NIH R15s: AREA and REAP Grants

1. NIH R15s: AREA and REAP Grants Astrid Haugen Health Specialist Genes, Environment, and Health Branch NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training

2. Today’s Topics • Overview of R15 Program goals • How to read R15 Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) • Learn how R15 applications and projects differ from R01s • Differences between AREA and REAP • Strategies for success

3. R15 Grant Mechanism • Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) • Undergraduate-Focused Institutions • PAR-18-714 (no CT) and PAR-19-133 (CT) • Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) • Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools • Schools of medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, pharmacy, nursing, veterinary medicine, public health, optometry, allied health, chiropractic, naturopathy, and podiatry • PAR-19-134 (no CT) and PAR-19-135 (CT)

4. Program Goals • Strengthen research environment of institutions that have not been major recipients of NIH funding • Support useful, interesting, publishable research • Expose students to primary research

5. Restructuring the R15: Intent and Rationale • Returned to historical intent of AREA • Support undergraduates’ access to research opportunities and entry into biomedical research careers; however… • Continue to provide opportunity for faculty and students in heath professional schools to participate in a dedicated FOA via REAP • For AREA and REAP: • Maintain the key goals of the R15 program • Allow for better reporting and evaluation • E.g., tracking undergraduate students

6. Key Features • Research Grant mechanism • Up to $300,000 direct cost to be spent over 3 year-project period • 12 page Research Strategy - Same criteria scoring as a R01, but different emphasis • Grants are renewable

7. Goals & Scope: Part 2, Section I, Funding Opportunity Description ...

8. R15 vs. R01 • Overall impact of R15 differs from R01 • Smaller-scale research projects • Limited scope • Due to resources (i.e., facilities, personnel) • Must describe opportunities for students • Absent from R01 • Must describe how award will strengthen research environment of the institution • Absent from R01

9. R15-Specific Eligibility Criteria: Part 2, Section III, Part 1

10. AREA and REAP are Mutually Exclusive • Each program targets a different pool of faculty • REAP: faculty at Health Professional Schools or Graduate Schools. • AREA: faculty at undergraduate-focused schools and colleges (not Health Professional or Graduate). • Institution could have faculty eligible for each program • However…individual faculty cannot be eligible for both R15 programs

11. AREA vs. REAP: Primary Appointment

12. R15 PI Eligibility Criteria: Primary Appointment Primary appointment at eligible institution • REAP Heath Professional School or Graduate School faculty PAR-19-134 (no CT) and PAR-19-135 (CT) • AREA Non-Health Professional School faculty PAR-18-714 (no CT) and PAR-19-133 (CT)

13. R15 PI Eligibility: Multiple PIs and Collaborators • Multiple PI is OK, if all are FOA-eligible • What about an ineligible collaborator? • Yes! • However…. Be mindful of the intent and unique goals of the R15 • Majority of research should be directed by PI at grantee institution • Student profile & student inclusion are for applicant/eligible component Collaborators add expertise, but be selective

14. Other R15 PI Eligibility Criteria • May not have an active NIH grant at time of award • Can hold successive New or Renewal grants • Can hold a subaward on someone else’s NIH grant R15 is intended to be a PI’s only NIH research grant

15. Organization Eligibility Criteria • Organization must award at least a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences • Total NIH support is no more than $6 million per year in 4 of the last 7 years • Calculation parameters have changed • Note instructions in specific FOA

16. Organization eligibility - AREA • PAR-18-714 (no CT), PAR-19-133 (CT) • All non-health professional components of the institution must have total NIH support no more than $6 million per year in 4 of the last 7 years • Health professional schools not included in this calculation • Undergraduate enrollment MUST be greater than graduate enrollment in the non-health professional school https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/Determing-Organization-Funding-Levels-R15-Eligibility.pdf

17. AREA Eligibility

18. Organization eligibility - REAP • PAR-19-134 (no CT), PAR-19-135 (CT) • The entire institution (all components) must have total NIH support no more than $6 million per year in 4 of the last 7 years • Includes support for non-health professional and health professional schools • Undergraduate enrollment level is not a factor for eligibility. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/Determing-Organization-Funding-Levels-R15-Eligibility.pdf

19. REAP Eligibility

20. REAP Eligibility Scenario

21. REAP Eligibility Scenario II Non-Health Professional and Health professional Schools Painted Desert University

22. Provost Letter • Both AREA and REAP require a signed letter from the Provost or similar official verifying eligibility as specified in the appropriate FOA • Applications submitted without this letter will be withdrawn and returned without review.

