Research Knowledge Base - NIH F32 Application Guide for Health Science

KBA: NIH F32 Application Guide

Before You Begin Your Application: First Steps

Connect with the appropriate business partner for grant submissions (usually your mentor’s fund manager/research administrator) to apply through the correct central office:
- HSSPPO manages postdoctoral fellowships for individuals whose home department is in a Health Sciences department.
- OCGA manages postdoctoral fellowships for individuals whose home department is in a General Campus department.
Make sure you have an eRA Commons account:
- To apply for the NIH F32 fellowship, you will use the ASSIST application portal via NIH eRA Commons.
- If you do not have an eRA Commons account, please fill out this online form and request the “PI (Principal Investigator)” account role.
- If you from a HS Department and do not have an eRA Commons account, please email e8tang@health.ucsd.edu the following information so she can create an account for you: First Name, Last Name, Email, Preferred Username, Role: PI.
Carefully read through the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) multiple times. The NOFO may have additional instructions not included in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide or this KBA.
- PA-25-423: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32)
Familiarize yourself with NIH formatting requirements (improper formatting can disqualify your application).
Select 3-5 individuals to provide reference letters for your application.
- Letters cannot be from individuals directly involved in the application (no sponsor/co-sponsors).
- Select referees who are familiar with your qualifications, training, and interests.
- Resubmissions: new reference letters must be submitted, letters from the original submission do not carry over.

Reference Letters

Reference letters are a required but separate component of this application and will be completed through the eRA Commons. For more information, see NIH’s webpage about Reference Letters.

Provide your referees with the appropriate instructions. Remember to include your name as it is shown in your Commons account, your eRA Commons username, the funding opportunity number (see above) to which you are applying, and most importantly, the deadline.

NIH provides Instructions for Fellowship Applicant Referees that you may use as a template to share with your references.
Referees must submit reference letters through the eRA Commons: Submit Reference Letter form by the application due date.
- If you are preparing a resubmission application, your referees will need to submit new letters. Reference letters will not carry over from the original application. You can but do not have to use the same referees as the original application.
Emphasize the deadline to your referees: if your application has fewer than the required numbers of reference letters at 5:00 PM on deadline day, your proposal will not be reviewed by NIH.

Make sure you include a list of referees (including name, departmental affiliation, and institution) in the cover letter of the application so NIH staff is aware of planned reference letter submissions.

Campus Requirements

Deadlines

NIH accepts applications for F Series Fellowships three times a year: April 8, August 8, and December 8. If the standard due date falls on a weekend, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.
The submission requires a SPO C&G Officer signature, so this fellowship is subject to UCSD Proposal Review and Timely Submission Policy.
- A complete and accurate Kuali Research (KR) Proposal Development (PD) record must be submitted to SPO before a C&G Officer will review, sign, and/or submit a proposal.
- A KR PD should be created 14+ business days in advance, submitted for review 5+ business days in advance, finalized 2+ business days in advance, and ready for submission by 8:00 AM on deadline day. Late proposals are not guaranteed submission.
- UCSD Sponsored Projects Office does not assume responsibility for errors in the applicant’s submission. We will do our best to review the format of your proposal; however, final responsibility for the format, content, and completeness rests with the applicant.
We recommend that you submit your application at least 2 business days in advance so that you have the full two business day application viewing window to check your application for assembly issues before it automatically moves forward to NIH staff for further processing and consideration.

Department Research Administrators

The Kuali PD should contain 4 attachments:
- NOFO/Solicitation
- NIH NRSA Budget Workbook
- A copy of the ASSIST application
- A completed NIH Fellowship Assurance Form. Must include Sponsor and (if applicable) all Co-Sponsors’ signatures. The department chair signs the Authorized Department/ORU Signature line.

