Actions on Fellowship Applications After Initial Review

If Your Application Received A Priority Score Between 10 and 50:

At this time, you should come to no conclusions concerning the probability of funding, since the priority score accorded your application is only one of the factors that NIGMS staff considers in making funding decisions. Successful applicants will be notified by phone of a fellowship offer; otherwise, applications will remain active until the automatic withdrawal date of March 31, 2022. Your application and review will also receive scrutiny by the NIGMS Fellowship Overview Group (FOG) at its meeting in February 2020. Although the FOG will not change priority scores, it may take certain actions that alter the recommendation of the initial review group, e.g., changing the recommended term of the fellowship or determining if the application should be re-reviewed. No percentiles are assigned to NIGMS fellowships.

Reminder of Request for Required, Countersigned Information:

Responsible Conduct of Research
All NRSA applications must include the candidate’s plans for obtaining instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). No award will be made if the application lacks this component. Typically, applicants satisfy their responsible conduct of research requirement by taking a seminar or course. The course description should include the course number and instructor, the topics covered, the course format and the frequency and duration of instruction. RCR training should include a majority of these topics: guidelines and regulations (university, state/federal, funding agency), ethics and morality, research misconduct, publications/authorship, intellectual property and technology transfer, data management, data sharing and data secrecy, social and ethical implications of genetic technologies, scientists as citizens, ethics and the use of animal subjects in research, use of human subjects in research, conflicts of interest/relationship between academia and industry, and mentoring. In addition, the amount and nature of faculty participation in the RCR must be described.

Vertebrate Animals
If vertebrate animals are involved, provide the assurance number (if changed from the initial submission), verification of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval with date and any IACUC-imposed changes. Pending or out-of-date approvals are not acceptable.

Human Subjects Research
If you have not done so and if your application received a priority score between 10 and 50 and your research involves human subjects, provide the Office for Human Research Protections Assurance Type and number through the NIH Commons or fax it to the NIGMS chief grants management officer at 301-451-5601. You should also submit any updates through the NIH Commons. Refer to NIH Guide Notice OD-00-039 for details about the information that must be provided for all key personnel. Key personnel include all individuals responsible for the design and conduct of the study.

If your NRSA fellowship application received a priority score between 10 and 50, and your application did not include this information, send this information to your program director as soon as possible. Please make sure the information is countersigned by your sponsor. Contact your program director if you have questions regarding this requirement. The request for this information is not intended to imply anything about the ultimate funding status of your application.

If Your Application Received A Priority Score Greater Than or Equal to 51, or Not Scored:

Staff has determined that your application may not be competitive for funding and therefore will administratively withdraw it. Applications in this category usually are not reviewed by the FOG.

If Your Application Was Not Recommended for Further Consideration:

If the Initial Review Group recommended that your application receive no further consideration, it will not be scored. Staff will administratively withdraw the application. Applications in this category usually are not reviewed by the FOG.

All Reviews Are Subject to the Appeal Process.