NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
AUTHORIZATION:
Public
Health Service Act, Title 4, Part A, Sections 301 and 405, 461,
487, and 488, as amended; Public Laws 78-410, as amended, and 99-158;
42 U.S.C. 241, 284, 285k, 288, and 288a.
To
increase the number of underrepresented minority students trained
to pursue careers in biomedical research through institutional education
projects and technical assistance workshops. Institutional Education
Projects (Bridges Program) encourage the development of new and
innovative programs and the expansion of existing programs to improve
the academic competitiveness of underrepresented minority students
and facilitate their transition into the next stage of preparation
for careers in biomedical research, whether in a post-secondary
or graduate school setting. Technical assistance workshops promote
or enhance biomedical research conducted by minority students and
investigators who receive support from the Division of Minority
Opportunities in Research of the National Institute of General Medical
Sciences.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor
Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The Bridges Program targets
two different underrepresented minority student populations: those
in colleges and universities offering only master of science degree
programs in biomedically related sciences, and those in 2-year junior
or community colleges. Grants are given for partnership programs
involving: (1) Institutions awarding the master's degree and universities
awarding the Ph.D. degree, or (2) 2-year colleges awarding the associate's
degree and institutions awarding the baccalaureate degree. Details
of allowable costs are available from the Headquarters Office.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility:
Applications for the Bridges Program may be submitted by domestic,
private or public educational institutions, and by State or local
systems of higher education. Programs developed or modified under
this initiative must be specifically designed to target underrepresented
minorities. Applications must include a partnership between: (1)
A 2-year institution that offers the associate degree as the only
undergraduate degree in the sciences within the participating departments
and that has a significant enrollment of underrepresented minorities,
and a college or university offering the baccalaureate degree in
areas relevant to the biomedical sciences; or (2) an institution
that offers the master of science degree as the only postgraduate
degree in the sciences within the participating departments and
that has a significant enrollment of underrepresented minorities,
and a research university providing Ph.D. degree programs in areas
relevant to the biomedical sciences. Applications must involve a
partnership of at least two colleges or universities. Technical
assistance workshop applications may be submitted by public, private
or nonprofit agencies or organizations including State and local
government agencies, universities, colleges, and academic or research
institutions.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
Individuals and public, private, profit or nonprofit organizations.
Credentials/Documentation:
For the Bridges Program, each institution should develop a unified
plan to facilitate the transfer of its students from one institution
to the other. Each applicant institution should delineate appropriate
agreements and consortium arrangements with other institutions
consistent with its own unified institutional plan. In addition,
letters acknowledging participation in the program are required
from each participating institution. The nature and extent of
underrepresented minority student participation must be thoroughly
delineated. The applicant should describe a system by which it
would monitor and track the students participating in this program,
including their future careers. However, applications may involve
a consortium of several institutions and may include several institutions
within a single State system. One institution or a single system
of higher education must be designated as the grantee institution
and must submit the application. Proposals must include formal
collaborative agreements or subcontracts with all the participating
institutions.
Pre-application
Coordination: While there is no program requirement
for preapplication, informed preapplication consultation to prospective
applicants is available upon request from the information contacts
listed below. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedure:
The research grant application form PHS 398 is to be used for
Bridges Program and technical assistance workshop applications.
These forms are available at most institutional business offices
and from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892. Completed applications
should be submitted to the Center for Scientific Review, National
Institutes of Health.
Award Procedure:
All accepted applications are reviewed for scientific/technical
merit by an appropriate initial review group and by a national
advisory council. (Individual NRSA applications and technical
assistance workshop applications for less than $50,000 direct
costs are not reviewed by the council.) All approved applications
compete for available funds on the basis of scientific merit and
program priorities.
Deadlines:
The annual receipt dates for Bridges applications are May 14 and
November 14. Technical assistance workshop applications are accepted
on February 1, June 1, and October 1. Special receipt dates may
be announced in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.
Range of Approval/Disapproval
Time: About 9-12 months for Bridges Program
and technical assistance workshops.
