Volume 13, Number 11: May 2, 2007

FEDERAL NEWS

NIH Regional Seminar Materials Available

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Regional Seminar held in April in Research Triangle Park offered many sessions helpful to faculty and staff working with NIH funding, both pre- and post-award. Sessions included:

Grant Writing for Success;
Everything You Wanted to Know About the NIH Electronic Application Process;
NIH Mechanism Primer;
Scientific Peer Review;
After the Award is Made … Then What?;
How the NIH Program Official Works with Investigators;
Budget Basics for Investigators;
NIH Career Development Awards;
and many others.

The electronic presentation materials from the seminar are now available online, at the seminar website. Additionally, the GrantSource Library has a limited quantity of CD-ROMs with the seminar materials available on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone interested—simply email gs@unc.edu with your name, department and CB#.

FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Reporting Adverse Events

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed a draft guidance document (pdf) for reporting adverse events during clinical investigations, and is seeking comment.

Department of Education Research Funding Competition

The Institute of Education Sciences at the Department of Education has opened its major research funding competition for FY 2008, with grant programs in education and special education research, research training, and research and development centers. All Requests for Applications have been released, with the exception of research and development centers, which will be released May 15, 2007.

NSF Success Rates Increase

The National Science Board, the policy-making arm of the National Science Foundation (NSF), released its report on the fiscal year 2006 merit review process. The overall success rate for the NSF in FY 2006 was 25%, up slightly from 23% in FY 2005. Success rates varied by program, from as low as 18% in Biological Sciences to as high as 45% at the Office of International Science and Engineering.

The report also addressed other aspects of the application and review process, including review type, award amounts, reviewer ratings and funding decisions, and time to decision.

NIH Revises Notice of Award Letter

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) revised their Notice of Grant Award Letter, now known as the Notice of Award Letter, in early April. The revised letter has several enhancements and a new look and feel, including a move to PDF, resulting in a more user-friendly document. NIH began issuing the revised letter on April 13, 2007.

NSF Releases Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the new Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, which consolidates and replaces the Grant Proposal Guide and Grant Policy Manual. The new guide is effective for proposals submitted on or after June 1, 2007.

Limited FIPSE Funds for Open Competition

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported April 13 that almost half of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) may be set aside to fund specific competitions. This could reduce the number of FIPSE awards made by as much as two thirds.

Education and Training for Disadvantaged Youth

YouthBuild, a program that began at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, has now moved to the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, and has released its first solicitation. With the move comes an expansion in the scope of activity—the program now aims to prepare disadvantaged youth for high-growth and high-demand careers, in addition to the core focus on the construction trades and low-income housing. New partnerships are part of the plan as well, linking schools, community organizations, vocational training, community colleges, and higher education.

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