NIH Grantsmanship Workshop

CSR Peer Review of NIH AIDS Applications

Hilary D Sigmon PhD, RN

IAS Conference on

AIDS Pathogenesis,

Treatment and

Prevention

Rome, Italy

July 19, 2011 National Institutes of HealthU.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

Center for Scientific Review

Study Section

Institute

Advisory Councils and Boards

Institute Director

Assigns to IC & IRG/Study Section

Reviews for Scientific Merit

Evaluates for Relevance

Recommends Action

Takes Final Action

ResearchGrant Application

School or OtherResearch Center

InitiatesResearch Idea

ConductsResearch

Allocates Funds

Submits Application

Review Process for a Research Grant

Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Mission Statement

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.

Divisions and Integrated Review Groups (IRGs)

Translational and Clinical Sciences

Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences

Surgical Sciences, Biomedical

Imaging and Bioengineering

Musculoskeletal, Oral & Skin Sciences

Oncology: Translational Clinical

Vascular and Hematology

Physiological and Pathological Sciences

Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition & Reproductive Sciences

Immunology

Infectious Diseases& Microbiology

Digestive, Kidney &Urological Systems

Neuroscience, Development and Aging

Brain Disorders &Clinical Neuroscience

Molecular, Cellular &Developmental Neuroscience

Integrative, Functional & Cognitive Neuroscience

Emerging Technologies &Training in Neuroscience

Biology of Development & Aging

Biobehavioral & Behavioral Processes

Risk, Prevention& Health Behavior

Population Sciences & Epidemiology

Healthcare Delivery & Methodologies

AIDS & AIDSRelated Research

AIDS, Behavioral and Population Sciences

Basic and Integrative Biological Sciences

Biological Chemistry & Macromolecular

Biophysics

Bioengineering Sciences& Technologies

Genes, Genomes & Genetics

Oncology: Basic Translational

Cell Biology

Interdisciplinary Molecular Sciences

& Training

Integrated Review Groups

Biobehavioral & Behavioral Processes

Risk, Prevention & Health Behavior

AIDS and AIDS Related Research

Healthcare Delivery & Methodologies

Population Sciences and Epidemiology

Division of AIDS, Behavioral and Population SciencesAIDS Clinical Studies and Epidemiology (ACE)

AIDS Discovery and Development of Therapeutics (ADDT)

AIDS Immunology and Pathogenesis (AIP)

AIDS Molecular and Cellular Biology AMCB)

AIDS Associated Opportunistic infections and Cancer (AOIC)

Behavioral and Social Consequences of HIV/AIDS (BSCH)

Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS (BSPH)

NeuroAIDS and Other End-Organ Diseases (NAED)

HIV/AIDS Vaccines (VACC)

Help Your Application Get to the Right Study Section

http://www.csr.nih.gov/

Jan 7May 7Sept 7

March/AprilJuly/AugustNov/Dec

May-JuneSept-OctJan-Feb

July Dec Apr

Receipt Dates

Review Dates

National Advisory Council/Board Dates

Earliest Possible Beginning Date

NIH Grant Receipt, Review, and Award Schedule for AIDS Applications

Review Criteria

• Overall Impact Assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved

• Core Review Criteria

Significance

Investigator(s)

Innovation

Approach

Environment

9-Point Score Scale Descriptors

Impact Score Descriptor Additional Guidance

High

1 Exceptional Exceptionally strong with essentially no weaknesses

2 Outstanding Extremely strong with negligible weaknesses

3 Excellent Very strong with only some minor weaknesses

Medium

4 Very Good Strong but with numerous minor weaknesses

5 Good Strong but with at least one moderate weakness

6 Satisfactory Some strengths but also some moderate weaknesses

Low

7 Fair Some strengths but with at least one major weakness

8 Marginal A few strengths and a few major weaknesses

9 Poor Very few strengths and numerous major weaknesses

What Reviewers Look for in Applications

• Significance and impact• Exciting ideas• Clarity • Ideas they can understand -- Don’t assume too

much• Realistic aims and timelines -- Don’t be overly

ambitious• Brevity with things that everybody knows• Noted limitations of the study• A clean, well-written application

• 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

Common Problems in Applications

At The Meeting • Order of Review

The average of the preliminary Overall Impact score from the assigned reviewers determines the review order Discussions start with the application with the best average preliminary Overall Impact score

• Clustering of Review

New Investigator R01 applications are clusteredClinical applications & other mechanisms may be clustered (n ≥ 20)

• Not Discussed Applicationso About half the applications will be discussedo Applications unanimously judged by the review committee to

be in the lower half are not discussed

• Essentially unedited critiques• Scores for each review criterion• Administrative notes if any

If an application is discussed, additional feedback is given

• Summary of review discussion• An overall impact/priority score and percentile ranking• Budget recommendations

Summary Statement

The following results are provided to the applicant and the assigned NIH Institute(s) or Center(s) that may fund it.

Who Can Answer Your Questions?

Before You Submit Your Application

• A Program Officer at an NIH Institute or Center• Scientific Review Officer

After You Submit

• Your Scientific Review Officer

After Your Review

• Your Assigned Program Officer

GrantsInfo: GrantsInfo@nih.gov – 301 435-0714

• National Institutes of Health (http://www.nih.gov)– Office of Extramural Research

(http://www.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm)

– Grants Policy (http://www.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm)

– Electronic Submission (http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt)

• Center for Scientific Review (http://www.csr.nih.gov)– Resources for Applicants

(http://www.csr.nih.gov/ResourcesforApplicants)

– CSR Study Section Rosters (http://www.csr.nih.gov/committees/rosterindex.asp)

– Review Group Meeting Dates (http://www.csr.nih.gov/Committees/meetings/ssmeet1.asp)

– Video of the Peer Review Process (http://cms.csr.nih.gov/ResourcesforApplicants/InsidetheNIHGrantReviewProcessVideo.htm )

NIH Peer Review Information on the Web

Helpful Handouts

Insiders Guide What Happens to NIH Grant Application

to Peer Review Your Grant Application Useful Web Links

http://cms.csr.nih.gov/publications/