All About Grants At Nih

In this NIH All About Grants podcast episode, we virtually sit down with Diane Dean, a senior advisor within the NIH’s Office of Extramural Research, and dive into what you should know about financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs). The conversation touches on the regulations and our Guide Notice NOT-OD-21-002, what investigators and recipient institutions should do to comply, how NIH oversees the process, what may happen if these rules are not followed, and who to contact with questions. “Remember that…Significant Financial Interests, whether they're foreign or domestic, if they're related to your institutional responsibilities, they must be disclosed… transparency and accountability ensure that research is objective and in the best interest of the public.” – Diane Dean

The NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP) conversation is back! And, building on Part 1, this time, we are getting into the nitty gritty of the application itself. Dr. Ericka Boone, Director of the Division of Loan Repayment is joined by Dr. Roya Kalantari, a program officer focused on LRPs at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to discuss what you should do when preparing to apply, the various sections of the application, some tips to consider and mistakes to avoid, as well as thoughts on when seeking a renewal. “Ingrain those [evaluation criteria] in your brain as you're writing this application and make sure you're directly addressing each of those concepts…It is sort of this idea of you holistically as a researcher, it's not just your project. It's how is this project going to help you achieve your research goals? What is the appropriateness of your previous training? Does it align with what you're proposing to do now?” – Roya Kalantari. Please do not forget to check out the LRP page for eligibility

Did you know that NIH can actually help pay off some of your educational debt? Up to $50,000 worth over two years in fact! Now that we have your attention, join us for this first in a two part NIH All About Grants podcast mini-series on the NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs). Dr. Ericka Boone, Director of the Division of Loan Repayment within the NIH Office of Extramural Research, discusses the different extramural LRPs available, what exactly is “qualified educational debt” (and, importantly, what it is not), considerations for applying, benefits to participating, and much more. In our second conversation (coming soon), we will dive deeper into the specifics of developing your application. Please also check out the LRP page for eligibility and program information, send questions to LRP@NIH.gov, and follow them at #NIH_LRP.

Thanks to a suggestion from a listener, in this NIH All About Grants episode a duo of NIH program officers, Drs. Lillian Kuo from the National Cancer Institute and Kentner Singleton from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, share their advice and experience on developing a research plan for a grant application. They discuss the relationship between the specific aims and research strategy, provide suggestions for when you sit down to start writing, and share common pitfalls. More helpful advice on writing your application is available from the NIH Grants and Funding site. Have an idea for a future podcast? Email ExtramuralNexus@mail.nih.gov and tell us all about it. We appreciate the feedback!

So you have confirmed that you are doing human subjects’ research after listening to the first podcast in our human subject mini-series.And you have a clear human subjects’ protection and monitoring plan developed for your application after tuning in to the second episode in the series.Now, what should you keep in mind after the award is made? The latest NIH All About Grantspodcast episode delves into just this issue. Lyndi Lahl, an NIH Human Subjects’ Officer, joins us (and her dog too!) in this final episode of this human subjects’ researchmini-series. Tune in for tips about important post-award requirements, what’s needed for annual progress reporting, engaging your IRB and NIH when a protocol change is needed, the difference between adverse events and unanticipated problems, and much more.

Your experimental designs are coming into focus. Sample sizes…power analyses…and treatment conditions, oh my! And, all throughout, perhaps laboratory animals are needed. But, are they? Can you actually replace them and still rigorously test the hypothesis? If not, maybe the protocol can be refined in such a way to reduce their overall numbers, while still ensuring their humane care and use? Considering alternatives to animals in your application is the topic of our next NIH All About Grants podcast. Drs. Neera Gopee with the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and Christine Livingston with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences join us for this conversation. We will go into the 3Rs (replace, refine, and reduce), helpful resources for relevant policies, what’s needed for the vertebrate animal section, role for IACUCs and peer review, as well as organoids, in silico models, and other alternatives…oh my again! On a related note, keep an eye out for recommendations coming from the Advisory