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National Science Foundation Opportunity: ADVANCE

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The NSF ADVANCE program contributes to the National Science Foundation’s goal of a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce. In this solicitation, the NSF ADVANCE program seeks to build on prior NSF ADVANCE work and other research and literature concerning gender, racial, and ethnic equity. The NSF ADVANCE program goal is to broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. The NSF ADVANCE program provides grants to enhance the systemic factors that support equity and inclusion and to mitigate the systemic factors that create inequities in the academic profession and workplaces. Systemic (or organizational) inequities may exist in areas such as policy and practice as well as in organizational culture and climate.

For example, practices in academic departments that result in the inequitable allocation of service or teaching assignments may impede research productivity, delay advancement, and create a culture of differential treatment and rewards. Similarly, policies and procedures that do not mitigate implicit bias in hiring, tenure, and promotion decisions could lead to women and racial and ethnic minorities being evaluated less favorably, perpetuating historical under-participation in STEM academic careers and contributing to an academic climate that is not inclusive. All NSF ADVANCE proposals are expected to use intersectional approaches in the design of systemic change strategies in recognition that gender, race and ethnicity do not exist in isolation from each other and from other categories of social identity. The solicitation includes four funding tracks: Institutional Transformation (IT), Adaptation, Partnership, and Catalyst, in support of the NSF ADVANCE program goal to broaden the implementation of systemic strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession.

  • The Institutional Transformation (IT) track is designed to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative systemic change strategies that promote gender equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education.
  • The Adaptation track is designed to support the work to adapt, implement, and evaluate evidence-based systemic change strategies that have been shown to promote gender equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. Adaptation projects can either: 1) support the adaptation of evidence-based systemic change strategies to promote equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education; or 2) facilitate national or regional STEM disciplinary transformation by adapting evidence-based systemic change strategies to non-profit, non-academic organizations.
  • The Partnership track is designed to support the work to facilitate the broader adaptation of gender equity and systemic change strategies. Partnership projects are expected to result in national or regional transformation in STEM academic workplaces and the academic profession and demonstrate significant reach. Partnership projects can focus on the transformation of institutions and organizations and/or the transformation within one or more STEM disciplines.
  • The Catalyst track is designed to broaden the types of IHEs that are able to undertake data collection and institutional self-assessment work to identify systemic gender inequities impacting their STEM faculty so that these can be addressed by the institution.

Please note that NSF ADVANCE does not provide fellowships, research, or travel grants to individual students, postdoctoral researchers, or faculty to pursue STEM degrees or research. Undergraduate STEM opportunities can be found HERE and graduate STEM opportunities HERE.


Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Curriculum or Training Modules to Promote Safe and Inclusive Biomedical Research Training Environments

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Notice Number: NOT-GM-20-018

Key Dates
Release Date: February 13, 2020
First Available Due Date: April 15, 2020
Expiration Date: June 01, 2020

Related Announcements: PA-18-591 “Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)”

Issued by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Purpose

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) announces the availability of funds for Administrative Supplements to institutions with NIGMS training (T32, T34), certain research education (R25, see below), or institutional career development (K12) awards. The funds will support the development and implementation of curriculum or training modules to promote safe and inclusive biomedical research training environments. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss potential requests with their NIGMS Program Officer before submitting the supplement request.

Supplement awardees are expected to present an overview of the funded activities, the outcomes, and the progress in incorporating the activities into the ongoing program(s) at the meeting organized for Program Directors/Principal Investigators of NIGMS Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity programs.

Eligibility

Applicants must have an NIGMS-funded training (T32, T34), certain research education (R25, see below), or institutional career development (K12) program award with a project end date of May 31, 2021 or later. Awards in No-Cost Extension (NCE) are not eligible. Only R25 awards in the following programs (and associated funding opportunity announcements) are eligible for these supplements:

  • Bridges to Baccalaureate (PAR-13-333; PAR-16-110; PAR-17-210)
  • Bridges to the Doctorate (PAR-17-209; PAR-16-109)
  • Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) (PAR-17-053; PAR-14-121)
  • Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) (PAR-14-076; PAR-17-051)
  • Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) (PAR-13-196; PAR-16-118; PAR-16-361)

An applicant institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH Institutional Profile File – IPF) may submit only one application in this topic area. For institutions with two or more NIGMS grants, it is expected that the Program Directors/Principal Investigators will cooperate to develop curricula and/or activities that are broadly applicable to individuals at their institution and that a single supplement request will be submitted through one of the eligible NIGMS awards.