NIH Formatting Requirements

NO: page numbers, headers, or footers.
Font: Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, or Palatino Linotype at 11pt or larger.
Smaller fonts may be used for figures, etc. but must be readable at 100% zoom.
Density: 15 characters per linear inch and 6 lines per vertical inch.
Page Margins: 0.5-inch margins all around.
Page Size: 8.5” x 11” (Letter) only.
Filenames: 50 characters max, don’t start with a space, only 1 space between words, no ampersand (&), each file within the application must be named uniquely.
Citation Format: All citation formats are acceptable.
For the complete list of formatting requirements and details, see Format Attachments.
Some attachments have page/sentence/line limits, see Page Limits.

SF 424 (R&R) Cover Page
1. Type of Submission	Select the appropriate option
2. Date Submitted	LEAVE BLANK
2. Applicant Identifier	KR #
3. Date Received by State and State Application Identifier	LEAVE BLANK
4a. Federal Identifier	Resubmissions only: enter grant number (institute code and serial number only; Example: CA654321).
4b. Agency Routing Identifier	LEAVE BLANK
4c. Previous Tracking Identifier	LEAVE BLANK
5. Applicant Information	UEI: UYTTZT6G9DT1 Legal Name: The Regents of the Univ. of Calif., U.C. San Diego Health Sciences Applicants: Department: Health Sciences SPO Division: School of Medicine OR Sch. of Pharmacy & Pharm. Sci. OR HW School of Public Health Street 1: 9500 Gilman Drive Street 2: MC 0041 City: La Jolla State: California ZIP / Postal Code: 92093-0041 Country: United States *Person to be contacted on matters involving this application* First Name: Elizabeth Last Name: Tang Position: Contract and Grant Coordinator Address: same as above Phone Number: 858-822-4109 Email: e8tang@health.ucsd.edu General Campus Applicants: Department: Sponsored Projects Office Division: General Campus Street 1: 9500 Gilman Drive Street 2: MC 0934 City: La Jolla State: California ZIP / Postal Code: 92093-0934 Country: United States *Person to be contacted on matters involving this application* First Name: Michael Last Name: Kusiak Position: Director, Sponsored Projects Office Address: same as above Phone Number: 858-822-5618 Fax Number: 858-534-0280 Email: researchadmin@ucsd.edu
6. Employer Identification (EIN) or (TIN)	1956006144A1
7. Type of Applicant	H: Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
8. Type of Application	Check “New” if this is your first time submitting to NIH or first time submitting this project to NIH. Check “Resubmission” if you are submitting this application to NIH for the second time.
9. Name of Federal Agency	National Institutes of Health
10. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number	LEAVE BLANK
11. Descriptive Title of Applicant's Project 200 characters max	Enter your project title (must match title in KR)
12. Proposed Project	These are the earliest possible standard start dates for each cycle of NIH. If you are applying for:
	Cycle 1 (Apr)	December 1
	Cycle 2 (Aug)	April 1 of next year
	Cycle 3 (Dec)	July 1 of next year
13. Congressional District of Applicant	CA-050
14. PD/PI Contact Information	This information populates from the Sr/Key Person tab. To change this information, update the Sr/Key Person tab.
15. Estimated Project Funding	Lines A and C: Enter Total Costs from budget workbook (see F32 Budget Guide KBA) Lines B and C: Enter 0
16. Is Application subject to review by State Executive Order 12372 process?	Check “No” (This program is not covered by E.O. 12372).
17. Certification	Check "I agree" to provide the required certifications and assurances.
18. SFLLL or Other Explanatory Documentation	Do not attach anything to this line.
19. Authorized Representative	Health Sciences Applicants: First Name: Elizabeth Last Name: Tang Position/Title: Contract & Grant Coordinator Name of Organization: The Regents of the Univ. of Calif., U.C. San Diego Department: Health Sciences SPO Division: School of Medicine OR Sch. of Pharmacy & Pharm. Sci. OR HW School of Public Health Street 1: 9500 Gilman Drive Street 2: MC 0041 City: La Jolla County: San Diego State: California Country: United States ZIP / Postal Code: 92093-0041 Phone Number: 858-822-4109 Email: e8tang@health.ucsd.edu General Campus Applicants: First Name: Assigned Pre-Award Officer’s First Name Last Name: Assigned Pre-Award Officer’s Last Name Position/Title: Assigned Pre-Award Officer’s Position/Title Name of Organization: The Regents of the Univ. of Calif., U.C. San Diego Department: Sponsored Projects Office Division: General Campus Street 1: 9500 Gilman Drive Street 2: MC 0934 City: La Jolla County: San Diego State: California Country: United States ZIP / Postal Code: 92093-0934 Phone Number: Assigned Pre-Award Officer’s Phone Number Fax Number: 858-534-0280 Email: Assigned Pre-Award Officer’s Email
20. Pre-Application	LEAVE BLANK: Do not attach anything to this line.
21. Cover Letter	Content Guidelines: Address cover letter to the Division of Receipt and Referral and include: Application Title Title of NOFO List of Referees (including name, departmental affiliation, and institution) If applicable: Statement that you have attached any required documentation for the type of application submitted. If applicable: Additional statements are required if the proposed studies will generate large-scale human or non-human genomic data or involve human fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions (HFT).
	The Cover Letter attachment may not be used to communicate application assignment preferences. Instead, use the Assignment Request Form. To add the form, click Add Optional Form from the Actions panel on the left side of the ASSIST application, select Assignment Request form, and click Submit. The form will appear as a new tab in the ASSIST application. For more detailed instructions, see G.600, Assignment Request Form.

