Funding Strategy: Fiscal Year 2020

NCCIH Funding Strategy Fiscal Year 2020

Introduction

In general, grants will be funded in priority score or percentile order. Additional considerations will include program relevance and need, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s (NCCIH) strategic priorities, duplication of ongoing research, availability of funds, and recommendations by the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health (NACCIH). NCCIH will give additional consideration to applications from first-time R01 investigators (“new” and “early stage” investigators as defined by the National Institutes of Health [NIH]).

Future Year Commitments of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 New and Competing Renewal Awards

NCCIH’s funding policy is to award competing research project grants (RPGs) in accordance with the NIH Fiscal Policy for Grant Awards—FY 2020.

Duration of NCCIH’s Grants

Competing awards are adjusted to achieve a 4‑year average duration for research project grants. Grants to early stage investigators, program project grants, and clinical trial grants are usually funded for the full length of their Council-recommended project period.

New and Early Stage Investigators

NCCIH will continue to help new and early stage investigators by seeking to equalize the success rates of new/early stage investigators and established investigators for new competing (Type 1) R01 and first renewal (Type 2) applications, in accordance with NIH guidelines as described in Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect for FY 2020 and in Policy Supporting the Next Generation Researchers Initiative.

Research Funding Guidelines

NCCIH will use the following guidelines for funding research project grants:

New Research Project Grants

NCCIH policy for new grants is to award them at the NACCIH-recommended level except for specific programmatic and administrative adjustments. All applications that do not exceed $250,000 in direct costs in any given year of support in the recommended competitive segment will be awarded under the modular concept. Applications requesting direct costs that exceed $250,000 in any year of support in the recommended competitive segment will be awarded with categorical budgets.

Program Project Grants (Type 1 and Type 2)

Type 1: The direct cost award will not exceed $1,250,000. Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs associated with first-tier subcontracts are not included in the direct cost ceiling. Annual increases for recurring costs in noncompeting years are not allowed.

Type 2: Direct costs will be awarded up to an increase of 10 percent of the amount shown on the Notice of Award for the last noncompetitive segment (i.e., last Type 5 award). This dollar cap for the direct cost increase is exclusive of any consortium/subcontractual component of F&A costs, which may appear as direct cost in the budget of the applicant organization. For example, the increase in budget could be due to the purchase of updated equipment, an increase in the number of study participants, an increase in personnel effort, and/or an increase in the total number of personnel. As with new awards, annual increases for recurring costs are not allowed.

Modular to Modular

For competing renewal and Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) extension grants that were modular awards in the preceding competitive segment and have no more than $250,000 in direct costs in any given year of the recommended competitive segment, NCCIH will award at the NACCIH-recommended direct cost amount except for specific programmatic and administrative adjustments. F&A costs for first-tier consortia are not considered in the direct cost base when calculating the maximum that can be requested.

Continuation Awards (Type 5 Noncompeting Renewal)

NCCIH will award Type 5 research and nonresearch grants in FY 2020 at 100 percent of the commitment level. Awards previously issued will be revised in accordance with this policy. Noncompeting awards will be issued without cost of living/inflationary adjustments in FY 2020; however, adjustments for special needs (such as equipment and added personnel) will continue to be accommodated. This policy applies to both modular and nonmodular grants.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA)

Awards will be made consistent with the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865), signed into law on December 20, 2019. The full range of stipend levels for FY 2020 is described in NOT-OD-20-070.