This website is intended to provide background on the recently published RFA for Medical Rehabilitation Research Infrastructure, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-04-005.html. It is not meant to supercede anything in the original document, but only to help with interpretations and clarify issues as they arise from potential applicants. Thus, this will be an evolving website and interested applicants are encouraged to check back here periodically for additional information.
Resources for background on Medical Rehabilitation Research
NCMRR Website
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/ncmrr/ncmrr.htm
Research Plan for NCMRR
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/ncmrr/pubs.htm
List of currently funded NCMRR grants:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/ncmrr/grants.htm
CRISP: searchable website of all NIH-funded grants
http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/
Eligible applicant institutions
Applicants need not be affiliated with clinical departments, research institutions, or have direct connection to the field of medical rehabilitation, provided that they are proposing access to a relevant expertise, technology and/or resources and have sensitivity to the needs of the medical rehabilitation research community.
Collaborations
An applicant may propose collaborative activities with other institutions (even outside the US) provided that these collaborations are cost-effective and provide access to unique resources and opportunities and that appropriate logistical issues are addressed. If the collaboration is supported through a subcontract, the total costs of that subcontract (direct plus facilities and administrative [F&A]), count as direct costs on the parent application.
External advisory board
As indicated in the RFA, administrative oversight must include the use of an external advisory board. The extent of interactions with this board, including the frequency of meetings (actual and virtual) should be defined in the application. Applicants are encouraged not to recruit nor identify specific people for their proposed advisory board at this time, because that could create conflicts for those individuals if they are later considered for a role in the peer-review of applications submitted in response to this RFA. Nonetheless, applicants can provide the general profile and expertise of candidates who would be appropriate to serve on their advisory boards.
Requirements of a medical rehabilitation research infrastructure core
As indicated in the RFA, applicants must address several possible approaches for the transmission of expertise and sharing of resources, including: courses, workshops, demonstrations, and other didactic programs; website and a library of research resources; pilot studies; sabbatical and collaborative opportunities; techniques development; promoting expertise; and, administrative oversight. However the exact mix of these approaches depends on the expertise and/or technology proposed, and the resources available to the applicant institution. It is up to the applicant to justify the prioritization of these activities in the context of supporting the medical rehabilitation research community.
Applicants may propose linking up with resources and resource cores already present at their institutions, but they should provide background on current support of these resources and the value-added that would be provided by this medical rehabilitation infrastructure grant. For example, this may involve special access or prioritization for prospective medical rehabilitation researchers and/or supplemental resources specific to medical rehabilitation approaches. Application that build on largely existing resources would be expected to come in with reduced budgets, possibly allowing the NICHD to leverage infrastructure funds to include additional qualified applicants.
Core Utilization
Medical rehabilitation research infrastructure cores may be accessed by any credible researcher or developing researcher with a commitment to some aspect of medical rehabilitation research. This may include established researchers from allied fields who are considering studies in medical rehabilitation. As indicated in the RFA, the applicant must provide plans for administrative oversight, prioritizing access, and quality control.
Pilot studies
Pilot studies should be no larger in scope than that of an NIH R03 project, although the exact bounds of budget and duration should be defined by RFA applicants. We especially encourage the support of pilot studies that could lead to larger independent extramural funding opportunities (e.g., NIH R01 grants or the equivalent). Pilot researchers must have a commitment to some aspect of medical rehabilitation research. Support of pilot studies will likely require transfer of funds from the research infrastructure core institution to that of the pilot researcher.
Sabbatical opportunities
It is anticipated that sabbaticals will need to be at least a few months in duration to provide a meaningful collaboration and to return some benefit to the host laboratory. The home institution of the visiting investigator should provide substantial financial and administrative support for their faculty during this extended visit. The visiting investigator should also be largely free of teaching, clinical, and administrative responsibilities in order to devote full-time to the sabbatical opportunities. Visiting researchers supported by this program must have a substantial and direct commitment to some aspect of medical rehabilitation research.
Last updated April 13, 2004