Other Project Information Form
1. Are Human Subjects Involved? Not sure if your application requires Human Subjects approval? Use NIH’s Decision Tool.	If YES to Human Subjects and EXEMPT from federal regulations, select the appropriate exemption number. Exemption is usually 4.
	If YES to Human Subjects and NOT EXEMPT from federal regulations, then the answer to "If NO, is the IRB review Pending?" should also be YES. IRB Approval Date: Leave Blank Human Subject Assurance Number: 00004495
	If you will be using human subjects in your project, you will need to include a PHS Enrollment Inclusion Form. To add the form, click Add Optional Form from the Actions panel on the left side of the ASSIST application, select PHS Enrollment Inclusion Form, and click Submit. The form will appear as a new tab in the ASSIST application.
2. Are Vertebrate Animals Used?	If YES, then the answer to "Is the IACUC review Pending?" should also be YES. IACUC Approval Date: Leave Blank Animal Assurance Welfare Number: D16-00020
3. Is proprietary/privileged information included in the application?	If your application contains patentable ideas/trade secrets (note: this is VERY rare), check YES and make sure that the proposal is marked appropriately. For most proposals, the answer to this is usually NO.
4. Does this project have an actual or potential impact - positive or negative - on the environment?	For most proposals, the answer to this is usually NO.
5. Is the research performance site designated, or eligible to be designated, as a historic place?	For most proposals, the answer to this is usually NO.
6. Does this project involve activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators?	For most proposals, the answer to this is usually NO.
7. Project Summary/Abstract 30 lines of text max	Content Guidelines: key focus, long-term goals, relevance to agency’s mission, research design methods. Describe the fellowship training plan and the environment in which the research training will take place. Write in third person. Do not describe past accomplishments.
8. Project Narrative 3 sentences max	Content Guidelines: Describe the relevance of this research to public health in, at most, three sentences. What will your research contribute to the field?
9. Bibliography & References Cited No page limit	Content Guidelines: All citation formats are acceptable. No hyperlinks/URLs allowed.
10. Facilities & Other Resources No page limit	Content Guidelines: Describe how the research site contributes to the probability of success, like, institutional support, physical resources, and intellectual rapport. Describe organizational scientific and educational facilities and resources necessary and accessible to the fellowship candidate to complete the proposed research training plan. If animals are used, don’t include the exact location of where animals are due to FOIA concerns. Refer to IACUC website for appropriate verbiage to use.
11. Equipment No page limit	Content Guidelines: List major items of equipment already available for the project and, if possible, where it is and what it can do.

