New NHGRI Funding Opportunity - Building Partnerships and Broadening Perspectives to Advance ELSI Research (BBAER) Program
CERA is excited to share information about the Building Partnerships and Broadening Perspectives to Advance ELSI Research (BBAER) Program (pronounced “bear”), a new ELSI funding opportunity offered by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). We attended the pre-application webinar for the opportunity at the end of August and had a follow-up conversation with Rene Sterling, Ph.D., M.H.A. Rene is one of four program directors who oversee a portfolio of research and career development grants for the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research Program in the NHGRI Division of Genomics and Society. In the interview that follows, she talks about the goals for the BBAER Program, explores application components, and points to many helpful applicant resources.
CERA: Could you please tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the new BBAER funding opportunity and your hopes for its impact on ELSI research?
Dr. Sterling: In thinking about developing new programs, the ELSI team wanted to address the increasingly complex and interrelated issues raised by advances in genomics. We wanted to stay true to key tenets of the ELSI Research Program—anticipating future dilemmas, collaborating across disciplines, and using various approaches. We also wanted to stimulate research around complex, timely, and understudied topics in ELSI, especially in areas where genetics and genomics alone are insufficient to address health.
In our review of the projects we had funded over the years, we noticed that a relatively small pool of organizations was contributing to ELSI scholarship. Therefore, bringing new people into ELSI research was another key aim—people who might have different ideas, perspectives, and approaches. We realized that achieving this goal would likely require some dedicated support for capacity building, and that those types of investments would in turn require attention to sustainability. We also wanted to create real opportunities for people and communities impacted by advances in genomics to be actively engaged in the scientific process. If they had a seat at the table, would their concerns and questions be better reflected in proposed projects? How would they interpret research findings? With whom would they want to share information? From these observations, numerous brainstorming sessions, and thoughtful discussion among staff across NHGRI, BBAER was born.
All in all, we hope that BBAER will advance ELSI research by bringing new organizations, scholars, and communities into the scientific process where they can work on issues that will directly impact them. We believe their involvement will give way to new perspectives on ELSI issues and strategies to address them.
CERA: This program is for domestic organizations receiving less than $30 million per year in total NIH funding. Does NHGRI offer any grant writing or grants administration support that applicants newer to NIH funding could take advantage of?
Dr. Sterling: There are two major types of support I would share in this regard. First, the NIH Central Resource for Grants and Funding Information provides lots of helpful information for researchers and research administrators on all aspects of the grants process, from application, to award, to close out. You’ll find a collection of video tutorials on the website that provide viewers with a basic understanding of the steps involved in the grant application process, along with tips for success. For example, an NIH webinar, titled Grant Writing for Success, offers additional perspective on the grants process along with helpful tips. Starting the application process early and contacting a program officer are highlighted as two important steps for any applicant. Which leads me to the second major type of support: the program officers in the ELSI Research Program. One of the more rewarding aspects of our job as program officers (also known as program directors or program officials) is connecting with researchers, discussing their ideas, and learning from their research findings.
Anyone interested in BBAER should be sure to reach out to me. We can schedule a time to discuss your ideas. I also can review a draft specific aims page, in whatever shape it might be in. Many people assume that they need a polished specific aims page to talk with a program officer, and that is just not the case. The earlier you reach out the better. Keep in mind, the specific aims page is a workhorse in your application. It takes a while to get right. CERA led a session titled The Writing and Uses of Specific Aims last year. I encourage applicants to watch the recording on ELSIhub and take a look at the other grant writing trainings available on the platform. Oh, and let me not forget to mention a really nice infographic that was recently released by the NIH Center for Scientific Review or CSR. It covers a lot of bases. Applicants may want to print it out and use it as a reference.
CERA: Thank you for highlighting that program officers at the ELSI Research Program are willing to review and provide feedback on the specific aims page of BBAER applications. Could you please provide information about how to submit specific aims for review and a deadline, if applicable? What other kinds of support is the program willing to provide?
Dr. Sterling: Yes, this point is important. For BBAER applicants, or applicants to any NIH funding opportunity, contacting the corresponding program officer (named in the notice of funding opportunity) is key. For BBAER, interested and eligible applicants can email a specific aims page to me at [email protected]. Your specific aims page can be a very rough draft, a polished draft, half a draft, or not an aims page at all! You can email a bulleted list of ideas or a rough description of what you are thinking. It is helpful to have something in writing, but no more than one page please. Also keep in mind that we cannot re-write specific aims, review more than a couple of drafts of a complete aims page, nor co-design research projects.
One of the great things about the ELSI Research Program is that we work as a team and typically share the specific aims we receive with each other for comment. In doing so, applicants have the benefit of feedback from multiple program officers with different perspectives. We also are willing to schedule a call to discuss your application ideas. During calls, we can answer any questions you may have about a notice of funding opportunity (or NOFO), provide guidance about whether the NOFO is the best fit for an applicant or for a specific project, address whether a project idea is in scope for NHGRI funding. We can help anticipate what questions peer reviewers may have about proposed aims or share perspectives on grantsmanship for application preparation. Finally, we can also connect you with others in NHGRI (such as our grants management team) or with colleagues across NIH (such as program officers in other institutes or centers) who could provide additional information or perspectives on a project.
