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Frequently Asked Questions
Policy-Related
Application Process/Review Related
Policy/Post Award
1. How is eligibility determined for the K22 Career Transition Award and who is
responsible for making this determination?
NCI Program Staff determines eligibility. The first determination is made at
the time the application is submitted to assess whether you are 1) either in a
"mentored" postdoctoral position at the time of the application, 2) or if you
have been in an independent faculty position, or the equivalent, for less than
two years at the time of the application submission deadline, and 3) have had
continuous "mentored" postdoctoral experience prior to attaining the position.
However, if you have been in an independent position for more than two years,
regardless of the circumstances, you are ineligible. Some applicants have been
in an independent position for several years but chose to continue under a
mentor to further their training and wish to interpret their eligibility
beginning at the time when they truly initiate their own independent research.
The NCI interpretation is not based on when you began to do independent
research, but is based on the date of appointment to a position from which you
could have started your independent research.
The second determination is made after the review of the application. If your
application is competitive for funding, the NCI will seek to confirm the
following in a written "Statement of Environment and Institutional Commitment"
from the institution:
-
The existence of a strong research environment that will enhance and complement
the candidate's research interests, and provide opportunities for scientific
interactions and multi-disciplinary collaborations.
-
Adequacy of the institution's commitment to ensure that 75 per cent of the
candidate's total effort will remain devoted to the development of a research
project and a successful independent research career.
-
Adequacy of the institution's formal arrangements with the candidate to provide
a permanent, preferably tenure-track, position, adequate facilities for
conducting a research program and the other resources needed for the
development of a research project and a successful independent research career.
If the NCI judges the "Statement of Environment and Institution Commitment" to
be a sound plan and commitment to the candidate, an award will be made. If the
NCI judges this Statement to be deficient, it will give the institution a
chance to improve the nature of the position for the candidate. The NCI will
not make a K22 award until the Program Staff approves this Statement.
2. Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to receive a career award?
At the time of award, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. noncitizen national, or
have been lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a permanent resident. Please see
the bottom of the Research Career Development Award Table of Contents
Substitute Form Page 3, which can be downloaded in MS Word or PDF format. You
are required to use this Substitute page to indicate your citizenship status.
No award can be made until this is confirmed.
3. If I submit a research grant application (e.g., R01) after receiving a Career
Development Award, how does the NCI reconcile the percent level of effort
commitment and salary on the research grant application with the requirements
of the Career Development Award?
The NCI usually allows recipients of Career Awards to retain an awarded
investigator-initiated research grant, with the following restrictions:
-
The percent level of effort commitment of the Career Award cannot be reduced
below 75 percent (the exception being the K05 and K24 awards).
-
Salary support cannot be derived from the investigator-initiated research grant
if the grant is a federal grant.
-
The total percent level of effort commitment on the Career Award and the
research grant cannot exceed 100 percent. The percent effort commitment
permitted on the research grant will be negotiated at the time of award and
will depend on the degree of overlap between the specific aims of the two
funding sources. (Please contact the
NCI Staff Contacts for the Career Award for additional detailed
information on this issue.)
4. Why do I need to send extra copies of my career award application?
These extra copies are vitally important to the timely processing and review of
your application. The copies to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), which
is the central receipt point for all grant applications to the NIH, ensures
that the application is given the appropriate grant number and assigned to the
National Cancer Institute for peer review. CSR does the critical logging in and
processing of the paperwork. Unlike the regular research grants (e.g., R01s),
CSR neither organizes nor conducts the peer review system for career awards.
Each institute and center at the NIH manages the their own peer review system
for career awards. The extra copies that you send directly to the NCI ensure
that the review process is initiated in a timely way and avoids the possibility
that CSR can mishandle or lose your application.
5. How important is the font size in preparing the application?
This is very important. Follow the directions for Format Specifications in the
instructions for the
PHS 398 Form (Revised 9/2004), or your application will be returned by CSR.
