International Research Scientist Development Award (IRSDA) [K01].

The International Research Scientist Development Award (IRSDA) provides research opportunities, as well as cutting-edge technical training, in leading developing country institutions for U.S. postdoctoral biomedical, epidemiological, clinical, social, and behavioral scientists who are committed to careers in international health research. The award supports the recipient for a 3- to 4-year period of collaboration with a U.S. mentor and an established developing country mentor. This collaboration should be based on a research project of mutual interest in the context of an ongoing research relationship between the U.S. and foreign mentors. It is expected that this experience will prepare scientists to pursue an independently funded global health research career involving ongoing collaboration with developing country scientists.

The IRSDA is part of the FIC strategy to support research collaborations in developing countries in order to build research capacity to address global health research priorities. The role of the IRSDA is to: 1) attract new research talent to global health research and enhance research collaboration between the U.S. and foreign sites; 2) advance the career paths of exceptional junior U.S. scientists with mentored training in health issues of developing country populations; 3) extend the impact and scope of existing career research and training support for U.S. scientists committed to international research; and 4) stimulate a more effective translation of the results of research on global health problems into public health practice.

With IRSDA support, the investigator will have the opportunity to work closely with an established foreign scientist in the developing world and a U.S. investigator, who are involved in collaborative research. The applicant will conduct research and receive training at both the United States and developing country institutions. It is expected that these awards will serve to forge collaborative relationships between established, developing country researchers and outstanding U.S. junior scientists who are potential leaders of basic, clinical and behavioral/social health research programs in the U.S. Collaborations are expected to lead to advances that will reduce the impact of global health problems and narrow the gap in health disparities between developed and developing countries.

All career development proposals must be tailored to meet the individual needs of the candidate. The specific career development and research training activities proposed in the application may be new to the candidate or an extension of the candidate's prior research, but should focus on global health concerns which include, but are not limited to, infectious diseases, nutrition, chronic/degenerative conditions, trauma/injury and mental health disorders. Basic laboratory, behavioral/social and clinical biomedical research will be supported in clinical, field or laboratory settings.

The candidate must devote a minimum of 75% of full professional effort to the goals of this award, including significant time devoted to research in the chosen developing country. Applicants for initial awards must agree to spend a minimum of 50% of the project period of the grant at the foreign research site for at least 3 months per year. Applicants for a competitive 3-year renewal mentored career development award must agree to spend a minimum of 1 year of the total project period at the foreign research site for at least 3 months per year.

The candidate and the U.S. and foreign mentors are jointly responsible for the preparation of the plan for career development. The applicant must justify the need for this award and provide a convincing case that the proposed period of support will substantially enhance his or her career as an independent investigator in global health research. The sponsoring institution must be able to demonstrate a commitment to the development of the candidate as a productive, independent investigator. FIC recognizes that there will be significant differences in the applicants, U.S. and foreign institutional environments, U.S. and foreign mentors' backgrounds, and approaches to international research collaboration among applications. Therefore, applicants should clearly define specific research and training goals related to each mentor and each institution, methods to achieve the goal of an independent research career in global health, and specific measurable objectives to enable assessment of the proposed project.

This funding opportunity will use the NIH career development (K01) award mechanism (PA-06-001). Please note that this K01 award has some important differences from the K01 award described in PA-06-001. These include: 1) the original award period is for 3 to 4 years; 2) a competitive renewal mentored career development award is possible for up to 3 years; 3) Both a U.S. and a foreign mentor are required and must share a research collaboration; and 4) requirement of significant time spent in the foreign country.

This funding opportunity uses the just-in-time budget concepts. It also uses the nonmodular budget format described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html). A detailed categorical budget for the "Initial Budget Period" and the "Entire Proposed Period of Support" is to be submitted with the application.

Initial awards are for 3 to 4 years. Competitive renewal awards are allowable for awardees who have obtained a tenure-track position and additional mentored support can be for up to 3 years. Awards are not transferable from one principal investigator to another.

The PHS 398 application instructions are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. Applicants must use the currently approved version of the PHS 398. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, 301-435-0714, (telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-0088, or by e-mail: [e-mail].

Applications must be prepared using the most current PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms. Applications must have a D & B Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the universal identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The D & B number can be obtained by calling 866-705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dnb.com/us/. The D & B number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form.

The letter of intent dates for this PAR are 14 December 2007, and 16 December 2008, with the application receipt dates 16 January 2007, 2008, and 2009. The complete version of this PAR is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-014.html.

Contact: Barbara Sina, Division of International Training and Research, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Drive, Room B2C39, Bethesda, MD 20892-2220, 301-496-1653, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PAR-07-014.