FEDERAL AGENCY:

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

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Individual predoctoral NRSA fellowships, institutional education projects, and technical assistance workshops.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

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.