november 18, 2015 · •tips for writing a competitive application •common mistakes •wrap up....
TRANSCRIPT
Ericka M. Boone, Ph.D.
Director, Division of Loan Repayment
NIH Office of Extramural Programs/NIH Office of Extramural Research
November 18, 2015
LRP Overview
• General Overview of LRPs
• Eligibility and Qualifying Research
• Programs
• Application Components
• Peer Review Criteria
• Tips for Writing a Competitive Application
• Common Mistakes
• Wrap Up
About the LRPs
Outcome: Increase in nation’s stock of biomedical research
scientists
NIH: Repays up to $35,000/year of your qualified educational
debt and covers resulting taxes (39%)
YOU: Commit to perform research for
2 years
NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a vital component in our
nation's effort to keep health professionals in research careers
Here’s how it works:
*Note: Initial awards: 2 years; Renewal awards: 1 or 2 years
Basic Eligibility Requirements
U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident
Doctoral-level degree (M.D., Ph.D. or equivalent)
EXCEPTION = Contraception & Infertility Research LRP
Qualified educational debt greater than 20% of annual
base salary
Qualified research at a domestic, non-profit research
organization for at least 20 hours/week (50% effort)
Domestic, nonprofit research funding (e.g., university or
government organization) **NIH grant support is NOT required**
*Visit www.lrp.nih.gov for more information
Individuals are not eligible for the NIH LRPs if they:
• Have a Federal judgment lien against their property
arising from a Federal debt
• Are a full-time Federal government employee or VA
Fellow
• Owe an obligation of health professional service to the
Federal government, a state, or other entity, unless
deferrals are granted for the length of their LRP service
obligation
▫ NRSA T32, T90 and F32 awardees are eligible. NIH grants a
deferral of the NRSA service obligation.
Other Eligibility Issues
Five Extramural Programs
Clinical Research
Pediatric Research
Health Disparities Research
Contraception and Infertility
Research
Clinical Research for
Individuals from
Disadvantaged Backgrounds
Updated Website
For clinical investigators interacting with human patients in an inpatient or outpatient setting
Qualifying research:
• Patient-oriented clinical research (must have direct contact with human subjects or materials of human origin, e.g., tissue specimen or cognitive phenomena)
• Research on the causes and consequences of disease • Clarify a problem in human physiology, pathophysiology or
disease • Epidemiologic or behavioral studies• Outcomes research or health services research• Develop new technologies, therapeutic interventions, or clinical
trials
Clinical Research LRP
For investigators conducting research directly related
to diseases, disorders, and other conditions in children
Qualifying Research:Research directly related to diseases, disorders, and other
conditions in children, including pediatric pharmacology
**Basic research can be conducted under the pediatric research
LRP
Pediatric Research LRP
For investigators conducting research that focuses on
minority health disparity populations/issues
Qualifying research:
• Within health disparity populations
• Causes of health disparities
• Methods to prevent, diagnose and treat such conditions
Health Disparities Research LRP
For investigators conducting research in conditions that impact on the ability of couples to either conceive or bear young.
Note:• Applications reviewed by National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD). • Acceptable degrees include doctoral-level and other
allied health professionals (e.g., nurses, physician assistants, graduate students, or postgraduate research fellows training in a health profession)
Contraception and Infertility LRP
For clinical investigators coming from an environment that inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill, and ability required to enroll in, and graduate from, a health professional school, or from a family with an annual income below low-income thresholds.
