Department
of Health and Human Services
Participating
Organizations
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov/)
Components
of Participating Organizations
National
Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/)
National Center for Minority Health Disparities
(NCMHD) (http://www.ncmhd.nih.gov)
Title:
Bridges
to the Baccalaureate Program (R25)
Announcement Type
This
is a reissue of PAR-07-039, which was
previously released November 8, 2006
Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:
NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT.
This FOA must be read in conjunction with the application guidelines included with this announcement in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereafter called Grants.gov/Apply).
A registration process is necessary before submission and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV.
Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-07-411Key Dates
Release/Posted Date: July 23, 2007
Opening Date: August 21, 2007 (Earliest
date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)
Letters
of Intent Receipt Date(s): Not required
NOTE: On time submission requires that applications be successfully
submitted to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant
institution/organization).
Application Submission/Receipt
Date(s): September 18, 2007; January 18, 2008; September
18, 2008; January 20, 2009 (New Date January 22, 2009 per NOT-GM-08-122); September 18, 2009; January 20, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): February-March for
September submissions, and June-July for January submissions
Council Review Date(s): May for
September submissions and October for January
submissions
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): July 1 for September
submissions and December 1 for January
submissions
Additional Information To
Be Available Date (Activation Date): Not Applicable
Expiration Date: January 21, 2010
Due Dates for E.O. 12372
Not Applicable
Additional
Overview Content
Executive Summary
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits Research Education (R25) grant applications to facilitate the transfer and graduation of students of diverse backgrounds from associate to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. The program promotes inter-institutional partnerships to improve the quality and quantity of students from underrepresented groups and or health disparities populations being trained as the next generation of biomedical and behavioral research scientists.
Table of Contents
Part I Overview
Information
Part II Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity
Description
1. Research Objectives
Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
2. Funds Available
Section III. Eligibility
Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
3. Other - Special Eligibility Criteria
Section IV. Application and
Submission Information
1. Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates and Times
A. Submission, Review, and
Anticipated Start Dates
1. Letter of Intent
B. Submitting an Application Electronically
to the NIH
C. Application Processing
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements
Section V. Application Review
Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
A. Additional Review Criteria
B. Additional Review Considerations
C. Sharing Research Data
D. Sharing Research Resources
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
Section VI. Award Administration
Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
3. Reporting
Section VII. Agency Contact(s)
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)
Section VIII. Other Information
- Required Federal Citations
Part II
- Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
The Bridges to the Future Program (Bridges to Baccalaureate and Bridges to Doctorate) was created in response to Public Law 106-525 which recognized a national need for increasing the number of well-trained minority scientists in the fields of biomedical, clinical, behavioral and health services research. This statute also recognized that the inclusion of underrepresented minorities and women in the scientific, technological and engineering workforce will enable the nation to better improve the health of the people of the United States and eliminate health disparities in the nation. To accomplish these goals, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/) and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) (http://www.ncmhd.nih.gov/) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) jointly provide funding opportunities under the Bridges to the Future Program to: a) increase the transfer rates of students from targeted groups/populations from associate to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions and from master’s to doctoral degree-granting institutions; and b) increase the graduation rates of these transfer students with baccalaureate and Ph.D. degrees, respectively, in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The Bridges to the Future Program anticipates that an increase in transfer and graduation rates of students from targeted groups/populations will strengthen the supply of biomedical and behavioral science graduates at key points of the educational pathway, a necessary first step in increasing diversity in professional personnel investigating health disparities.
To facilitate the transfer and graduation of students, the Bridges to Baccalaureate Program promotes inter-institutional partnerships/consortia between community colleges or other two-year post-secondary educational institutions granting the associate degree and colleges or universities that grant baccalaureate degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The program expects that the joint efforts of baccalaureate degree-granting and associate degree-granting institutions will foster the development of a well-integrated institutional program that will provide students from targeted groups/populations with the necessary academic preparation and skills to enable their transition and successful completion of the baccalaureate and subsequently more advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. Since an effective partnership/consortium requires considerable effort and resources, the proposed partnership/consortium should be composed of no more than four institutions, unless strongly justified otherwise, including the applicant institution. An eligible institution may participate in only one Bridges to the Baccalaureate partnership/consortium.