6. Who will review my career award application?
A scientific review group organized by an NCI Scientific Review Administrator
will review your application. It will have the necessary expertise to judge the
merit of your application, the suitability of the sponsor, the institutional
commitment, and your potential to develop into an independent investigator.
7. How will reviewers evaluate my application?
The reviewers will evaluate your application using the review criteria provided
in the NIH/NCI announcement that corresponds to the particular career
development award that applies to you. It is very important that you prepare
your application in response to these criteria because your ultimate success in
receiving funding will depend upon how well your application addressed these
criteria. For review criteria for the K22 grant mechanism, see the REVIEW
CRITERIA section of the Program Announcement: PAR-06-455 THE NCI TRANSITION CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K22).
8. What should my application contain if it deals with human subjects, clinical
trials or vertebrate animals?
If the study deals with human subjects, you must answer all parts of item 4 on
the face page of the
PHS 398 Form (Revised 9/2004) application. NIH requires documentation
of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at the time of award. The
application should also address the points concerning Gender and Minority
Inclusion and Inclusion of Children as Participants, OR provide sufficient
information/justification for exemptions. This information can be found in the
Human Subjects Research section of the instructions for preparing a
PHS 398 Form (Revised 9/2004) application.
If the study involves a clinical trial, you will need to include an abbreviated
data and safety-monitoring plan showing that the sponsoring institution does
have an operational mechanism for data and safety monitoring of clinical
trials.
If you are using vertebrate animals, you must answer all parts of item 5 on the
face page of the
PHS 398 Form (Revised 9/2004) application and follow the
instructions in the Vertebrate Animals section of the instructions for
preparing a PHS 398 Form (Revised 9/2004) application.
Without the proper information on Gender and Minority Inclusion, Inclusion of
Children and Vertebrate Animals, an award cannot be made. If an application is
fundable, the NCI must be provided with the human subject IRB certification
before an award can be made; and, where appropriate, a detailed data and safety
monitoring plan.
9. Can I supply additional information after I have submitted my Career Award
application to the NIH?
Yes, but this must be submitted after receiving approval from the NCI
Scientific Review Administrator (SRA) in charge of reviewing your grant. You
must identify the SRA, explain your situation, receive approval and send the
additional information in time to provide reasonable opportunity for the
reviewers to include it in their evaluations. Examples of additional
information that is important for reviewers to examine would be new
experimental data that strengthens the rationale for pursuing the research
project and manuscripts that have been accepted for publication, especially if
they are to peer-reviewed journals.
10. How does the "Letter of Intent to Commit Funds" work?
If a candidate in a mentored postdoctoral position applies for a K22 without an
institutional affiliation and the application receives a peer review
competitive for funding, the NCI will provide the candidate with a "Letter of
Intent to Commit Funds." The candidate has one year from the date on the letter
to find and negotiate a position that will satisfy the requirements of this
award. The NCI fully expects candidates to use the "Letter of Intent to Commit
Funds" as a leveraging instrument to negotiate the best faculty position (or
equivalent) possible.
11. If I have an award and would like to ask for post award changes, how do I go
about this?
You must contact the NCI Grants Administration official to determine the
appropriate procedures to use in making a request for post award changes in
your grant. This also applies to any of your needs that require a prior
approval from the NCI. In general, you will have to make a request that is
signed by you and a business official of your institution. After receiving the
request, the Grants Administration official will consult with the NCI
scientific program staff as necessary to determine whether the request can be
approved.
12. Can I apply for a research grant from the PHS and still keep my career
development award?
Yes, but you cannot receive any additional salary from another Federal grant if
it were to be funded even if the career award does not equal your actual
salary. The institution can pay you additional salary from non-Federal sources
or from grants from Private funding organizations, as long as it does not
exceed the institutional salary scales. Remember, in the case of a K22 Career
Transition Award, you must provide evidence before the end of the second year
of support that you have submitted a research grant to the NIH or to an
equivalent funding organization.
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