Notice Number: NOT-OD-07-085

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

• March 31, 2010 - See Notice NOT-OD-10-071 Enhancing Peer Review: Updated Processes for the Review of all Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowship Applications.

Key Dates
Release Date: August 9, 2007

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov )

Revision: This revision to NOT-OD-06-077 updates only information about future electronic submission of fellowship applications (see last paragraph). All other information and dates remain unchanged.

Beginning with grant applications submitted for the August 5, 2006, receipt date, all study sections will use the NIH’s streamlined review process for the review of Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) Postdoctoral Fellowship applications (F32). The streamlined review process allows reviewers more time to discuss applications likely to be supported. Reviewers will designate approximately 40% of the F32 applications as "non-competitive which means they will not be scored. A designation of "non-competitive requires unanimous agreement of the study section; if one reviewer disagrees, the application will be discussed by the review group. Reviewers will be instructed that the "non-competitive" designation is to be used for any application judged to be qualitatively in the lower 40% of F32 fellowship applications normally reviewed by that study section.

As with all applications, those determined to be non-competitive" will be reviewed and will receive summary statements with written critiques. Non-competitive applications will not receive full discussion at the study section meeting and thus will not have a "Resume and Summary of Discussion paragraph. Non-competitive" applications will not routinely be taken to the second level of review by the NIH Institutes and Centers. Information on peer review outcomes and Summary Statements will be available on the eRA Commons https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/.

Please note that all Fellowship applications will be required to use the SF424 (R&R) form and Grants.gov for submission in the future. However, the date of conversion to electronic fellowship applications has not yet been determined. Applicant should periodically consult the timeline for the transition of all competing grant mechanisms is available at: http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/strategy_timeline.htm.

Inquiries

Questions concerning this guide notice may be directed to:

Henry Khachaturian, Ph.D.
NIH Extramural Program Policy Officer
Acting NIH Research Training Officer
Office of Extramural Programs
National Institutes of Health
6705 Rockledge Drive , Room 3515
Bethesda , Maryland 20892-7963
Email: hk11b@nih.gov