NIH eSubmission Items of Interest for Career Development Applicants - October 2, 2014

 

K99/R00 Budget Confusion

Are you planning to apply to the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00) opportunity? If so, you may be wondering just what we are looking for in the budget.

 

The original budget instructions stated:

 

In the initial application, an itemized budget is not required for the R00 phase. The applicant should indicate a minimum of 9-months effort for him/herself for each project period.  The exact amount of direct and indirect costs does not need to be specified, and a zero may be used as a placeholder in these sections.  Total costs of $249,000 should be entered in Total Direct and Indirect Costs.   At the time of transition to the R00 phase, the R00 applicant institution will submit a detailed budget for each budget period of the R00 project period that reflects the direct and indirect costs at the R00 applicant institution.

 

Unfortunately, since the Direct Costs (item G), Indirect Costs (item H), and Total Direct and Indirect Costs (item I) of the R&R Budget are all system calculated and don’t accept direct input we issued a clarification notice which stated:

 

In the initial application, an itemized budget is not required for the R00 phase. At the time of transition to the R00 phase, the R00 applicant institution will submit a detailed budget for each budget period of the R00 project period that reflects the direct and indirect costs at the R00 applicant institution.

 

Yet we are still getting questions as to how to fill out the budget for the R00 phase. The simple answer is you don’t. You don’t even need to include the budget periods in the application. Just include the budget periods for the K99 phase and leave it at that.

 

Similarly, the ‘Estimated Project Funding’ section of the SF424 R&R cover form need only reflect the K99 funding request. As indicated in section VI.2 of the FOA, a R00 application must be submitted by the R00 phase grantee organization prior to the proposed activation date and that application will include the detailed budget for that phase.

 

Eligibility Certification Letter for Career Development Opportunities Promoting Diversity

Many of the career development  Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) promoting diversity [e.g., PAR-12-050 (K01), PAR-12-051 (K08), and PAR-12-052 (K23), PAR-12-062 (K22),  PAR-12-163 (K22)] include the following instruction regarding the submission of a required letter certifying eligibility of the applicant:

 

Information must be submitted by the applicant Institution in a letter certifying that the applicant belongs to one of the above groups. The letter should be inserted in the application immediately before the Checklist as a PDF file. Application processing may be delayed or the application may be returned if it does not comply with this requirement.

 

Given our application form packages no longer contain the PHS Checklist form and applicants can’t control how their application images are assembled, this instruction is, well, problematic. In the Related Notices section of each of the FOAs you should find a link to a clarification notice with instructions similar to the sample instruction below.

 

Information must be submitted by the applicant Institution in a letter certifying that the applicant belongs to one of the above groups. The certification letter (titled: EligibilityCertification.pdf) must be attached via "Other Attachments" in the SF424 Other Project Information form.  The letter must be on institutional letterhead and scanned so that an institutional official signature is visible. Application processing may be delayed or the application may be returned if it does not comply with this requirement.

 

Be sure to follow the guidance in those (and any other notices) in the Related Notices section of your FOA.

 

Don’t Forget…

·         Conformance to all instructions documented in the following is required and strictly enforced:

o   Funding Opportunity Announcement

§  Pay special attention to FOA-specific requirements in section IV

o   Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts

o    Application guides and supplemental instructions

·         The Extramural Training Mechanisms page includes information specific to Career Development Awards, including links to the K Kiosk and the Career Award Wizard.

·         Annotated Form Sets include helpful tips to avoid common errors.

·         If you have questions about submitting reference letters, check out our FAQs.

Thought for the Day

 

“Before beginning a Hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.“

― Winnie the Pooh

 

Personal note…This time last year I became the grandmother of this adorable, little guy who has rekindled my love of Winnie the Pooh, thus today’s theme. Please know, even when we indulge in a little silliness in our communications, we have nothing but respect for all that you do every day. Grants administration and the science it facilitates is serious business. Thanks to NIH-funded research, a baby born in the U.S. today may live to age 79. That’s serious - even when you dress that baby in a Tigger suit!

 

TTFN – Ta-Ta for Now…

 

Sheri

 

Sheri Cummins

Communications & Outreach

NIH Office of Extramural Research

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