The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program recognizes that students enrolled at community colleges come from diverse family educational backgrounds. It is possible that some of the students are not quite familiar with the expectations of college, including the type of thinking and learning required for success in college courses. It has been shown, however, that participation in activities designed to enhance learning and critical thinking resulted in improved student performance in reading and writing, improved student attitudes toward learning, and contributed to higher retention and GPAs (Boyland H. R., (2002) “What Works: Research-Based Best Practices in Developmental Education”, National Center for Developmental Education).
Bridges applications are institutional in nature and therefore they must reflect the plans and priorities of the participating institutions as well as the collective plans and priorities of the partnerships/consortia. Collaborative agreements should be designed to best fit the needs and situations of the institutions involved. The challenge for the participating partners is to create a partnership program, or to enhance an existing program, that will focus attention and adequate resources on the institution(s) granting associate degrees and enhance competitiveness of its (their) science graduates and science programs. An analysis of successful science programs by Jolly, Campbell, and Perlman entitled “Engagement, Capacity and Continuity: A Trilogy for Student Success” (GE Foundation, September 2004) concluded that three factors must be present for students to succeed in the sciences and be able to continue in the education pipeline. These factors are: 1) student engagement in the sciences, i.e., awareness, interest and motivation; 2) knowledge and skills needed to advance to increasingly more rigorous content in the sciences and quantitative disciplines; and 3) presence of a well-designed system where the skills, knowledge and information that students need to move to more advanced levels are provided at each earlier, less advanced level. These three factors are interdependent and each is necessary. No individual factor is sufficient to ensure student persistence and success. Thus, successful programs select and employ well-integrated strategies, rooted in education research, that provide students what they need to progress to the next stage of the science education pathway.
Applications must clearly describe the pool of targeted students at each associate degree-granting institution in the consortium. Applications must also indicate the number of targeted students from each two-year institution and the total number of targeted students who would participate in the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program during the academic year and summer. NIH anticipates that a total of 15 -20 Bridges students will participate in the student development activities, including summer research internships, each year and that a minimum of four Bridges students from each two-year institution will participate in the program to provide a critical mass.
The Bridges to Baccalaureate Program expects that in five years: a) the overall institutional transfer rate of students from targeted groups/populations from the participating associate degree-granting institution(s) to baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical/behavioral sciences will increase by 50%; b) at least 70% of the Bridges students, upon or before graduation from the associate degree program, will transfer to baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical/behavioral sciences; and c) at least 75% of the transferring Bridges students will successfully complete their bachelor’s degrees in biomedical/behavioral sciences. Institutions/consortia that fail to demonstrate a substantial progress towards achieving these goals during the five-year grant period may not be allowed to submit a competing renewal application.
The Bridges to Baccalaureate Program recognizes the heterogeneity in institutional settings and institutional missions. Therefore, each partnership/consortium must: 1) provide the baseline data on transfer and subsequent graduation of its students in biomedical and behavioral sciences; 2) establish its own goals and specific measurable objectives within the expectations set by the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program for institutional outcomes; 3) present an integrated plan of activities that would move the institution from baseline to the program’s expectations; and 4) provide an evaluation plan that is designed to provide information useful to the Program Director and the participating institutions for improving the program, and for institutionalizing the most effective activities supported by the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program. Applications submitted without any of this information will be considered non-responsive to this funding opportunity.
The specific measurable intermediate-stage objectives (milestones) are expected to be described for the total student population (Bridges and non-Bridges students) in biomedical/behavioral sciences at the participating two-year institutions. These may include, but are not limited to: improvement of students’ retention rate; improvement in the writing and presentation skills of students; improvement of students’ quantitative skills and academic achievement, including GPA; and increase in the number of students transferring to and successfully completing the baccalaureate degree in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The outcome measures of the program and its impact on the participating institutions should be presented relative to baseline data.
Bridges to the Baccalaureate is an institutional program that provides support for student, faculty and institutional development activities. The types of activities proposed to achieve the objectives of the program are left entirely to the choice of the applicant institutions but must be consonant with the goals of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program. Examples of developmental activities may include, but are not limited to:
The proposed research education program may complement other, ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant and its partner institutions, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those research training and research education programs currently receiving federal support. The R25 is not a substitute for an institutional research training program (T32) and may not be used to circumvent or supplement Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) mechanisms.