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following funding opportunity announcement or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

  • PA-18-591 – Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-18-591 must be followed, with the following additions:

  • Application Due Date(s) – April 15, 2020 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
  • For funding consideration, applicants must include the term “NOT-GM-20-018” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4b) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4b will not be considered for this initiative.
  • NIGMS requires applicants to submit electronically through Grants.gov. The process for Streamlined Submissions using the eRA Commons cannot be used for this initiative.

Budget

  • Application budgets are limited to $80,000 direct costs and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
  • Funds from this supplement may be used for salary support of individuals designing, directing, and implementing the proposed training activity. Funds may also be used for administrative staff salaries, consultant costs, equipment, research supplies, faculty/staff travel, and other expenses directly related to the proposed curricular or training activity.
  • Funds from this supplement must be expended within 12 months of the supplement award issue date.
  • Applicants should note that the funds from this supplement cannot be used to support trainee stipends or tuition (T32 or T34), participant costs (R25), or scholar costs (K12).

Research Training Program Plan (limited to 3 pages). In the Program Plan attachment, include the summary or abstract of the funded parent award(s), and describe the following:

  • The need for the proposed curricular or training activities. Describe how the activities will synergize with, but not duplicate, ongoing efforts in this area.
  • A description of the curricular or training activities and their potential impact on the biomedical training at the institution.
  • How the effectiveness of the curricular or training activities will be assessed.
  • If proven to be effective, how the curricular or training activities will be incorporated into the existing biomedical training program(s).
  • Plans for disseminating the activities and outcomes.
  • Institutional commitment for sustainability of the proposed activities

Application Review Information

NIGMS staff will consider whether the budget is fully justified and will evaluate applications using the following criteria:

  • Will the administrative supplement increase or preserve the likelihood for the program to exert a sustained, powerful influence on research training at the institution?
  • Is there a clearly identified need for the proposed curricular or training activities?
  • Are the plans to assess the outcomes likely to provide evidence of the effectiveness of the training or curricular activity?
  • Is there a plan to incorporate the activities into the ongoing conduct of the training programs?
  • Are the plans to disseminate the activities and outcomes feasible and likely to reach the intended audience?
  • Is there appropriate institutional commitment for sustaining the proposed activities?

HRSA Funding Opportunity – National Organizations of State and Local Officials: Health Legislation and Governance

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HRSA proposal due date: April 10, 2020

Purpose:

The purpose of this program is to assist states and local authorities in a) preserving and improving public health, b) building capacity to address other public health matters and support and enforce regulations intended to improve the public’s health, and c) preventing and suppressing communicable diseases.

To fulfill the program’s purpose, NOSLO: Health Legislation and Governance has the following objectives: 1) facilitate bidirectional communication and data/information sharing between HRSA and state officials, 22) strengthen HRSA-funded programs by better understanding state stakeholder needs, priorities, and perspectives, and 3) support capacity-building activities at the state level that strengthen the health care safety net and advance shared public health goals with HRSA.

The term “capacity-building” includes actions that build, strengthen, and maintain the necessary competencies and resources needed to sustain or improve health services delivery to vulnerable and under-served populations. Capacity-building activities supported through NOSLO: Health Legislation and Governance include technical assistance and training; data collection, sharing, and analysis; materials development; or other agreed-to actions that enable states to operate in a comprehensive, responsive, coordinated, and effective manner.

