NIH and the process of peer review Elia Femia, Ph.D. Scientific - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Elia Femia, Ph.D. Scientific Review Officer Center for Scientific Review National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-7776 Elia.Femia@nih.gov

NIH and the process of peer review

What is the NIH and its mission? How does the NIH support its mission? What is the process of peer review?

What is the NIH and its mission? How does the NIH support its mission? What is the process of peer review?

National Institutes of Health

The NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, with an annual budget of over $37 billion dollars.

Mission: to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

NIH . . . Turning Discovery Into Health

NIH Institutes and Centers

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute

• f Child Health and

Human Development National Institute

• n Alcohol Abuse

and Alcoholism National Institute

• f Arthritis and

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Cancer Institute National Institute

• n Drug Abuse

National Institute

• f Environmental

Health Sciences National Institute

• n Aging

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Eye Institute National Human Genome Research Institute National Institute

• f Mental Health

National Institute

• f Neurological

Disorders and Stroke National Institute

• f General

Medical Sciences National Institute

• f Nursing Research

National Library

• f Medicine

Center for Scientific Review National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health National Institute

• f Allergy and

Infectious Diseases John E. Fogarty International Center National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Clinical Center National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Office of the Director Center for Information Technology National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institute

• f Dental and

Craniofacial Research National Institute

• f Diabetes and

Digestive and Kidney Diseases

What is the NIH and its mission? How does the NIH support its mission? What is the process of peer review?

From Idea to NIH Grant Award

• Identify an IC that aligns with your work/idea.
• Look for a funding opportunity (FOA), which

ensures that the IC is potentially interested in your area of science  grants.nih.gov

• Identify the type of project you want to do

 research project, small business innovation, training/career development, research center 

and contact the IC/Program Officer.

• Write and submit your application  grants.gov

Watch Video!! NIH Grants Process: The Big Picture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNwsg_PR90w

From Idea to NIH Grant Award

• The Division of Receipt and Referral assigns

the application to a study section.

• A Scientific Review Officer (SRO) oversees the

review process.

• Reviewers with scientific and technical

expertise in your area of science evaluate the application’s scientific merit and overall impact.

From Idea to NIH Grant Award

From Idea to NIH Grant Award

What is the NIH and its mission? How does the NIH support its mission? What is the process of peer review?

NIH Peer Review System for Grant Applications

CSR Mission

To see that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews – free from inappropriate influences – so NIH can fund the most promising research.

CSR Peer Review Snapshot (FY: 2017)

• 95,000 applications received
• 61,000 reviewed at CSR!!!

Approximately 240 chartered study sections and recurring Special Emphasis Panels reviewed:

• Research Grant Applications (R01, R21, R34, R15, etc.)
• Fellowship Applications (F awards)
• Academic Research Enhancement Award Applications
• Small Business Innovation Research Applications (R43/R44)
• 18,000 reviewers
• 1,600 review meetings

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

Overall Timeframe from Submission to Award

Institutes or Centers (IC) based on…

Overall mission and guidelines of the Institute or Center; Specific programmatic mandates and interests of the Institute or Center.

Integrated Review Groups (IRG) based on…

Specific review guidelines for each IRG.

Standing Study Sections (SRG) based on…

Match of subject matter to the referral guidelines for the SRG. OR

Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs) based on…

When the subject matter does not fit into any SRG; When assignment of an application to the most appropriate study section creates a conflict of interest; When certain types of grants are sought (e.g., fellowships, SBIRs).

Applications Are Assigned to:

The Review Panel

Review Criteria

5 Core Review Criteria

– Significance – Investigator(s) – Innovation – Approach – Environment

Overall Impact

Assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved Scientific Rigor Scientific Premise Each scored from 1-9 Scored from 1-9

9-Point Scoring Scale

At the meeting

At the Meeting – what is discussed?

• Significance and Overall Impact
• Scientific premise and rigor
• Innovation - exciting ideas
• Realistic aims and timelines
• Application’s consideration of the limitations of the study
• Protection of Human Subjects and/or Vertebrate animals
• Inclusion of women, minorities, and children
• Sex as a biological variable
• Biohazards

• Not discussed applications will only have criterion scores

and the reviewers’ critiques.

Applications that are Not Discussed

After review

Summary Statement

TIPS and STRATEGIES when applying for an NIH Grant

Insider’s Guide to Peer Review for Applicants: http://www.csr.nih.gov/applicantresources/insider

• Read instructions;
• Never assume that reviewers will know what you mean;
• Refer to pertinent literature;
• Don’t overstate the significance of your research;
• State rationale of proposed investigation;
• Include well-designed tables and figures;
• Present an organized, lucid write-up;
• Don’t be overly ambitious;
• Obtain pre-review from colleagues at your organization.

When Preparing an Application

Common Problems in Applications

• Lack of new or original ideas;
• Absence of an acceptable scientific rationale;
• Lack of experience in the essential methodology;
• Questionable reasoning in experimental approach;
• Uncritical approach;
• Diffuse, superficial, or unfocused research plan;
• Lack of sufficient experimental detail;
• Lack of knowledge of published relevant work;
• Unrealistically large amount of work;
• Uncertainty concerning future directions.

NIH Office of Extramural Research http://grants.nih.gov/ NIH Center for Scientific Review http://www.csr.nih.gov

Key NIH Review and Grants Web Sites