Applicants should also note that this funding opportunity is not designed to provide financial aid for students and those applications principally for financial aid, without a well thought-out institutional program, will be considered non-responsive to this funding opportunity.
See
Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations, for policies related to this announcement.
Section
II. Award Information
1.
Mechanism of Support
This FOA will use the NIH Research Education Grant (R25)
award mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning,
directing, and executing the proposed project.
This FOA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the non-modular budget format. Applicants must complete and submit budget requests using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) Budget Component found in the application package for this FOA.
Research education grant support is renewable. It is strongly recommended that applicants contact the scientific/research contact listed in Section VII concerning the submission of a competing renewal (formerly “competing continuation”) application. Up to two resubmissions (formerly “revisions/amendments”) of a previously reviewed research education grant application may be submitted. See NOT-OD-07-015, November 13, 2006.
2. Funds Available
Because the nature and scope of the proposed research
education program 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 NIGMS and NCMHD provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this
funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the
submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
The total amount to be awarded is approximately $12.0 million (total costs) per year for new and renewal applications for the Bridges to the Future (Bridges to the Baccalaureate and Bridges to the Doctorate) Programs. The anticipated number of new and renewal Bridges to the Baccalaureate awards is six to nine per year.
The total project period for an application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed 5 years. The size of award will vary with the scope of the research education program proposed.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this funding opportunity announcement.
Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs requested by consortium participants, if applicable, are not included in the direct cost limitation. See NOT-OD-05-004.
Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
1.A. Eligible Institutions
You may submit an application(s) if your organization
has any of the following characteristics:
A Tribally Controlled College/University or a community college that has a substantial enrollment of associate degree students in biomedical/behavioral sciences, but also offers a baccalaureate program in one or two unrelated disciplines, is eligible to apply as an applicant institution. However, institutions offering both associate and baccalaureate degrees may not form partnerships within their own institution for graduates of their own associate degree programs to enter their own baccalaureate programs, even if a student is moving to another department, school, or college. The program seeks to promote and enhance partnerships BETWEEN institutions.
Each proposed Bridges to the Baccalaureate program must consist of a partnership/consortium composed of no more than four institutions (unless strongly justified otherwise), including the applicant institution. One must be an institution that offers the associate degree as the only undergraduate degree in the biomedical and behavioral sciences within the participating departments. Another institution must be a college or university granting the baccalaureate degree in biomedical and behavioral sciences. An applicant/partner institution may participate in only one Bridges to the Baccalaureate partnership.
The bachelor’s degree-granting institution(s) in the consortium must have strong science curricula, and a track record of enrolling, retaining and graduating students who pursue advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral research fields.
In the Bridges to the Baccalaureate grant application only one of the participating institutions may be designated as the APPLICANT institution. The applicant institution is responsible for financial matters in grant management and should be experienced in, and have the infrastructure for, managing NIH grants. This institution must name the Program Director and submit the application. The other institutions in the consortium must each name one individual as the Program Coordinator.
Institutions that submit applications in response to this FOA may submit separate applications for support of a Bridges to the Doctorate Program (PAR-07-410), if they meet the eligibility requirements.
Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply in response to this FOA.
1.B. Eligible Individuals
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research education program as the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. The PD/PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program, submitting annual reports as required. (See Section VI.3., “Reporting.”)
More than one PI, or multiple PIs, may be designated on the application. Additional information on the implementation plans and policies and procedures to formally allow more than one PI on individual research awards can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi.
The Principal Investigator, referred to as the Program Director (PD), should be a full-time faculty (i.e., not adjunct, part-time, retired, or emeritus) with research, teaching, student counseling and/or academic administrative experience and an interest in promoting biomedical and behavioral science education among students from targeted groups/populations.
The PD is responsible for the administration and management of the overall institutional program and will serve as a liaison between the applicant institution and NIH.
2. Cost
Sharing or Matching
This program does not require cost sharing as defined
in the current NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
3. Other-Special
Eligibility Criteria
Sponsoring Institutions: The participating institutions
in the consortium must assure support for the proposed research education
project. Appropriate institutional commitment to the project includes the
provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can
contribute to the planned research education project.
Bridges Student Participants: Research education programs developed under this initiative must target students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise of the nation and/or populations disproportionately affected by health disparities (targeted groups/populations). Nationally, the targeted groups/populations include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans (including Alaska Natives), Natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands, and/or rural Appalachians.