Appeals:
An applicant may question the substantive or procedural aspects
of the review of his/her application by communicating with the
staff of NIGMS. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures
is available on the NIH home page http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/1997/97.11.21/n2.html.
Renewals:
None.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching
Requirements: This program has no statutory
formula or matching requirements.
Length and Time Phasing
of Assistance: NRSA fellowships are for at
least 1 year, with additional support (up to 4 more years) depending
on the recommendations of the scientific review group, the length
of time the fellow has been in the laboratory, successful annual
performance, and availability of funds. New and renewal awards
made under the Bridges Program may receive up to 3 years of support.
Technical assistance workshop awards will generally be made for
12 months, but may be made for shorter or longer periods depending
on the nature of and need for the workshop.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Annual progress reports are due 2 months prior to the start date
of the budget period and financial status reports for continuing
projects are due 90 days from the budget period end date. A final
performance report and financial status report are due 90 days from
the end of the project period.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants and cooperative agreements
are subject to inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal
officials.
Records:
Expenditures and other financial records must be retained for
3 years from the day on which the grantee submits the last financial
status report for the report period.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
75-0897-0-1-552.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $14,904,000; FY 02 est $17,093,000; and FY 03 est
$17,631,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
$20,000 to $5,000,000; Average: $260,000.
Funded projects support
research grants in biomedical disciplines including cell and molecular
biology, pharmacology, biomedical engineering, and some areas of
behavioral science. Twenty-eight research grants were funded in
fiscal year 2001. It is anticipated that 32 research grants will
be funded during fiscal year 2002 and 33 will be funded during fiscal
year 2003. In fiscal year 2001, the tenth year of the Bridges Program,
49 awards were made using multi-year funding.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND
LITERATURE:
42 CFR 52 and 66; 45 CFR
74; 45 CFR 92; NIH extramural program brochures; miscellaneous program
literature from Headquarters Office; and PHS Grants Policy Statement,
DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 94-50,000, (Rev.) April 1, 1994.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local
Office: Not applicable.
Headquarters Office:
For the Bridges Program, Dr. Irene Eckstrand, National Institute
of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 45
Center Drive MSC 6200, Bethesda, MD 20892-6200. Telephone: (301)
594-0943. For technical assistance workshop support, Dr. Clifton
Poodry, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National
Institutes of Health, 45 Center Drive MSC 6200, Bethesda, MD 20892-6200.
Telephone: (301) 594-3900. Grants Management, Mr. Joe Ellis, Chief
Grants Management Officer, National Institute of General Medical
Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 45 Center Drive MSC 6200,
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200. Telephone: (301) 594-5135. Use the same
numbers for FTS.
Web Site Address: http://www.nigms.nih.gov/about_nigms/more.html#special
The major elements in
evaluating NRSA proposals included assessments of: (1) the scientific
merit and general significance of the proposed training and its
objectives; (2) the competency of the proposed investigator and
sponsor to successfully pursue the training objectives; (3) the
adequacy of the available and proposed facilities and resources;
(4) the necessity of the budget components required in relation
to the proposed training objectives; and (5) the relevance and importance
to announced program objectives. Award decisions for the Bridges
Program will be based on the technical merit of the applications,
the geographical distribution of the awardee institutions, and the
diversity of underrepresented minority student participants. Criteria
for technical merit review of technical assistance workshop proposals
will include the following: (1) the potential regional and national
significance of the workshop for promoting biomedical research conducted
by minority students and investigators; (2) the clarity and justification
of the overall objectives, aims, and goals of the workshop; (3)
the plan for evaluation of the activity; (4) the manner in which
the workshop is planned and organized, and the presence of an administrative
and organizational structure that will facilitate attainment of
the proposed objectives of the workshop; (5) the qualifications
and experience of the project staff, program director, and key personnel;
(6) the participation of appropriate speakers and presenters; (7)
the adequacy of the proposed facilities and resources; and (8) the
appropriateness of the budget, staffing plan, and time frame to
complete the workshop.