Senior/Key Person Profile Form
Project Director/Principal Investigator Profile	Credential, e.g., agency login: Your eRA Commons ID The system will not submit the application without it! First Name: Your first name Last Name: Your last name Position/Title: Postdoctoral Fellow Department: Your home department (ex: Medicine/ Psychiatry/etc) Division: enter School of Medicine OR Sch. of Pharmacy & Pharm. Sci. OR General Campus Street 1: 9500 Gilman Drive Street 2: MC: XXXX ← your home department mail code City: La Jolla County/Parish: San Diego State: California Zip/Postal Code: 92093-XXXX ← your home department mail code Phone Number: Your personal phone number Email: Your email address Project Role: PD/PI Degree Type: Enter highest degree received Degree Year: Enter the year that the highest degree was received
	Biographical Sketch (5 Pages Max): Make sure to use the current format page (fellowship) and follow current content guidelines. Section D is no longer required, so enter N/A or leave blank.
	Current & Pending Support: Do not attach anything to this line.
Senior/Key Person Profile Follow these instructions for each mentor (Sponsor), co-mentor (Co-Sponsor), consultant, or other significant contributor	Enter faculty’s eRA Commons ID in the Credential, e.g., agency login field and then click Populate fields from Credentials. This will autofill whichever fields the PI has completed on their profile. Complete missing fields as follows and/or ask faculty member:
	Position/Title: Faculty’s title as it appears on Blink Department: Faculty’s home department Division: enter School of Medicine OR Sch. of Pharmacy & Pharm. Sci. OR General Campus Street 1: 9500 Gilman Drive Street 2: MC: XXXX ← faculty’s home department mail code City: La Jolla County/Parish: San Diego State: California Zip/Postal Code: 92093-XXXX ← faculty’s home department mail code Project Role: Other (Specify) Other Project Role Category: Sponsor, Co-Sponsor, Consultant, or Other Significant Contributor (do not write Mentor)
	Biographical Sketch (5 Pages Max): Make sure to use the current format page (non-fellowship) and follow current content guidelines.
	Current & Pending Support: Do not attach anything to this line.