Bridges students are those students who will receive support in the form of salaries/wages under this program. These students must belong to the targeted groups/populations, must be a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national or permanent resident and must be matriculated full-time in associate degree programs in biomedical or behavioral science fields at the partner community college. (A non-citizen national is a person who, although not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. This is generally a person born in a land that is not a state but that is under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or administration -- for example, American Samoa.) An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence must possess an alien registration receipt card (I-551) prior to appointment to the Bridges grant. Individuals on temporary visas, those seeking asylum, or refugees are not eligible for support from the Bridges Program.
It is the responsibility of the applicant institution to establish the qualifications of students prior to their participation in the Bridges Program.
Applicants are required to include a plan for Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research, an evaluation plan, and partnership/consortium agreements (see Section IV.6.5). Applications submitted without these sections may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
To download a SF424 (R&R) Application Package and
SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for completing the SF424 (R&R) forms for
this FOA, link to http://www.grants.gov/Apply/
and follow the directions provided on that Web site.
A one-time registration is required for institutions/organizations at both:
PD/PIs should work with their institutions/organizations to make sure they are registered in the eRA Commons.
Several additional separate actions are required before an applicant institution/organization can submit an electronic application, as follows:
1) Organizational/Institutional Registration in Grants.gov/Get Started
2) Organizational/Institutional Registration in the eRA Commons
3) Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the NIH eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.
Note that if a PD/PI is also an NIH peer-reviewer with an Individual DUNS and CCR registration, that particular DUNS number and CCR registration are for the individual reviewer only. These are different than any DUNS number and CCR registration used by an applicant organization. Individual DUNS and CCR registration should be used only for the purposes of personal reimbursement and should not be used on any grant applications submitted to the Federal Government.
Several of the steps of the registration process could take four weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should immediately check with their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is already registered in both Grants.gov and the Commons. The NIH will accept electronic applications only from organizations that have completed all necessary registrations.
1. Request Application Information
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R)
application forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply.
Note: Only the forms package
directly attached to a specific FOA can be used. You will not be able to use
any other SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms from another FOA),
although some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than
one FOA.
For further assistance, contact GrantsInfo: Telephone
301-435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY
301-451-0088.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Prepare all applications using the SF424 (R&R) application forms and in accordance with the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (MS Word or PDF).
The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is critical to submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. There are fields within the SF424 (R&R) application components that, although not marked as mandatory, are required by NIH (e.g., the “Credential” log-in field of the “Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile” component must contain the PD/PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID). Agency-specific instructions for such fields are clearly identified in the Application Guide. For additional information, see “Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission” on the front page of “Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.”
The SF424 (R&R) application is comprised of data arranged in separate components. Some components are required, others are optional. The forms package associated with this FOA in Grants.gov/APPLY will include all applicable components, required and optional. A completed application in response to this FOA will include the following components:
Required
Components:
SF424 (R&R) (Cover component)
Research & Related Project/Performance Site
Locations
Research & Related Other Project Information
Research & Related Senior/Key Person
Research & Related Budget
PHS398 Cover Page Supplement
PHS398 Research Plan
PHS398 Checklist
Optional Components:
PHS398 Cover Letter File
Research & Related Subaward Budget Attachment(s)
Form
Research Education Program
While the proposed research education program may complement other, ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those research training and research education programs currently receiving federal support.
Allowable Costs
Allowable costs must be consistent with NIH policy and be reasonable, allocable, well documented and fully justified for the research education program proposed in the application. Grant funds may not be used to supplant funds otherwise available at the applicant institution.
Personnel: Individuals participating in the design and implementation of the research education program may request salary and fringe benefits appropriate for the person months devoted to the program. These expenses must be itemized in Sections A and B, as appropriate, of the Research & Related Budget. Salaries requested may not exceed the levels commensurate with the institution's policy for similar positions and may not exceed the congressionally mandated cap. (If mentoring interactions and other activities with students/participants are considered a regular part of an individual's academic duties, then mentoring and other interactions with students/participants are non-reimbursable from grant funds). Limited administrative and clerical salary costs associated distinctly with the program that are not normally provided by the applicant organization may be direct charges to the grant only when specifically identified and justified.