CERA: What are the specific activities that eligible applicant organizations that are new to NIH funding would need to complete before they can receive this award? Is there anything you can share about how much time applicants should plan to spend on these activities?
Dr. Sterling: Great question, and I might rephrase it to emphasize some activities applicants need to complete before they can even apply to this program. Organizations that have never applied for an NIH grant must register in multiple systems; and individuals who have never been key personnel on an NIH grant must complete registrations as well. The process can take six or more weeks to complete, so we advise applicants to include registration in their application timeline. The NIH registration information page provides an overview of these different systems with links to more detailed information. For eligible organizations that may want to propose subawards for partner organizations, an NIH on-demand webinar that provides a walk-through of subaward agreements and related resources is also available online.
CERA: “Building partnerships” is in the title of this new opportunity. What kinds of partnerships do you envision that this new mechanism will make possible?
Dr. Sterling: Partnerships are critical to ELSI research and genomics more broadly. In the context of BBAER, one of the most important partnerships arises from the inclusion of representatives from “relevant communities” as equal members on research teams— not research subjects—but as research partners who are meaningfully and actively engaged in all phases of the research proposed. We define the term “relevant communities” very broadly in RFA-HG-24-026.
Overall, we anticipate seeing different types of partners proposed across applications based on the applicant’s vision and goals. Some partners may be underrepresented in ELSI research, like eligible applicants. Other partners may have longstanding involvement in the field of ELSI. What we would really like to see are mutually beneficial partnerships that lead to novel exploration of ELSI issues.
CERA: We understand that collaborators can be of any type, including industry, patient support groups, etc. Would a very small organization (e.g., 1 or two individuals) or a newly created organization (for the purposes of applying for this opportunity) also be eligible to be an applicant organization?
Dr. Sterling: If the organization meets the eligibility criteria for BBAER and successfully completes the registration process, then yes, they would be eligible. I really do encourage small and new organizations to contact me early on to discuss their interests and goals.
CERA: We understand that the NIH funding cap of $30 million per year for the past three fiscal years applies to the applicant organization, and that applicants may choose partners that exceed the funding cap and may also include foreign components. With subawards being limited to 40% of direct costs, do you envision this arrangement as a way for organizations with more NIH funding experience to help build the ELSI research capacity of the applicant organization and other partners?
Dr. Sterling: When developing the program, we envisioned bringing new organizations into the field of ELSI research, particularly organizations that have not been major recipients of funding for ELSI research but are still viable sources of new knowledge, skills, expertise, experience, perspectives, and community connections. Given that these organizations have less experience with applying for and managing NIH funding, technical support from a more experienced institution could be beneficial. The five elements required under BBAER: 1) vision and strategic management, 2) research projects, 3) community representation, 4) capacity building, and 5) workforce development, are designed to support the eligible applicant in building and maintaining capacity, but may be too overwhelming for one organization to achieve. So yes, we did want to keep the door open for eligible applicants to propose partners or collaborators, without requiring it. We also did not want to be prescriptive about how partners or collaborators would be involved. With consideration of their current capabilities and strengths, applicants can propose different types of arrangements and activities to help them achieve their vision and goals.
CERA: A needs assessment plan is required as part of the BBAER application. Could you please say a little bit about the intended purpose of this application component?
Dr. Sterling: Eligible organizations will have their own unique set of capabilities and strengths. Through the BBAER Program, they will have an opportunity to build upon those talents. Starting to build capacity without a clear understanding of what is needed—across departments, among the people it serves, from collaborators, or by funding agencies—may not produce the intended result. A needs assessment is an opportunity to gather information and data that can inform capacity building efforts, leading to a more efficient use of available resources during the BBAER Program and greater success down the line. A needs assessment could focus on grants administration, research readiness, partnerships, staff recruitment and retention, or other areas relevant to developing and sustaining ELSI research.
At the time of application, eligible organizations should have some idea of where they want to go, and the capacity needed to get there. During the program, all awarded BBAER sites will complete a structured needs assessment (as proposed in their application). The needs assessment process will allow them to dive into the details, understand why something is needed, develop specific benchmarks, or refine proposed approaches. Needs assessments can also help awarded applicants identify which capacity building efforts are likely to have the greatest impact.
CERA: Is there anything else you would like to say?
Dr. Sterling: We are excited and optimistic about the BBAER Program and hope that interested and eligible organizations will reach out to us. We would also appreciate receiving letters of intent to apply via email to [email protected]. The first application due date is November 15, 2024, with letters of intent requested by September 16, 2024. Letters of intent are not required to apply but are very helpful for our planning. If an organization emails a letter of intent and ultimately decides not to submit, that’s no problem at all.
Thank you for these thoughtful questions and getting the word out about BBAER. We really appreciate your support.
NHGRI recently offered a pre-application webinar to provide information about the BBAER program. We are happy to share the recording of the webinar and resources that were shared in the session, including the funding opportunity, NOFO diagram, presentation slides, and resource list. All these materials are or will be posted to the NHGRI webinar event page. Please feel welcome to use the keyword-searchable ELSI Scholar Directory on ELSIhub to identify BBAER collaborators or reach out to us for suggestions at [email protected].
You can read more about the BBAER Pre-Application webinar in this announcement.
