The University of Toledo

3. Message From CSR -- Use the Suggested Cover Letter Format

4. Can Medical Science Training Program participants apply for NIH grants?

5. The Table Of Contents Of The May 23, 2008 NIH Guide

The Age of Adobe forms is coming. NIH plans to put all grant application packages -- some 700 funding opportunity announcements (FOA) -- into forms created by Adobe Systems software.

Because of the scale of this project and its technical requirements, NIH will move forward in steps.

This summer, NIH will issue two FOAs that require Adobe submission forms, to test the new system. Then, if all goes well, look for a formal transition to begin in December 2008.

Once the transition is complete, NIH will phase out the PureEdge Viewer, and applicants will have to download an NIH-compatible version of the Adobe Reader software from Grants.gov.

In the future, NIH will use the Adobe forms for all new Grants.gov forms, including the training grants (T), career awards (K), and fellowships (F) application packages expected by spring 2009.

For more about the transition, go to eRA Commons Timeline

Here's a friendly but firm reminder from NIH: make sure you're protecting sensitive and confidential data concerning NIH-supported research or research participants.

Sensitive data include personally identifiable information, such as a research participant's name, social security number, and date of birth.

To prevent inadvertent disclosure, release, or loss, you should not keep sensitive data on portable electronic devices, such as laptops, CDs, or flash drives. If you have to go this route, encrypt any device you use.

Keep in mind that organizations collecting, storing, processing, transmitting, or using information for an HHS organization (for example, a contract or a cooperative agreement where the government owns the data) must also comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act, page 48.

But even if FISMA does not apply to you, you are still obligated to protect sensitive data.

If you're a peer reviewer, expect to receive a password-protected CD containing application-related materials, plus instructions for accessing them. Find more details in the May 14, 2008, Guide notice,

CSR's Division of Receipt and Referral encourages you to use NIH's new Suggested Cover Letter Format to request assignment to an IC, a study section, or both. NIH receives tens of thousands of applications each year, so having your request -- and your reasons for it -- in a standardized format will help CSR assign your application.

Bear in mind that you are making a request, but CSR makes the final decision.

You can find instructions on the cover letter format for electronic applications in "Section 5.2. Cover Letter Component" of the SF424 Grant Application Guide. For paper applications, see the instructions on page I-23 of the PHS 398 Grant Application Guide.

Be careful about your choice, though. Consult a program officer and read Do You Need a Cover Letter? and Consider Requesting an Institute and Study Section in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Medical Science Training Program students working toward M.D.s or Ph.D.s have limited choices, especially if they are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

If you are a citizen or resident, you may be eligible for an Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research.

You may also want to consider being a trainee on an Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) or Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (T35).

For more information on fellowships and training grants, see our Advice on Research Training, Career Awards, and Research Supplements.

The previous static listings for browsing published NIH Guide announcements have been replaced with real-time database query listings that retrieve only active Requests for Applications ( RFAs ) and Program Announcements ( PAs ), based on the expiration dates stated in those announcements. The new listing for NIH Guide Notices displays Notices published over the last two years, by default, since expiration dates are not currently assigned to these announcements. Links to these new resources are available from the main NIH Guide Funding Opportunities and Notices page ( http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html ).

All announcements (active plus inactive) in each category may also be viewed by using selections in the drop-down box at the top of each listing page. Clicking on header links allows re-sorting of lists. In addition, a new Ad Hoc NIH Guide Database Search page http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/search_guide.htm is available, which allows for individualized queries with various selection criteria.

If you have any difficulty obtaining the information you need from the Guide, contact Carol Wilkerson, carol.wilkerson@utoledo.edu, at HSC extension 4252, or Rick Francis, rick.francis@utoledo.edu, at MC extension 6193.

NIH Guide For Week Ending May 23, 2008

[Use The Link Below To Access Table of Contents of Guide]

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm?WeekEnding=5-23-2008