Salary support for the PD to administer the program is limited to a maximum of 2.4 person months (i.e., 20% on a 12-month basis) and for a program coordinator at the partnering institutions should not exceed 1.8 person months (i.e., 15% on a 12-month basis).
Other Program-Related Expenses: Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key persons, and other program-related expenses must be justified as specifically required by the proposed research education program and must not duplicate items generally available for educational programs at the applicant institution. These expenses must be itemized, as appropriate, in Sections C. (Equipment), D. (Travel), and F. (Other Direct Costs) of the Research & Related Budget.
The costs (academic year or summer) for the baccalaureate degree-granting institution faculty participating in the program must be reasonable, well documented, and fully justified and commensurate with the scope of the proposed program. Similarly, the costs (academic year or summer) for associate degree-granting institution faculty for developing or implementing special academic developmental activities must be reasonable, well documented, and fully justified and commensurate with the scope of the proposed program.
Cost of consultants for evaluation of the program is allowed; however, if the evaluator is an employee of an institution within the consortium, the cost must be included in the category of key personnel salary and listed as person months.
Cost of consultants to present research career seminars at the two-year institution(s) and those who are specialists in developing courses, curricula and programs to prepare students from targeted groups/populations for careers in research may also be included, but these costs should be reasonable and well justified.
Limited tuition costs of participating faculty (from the two-year institution) to take one advanced course per year at the four-year partner institution is allowed, provided the course is critical to the development of a similar course that is part of the proposed curriculum development plan at the community college.
Costs of advising, counseling and tutoring of transfer students at the baccalaureate institution are allowed if by other than institutional faculty, but these costs must be reasonable, well documented, and fully justified and commensurate with the scope of the proposed program. Furthermore, a plan should be provided to institutionalize such support by the end of the project period (See Background and Significance under Section IV.6.5).
Travel expenses are allowed for the PD and program coordinator(s) to attend NIGMS-organized Bridges PD meetings, and should be included every other year. The Bridges PD meeting is held biennially in conjunction with the MORE PD meeting. Travel costs for faculty research mentors are limited to attending national scientific meetings if the faculty member is accompanying Bridges students who are presenting at the meeting. Travel costs for the participating faculty at the community colleges are limited to attending domestic scientific conferences and workshops that are directly relevant to curriculum development by the participating faculty.
Small pieces of equipment are allowed, but these must be critical for introducing research concepts into the curriculum (see for example, http://www.nigms.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/4BE54B5B-AAD7-4856-9FDF-70E3DBE7023F/0/SnellmanReprint.pdf, and http://www.lifescied.org/cgi/content/full/5/2/175) or to teach a research skills course. Equipment costs are limited to a maximum of $25,000 per project period.
Participant Costs: Participants are those individuals who benefit from the proposed research education program. Participant costs must be justified as specifically required for the proposed research education program. Participant costs must be itemized in Section B (Other Personnel) of the Research & Related Budget.
Applications must clearly indicate the number of associate degree students from each participating two-year institution and the total number of associate degree students who would receive support as Bridges students during the academic year and summer. Salary support for Bridges students participating in research skills development activities (such as summer research internships, etc.) that are not part of their graduation requirements is allowed at a level comparable to that of other students employed in similar activities.
This support in the form of salary/wages is limited to Bridges students at the associate degree-granting institution(s). Students may be supported on Bridges to Baccalaureate funding for up to two years provided their progress towards the associate degree is satisfactory. In order for the Bridges students to receive this compensation, the following conditions must be met:
Salary support for Bridges students should be requested at an hourly rate based on the prevailing scale at the institution with a maximum of no more than $12/hr. Bridges students may be supported for up to 10 hours a week during the academic year for activities, such as working as research assistant in the laboratory of a researcher at the baccalaureate degree-granting partner institution and participating in training, such as a techniques or research fundamentals workshop, and 40 hours a week during summer research internship at the participating baccalaureate institution. Students may not be paid for time taken for courses in summer.
Research supplies for Bridges students (not to exceed $1,000/student/year) may be requested. Applicants may also request support for travel of Bridges students to scientific conferences to present scientific papers. Travel (mileage) expenses are also allowed for Bridges students to participate in special academic development activities (e.g., serve as laboratory assistant) if the distance between the community college and the partner baccalaureate institution is more than 50 miles (round-trip).
