Specific - NIH F-31


Overview

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, is one of the many funding opportunities offered by the National Institutes of Health. This fellowship provides predoctoral students the opportunity to pursue individualized, mentored research training. The fellowship is funded by the NIH, the world's largest public funder of biomedical research.

Please note that each applicant is responsible for determining their own individual eligibility for any fellowship. This includes but is not limited to reviewing which agencies are participating in a funding opportunity announcement. Each applicant should also be aware of the provisions of the award and the requirements of the opportunity, which can be seen and reviewed throughout this page and the hyperlinked websites. 

Determining Which On-Campus Office To Apply Through

An application will be processed through OCGA or OCGA-SIO  if the applicant is a single-degree seeking student enrolled in a graduate program. However, students enrolled in a professional degree program (i.e. PharmD, PharmD/PhD, or MD/PhD program) will need to contact Health Sciences Sponsored Project Pre-Award Office (HSSPPO). 

If an applicant meets the above criteria and the submission requires an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) to approve, sign, or submit an application on the applicant’s behalf, please complete a Kuali Research proposal record and submit it to OCGA for approval. Please contact OCGA at researchadmin@ucsd.edu for additional information.

 

New PA Numbers

 

Award Provisions 

 

Application Process - How Does the Student Apply?

Submitting an NIH F31 proposal is a multifaceted process. Below you will find information about the different pieces of the process along with the UCSD NIH Application Guide.

When students apply for this solicitation, they  are not applying to a specific NIH institute. They can request that their application be considered by a specific institute in their application, but NIH's Division of Receipt and Referral will assign the proposal to the participating organizations they feel best suits the proposal.

The Application

NIH uses the Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) system from which students can prepare, submit, and track their applications electronically.  (In ASSIST, if you're applying for a NIH F31 Parent, search for 'PA-21-051' and 'PA-21-052' for a NIH F31 Diversity) 

To access ASSIST, you must have:

To request or change an eRA Commons Account, fill out an eRA Commons Account Request or Change Form.

AND

To register for an ORCID iD Account, click here.

Once your ORCID iD Account has been created, you must link it to your eRA Commons Personal Profile (Instructions on how to link accounts, watch this eRA video

NOTE: Users of eRA Commons, ASSIST, Internet Assisted Review (IAR) and Commons Mobile will be required to use login.gov for two-factor authentication (2FA) in 2021. This requirement has started being phased in for reviewers starting Dec. 14, 2020 for meetings on Feb. 1, 2021 and beyond. Other users are encouraged to make the switch now before the mandatory deadline of Sept. 15, 2021.

Budget

There is no “budget section” for the application, at least not how you might be familiar with when applying for a T32 or another type of grant. There are two parts of the application that address the budget.

The only allowable costs for this solicitation is stipend, institutional allowance, and tuition and fees. The stipend and institutional allowance are set by NIH. The tuition and fees exclude health insurance because NIH does not allow for the tuition and fees request to include health insurance. Health insurance can be paid out of the institutional allowance, but this decision is up to the department. The tuition and fees are then escalated 10 percent every year. For more information about the budget, please reference KB0034041.

Please note the allowable and unallowable costs for this award, found on the NIH website

Letters of Reference

Three to five reference letters from anyone who is NOT directly involved in the application but who are familiar with the applicant’s qualifications, training, and interests. The mentors and or co-mentors cannot write reference letters. Directions for how to submit these reference letters can be found on the NIH website

 

For Diversity Applicants

 

Compliance

Graduate Division does not house compliance processes. For the most up-to-date information on each compliance requirement or if you have additional questions, reach out to the respective office.

Human Subjects (IRB)

Animal Subjects (IACUC)

Conflict of Interest (COI)

Assurance Form

This form must be signed and submitted prior to submission.

What is the Department's Role in the Application?

Creating the Kuali Record

Every NIH F31 application must have a Kuali record. The student's mentor's fund manager should serve as the fiscal contact for the proposal and is tasked with creating the KR record. When creating the KR record, fill out the fellowship questionnaire and indicate that the application is for a single degree-seeking graduate student, this will allow the record to route to the appropriate OCGA Officer for processing. 

For additional assistance on how to create a KR record, download the attachment below:

 

Kuali Record Number: The Kuali Record number is used for the internal administration of the proposal. The student's mentor's fund manager must create the Kuali record. At some point, the student will need to certify and fill out COI forms through Kuali.

 

Application Support

F31 applications require additional documentation and information about the student's program. Students may ask for assistance in putting together the requested information for the application. For more information about each required attachment for the application, see the UCSD NIH F31 Application guide located under the resources section of this page. 

If your student is applying for an NIH F31 Diversity award, the student may need additional assistance in securing the required signatures, see the UCSD NIH F31 Application guide located under the resources section of this page.

Submitting the Proposal

For single-degree seeking graduate students, OCGA will function as the SPO office for NIH F31 application and is responsible for submission to the agency. 

Students need to follow the OCGA Internal Deadlines (found on the UCSD Proposal Submission Guidelines) and communicate with both departmental fund managers and OCGA to coordinate the submission. If these deadlines are not met we cannot guarantee a full review or on-time submission; the proposal may be submitted without review which may lead to errors and/or late submission.

Awarded Applications

OCGA will function as the SPO office for NIH F31 application. This includes post-award actions as well, such as coordinating initial award setup, submitting progress reports, and termination notices. If your student is awarded, contact researchadmin@ucsd.edu.

Note: Allowable and unallowable costs can be found on the NIH website.

 

Resources 

  1. Application Guide UCSD NIH F31

2) Biosketch - Predoctoral Fellowship Biosketch 

3) Budget Guide

4) Checklist

5) Fellowship Assurance Form

Helpful Links

About the Opportunity

 

NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship and Diversity Fellowship

NOTE: If you are applying for other opportunities than F31, click here

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests nearly $32.3 billion annually in medical research, making it the world's largest public funder of biomedical research.

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, is one of the many funding opportunities offered by NIH. This fellowship provides Predoctoral students the opportunity to pursue individualized, mentored research training. 

For detailed information (including deadlines and eligibility), please visit: 

https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/training/f31-individual-fellowships-phd-students

Please note that each applicant is responsible for determining their own individual eligibility for any fellowship. This includes but is not limited to reviewing which agencies are participating in a funding opportunity announcement. Each applicant should also be aware of the provisions of the award and the requirements of the opportunity.

 

APPLICATION GUIDELINE ATTACHMENT

Students should work directly with their Department Research Administrator (RA) in the preparation of the proposal.  An RA may also be known as a Fund Manager (FM). If the RA or FM is not known, it is recommended the student work with their mentor’s RA or designate. The RA will need to create the Kuali Proposal Development record.

NIH F31 applications are no longer processed through GEPA and the previous contact, Michelle Monroy, should not be named as the contact on the application. The new contact is:

Jeniffer Lapek, Office of Contract & Grant Administration

Email: jmlapek@ucsd.edu

We are requesting that the department RA is the primary contact for the student and will assist with some of their basic questions regarding their application.

Jeniffer Lapek, OCGA, will need the Assist Application Number. When the application is ready to be reviewed, please contact her by email at jmlapek@ucsd.edu. When the application is final and ready for submission, the RA or student will need to change the status to 'Ready to Submit'. Jeniffer or her designate in OCGA will submit the application.

Please plan to have your proposal in a near- complete draft five (5) days prior to the deadline date. This allows OCGA time to review, provide  comments and recommendations for edits, and time for the requested edits to be made by the student or RA.