Research Resources

Resubmitting? Shorter Page Limits Apply To You, Too

January 25, 2010 marked the change to new restructured application forms and instructions, including shorter page limits. Those of you resubmitting applications may be wondering if the changes apply to you – and the answer is yes! All competing applications - including resubmissions - must use the new forms and follow the new page limits. (http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/restructured_applications.html)

As a result, most of you will have to turn your original application’s Research Plan into a 6- or 12-page Research Strategy. (Don’t forget there is an extra page for Specific Aims.) Ordinarily, when submitting a resubmission application, changes should be marked throughout the text. However, if the changes are so extensive that essentially all of the text would be marked, the application guide instead directs you to explain your changes in the Introduction.

During the first few application rounds with shortened page limits, the National Institutes of Health expects resubmission applications to have extensive changes that will not be marked in the text. If this is the case for you, be sure to summarize your changes in the Introduction (which is generally limited to one page [http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/page_limits.html]). For more information, refer to the application forms and instructions (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm) and the table of page limits, http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/page_limits.html. To make sure you are using the right forms, see Confirming the Correct Electronic Forms Choice (http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/docs/confirming_the_correct_electronic_forms_choice.pdf).

For more information on the shorter page limits, please visit http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/restructured_applications.html.

New Notices for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Awards

Notice on the Proper Management of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Spending to Promote Job Creation and Increase the Pace of Scientific Research; and Policy Limiting Second No-Cost Extensions to Recovery Act Grants
NOT-OD-10-067:

The purposes of this Guide Notice are to:

1. reaffirm to National Institutes of Health (NIH) grantees that the primary goals of all NIH ARRA awards are to create U.S. jobs and increase the tempo of biomedical research;
2. remind Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) and grantee institutions that NIH fully expects ARRA grantees to expend funds in a timely and expeditious manner in accordance with the expected pace of research;
3. remind grantees that all ARRA expenditures remain subject to terms and conditions on the Notice of Award, including the NIH-Department of Health and Human Service Standard Terms and Conditions for ARRA Awards (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-120.html) and all referenced regulations and the Office of Management and Budget Circulars; and
4. notify grantees that NIH expects all grant activities are to be completed consistent with the schedule of the approved project period. While the NIH Terms of Award provide for extending the final budget period of a project period for up to twelve months to allow for completion of the planned project; prior approval requests for additional extensions will only be considered in very limited circumstances.

Reminders on Annual Reporting Requirements and Notice of Revised Financial Closeout Requirements for ARRA funded Administrative Supplements and Competitive Revisions
NOT-OD-10-066:

The purposes of this Guide Notice are to:

1. remind NIH grantees that information on ARRA-funded Administrative Supplements and Competitive Revisions must be included in the annual progress report of the parent grant;
2. remind grantees of the special reporting requirements for administrative supplements providing summer experiences for students and science educators; and
3. inform grantees of revised financial closeout requirements when multiple ARRA-funded Administrative Supplements and/or Competitive Revisions are awarded to the same parent award.

Update on ARRA Quarterly Reporting Requirements for Non-Competing Continuation Awards and Relinquished Projects; and Guidance to Avoid Common Errors
NOT-OD-10-065:

The purposes of this Guide Notice are to:

1. provide ARRA quarterly reporting guidance for NIH non-competing continuation awards;
2. provide guidance on reporting requirements for relinquished/transferred ARRA grants; and
3. help grantees avoid some common errors identified in previous reporting periods.

Using Vertebrate Animals in Your Research? New Update

Instructions for Completion and Peer Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) in NIH Grant Applications and Cooperative Agreements
NOT-OD-10-027:

This Notice is to clarify the information that must be included in the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) of grant applications and cooperative agreements (subsequently referred to as applications) that use live vertebrate animals in research. It also explains how the VAS is evaluated as part of the NIH peer review process and is considered as part of the overall scoring. Distinction is made between the oversight role of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and review responsibility of the NIH Scientific Review Group.