An essential element of the mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is the support and career promotion of the next generation of exceptionally talented and creative new scientists who will further the understanding of the impact of environmental exposures on human health. The NIEHS supports a number of training and fellowship programs for pre and postdoctoral training, and mentored career development awards for faculty in the early stages of their career development. Along with these training and career development programs, NIEHS initiated a program of research grants for Early Stage Investigators, The Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award, that is designed to identify the best new biomedical investigators across the spectrum of science supported by the NIEHS (i.e., including basic mechanistic, clinical and population based researchers) and facilitate their establishing a vibrant, independent research program in the environmental health sciences. NIEHS uses this FOA to support the NIEHS goal of assuring a continuing cadre of productive environmental health science investigators.
For most applications, the budget for direct costs should be limited to $250,000 per year, plus the portion of the additional $250,000 budget for career enhancement which will be distributed over a 5-year award period. Note: the $250,000 career enhancement budget will be distributed over a 5-year period but does not have to be distributed evenly across each year. With strong justification, research projects which have inherently higher costs may request direct costs of up to $400,000 per year, plus career enhancement. In no year may the total direct cost budget (research plus career enhancement) exceed $475,000 per year.
Eligibility
Applicants are encouraged to consult with their Associate Deans for Research prior to internal submission to assure they meet eligibility criteria and their projects meet stated program objectives.
- 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.
- To be eligible for this award, applicants must have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent graduate degree.
- PD(s)/PI(s) must be NIH defined Early Stage Investigators. See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/index.htm
- In addition, PD/PI's must have faculty appointments which are tenure track or equivalent, generally at the level of Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor, and have demonstrated outstanding abilities in basic, clinical or population-based research. Individuals must have established research independence from a mentor, and have dedicated, independent laboratory space or access to the clinical, population-based and/or public health research resources which will allow them to conduct the research proposed in the grant application as the lead, independent PD/PI.
- Applicants must have research focus and a long-term commitment to a career in environmental health research consistent with the core mission areas of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The NIEHS will decline applications not considered central to either to the mission or the research priorities of the NIEHS as part of the initial evaluation for responsiveness.
Submission Process
For consideration as a finalist, investigators should submit the following materials as PDF e-mail attachments to Dr. Suzanne Rivera at suzanne.rivera@case.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 5, 2014:
- A one page letter of intent.
- A CV.
- An NIH-style biosketch.
- A letter of support from your chair.
Final nominees will be notified of their selection by December 12, 2014.
NIH deadline for Letter of Intent is January 27, 2014.
Complete proposals are due in the CWRU Office of Research Administration by February 20, 2015.
NIH deadline for Application is February 27, 2015.