OCTOBER 22, 2013 SERIES 3, SESSION 8 OF AAPLS – APPLICANTS & ADMINISTRATORS PREAWARD LUNCHEON SERIES Institutional Training Grants Best Practices for Developing & Managing T32s

First Steps Come from Faculty Develop a clear program identity and assemble strong faculty Build on a program with a strong track record Develop a clear rationale and clear goals Match the goals of funder (including grant support of participants) Admin support must be part of the team

What You Get Student stipends (up to $22,032) Postdoc stipends (NIH-mandated levels) Tuition (60% of institutional charge up to $16,000) Trainee expenses ($4,200 per trainee, includes health insurance and fees) Trainee travel (typically $1,000 per trainee) ICR – 8%

Typical Number of Slots T32s are not expected to fund all students Proportioned in relation to existing program For a new application, typically 2 or 3; very rarely more than 4 Rare to have slots expand in years 2 through 5 For a renewal, strong justification is required for expanding slots

What You Do Not Get Support for faculty Support for seminars (other than from trainee expenses – which does help) Support for evaluation Support for staff Anything else related to training not listed on the previous slide

Why are T32s Important? Flexible funding for students & postdocs NIH Stamp of Approval as a high quality program Serves as a catalyst for program improvement Helps maintain program identity Instills best practices in programs

How to Begin - Administrators Work closely with the PI Review the checklist developed by Tufts Review the NIH instructions Ask questions early in the process Establish a timeline for the work Establish each persons responsibilities Develop a list of data sources if data is not already at hand

Typical Administrative Roles Application Package Budget & Budget Justification Biosketches for Key Personnel Biosketches for Mentors Data Tables & Animal & Human Subject Protocol Numbers Appendices Grant Assembly? Lead Role with OVPR staff?

Budget Preparation Understand the number of positions Prepare the budget and budget justification early in the process Ask for preliminary review of these components – do not wait until everything (text and tables) is complete Adjust budget and other application components as needed and finalize

Biosketches Obtain a list of faculty as soon as possible Determine which are key personnel and which are mentors Collect, format and update biosketches – useful to highlight trainee papers Be sure personal statements for key personnel discuss training Some T32 PIs decide to use personal statements for mentors (not required)

Data Tables New applications –at least 10 tables Renewals - at least 12 tables Review the list of tables and information needed Develop a plan for collecting needed information Contact administrators as opposed to faculty when possible Do the easiest tables first

Table 2 – Participating Faculty Table 2 is easy and the info is needed for other tables Do Table 2 first Tufts White PagesPI should provide

Table 3 – Training Grants Need faculty list before doing this table Sackler has a list of training awards and faculty Send Sackler your info and Table 3 will be done

Table 4 – Faculty Grant Support Need faculty list before doing this table Contacts - Department Managers or Sackler Information should match Biosketch info

Table 5 – Trainees Labor-intensive table, especially for postdocs who are not in school databases Use school databases as much as possible Faculty can often help with information about alums Use LinkedIn, ZoomInfo and Facebook Sackler can provide information for its trainees and many TUSM postdocs

Table 5 – Trainees Online resources for past trainees; Department Manager for current trainee support – match Table 4 School databases

Table 6 – Trainee Pubs Be sure Table 6 lists the people in Table 5 associated with the program PubMed & PubMed Central

Table 7 - Admissions & Completions Rely on Admissions databases & iSIS Contacts – School Offices iSIS does not track NIH minority categories Completing this table for postdocs is harder Multiple record sources may be needed

Table 8 - Applicant Qualifications Rely on Admissions databases – School offices Be sure numbers match those in Tables 7, 9, 11, 12 Prepare a version with names first Record keeping key for interviews Completing this for postdocs may be harder Conversions likely needed

Table 9 – Current Trainee Stats Rely on school databases as much as possible Prepare a version with the students names If necessary, convert GPA and GRE scores to standard scale Must be consistent with Tables 7, 8 and 12

Table 10 – Minorities Rely on school databases as much as possible iSIS does not report NIH categories A, B & C Must be consistent with Tables 1, 5, 7 and 9 Info from the PI if trainee has left

Table 11 – Slots Used (Renewals) Information from Department Managers or those appointing and terminating trainees All slots should be used Must be consistent with Table 12 Use footnotes for special situations

Table 12 – Appointees (Renewals) Must be consistent with Tables 1, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11

Table 1 – Participating Units Do Table 1 near the end Numbers in Table 1 should match those in Tables 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Determine the units that are going to be used (departments vs programs) Columns used for renewals

Final Thoughts Plan ahead Consider how your unit acquires, maintains and updates information needed Work with other units that have T32 experience Work as closely as possible with the PI Develop a strategy to obtain needed information Rely on administrators where possible