Note:• Applications reviewed by National Institute on Minority
Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)• Applicants must certify disadvantaged background
status
Clinical Research for Individuals from
Disadvantaged Backgrounds LRP
The LRP application is divided into three (3) sections:
• Personal Information – contact info and background; personal statement about career goals, verification of citizenship status
• Research – description of proposed research, identification of research supervisor, institutional business officials and recommenders; NIH sends an email to these individuals and they are asked to respond online
• Loan Information (new applicants only) – lender and servicer information, loan number, total loan amounts, loan status (in repayment/forbearance), etc
The Application
Review Process
Division of Loan
Repayment
Center for Scientific
Review
NIH Institute or Center
Peer Review
NIH Institute or Center
YOU
$$$
Reviewers evaluate applicant’s potential to succeed in
a research career by rating:
• Applicant’s previous training and research experience
• Applicant’s commitment to a research career
• Recommendation letters
• Quality and appropriateness of the research
environment (including research environment, materials and
equipment, etc)
• Research progress (for Renewal applications only)
Peer Review Criteria
NJ
MA
WA
OR
CA
NV
AZ
UTCO
WY
MT
ID
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
AR
MO
IA
MN
WI
IL IN
KY
TN
MS
LA
AL GA
FL
SC
NC
VAWV
OH
MIPA
NY
ME
AK
HI
DE
MD
VTNH
CTRI
NM
Map not to scale and is only for i l lustration
# of
Participants
States
0 DE, NV, OK, WY
1-25 AK,AL,AR,AZ,DC,HI,IA,
ID,IN,KS,KY,LA,ME,MN
,MS,MT,ND,NE,NH,NJ,
NM,OR,PR,RI,SC,SC,
UT,VA,VT,WI,VW
26-50 CO,CT.FL,FA,IL,MI,MO,
OH,TN,WA
51-100 MD,NC,PA,TX
101-150 MA,NY
151-200 CA
Contracts by State:FY 2014
California had the most recipients, followed by
Massachusetts and New York
# of Awards FY 2007 thru FY 2014
909 909 879 934 872 882 771 819
383 347388
335
412 382
294315
289289 295 262 232 242
228
191
0
300
600
900
1200
1500
1800
FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14
# o
f A
pp
lic
ati
on
s
Contraceptive & Infertility Clinical DB Health Disp Pediatric Clinical
**Average ~ 3000 applications/year
(N=1,646) (N=1,583) (N=1,604) (N=1,584) (N=1,572) (N=1,554) (N=1,328) (N=1,357)
NIH LRP Applications & Awards, FY07-FY14
0
300
600
900
1200
1500
1800
FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14
# o
f A
wa
rds
1,6461,583
1,604 1,5841,572 1,554
1,3281,357
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14
# o
f A
pp
lic
ati
on
s
Contraceptive & Infertility Clinical DB Health Disp Pediatric Clinical
3,218 3,159 3,100
2,721 2,685
3,0663,377 3,391
These tips will help you strengthen your application.
• Know the funding priorities of the NIH Institute or Center that will review your application
• Effectively demonstrate your qualifications and commitment to research.
• Describe resources and support thoroughly.
• Write a strong research plan.
• Provide strong letters of recommendation.
**To download this complete document, visit http://www.lrp.nih.gov/writing-lrp-application
Tips for Writing a Competitive LRP
Application
The following conditions often weaken an applicant’s
competitiveness
• Weak or lukewarm recommendation letters
• Questionable research commitment
• Mediocre research plan
• Rushed application
• Inadequate research environment
• Slim publication record
Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Up to $70k/2yr in educational
loan repayment▫ Depending on debt level
• Coverage of most Federal
taxes resulting from the NIH
LRP
• 2 year initial contracts ▫ 1 or 2 year competitive renewal
• Approximately 1,600
researchers funded yearly
• 50% application success rate
overall
Summary
Application Cycle Timeline
• September 1 – November 16: Application Cycle Open
• December 1: Colleague Deadline
• February – May: Application Peer Review
• May: IC Initial Selections
• May – July: Financial Vetting
• Mid-July–August: Final Funding Decisions/Recipient Notifications
• August – September: Contract Signing
• October: First Lender Payments
21
LRP Information Center
Open each weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
(866) 849-4047 or [email protected]
Webinar: Overview of Loan Repayment Programs
http://go.usa.gov/aHx
LRP Web site: http://www.lrp.nih.gov
Twitter: @NIH_LRP
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nihlrp
Additional Resources
LRP Application Deadline: November 16, 2015
Thank you!