Core Activities:

  • Educate Core Activities
    • Provide HRSA and public health stakeholders with policy analysis, research, and other relevant information related to state legislators’ and legislative officials’ needs and priority issues
    • Increase state legislators’ and legislative officials’ awareness of HRSA priorities, programs, initiatives, and resources to strengthen the health care safety net
  • Innovate Core Activities
    • Share state health care and public health best practices with HRSA and the public to inform HRSA-funded programs and public health stakeholders
    • Offer capacity-building assistance to state legislators and legislative officials to support and spread best practices that benefit populations served by HRSA and enhance the impact of HRSA-funded programs
  • Situate Core Activities
    • Provide HRSA with state context and feedback from state legislators and legislative officials on the state policy landscape and HRSA-funded program activities
    • Facilitate engagements between HRSA staff and state legislators and legislative officials to strengthen the health care safety net

Additional information, including the Notice of Funding Opportunity, is available on the HRSA website.

Department of Defense (DoD) – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Outreach Programs

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Purpose:

The purpose of this announcement is to solicit Applicants capable of providing in person
training, support, assessment, and evaluation services sponsored by the DoD and other federal agencies in partnership with local DoD laboratories, STEM education organizations, professional societies, and local education activities. Additionally, the Applicant will provide DoD and its partners with opportunities to support program and project level objectives. Program evaluations are used by DoD to determine the extent to which programs are operating efficiently, achieving the intended outcomes, and meeting program objectives.

In accordance with 10 USC §2192, this FOA is seeking application packages from
Applicants capable of engaging and improving Grades K-12 Plus (to include colleges,
universities, and vocational schools) STEM skills through in person outreach
programs and support services on a national level. The requirement for increased
STEM professional development is necessary to meet the long term national defense
needs of the United States for personnel proficient in such skills. Through this FOA,
the Government intends to execute the following types of STEM activities covered
under the guidelines of Section 2192 of Title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.):

  • STEM K-12 Plus events, such as activities, scholastic competitions, academic contests, in person educator training workshops, evaluation projects, in person training at various national locations, and other STEM activities;
  • STEM faculty events, such as activities, in person educator training workshops, evaluation projects, in person training at various national locations and other STEM activities;
  • Materials, supplies, equipment for local curricular and extracurricular outreach STEM activities;
  • Logistical support for sponsored local STEM events, such as workshops, training, and follow-up activities (to include the conduct of surveys, interviews, etc. on the local STEM events);
  • Recognition of participation/achievement to include monetary awards, certificates, and/or prizes for faculty/students who participate in or facilitate STEM events; and
  • Stipends for faculty, staff, and interns to facilitate the STEM events.

The Grant award recipient will be expected to conduct the following tasks during the execution of the STEM activities, in person, on-site, and in diverse geographically dispersed locations across the U.S.:

  • Engage multiple Federal agencies to discuss the potential funding of local and national STEM activities and assist in identifying funding to utilize the ceiling funding amount to the maximum extent possible;
  • Develop plans, budgets and schedules to execute the STEM activity;
  • Execute, manage, and/or supervise the STEM activity with knowledgeable personnel;
  • Provide internal and/or external evaluations of any STEM activities undertaken and selected for evaluation by the Government.

Additional information on this program can be found on grants.gov.

Defense Health Program Department of Defense Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20)

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The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides $40 million (M) to the Department of Defense Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) to support innovative, high-impact spinal cord injury (SCI) research1.  As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency J9, Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The SCIRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY20 funding opportunity. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government. The FY20 SCIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. 

Applications submitted to the FY20 SCIRP must address one or more of the following focus areas:

  • Preserving and protecting spinal cord tissue at time of injury for improved neurologic outcomes
  • Identifying and validating biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and for evaluation of treatment efficacies (Transnational Research Award and Investigator-Initiated Research Award only)
  • Bowel, genitourinary, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, and neuropathic pain
  • Psychosocial issues relevant to people with SCI, their families, and/or their care partners
  • Rehabilitation and regeneration—maximizing the function of the residual neural circuitry, including harnessing neuroplasticity and recovery to improve function after SCI

https://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2020/20scirppreann

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released.  For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the SCIRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).