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Upcoming Changes to NIH SF424R&R/PHS398 instructions and submission requirements
Date Posted: 9/27/2009 4:41:14 PM

NIH released NIH notice NOT-OD-09-149 announcing upcoming changes for proposal instructions and submissions that will take effect beginning with the NIH proposal deadline of January 25, 2010.

Refer to the following "Enhancing Peer Review - Page Limits.

CHANGES INCLUDE:

a) research plan page limit reduction and restructuring,
b) modifications to the biosketch form
c) modification to the resource page.

See below for details on these changes and how they might affect your applications.

Page Limit Revision

* Those grant applications that presently allow a research plan of 25 pages will have a new limit of 12 pages effective January 25th, 2010.
* Those grant applications that presently allow a research plan of 12 pages will have a new limit of 6 pages effective January 25th, 2010.
* Those grant applications that presently allow a research plan of greater than 25 pages may or may not have a change in the page limitation. Please refer to the funding opportunity announcement associated with the specific grant application for page limitation instructions.

The following mechanisms will continue to allow a 25 page research plan until further notice:

* K12
* Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional NRSA Applications
* D43 (International Training Grants in Epidemiology)
* D71 (International Training Program Planning Grant)
* Education Projects (R25)

Restructuring of the Research Plan

The research plan presently includes 4 sections:
1) specific aims, 2) background and significance, 3) preliminary studies/progress report, and 4) research design and methods.

Effective January 25th, the research plan will have a different structure.

* Specific Aims.
* Research Strategy. This will absorbed the sections we presently know as background and significance, preliminary studies/progress report, and research design and methods.
* The Research Strategy will be divided into 3 subsections: Significance, Innovation, and Approach.
* The subsection “Approach” will include preliminary studied (for new applications); or progress report (for renewal revision applications).

Biosketch Modification

The current biosketch includes parts A, B, and C.

* A new Personal Statement will be incorporated as Part A,
* Former parts A, B, and C will now be Parts B, C, and D.
* Applicants should limit the list of selected peer-reviewed publications to no more than 15. These 15 publications should be chosen on the basis of recency, importance to the field, and relevance to the proposed research.
* Most funding mechanisms will continue to limit the biosketch to 4 pages, while others (such as the DP1 and DP2, pioneer award and innovator award) limit the biosketch to 2 pages.

Resources Page Modification

The Facilities and Other Resources section will be changed to require:

* a description of how the scientific environment will contribute to the probability of success of the project,
* unique features of the environment, and
* for Early Stage Investigators, the institutional investment in the success of the investigator.

Some time in December 2009, NIH will post new application packages that are to be used beginning with the January 25, 2010 NIH deadline. Please be sure to check the NIH website periodically for updated instructions and new applications packages.