Recovery Act Limited Competition: Supporting New Faculty Recruitment to Enhance Research Resources through Biomedical Research Core Centers (P30)

Description

This initiative, which is supported by funds provided to the NIH under the Recovery Act, is designed to provide the necessary resources for U.S. academic institutions/organizations to enhance their biomedical research efforts through the development of Biomedical Research Core Centers. For this announcement, Biomedical Core Centers are defined as a community of multidisciplinary researchers focusing on areas of biomedical research relevant to NIH, such as centers, departments, programs, and/or trans-departmental collaborations or consortia. These Core Centers are designed to provide scientific and programmatic support for promising research faculty and their areas of research. The NIH invites applications that include plans to recruit and hire investigators to conduct biomedical research in all scientific disciplines, including the field of bioethics.

These Core Center Grants are institutional awards that provide funding to hire, provide appropriate start-up packages, and develop pilot research projects for newly-independent investigators, with the goal of augmenting and expanding the institution’s community of multidisciplinary researchers focusing on areas of biomedical research relevant to NIH.  Core Center Grants are institutional awards that provide support for shared resources for categorical research by faculty from different disciplines who provide a multidisciplinary approach to a joint research effort, or from the same discipline who focus on a common research problem.  For this announcement, awards will be directed towards hiring investigators and providing appropriate start-up research resources (e.g., research salary, equipment, and supplies for initiating their research) that will help strengthen or expand the scientific capacity of the Biomedical Research Core Center.

Any newly- recruited research faculty receiving support under this award:

• should be appointed to an independent tenure-track (or equivalent) research position at the Assistant Professor level;
• should be new to the faculty, e.g., a postdoctoral fellow or junior investigator hired from outside the institution, or an individual who is transitioning to independent faculty status within the current institution;
• is expected to not have previously had a tenure-track research appointment at a former, or current, institution;
• should have a track record of research training and career development in a research area relevant to the primary mission of both the proposed Core Center and the awarding NIH IC;
• should be given an appointment within the Core Center which provides at least 75% protected research time.  (NIH funds may be used to support salary and fringe benefits only for the proportion of the new faculty member’s time that is devoted to research activities; clinical and teaching duties may not be supported by NIH funds);
• should receive joint appointment(s) with other academic unit(s) at the applicant institution, allowing new faculty to access University-wide research resources and core facilities, and to serve as mentors for graduate programs affiliated with other academic unit(s); 
• should receive a start-up package, which can include supplies, equipment and support for technical personnel whose role is critical to the pilot research projects that integrate with the scientific mission of the Core Center; and
• should complement and expand the breadth of existing institutional strengths, and should contribute to building a community of multidisciplinary researchers focusing on areas of biomedical research that are relevant to one of the participating NIH ICs.

Eligible Entities

The following organizations/institutions are eligible and encouraged to apply. Consistent with the purposes of the Recovery Act (in particular, to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery in the United States, and to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health), applicants must be a domestic (United States) institution/organization listed below. The United States institution/organization must be located in the 50 states, territories and possessions of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or District of Columbia. NIH encourages applications from all interested organizations/institutions, including those from Institutional Development Award (IDeA) states and Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA)-eligible institutions. Foreign organizations/institutions are not permitted as the applicant organization.

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education
• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• 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)
• Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organizations

For specific IC eligibility details, please refer to the IC Table of Contacts (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/contacts/RFA-OD-09-005_contacts.htm).

Available Funds

Contingent upon the submission of a sufficient number of scientifically meritorious applications, approximately $100 million of ARRA funds will be obligated by September 30, 2010 to support requests submitted in response to this notice or any reissuance of this notice.

The funds available and anticipated number of awards will vary among the participating NIH ICs and will depend upon scientific review. Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the IC Table of Contacts to gain a better understanding of the use of this program by the participating NIH ICs: (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/contacts/RFA-OD-09-005_contacts.htm).

Budgets will vary among the participating NIH ICs. Applicants should refer to the IC Table of Contacts at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/contacts/RFA-OD-09-005_contacts.htm for IC-specific allowances.  Project duration of up to two years may be requested.

Because the nature and scope of the proposed project will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. Although the financial plans of the IC(s) provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Cost Sharing

This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Facilities and Administrative Costs

Due to the nature of the mechanism, allowable costs are detailed below:

• Salaries and fringe benefits for newly-hired/promoted investigators.  NIH funds may be used to support salary and fringe benefits only for the proportion of the new faculty member’s time that is devoted to the Core Center’s research activities.
• Start-up costs, which may include equipment, supplies, salary support for technical personnel whose role is critical to relevant research projects within the Center, and support for core/shared services.
• Research resources that facilitate a multidisciplinary approach to the Center’s research efforts.

NOTE:  The following costs are NOT allowable under this program:

• Expenditures incurred by the applicant organization/institution for recruitment (advertising, travel, etc.)
• Construction or renovation of laboratory or office space
• Salary support for teaching, clinical or other non-research activities
• Salary and administrative support costs for the PD/PI.

Key Dates

Release Date: March 30, 2009
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: April 29, 2009
Application Receipt Date: May 29, 2009
Peer Review Date: July 2009
Council Review Date: August 2009
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: September 30, 2009 
Additional Information To Be Available Date (url Activation Date): Not Applicable
Expiration Date: May 30, 2009

More Info + Submissions

Agency: RI Science and Technology Advisory Council (RI STAC)
Expires: May 31, 2009

Submissions for this opportunity are not handled by RI STAC or RI EPSCoR. Please follow the link below for more information on the opportunity and how to submit a response.

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