Institutional Commitment: Evidence of institutional commitment to the research educational program is strongly encouraged. The application must include a letter signed by the appropriate institutional officials agreeing to: a) provide the data on transfer and subsequent graduation of its students in biomedical and behavioral sciences; b) track Bridges students over a ten-year period as they progress through the pipeline; and c) provide the data on transfer, and bachelor’s degree completion for Bridges and non-Bridges students at the partner institutions.
Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs: F&A costs for the applicant organization and consortium participants will be reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total direct costs.
3. Submission Dates and Times
See Section IV.3.A for
details.
3.A.
Submission, Review, and Anticipated Start Dates
Opening Date: August 21, 2007 (Earliest
date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)
Letters
of Intent Receipt Date: Not required
Application Submission/Receipt
Date(s): September 18, 2007; January 18, 2008; September
18, 2008; January 20, 2009; September 18, 2009; January 20, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): February-March for
September submissions, and June-July for January
submissions
Council Review Date(s): May for
September submissions and October for January submissions
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): July 1 for Sepbember submissions and December 1 for
January submissions
Additional Information To Be Available Date
(Activation Date): Not Applicable
3.A.1. Letter of Intent
A letter of intent is not required for the funding opportunity.
3.B. Submitting an Application Electronically to the
NIH
To submit an application in response to this FOA, applicants should access this
FOA via http://www.grants.gov/Apply
and follow steps 1-4. Note: Applications must only be submitted
electronically. PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
3.C. Application Processing
Applications may be submitted on or after the
opening date and must be successfully received by Grants.gov no later
than 5:00 p.m.
local time (of the applicant
institution/organization) on the
application submission/receipt date(s). (See Section IV.3.A. for all
dates.) If an application is not submitted by the receipt date(s) and time, the
application may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed.
Upon receipt, applications will be transferred from Grants.gov to the NIH Electronic Research Administration process for validation.
Once an application package has been successfully submitted through Grants.gov, any errors have been addressed, and the assembled application has been created in the eRA Commons, the PD/PI and the Authorized Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) have two business days to view the application image.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
There will be an acknowledgement of receipt of applications from Grants.gov and the Commons. Information related to the assignment of an application to a Scientific Review Group is also in the Commons.
The NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial merit review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of an application already reviewed with substantial changes, but such application must include an “Introduction” addressing the previous critique. Note such an application is considered a "resubmission" for the SF424 (R&R).
4. Intergovernmental Review
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental
review.
5.
Funding Restrictions
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and
conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.
Please note that Bridges to the Baccalaureate applications must present an integrated set of student development activities, and therefore a single consolidated budget is required. Each item in the budget must be clearly justified.
Bridges to the Baccalaureate grant awards include some restrictions as to how the funds may be used. The following account summarizes the non-allowable costs under this program.
Unallowable Costs include:
Any salary support or other costs for students who are not from target groups/populations, students who are not matriculated full-time at the partner associate degree-granting institution(s), or for non-US citizens or non-US nationals.
Salary support for students who have completed the associate degree and enter the baccalaureate program at a partner or non-partner institution.
Housing, food, books, recruitment costs, expenses to pay students to participate in a program activity (with the exception of research internship or research techniques/research fundamentals workshop), incentives to encourage or motivate students (such as laptop computers, calculators, etc.), internet subscriptions.
Student tuition.
Faculty salary/compensation for mentoring/advising.
Faculty salary to supplement the actual academic-year salary or increase the base by which the academic year salary is calculated/established.
Foreign Travel
Alterations and renovations
Other costs prohibited by OMB Circular A-21. See: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a021/a021.html.
Pre-award costs are allowable. A
grantee may, at its own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations
and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the
initial budget period of a new or renewal award if such costs: are necessary to conduct the project,
and would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior approval.
If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee
must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is
required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning
date of the initial budget period of a new or renewal award.
The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of a
competing or non-competing award imposes no obligation on NIH either to make
the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award is made
for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the pre-award
costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs
result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not
impair the grantee's ability to accomplish the project objectives in the
approved time frame or in any way adversely affect the conduct of the project.
See the NIH
Grants Policy Statement.
6. Other Submission
Requirements
The NIH requires the PD/PI to fill in his/her Commons User ID in the “PROFILE – Project Director/