development/enrichment activities.

Examples of activities that could be considered include, but are not limited to: attendance at short courses on research or career-related topics, visits to laboratories of other scientists, and other enrichment activities. This is a required component of the application, and applications that fail to include it will be considered non-responsive. One component of this plan is the formation of an Advisory Committee.

The Advisory Committee is expected to meet at least annually to provide ongoing assessment of the progress of the research, to discuss future research goals, aims, and ideas, and to provide research career guidance to the PD/PI during the five years of the grant.

Names of Advisory Committee members should not be listed in the application, and potential members should not be contacted until after the review meeting takes place to avoid reviewer conflict of interest. Rather, the plan should indicate the expected contribution of Advisory Committee members, and describe other critical considerations that will inform the selection of members.

As part of the just-in-time information prior to funding, the applicant will be required to name the Advisory Committee members, and provide a letter from each member indicating how they will contribute to supporting the PD/PI’s research and career development. SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

The following instructions also apply: The instructions for the biographical sketch should be followed. The Personal Statement should explicitly address the PD/PI's career track vision and long term research interests/objectives in genomics. All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

The following instructions also apply: Application budgets should include funds for the PD/PI to travel to the NHGRI Research Training and Career Development Annual Meeting. A maximum of $1,500 Direct cost per project year can be requested to attend this meeting.

These funds should be requested in addition to any other travel funds requested to attend scientific conferences, and must be clearly identified for travel to the Annual meeting in the budget justification. The application budget should also include funds to support any face-to-face meetings of the Advisory Committee indicated by the professional and scientific development plan.

Since the purpose of this program is to support ESIs in early stages of their independent research careers, listing of previous mentors as co-investigators on the research project is strongly discouraged, particularly if salary is requested. If these are included, a strong justification for their specific role in the conduct of the research should be provided.

The independent research of the PD/PI, the role of the previous mentor, and the focus on a new hypothesis should be made clear in the Research Strategy section of the application. 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: Letters of Support: The Chair of the Department where the PD/PI holds the primary academic appointment must provide a letter describing any tangible research support which has been committed to the PD/Pl.

This may include start up packages provided to the investigator, salary commitment, protected time for research, space and equipment allocations, core facilities which will be made available without charge-back, specialized training and mini-sabbatical experiences to promote career enhancement, etc. This letter is a required element of the application.

The strength of the institutional commitment will be considered a factor in the review of the application. If a previous postdoctoral or research mentor remains in the same Institution as the PD/PI, a letter must also be included in the application which outlines the respective roles of the PD/PI and the former research mentor in the design and conduct of the proposed research.

The research mentor should also indicate how the proposed research program is expected to be independent of the research directions of their laboratory or research group. 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.

The following instructions also apply: The Resource Sharing Plan should summarize whether and how resources (e.g., educational materials; methods; models; physical products, materials, and reagents; protocols; research findings and products; and software) will be made available.

Applicants should include a description of the format, an indication of who will be responsible for implementation and plans for long-term maintenance, whether there will be opportunities for community input and feedback, platform(s) or mechanism(s) that will be used to make resources publicly accessible, and proposed timeline for implementing the Resource Sharing Plan.

Resource Sharing Plans should not duplicate other sections of the main Research Plan but should refer to them when appropriate. After initial review, NHGRI program staff may negotiate revisions of this plan with the prospective awardee. The final negotiated version of this plan will become a term and condition of the award.

For more guidance on writing a Resource Sharing Plan, see https://www. genome.

gov/about-nhgri/Policies-Guidance/Writing-a-Resource-Sharing-Plan All instructions in the How to Apply-Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan.

All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Recipients must comply with the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy ( NOT-OD-21-013 ) and NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy ( NOT-OD-14-124 ). NHGRI supports the broadest appropriate data sharing with timely data release through widely accessible data repositories.

Please follow the NIH guidance on writing a Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan here , and ensure the Plan is in alignment with NHGRI’s data sharing expectations, which are summarized at genome. gov/data-sharing . NHGRI strongly encourages studies that propose to derive genomic data from human specimens and cell lines to obtain participant consent either for general research use through controlled access or for unrestricted access.

Similarly, consent language should avoid both restrictions on the types of users who may access the data and restrictions that add additional requirements to the access request process. NHGRI acknowledges that this will not always be possible or appropriate.

In addition, individual participants who do not consent to future research use or broad sharing of their data (i.e., submission of their data to a publicly accessible data repository) may still participate in the primary study if consistent with study design. Additional guidance on informed consent can be found in the NHGRI Informed Consent Resource.

NHGRI expects non-human genomic data that are subject to the NIH GDS Policy to be submitted and released on the same timeline as human genomic data. Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide.

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 NHGRI Scientific Review Branch and responsiveness by NHGRI , NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

In order to expedite review, applicants are requested to notify the NHGRI Referral Office by email at [email protected] when the application has been submitted. Please include the NOFO number and title, PD/PI name, and title of the application. 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 [email protected] . Post Submission Materials Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described 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.

While any information in the application relevant to the program goals can be included as part of the review process, the race, ethnicity, or sex of PD/PIs, mentors, or other award participants may not, in and of themselves, be used as factors in the evaluation of applications.

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