Fellowship Supplemental Form
*1. Introduction (Resubmissions only)* 1 page max	Required for resubmission applications (see Resubmission Applications). Otherwise, do not attach anything on this line.
2. Candidate's Goals, Preparedness and Potential 3 pages max	Content Guidance: Organize your background and goals in the specified order using the following subsection titles: A. Overall Training Goals Candidates should describe the goals for the proposed research training plan and the long-term goals for a career in biomedical research workforce. Relate the fellowship goals to the long-term career goals. Candidates should describe their motivation for pursuing a career in the biomedical research workforce. B. Candidate's Preparedness Provide information regarding the educational, scientific, and professional experiences that prepare the candidate for the proposed research training plan. Describe how relevant activities and experiences contributed to the candidate's scientific development and preparation for the current research training plan. Examples may include coursework, research experiences, conference attendance, internships, and employment. Discuss any additional activities and experiences that demonstrate an interest and commitment to a career in the biomedical research workforce. Examples may include seeking out opportunities for research skill development or engaging in leadership, service, teaching, or outreach activities. C. Candidate's Self-Assessment Describe 2-4 current characteristics that are likely to contribute to achieving the research training. Describe 2-4 specific areas of development during the fellowship to attain the stated research training and career goals. D. Scientific Perspective Discuss why this field of science is important and the ways the chosen research training project will advance the field. Present a broader, unresolved scientific question in the chosen scientific field, the importance of the problem, and the ways biomedical research might advance the scientific field.
3. Training Activities and Timeline 3 pages max	Content Guidance: The research training plan activities should be individually tailored and well-integrated. The planned activities should address the candidate's goals and identified areas for development. The application should describe the collaborative process between the candidate and the sponsor(s) in the development, writing, review, and editing of the research training plan, including the research training project aims and strategy. Describe, by year, the planned activities (coursework, professional development, research training project, mentoring, clinical activities, etc.) during the proposed award. Note that the Research Training Project Strategy will be detailed in a separate section described below. Estimate the percentage of time to be devoted to each activity. The percentage should total 100 for each year. Explain how the training activities will develop the areas defined in the self-assessment section and help to meet the fellowship goals. Provide specific examples of how the proposed research training will facilitate the transition to the next career stage. Describe why the Sponsor(s), collaborators, and research training environment are appropriate for the proposed research training plan. Candidates should expand upon, but not duplicate information found in the Facilities and Other Resources section or in the Sponsor(s) section describing the Research Training Environment. The research training is expected to broaden the candidate's perspective, opportunities, and networks. Therefore, postdoctoral candidates requesting training at their doctorate organization or senior fellowship candidates requesting training at their current organization must explain why further training at that organization would be valuable. If the candidate is proposing a research training experience at a foreign institution, describe how the foreign institution and sponsor offer special opportunities for training that are not currently available in the United States. Key factors in the selection of a foreign institution should be described. The need for and level of proficiency in reading, speaking, and comprehending the foreign language should be addressed.
4. Research Training Project - Specific Aims 1 page max	Content Guidance: State concisely the broader goals of the proposed research training project (for example, to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice, address a barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology). List succinctly the specific objectives or aims of the research training project to be completed by the candidate during the funding period. Summarize the expected outcome(s). Include the potential impact that the results of the proposed research training project will have on the research field(s) involved.
5. Research Training Project - Strategy 6 pages max	Content Guidance: Organize your research training project strategy in the specified order using the following subsection titles: 1. Scientific Foundation and Rationale Provide the context for the proposed research training project. Include information on published and unpublished findings serving as the scientific foundation for the proposed research training project. Describe the strengths and weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project. Describe the rationale for the research training project, including unaddressed areas for research and why this area of research is interesting and important. Describe how achieving the proposed research training project goals will advance biomedical research in the candidate's chosen field. 2. Approach Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Describe plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project. Describe the experimental design and methods proposed and how they will achieve robust and unbiased results. Unless addressed separately in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment, include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted, as well as any resource sharing plans, as appropriate. Resources and tools for rigorous experimental design can be found at the Enhancing Reproducibility through Rigor and Transparency website. For trials that randomize groups or deliver interventions to groups, describe how your methods for analysis and sample size are appropriate for your plans for participant assignment and intervention delivery. These methods can include a group- or cluster-randomized trial or an individually randomized group-treatment trial. Additional information is available at the Research Methods Resources webpage. Discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to achieve the aims. If the project is in the early