AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)/Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

PROGRAM: NIBIB Interfaces Initiative for Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Training (T32)

OBJECTIVES: This program supports recently established interdisciplinary training programs that, by integrating the biomedical sciences, physical sciences, and engineering, will produce a scientific workforce capable of integrative research that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. Trainees are expected to participate in a formal multi-year curriculum that provides cohesive, integrated and novel approaches to interdisciplinary research, including the theories, techniques, methodologies, and application strategies of emerging interdisciplinary research environments. Trainees appointed to the training program must receive supervised education and research training that is interdisciplinary in nature. The primary objective of this program must be to promote the recruitment, training, advancement, and retention of new investigators in interdisciplinary science. These programs should support a variety of new and innovative didactic and research experiences designed to provide pre-doctoral students with the knowledge and research experience necessary to develop interdisciplinary solutions to complex health problems. 

Training Program Director(s) (PDs) should limit appointments to individuals who are committed to a career in research and who plan to remain on the training grant for a cumulative minimum of 2 years. Attention should also be given to recruiting trainees from racial and/or ethnic groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, individual with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. PDs should encourage and provide training in the skills necessary for trainees to apply for subsequent support through individual fellowship and mentored career development award programs as well as independent research project grants. PDs are encouraged to develop methods for ongoing evaluation of the quality of the training program and to develop plans to obtain feedback from former trainees to help identify weaknesses in the program and provide suggestions for program improvements.  All applications must describe an evaluation and tracking plan that will review and determine the effectiveness of all aspects of the program.

NIBIB recognizes that multi-disciplinary collaborations may be a necessary step in the evolution of interdisciplinary training, and the NIBIB currently offers traditional opportunities and mechanisms to support multi-disciplinary training. However, for the purposes of this program, applications that propose training in multi-disciplinary approaches as a precursor to interdisciplinary training or facilitate communication among different disciplines and promote, but do not achieve a seamless integration of different disciplines in the proposed project period, will not be considered for funding. 

This competition represents Phase II of a partnership between HHMI and NIBIB, launched in 2005 to develop and sustain interdisciplinary research training programs. Phase I was funded by HHMI and led to the establishment of new interdisciplinary training programs. Phase II, funded by NIBIB, is intended to sustain training programs through their critical early years. Participation in Phase I is not required in order to apply to this program. Nevertheless, all applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their plans with appropriate NIBIB program staff before developing an application.

ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: Applicant institutions, whether they are applying as a single entity or representing a multi-institutional consortium, may submit only one application.

Trainees must be able to commit full-time effort, normally defined as 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies, to the program and its related research activities, consonant with NRSA guidelines. Predoctoral trainees must have received a baccalaureate degree by the beginning date of their NRSA appointment, and must be training at the postbaccalaureate level and be enrolled in a program leading to a Ph.D. in science or in an equivalent research doctoral degree program. Trainee positions on NRSA institutional grants may not be used for study leading to the M.D., D.D.S., or other clinical, health-professional training except when those studies are part of a formal combined research degree program, such as the M.D./Ph.D. 

Individuals appointed to NRSA institutional training grants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

DEADLINES:
BU internal deadline: May 8, 2008
Letter of Intent (optional): May 19, 2008
Full Proposal: June 17, 2008

FUNDING INFORMATION: NIBIB has set aside $3- 4M to fund between 10-12 interdisciplinary research training programs under this initiative. Applicants may not request more than $500,000 in direct costs or more than 10 slots for any grant year.

This program is supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) T32 award mechanism.  Predoctoral institutional training grant funds are intended to support trainee stipends; partially cover tuition, fees, and health insurance; and provide modest sums for equipment, supplies, and travel to scientific meetings. A facilities and administrative allowance based on 8% of modified total direct costs (exclusive of tuition and fees, health insurance, and expenditures for equipment) may be requested. While the NIH does not require cost-sharing under this program, some institutional cost sharing is mandated by program limitations on the recovery of indirect costs and on the allowance for tuition.

AGENCY CONTACT:
Richard Baird, Ph.D.
Director, Division of Interdisciplinary Training
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Democracy II, Suite 200
6707 Democracy Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 496-7671
Email: bairdri@mail.nih.gov
Web: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-EB-08-003.html

INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS: To screen potential proposals and coordinate institutional cost-sharing commitments for this competition, an internal deadline has been established. Principal Investigators (PIs) interested in submitting an application should provide the following proposal information to their Associate Dean by Thursday, May 8, 2008 for internal review purposes:

1.  Project description (maximum length 5 pages) should include items a – e:

(a) summarize the objectives and design of the training program;
(b) describe the interdisciplinary coursework and community-building activities that have  
    been developed for the program;
(c) describe any shared institutional training facilities that have been developed or
    measures taken to facilitate teaching and research activities across traditional
    departments;
(d) describe the organization and management of the training program; and
(e) outline plans for recruitment, retention and mentoring of trainees.

2. Budget, budget justification and matriculation plan (3 pages). Itemize all cost-sharing commitments being requested from the University and provide a matriculation plan documenting the sources of support for cohorts of students moving through the program. PIs are strongly encouraged to consult with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) for assistance with the development of the matriculation plan.

3. Biographical sketches: include NIH format biographical sketch for PI and Senior/Key Personnel.

4. Review comments from any previous T32 submission.

Following the Dean’s assessment of the internal application, it will be forwarded to Associate Provost Joan Kirkendall for review and then to the Office of the VP for Research for final selection.  PIs will be informed if their proposal is selected for submission and advised of institutional cost-sharing commitments in time to complete and process their proposal for final review.