1. NIH Programs for Training, Career Development and New Investigators
Glen Nuckolls, PhD
Program Director, Neurogenetics Cluster
Division of Extramural Research
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

2. NIH Institute Support for Neuromuscular Research
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
ALS
Muscular dystrophies
Spinal muscular atrophy
Myasthenia gravis
Inherited and acquired peripheral neuropathies
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Muscular dystrophies
Inflammatory myopathies
Malignant hyperthermia
Muscle channelopathies
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Spinal muscular atrophy
Newborn screening for neuromuscular diseases
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy, sleep disturbances
Pompe disease

3. Application Planning and Submission
Your Partners at NIH
Application Planning and Submission
Study Section Review
Council Review
Grant Funding
Ongoing Research
SRO
GMO/GMS
PD/PO
Scientific Review Officer (SRO)
Checks eligibility of applications
Oversees peer review
Prepares summary statements
Grants Management Specialist (GMO/GMS)
Provides advice on budget issues
Prepares and issues awards
Monitors award drawdown
Program Director / Officer (PD/PO)
Advises researchers on funding strategies
Observes review meetings and discusses review outcome with applicant
Makes recommendations to Senior Leadership on funding decisions
Promotes research field
NIAMS
NINDS

4. Loan Repayment Program
Eligibily:
a strong commitment to clinical or pediatric research
student loan debt that equals at least 20 percent of your salary
research support from a federal agency, state or local government, or nonprofit organization
Candidates must devote at least half of their time to research
Must be US citizen or PR working in a US, not-for-profit institution
Receive up to $35,000 per year for qualified education expenses
Applications accepted Sept. 1- Nov. 15

5. Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (PA-16-288)
Request funds to support researchers in your lab (high school through visiting faculty) who enhance workforce diversity
Diversity includes under-represented minorities, individual with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged socio- economic backgrounds
Funds can be added to an existing grant of most R, U or P mechanisms
Support can continue through the end of the existing grant
Short-term (e.g. summer) research opportunities are also encouraged
Applications are received throughout the year, NIH staff review

6. Training and Career Development Awards
Predoc
Postdoc/
Clinical Fellow
Early
Independent
Mid Career
Training Grants
F30
F32
F31
MSTP
Career Development Grants
K01
K02
(NINDS only)
K24
K08
K23
K99/R00
K22 Diversity
(NINDS only)
PhD’s
MDs or MD/PhDs
All applicants

7. Features of a Successful Training or Career Development Application
Quality of the candidate and mentor(s)
Career appropriate productivity of the candidate
Experienced mentor
Description of the training or career development plan
Well-supported rationale for training
Detailed description of the training, mentoring and experience to be gained
An appropriate research project
Suitable for the training experience or generating preliminary data for subsequent grant applications
Appropriate for the level of independence of the candidate
Evidence of support from the institution
Unconditional access to resources
Other investments in the training environment or career development activities

8. New Investigator and Early Stage Investigator R01 Awards
A new investigator (NI) is someone who has not successfully competed for an R01 grant (or equivalent NIH grant).
An early stage investigator (ESI) is a NI who is less than 10 years past terminal academic degree or medial residency.
Special consideration of NI applications (only for R01’s):
Study sections set aside time exclusively for reviewing NI applications
Reviewers are guided to expect less preliminary data in NI applications
Better paylines:
NIAMS gives 5 points on the payline (18% instead of 13%)
NINDS gives about 10 points on the payline, but only to ESI’s

9. Common Weaknesses and Strengths in NI Applications
PI independence is not clear
Research plan is overly ambitious
Specific aims are too descriptive or dependent on one another
Inadequate preliminary data to demonstrate feasibility of studies or to support hypotheses
Mismatch between hypotheses and experimental plans
Lack of consideration of potential obstacles and alternative strategies
Strengths
A manageable research plan that will lead to depth of understanding, often involving mechanistic hypotheses
A project that helps to develop a significant scientific niche for the PI
Collaborators who have contributed to the design of the studies and provided letters of support

10. Outcomes of Career Development or NI R01 Awards
Current NIH support
R21 NI
Experienced
Investigators
2010 Competing *Neuromuscular R01 Awards
R01 PI
None
(applying) 17
None
(not applying)
6 years later
R21 34
None
(applying)
R01 PI
*Coded ALS, CMT, MD, MG, SMA

11. NINDS Historical Payline
Tentative
FY2017
payline

12. Appropriation History (Dollars in Billions)
FY 2013
FY2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017 PB
FY 2017 House
FY 2017 Senate
NINDS
$1.534
$1.589
$1.605
$1.695
$1.751
$1.803
NINDS % Change
-5.6%
3.6%
1.0%
5.6%
0.0%
3.3%
6.4%
NIH
$29.2
$30.2
$30.3
$32.3
$33.1
$33.3
$34.1
NIH % Change
-5.5%
3.4%
0.5%
6.6%*
2.6%
3.1%
5.5%
*minus the BRAIN funds = 3.9% for IC budget
Omnibus Appropriation signed into law on January 17, months after the start of the fiscal year but 3 months earlier than last.
FY2017 President’s Budget includes:
IC budget is unchanged from FY16
NCI receives Cancer Moonshot $680m
BRAIN increase of $45m in Office of the Director
Precision Medicine increase $100m in Office of Director

13. NINDS Seeking Knowledge about the Brain,
Reducing the Burden of Disease
NINDS