Purpose
Administrative supplements to currently active NIH research grants to support individuals with high potential to re-enter an active research career after an interruption.

Program Announcement
PA-18-592

Appointee Eligibility
Postdoctorate/residency; early career investigators; U.S. citizens or permanent residents

Institution Eligibility
U.S. domestic institutions

Additional Information

Re-entry supplements support scientists who have taken time off to care for children or parents, or attend to other family responsibilities. 

The supplementary information on this page applies to applications requesting selected research supplements to active National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) grants. Its purpose is to clarify the application process for NINDS grantees and is not intended to replace the detailed information in the program announcement.

Prior to submission of an application, the Principal Investigator (Applicant) should contact Michelle D. Jones-London, PhD, Chief, Office of Programs to Enhance Neuroscience Workforce Diversity (jonesmiche@ninds.nih.gov), to discuss the proposed supplement. Critical issues to be discussed with the PD may include, but are not limited to, the research development and mentoring plan activities.

Supplement Format
The program is designed to bring the scientist’s existing research skills and knowledge up-to-date, so that, during or at the completion of the supplement, the scientist will be in a position to apply for a career development or research award. The supplement must be applied to an existing NIH research grant with a minimum of 2 years of funding remaining.

Eligibility for the PA
Competitive applications will have the following:

• Defined research objectives that serve as a basis for the supplementee’s autonomy as a research investigator and transition from the supplementee phase to independence. The application should include plans for a project that both fits the scope of the parent grant and ultimately evolves into a future project clear of competition and demonstrates ownership/ non-dependence on mentor. A brief description of the Parent Grant specific aims must be provided.
• A carefully planned mentoring program developed by the mentor and the supplementee. The research and training timeline should include both scientific and administrative milestones that will be needed to secure independence.
• As required by the PA, the candidate must submit a biographical sketch. The personal statement of the candidate's biosketch should address: research objectives and career goals, research experience prior to onset of hiatus, length of and reason for career hiatus, a description of how the candidate has kept current or attempted to keep current their field, and identification of any steps already taken toward re-entry (if any, such as attending scientific meetings).
• Reference letter(s) from either past mentors or advisors that address the trajectory of the candidate prior to the hiatus. The supporting letters should provide positive evidence of the productivity level and likelihood of the candidate transitioning to independence prior to the hiatus.
  Evidence of a publication record in respected peer-review journals within the field.
• Candidates must have a doctoral degree, such as M.D., PhD, or equivalent, and must have been in a postdoctoral or faculty position at the time they left active research.
• The scientist should not be engaged in full-time paid research activities at the time of re-entry (temporary part-time is acceptable).
• A maximum of 3 years of support can be awarded. During the first budget period, funds will be provided as an administrative supplement to the parent grant. In subsequent years, continued funding for the supplement is contingent on funding of the parent grant and the re-entry candidate's progress, and cannot extend beyond the current competitive segment of the parent grant.

In general, the duration of the career interruption should be for at least one year and no more than five years. Examples of qualifying interruptions would include child-rearing; an incapacitating illness or injury of the candidate, spouse, partner, or a member of the immediate family; and military service. The program is not intended to support additional graduate training and is not intended to support career changes from non-research to research careers for individuals without prior postdoctoral research training. It is anticipated that at the completion of the supplement, the re-entry scientist will be in a position to apply for a career development (K) award, a research award, or some other form of independent research support.

Candidates who have begun the re-entry process through a fellowship, traineeship, or similar mechanism are not eligible for this program. Awards will be limited to citizens or noncitizen nationals of the United States or to individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., who possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card) at the time of application.

Allowable Costs and Other Provisions

Submission and Receipt of Applications
Prior to submission of an application, the Principal Investigator (Applicant) should contact the Program Director responsible for the supplements, Michelle D. Jones-London, PhD, Chief, Office of Programs to Enhance Neuroscience Workforce Diversity (jonesmiche@ninds.nih.gov).

Funding decisions for supplement applications will only be made three times a year, namely by the end of March, June, and December.

Applications received after the cycle cut-off date will be processed and considered for funding in the next funding cycle, i.e., receipt after February 15th, would mean review in June.

In making requests, the grantee institution, on behalf of the PI of the parent grant and in cooperation with the applicant individual, must submit the request for supplemental funds. 

There are several options available to electronically submit Re-Entry supplement applications. These include NIH ASSIST, institutional system-to-system (S2S), and Grants.gov Workspace. NIH also offers a streamlined system through the eRA Commons for submitting administrative supplements. Login to the eRA Commons, identify the parent award, and prepare an administrative supplement request. All candidates for supplemental re-entry award support must also have a profile in the eRA Commons.

Include the candidate’s eRA Commons Username and attach the Research Experience Plan (described below in the PHS 398 Research Plan Form), Candidate Biosketch (described in the Senior/Key Personnel Form, also called the Applicant Biosketch), and the Candidate Eligibility Statement (described in Other Project Information/Appendix, also called the Applicant Eligibility Statement) in the fields provided. 

Budget information should be entered for the grantee institution in the fields provided. There is no template or form available for subaward information; instead, all subaward information should be included as a separate attachment showing the funds requested (by budget period) using the same categories provided for the grantee institution. Also include a budget justification for the subawardee institution in the same file.

For more guidance, please see the eRA Commons user guide.

Review and Award of Applications
Funding decisions are generally dependent on:

1. The merit of the application and the proposed project activities (i.e., the career development/mentorship plan)
2. The potential for continued research progress of the candidate
3. The availability of funds.