stages of development, describe any strategy to establish feasibility, and address the management of any high risk aspects of the proposed work. Explain how relevant biological variables, such as sex, are factored into research designs and analyses for studies in vertebrate animals and humans. For example, strong justification from the scientific literature, preliminary data, or other relevant considerations, must be provided for applications proposing to study only one sex. Refer to NIH Guide Notice on Sex as a Biological Variable in NIH-funded Research for additional information. Point out any procedures, situations, or materials that may be hazardous to personnel and the precautions to be exercised. If applicable, a full discussion on the use of select agents should appear in the Select Agent Research attachment below. If research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs) is proposed, but an approved cell line from the NIH hESC Registry cannot be chosen, provide a strong justification for why an appropriate cell line cannot be chosen from the registry at this time. If you are proposing to gain clinical trial research experience, briefly describe your role on the clinical trial.
6. Progress Report Publication List (Renewals only)	Do not attach anything to this line.
7. Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research 1 page max	Content Guidance: The plan must address the following five instructional components using the following subsection titles: Format: Describe the required format of instruction (i.e., face-to-face lectures, coursework, and/or real-time discussion groups). A plan with only on-line instruction is not acceptable. Subject Matter: Describe the breadth of subject matter (e.g., conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, and research ethics). Faculty Participation: Describe the role of the sponsor/mentor(s) and other faculty involvement in the instruction. Duration of Instruction: Describe the total number of contact hours of instruction, taking into consideration the duration of the program. Frequency of Instruction: Instruction must occur during each career stage and at least once every four years. Document any prior instruction during the applicant's current career stage, including the inclusive dates instruction was last completed.
8. Sponsor(s) Commitment Completed by Sponsor/Co-Sponsor(s) 6 pages max	Content Guidance: Each sponsor and co-sponsor statement must address all of the following sections (A-E). Mentoring Approach and Candidate Mentoring Plan Prior Commitment to Training and Mentoring Commitment to the Candidate's Research Training Plan Research Training Environment Candidate's Potential
9. Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors, and Consultants Completed by Collaborators 6 pages max	If any collaborators, consultants, or advisors will make contributions to your project/ research training, attach letters of support from them here, describing their role and contributions. Note that these are different from Reference Letters, which are letters of recommendation sent directly to NIH via eRA Commons
10. Description of Candidate’s Contribution to Program Goals	*Do not attach anything here for F32.*
11. Vertebrate Animals	If you have answered "No" for activities involving vertebrate animals and activities involving vertebrate animals are not planned at any time during the proposed project at any performance site (in the Other Project Information Form section), then skip 11 and 12. If you have answered "Yes" for activities involving vertebrate animals: complete Line 11 and prepare the Vertebrate Animals attachment for 12 in consultation with your Sponsor.
12. Vertebrate Animals (Attachment) No page limit	Content Guidance: Subsection titles should match the application guide: Description of Procedures Justifications Minimization of Pain and Distress
13. Select Agent Research No page limit	Only required if applicable. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
14. Resource Sharing Plan No page limit	Only required if applicable. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
15. Other Plan(s) No page limit	Do not attach anything to this line.
16. Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources No page limit	Only required if applicable. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
17. Human Embryonic Stem Cells	Answer required. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
18. Alternate Phone Number	Optional.
19. Degree Sought During Proposed Award	Leave blank since Postdoc.
20. Field of Training for Current Proposal	Required. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
21. Current or Prior Kirschstein-NRSA Support?	Required. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide. Prior or current T32 grant holders should answer "Yes" and enter the start and end dates of the support as well as the grant number. Select the appropriate “Level” and “Type” of Kirschstein-NRSA support. “Level” indicates either predoctoral or postdoctoral level (not the level of experience). “Type” indicates either individual fellowship or institutional research training grant. If known, enter the start and end dates (month, day, and year) of the support and the grant number (e.g., T32 GM123456 or F31 HL345678) of the current and/or prior support.
22. Applications for Concurrent Support	Answer is usually no. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
23. Citizenship	Required.
24. Change of Sponsoring Institution	Leave blank unless this is a Transfer app. For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.
25. Tuition and Fees	Check “None Requested.” F32 is only allowed T&F if they are necessary and if the costs are associated with specific course work (or a degree-granting program, if applicable) that supports the research training experience and that are identified and described in the “Training Activities and Timeline” attachment. For example, if the fellow needs to take additional coursework or attend specialized training programs, these costs must be strongly justified.
26. Childcare Costs	Indicate whether funds are being requested for childcare costs by checking the appropriate box ("None Requested" or "Funds Requested"). Eligible applicants may request $3,000 per year for childcare provided by a licensed childcare provider. For more information about childcare costs, see NOT-OD-24-116
27. Present Institutional Base Salary	LEAVE BLANK
28. Stipends/Salary During First Year of Proposed Fellowship	LEAVE BLANK
29. Appendix	LEAVE BLANK: Do not attach anything to this line.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

Required for all projects that include human subjects and/or clinical trials.

For guidance, refer to the NIH application guide.