Slots: 1
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Closed.
LOI: 30 days prior
External Deadline: July 12, 2022
Award Information
Award Type: Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: 4
Anticipated Award Amount: $70.5 million
Who May Serve as PI: Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. See, e.g., Reminder: Notice of NIH’s Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.
Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-22-008.html
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Office of Research Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/.
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Single Page Proposal Summary (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 1-page limit will be excluded from review.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs and Co-PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The purpose of the FIRST Cohort is to transform culture at NIH-funded extramural institutions by building a self-reinforcing community of scientists committed to diversity and inclusive excellence (defined below). Implementing and sustaining cultures of inclusive excellence within the program has the potential to be transformational for biomedical research at the awardee institutions and beyond. This community will be built through recruitment of a diverse group of individuals who:
- are competitive for an advertised research tenure-track or equivalent faculty position (positions must be at the Assistant Professor (or equivalent) level,
- meet the criteria for NIH-defined Early Stage Investigators, and
- have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting diversity and inclusive excellence.
The overall goals and specific measurable objectives that the program expects FIRST Cohort awardees to accomplish are:
Goal 1: Demonstrate institutional support and develop or modify a strategic plan with specific goals and strategies, interventions, and organizational policies that will be implemented to achieve significant systemic and sustainable institutional culture change over baseline toward inclusive excellence (at the faculty, department, and institution level). FIRST Cohort awardees are also expected to develop an evaluation plan to assess the impact of actions taken towards these goals at their institution.
Goal 2: Conduct recruitment activities for new faculty, outline institutional commitment, and develop recruitment committees based on past interests and commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. FIRST Cohort awardees are also expected to establish a supportive environment for new faculty.
Goal 3: Develop strategies to establish individual research and career development plans and mentorship and sponsorship plans for all new faculty hired under this award. The applicants must describe how the program will reduce isolation, increase community building, foster career development, and ensure retention of the new faculty.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.