23. Is AREA or REAP right for me?

24. Application instructions: Part 2, Section IV, Part 2

25. Before Writing Submission • Read FOA carefully • Write an abstract and sketch out some specific aims—one-pager • Useful tool: use the Matchmaker tool of NIH Reporter (https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter_matchmaker.cfm) • Check the NIH Institute mission statement page • Talk to a Program Officer after emailing one-pager

26. The Art of Crafting an R15 Application • Scientifically meaningful - Interesting questions & publishable data • Feasible with - Resources (facility and personnel) - Effort - Students • Appropriate scope • Describe your environment

27. FOA has R15-specific instructions • Other Project Information: Facilities and Other Resources • Budget • Biographical sketch • Research Plan: Research Strategy Include a resource sharing plan!

28. Research Strategy • Should touch each review criteria & program goals • Preliminary data • Reviewers can and will evaluate submitted data • Required to demonstrate appropriateness of project and group, including students • Description of involvement & supervision of students

29. How Students Will Be Involved? Examples provided in both FOAs • Perform & troubleshoot experiments • Present at (lab) meetings & (campus) conferences • (Help) design experiments • Collect & analyze data • Draft articles • Collaborative interactions

30. Student Involvement Should Be Meaningful • Number of students • Quality of student involvement • Not sufficient to say “there will also be a couple undergrads (with an unspecified or insignificant role)” • Mention how students will be recruited and student level (freshman – senior) for AREA, or graduate students for REAP

31. The Budget • Can support a wide range of expenses - Student wages - Collaborator salaries (subawards) - Travel • Keep R15 criteria in mind - Student involvement in primary research - Improvement of R15-eligible institution - Impact on R15-eligible investigator

32. Review criteria: Part 2, Section V, Part 1

33. R15 Application Review • Where? a. Special Emphasis Panel for only R15 applications b. Chartered standing study sections with R01, R03, R21 • Clustered for review • Streamlined against R15 cluster; some institutes use percentile • Assignment Request Form – request special expertise and study section

34. When to Apply

35. After Submission • Make sure your application is correctly assigned • Study section and Institute • Check the meeting rosters and contact SRO, if needed • Check the NIH Institute mission statement page • Useful tool: use the Matchmaker tool of NIH Reporter

36. Funding Trends Number of Applications and Awards Success Rate Number of Applications Number of Awards Success Rate https://report.nih.gov/success_rates/index.aspx

37. Funding Trends

38. After the Award… Due annually, and must include: • 2-page summary annual progress (not summary of history of grant) • Section D – Participants: list students who worked at least 1 person month per year (even if unpaid) - Each student must have Commons ID - Mentioning them in the research update is insufficient - Crucial for tracking students and determining success of R15 program as a whole

39. No Magic Formula • Do not treat a successful [or not] application as an iron-clad template [of what not to do] • - How many students • - How many papers • - What % of a collaborator • - What % of special facilities • - What amount or type of institutional support • What type of environment Read Summary Statement of review; call your Program Officer; resubmit

40. Strategies for Success • Build a vital research environment • Understand the NIH extramural research program • Know guidelines, deadlines, submission & correction process, and review criteria • Create an environment for success • Training • Protected time • Set expectations

41. Institutions • Make a commitment to establish an environment in which research can succeed • Start up packages for equipment and supplies • Pilot grants, student research grants • Credit for student involvement in research • Consider the importance of collaborative research • Do not pressure PIs to submit applications that are not ready

42. Applicants • Be familiar with the FOA goals and review criteria - address each question in your application • Pick a compelling research topic • State the significance – be articulate, avoid jargon, and write for the expert and non-expert • Propose a realistic scope • Propose clear hypotheses • Publish before you apply, if appropriate Remember…before you begin, consider… • Check institute strategic plan or mission • Speak to institute Program Officer

43. Applicants (cont.) • Add collaborators as needed to bolster expertise • Approach refers to methods but also to how the research plan will accomplish the objectives you proposed • Include students in a significant manner • Remember, this is not a training grant • Focus on hands-on research, not coursework • Describe PI’s role in research & supervision

44. Parting thought… don’t be discouraged… resubmit

45. Links • https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r15.htm • https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/grants-academic-research-enhancement-awards • https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/sample-applications • https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm • https://public.csr.nih.gov/NewsAndPolicy/PeerReviewVideos

46. Questions