Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter’s local time):

     November 04, 2020

      IGE Project Proposals and IGE Innovation Acceleration Hub Proposals

     March 25, 2022

     March 25, Annually Thereafter

      IGE Project Proposals

This solicitation revises an earlier program limitation to graduate students in research-based STEM master’s and doctoral degree programs requiring theses or dissertations. The program now also expands that focus to include also graduate students in STEM master’s and doctoral degree programs more broadly. This solicitation also includes a one-time award for an IGE Innovation Acceleration Hub.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after June 1, 2020.

Synopsis:

The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative approaches to STEM graduate education training. The program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers.

IGE focuses on projects aimed at piloting, testing, and validating innovative and potentially transformative approaches to graduate education. IGE projects are intended to generate the knowledge required for their customization, implementation, and broader adoption. The program supports testing of novel models or activities with high potential to enrich and extend the knowledge base on effective graduate education approaches.

The program addresses both workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners are encouraged.

As a special emphasis under this solicitation, IGE seeks proposals that will result in a single cooperative agreement for the development and implementation of an IGE Innovation Acceleration Hub. The Hub will facilitate IGE awardee communications about research activities and outcomes and provide a platform for external stakeholder engagement. Only Hub proposals submitted to the November 2020 deadline will be considered for funding.

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 6 to 10

IGE Awards (6 to 10 anticipated in FY 2021) are expected to be up to three (3) years in duration with a total budget between $300,000 and $500,000. The estimated number of awards and the anticipated funding amount listed above are for FY 2021. The number of awards and funding level in FY 2022 and FY 2023 are anticipated to be similar to FY 2021. Funding amounts depend on availability of funds.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $4,000,000

Anticipated Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement (IGE Innovation Acceleration Hub only)

Estimated Number of Awards: One award is anticipated.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $500,000 in year one; remaining funds disbursed in years 2-5. The maximum award amount is $1,000,000 for five years.

For more information regarding eligibility and requirements, please visit the NSF page.

The NIH is committed to supporting the biomedical research enterprise as the nation implements the President’s Guidelines for Re-Opening America Again. The purpose of this Notice is to extend the guidance below for applicants preparing applications during the COVID-19 pandemic (NOT-OD-21-122) until further notice.

NIH grant applications should NOT include contingency plans that would outline steps needed to recover from temporary, emergency situations, or institutional return-to-the-workplace plans, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contingency plans will not be considered in peer review but, if needed, COVID-19 contingency plans will be requested and carefully considered by NIH staff before funding.

Reviewers will continue to receive instruction to assume that temporary, emergency problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic will be resolved and complications related to COVID-19 should not affect their scores. Reviewers will be instructed to disregard situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g., temporary declines in productivity, availability of key personnel, proposed patient populations, animal facility shutdowns, etc.

For more information, please visit the NIH page.

It’s been over eight months since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis struck, changing every facet of life as we knew it. The U.S. biomedical research enterprise was not spared, as lockdowns and severe restrictions on activities took hold across the country. At the time, we offered our perspectives on efforts we could take to cushion the shock. Since that time, much has happened. COVID-19 research has blossomed with impressive results including FDA approval of a therapeutic agent (remdesivir, which was found to have value in a large-scale NIH-funded trial), development of several candidate vaccines that have already made to pivotal Phase 3 trials, and the rapid development of a variety of diagnostic testing platforms.

However, research unrelated to COVID has seen a different picture. As early as April 2020, the Congressional Research Service posted a report on expected “Effects of COVID-19 on the Federal Research and Development Enterprise.” The report stated that implementation of social distancing guidelines was likely to lead to:

• Closure of many laboratories.
• Restricted or loss of access to facilities and equipment.
• Cancellation of scientific and technical conferences.
• Supply chain disruptions and problems acquiring new equipment.
• Delayed or uncertain graduation schedules and career prospects for trainees and early career scientists.

Over the last six months, nearly all these predictions have come to pass. Across the country laboratories were shut down (or nearly so), non-COVID clinical trial operations were halted or delayed, and U.S. faculty openings fell by 70%. An international survey study found that the pandemic had greater adverse effects on bench scientists, on women scientists, and on scientists with young children. Another study reported productivity declines among women scientists, many now shouldering both child care and educational responsibilities.

Last August the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) issued a report, “Research Impact Under COVID-19: Financial Crisis and the ‘Pandemic Normal” that describes a framework to quantify the adverse effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures on the conduct of government-funded academic research. Research productivity declines were attributed to mandated remote status, reduced use of core facilities and shared resources, inefficient work patterns (e.g., shift work, more down time due to cleaning, greater need for PPE, reconfigured labs), need to reestablish cell lines and animal models – and many more. These stresses are likely to persist for many more months, or longer, meaning that we are now in what the report refers as a “pandemic normal.”

Given these known stresses, and likely more to come, how to proceed? In June, Gibson and colleagues published an interesting essay in which they noted that we should not respond by merely yearning to return back to normal, since the normal state was not that great. They wrote that the pandemic served to highlight longstanding problems in academic research, including a complicated system that “is catered towards senior-level researchers,” an observation supported by data from NIH and elsewhere. The authors argued that the pandemic offers an “unprecedented opportunity to reset,” with particular attention paid to early career researchers. They offer a number of recommendations: for funders they call for simplification of procedures, policies that decrease dependency on preliminary data, extension of early stage investigator status, and no-cost extensions for existing grants.

