The following are important recent NIH announcements concerning NIH T32 institutional training grants.

• Transition to Electronic Submission:  Institutional Training and Institutional Career Development Programs transition to Electronic Submission for due dates on/after January 25, 2010 (NOT-OD-10-008). 

• Clarification on Timing and Page Limits for Restructured Application Forms and Instructions that are required for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2010 (NOT-OD-10-002)

  • For institutional Career Development (K12), Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Institutional Training (T), and International Training (D43, D71) applications, the page limit for items 2-5 of the Research Training Program Plan will remain at 25 pages. Items 2-5 will be:

    • Background
    • Program Plan
    • Recruitment and Retention to Enhance Diversity
    • Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research

    The K12 and Training programs are also transitioning to an electronic submission process for due dates on or after January 25, 2010 (NOT-OD-09-113).

• Amendment to the Instructions for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant Applications and Other Research Training and Research Education Grant Applications Using Form PHS 398 Fillable Data Tables)  NOT-OD-09-135
  • "... This notice refers specifically to certain data in Tables 7a and 7b, “Admissions and Completion Records for the Participating Departments and Programs During the Past Five Years”.  These Tables ask applicant institutions to provide, among other information, data on individuals with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds before enrollment (i.e., numbers applied and numbers accepted).  NIH recognizes, however, that not all applicant institutions collect this particular data or are able to provide it.  Therefore, applicant institutions are no longer required to submit pre-enrollment data on these two categories of individuals (categories /B and /C in the first two data columns of Tables 7a and 7b).  Omission of this data will not affect the evaluation of the application.  Please note, however, that all other information requested in data tables 7a and 7b and in other data tables must be provided as instructed."

• NIH NRSA Stipend and other FY 2009 Budgetary Levels for FY 2009 NOT-OD-09-075:  NIH increased FY 2009 stipend levels by approximately 1% for all Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA).

• NIH Announced Consolidation of Review Criteria for Institutional Research Training Grant Applications (T32) Submitted for FY 2010 Funding (NOT-OD-09-074):  NIH announced that it is consolidating the review criteria for T32 institutional training awards, changing from seven to five criteria.  The five criteria are summarized as: training program and environment; training program director/PI; preceptors/mentors; trainees; and training record.   The announcement states that while the review criteria have been consolidated, they remain essentially unchanged in scope.    The additional review criteria and considerations described in the funding opportunity announcement (PA-08-226) also remain in place.

• Revision: Notice of Re-issuance of Kirschstein-NRSA T32 (PA-08-226) and T35 (PA-08-227) Funding Opportunity Announcements (NOT-OD-09-049):  This 2009 notice, which supersedes NOT-OD-08-099, clarifies the modifications to the T32 and T35 funding opportunity announcements.  The NIH  re-issued the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grants (T32) (PA-08-226) and Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants (T35) (PA-08-227).