The NIH is already implementing a number of these recommendations, including:

• Plans for the Stephen I. Katz award, an R01 award for early stage investigators based on applications with no preliminary data allowed.
• Expedited processes for requesting extension of early stage investigator status.
• Revised application and review policies that allow for post-submission of preliminary data and instructions to reviewers to disregard situations directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as temporary declines in productivity.
• Expedited processes for requesting on a case-by-case basis no-cost extensions for research, career, and training awards.

While these steps may be helpful, we recognize that productivity losses are extensive and present daunting challenges (financial and otherwise) for scientists attempting to restart their research programs. While each NIH institute and center will be considering its strategic objectives and scientific priorities, the agency as a whole will support the following three priorities:

• Early career scientists, including trainees, K-grant awardees, and early stage investigators.
• Meritorious established investigators at risk for losing all funding.
• Certain high-priority clinical trials in which completion of enrollment and follow-up are critical for project success.

We are not through this – which brings me to one final item. We previously announced two extramural surveys, one of institutional leaders and one of scientists and scientific staff. If you haven’t already, please fill out the survey if you received one. We need your input to make the best data-driven decisions. If you have already filled out the survey – thank you!

In the weeks to months ahead we will continue to keep in touch with you, in these pages and elsewhere, as we navigate the “pandemic normal,” which, hopefully before too long will transform to a “post-pandemic” state.

For more information on NIH, please refer to the NIH page.

The American Heart Association is in the process of resetting its research award schedule because of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Listed below are the programs to be offered and application deadlines that have been set for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Other program offerings may be posted as submission deadlines are finalized. We encourage you to revisit the AHA Application Information page periodically for updates and appreciate your patience.

• Applications must be received no later than 3 p.m. Central Time on the deadline date. Early submission is encouraged. 
• Potential applicants should review the Features of All AHA Awards on the AHA Application Information page for answers to commonly asked questions about eligibility and award details.
• All proposals must be submitted electronically via ProposalCentral. The system will open eight weeks prior to the application deadline to complete your proposal and upload documents. You can begin to create your documents now; please refer to the AHA Application Instructions.
• Applicants must be AHA Professional Partners (members) at the time of application. This must be done online. Join or begin the partner process well before the deadline.
• ProposalCentral/Altum and AHA offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 29. Assistance will not be available during this time. Fellowship applicants are strongly encouraged to complete their submissions early.

Award Offerings and Application Deadlines

AHA Predoctoral Fellowship
Enhances the training of promising students in pre-doctoral or clinical health professional degree training programs and who intend careers as scientists, physician-scientists or other clinician-scientists, or related careers aimed at improving global health and wellbeing. One- and two-year fellowships are available.
Application Deadline: Tuesday, December 1, 2020

AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship
Enhances the training of postdoctoral applicants who are not yet independent. The applicant must be embedded in an appropriate research group with the mentorship, support, and relevant scientific guidance of a research supervisor. One-and two-year fellowships are available.
Application Deadline: Thursday, December 3, 2020

Institutional Award for Undergraduate Student Training
This award is made to qualified institutions that can offer a meaningful research experience that supports the AHA mission that encourages undergraduate college students from all disciplines to consider research careers.
Application Deadline: Thursday, January 14, 2021

Career Development Award
Supports highly promising healthcare and academic professionals in the early years of one’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist in the field of cardiovascular and/or cerebrovascular disease research.
Application Deadline: Tuesday, February 16, 2021

New Award Coming Soon:
Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Science
Open to currently funded AHA faculty awardees (e.g., TPA, EI, Merit, CDA, CSA, and SFRN Project PIs) with at least two years of funding remaining at the time of submission. These supplements will support research experiences for predoctoral students or postdoctoral fellows from under-represented ethnic and racial groups in science.

The Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities program supports national or regional (multistate) training programs for scholars, humanities professionals, and advanced graduate students to broaden and extend their knowledge of digital humanities.  Through this program NEH seeks to increase the number of humanities scholars and practitioners using digital technology in their research and to broadly disseminate knowledge about advanced technology tools and methodologies relevant to the humanities.

Applicants may apply to create institutes that are a single opportunity or are offered multiple times to different audiences.  Institutes may be as short as a few days or as long as six weeks and held at a single site or at multiples sites; virtual institutes are also permissible.  Training opportunities could be offered before or after regularly occurring scholarly meetings, during the summer months, or during appropriate times of the academic year.  The duration of a program should allow for full and thorough treatment of the topic; it should also be appropriate for the intended audience.

These professional development programs may focus on a particular computational method, such as network or spatial analysis.  They may also target the needs of a particular humanities discipline or audience. 

What’s New for 2021:  

• Applicants must submit the Research and Related Budget Form and attach a budget justification.  The Research and Related Budget is available in the Grants.gov application package. Budgets in other formats will not be accepted. 
• The narrative includes new questions for applicants to address, such as describing more fully the publicity plans for recruiting participants and providing additional details for risk assessment and risk mitigation.  

Reminders:  

• Applications will be declared ineligible for review if they do not include all required sections and components (i.e., Research and Related Budget and budget justification).  
• Applications will be declared ineligible for review if they do not comply with all requirements indicated with a “must” outlined in the NOFO, including page limits.   

For more information about submitting applications, please visit the NEH page.