From NIH NOT-OD-14-055 (issued 2/10/14):

This Notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations for FY 2014 and implements the  Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (H.R. 3547/Public Law 113-76), signed by President Obama on January 17, 2014.   The Act provides NIH with $30.15 billion, an increase of $1 billion (program level) over FY 2013.  The NIH will continue to manage its portfolio in biomedical research investments in a manner that includes recognizing applications from and providing special incentives for new investigators.

The following NIH fiscal policies are instituted in FY 2014:

FY 2014 Funding Levels:Non-competing continuation awards that have already been made in FY 2014 were generally funded at levels below that indicated on the most recent Notice of Award (generally up to 90% of the previously committed level) as described in NOT-OD-14-012, and in NOT-OD-14-043. Such reductions may be fully or partially restored, depending on the Institute or Center.  Non-competing continuation grants (research and non-research) including those that remain to be issued in FY 2014 likely will be made within the range between the commitment level indicated on the Notice of Award and 3 percent below that level. Out-year commitments for continuation awards in FY 2015 and beyond will remain unchanged.  The number of competing awards will likely exceed the number of competing awards in FY 2013.  The NIH awarding Institutes/Centers (IC) will develop and post their fiscal policies consistent with overall NIH goals and available FY 2014 funds.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA):  Consistent with the  Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, and with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee to the Director regarding the Biomedical Research Workforce, the NIH will increase undergraduate and graduate student stipends by 2 percent.   Entry level postdoctoral stipends will be increased to $42,000 with 4 percent increases between the individual levels of experience.   The full range of stipend adjustments for FY 2014 is described at NOT-OD-14-046.    

New Investigators: NIH will continue to support new investigators on R01 equivalent awards at success rates comparable to that of established investigators submitting new (Type 1) R01 equivalent applications.  Achievement of comparable success rates should permit the NIH to support new investigators in accordance with the policies established in FY 2009 and subsequent years as described at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-013.html and at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/index.htm.

Salary Limits: Section 203 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2014 prohibits payments for salaries under grants and other extramural mechanisms in excess of Executive Level II.  It should be noted, that Executive Level II was increased by 1 percent from $179,700 to $181,500 by Executive Order 13655 that became effective January 12, 2014.  See NOT-OD-14-052 for additional information. 

Other Legislative Mandates: Other statutory requirements are described in NOT-OD-14-053. 

Additional Information:   Additional details on Fiscal Operations, including specific funding strategies for ICs will be posted at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/financial/index.htm.

From NIH NOT-OD-14-053 (issued 2/10/14):

The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76) signed into law on January 17, 2014 provides funding to NIH for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014. The intent of this Notice is to provide information on the following statutory provisions that limit the use of funds on NIH grant, cooperative agreement, and contract awards for FY2014.

From NIH NOT-OD-14-052
(issued 2/10/14):

Questions & Answers

1. If a grant award (competing or non-competing) has already been issued in FY 2014, will an adjustment be made? No adjustments will be made. However, rebudgeting is allowable.

2. Can I rebudget grant funds or charge contracts issued in prior years (see Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 – FY 2014) funds to allow for the 2014 salary cap increase? Yes, provided funds are available and the increase is warranted. Prorated figures should be used for the applicable months, i.e., the $181,500 level is effective beginning January 12, 2014.

3. If an application/proposal fails to provide needed salary information, will an adjustment be made based on the new rates? No adjustment will be made if an application fails to provide adequate information regarding the individual's actual salary level.

4. Does the NIH appropriation language link the salary cap to a Federal Executive Level or to a dollar level? The link is to the Federal Executive Level pay scale (i.e., Executive Level I for FYs 2001-2011, Executive Level II for FYs 2012-2014).

5. As the cap is linked to Federal Executive Levels, can grantees/contractors with ongoing awards rebudget/charge up to the various salary caps, based on the fiscal year of the award and the time the salary expense is incurred?  Yes, salary may be charged in accordance with the FY cap(s), as long as the levels are consistent with the individual's institutional base pay. Please refer to the salary cap summary with times frames for existing salary caps, at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary.htm.

6. Will grantees be permitted to submit revised categorical budgets reflecting higher base salaries? Not as a general rule. NIH policy for categorical budgets states that grantees should always reflect actual base salaries in the requested budgets or provide an explanation indicating that actual institutional base salary exceeds the current salary limitation. As a general rule, NIH will use the information available in the existing application and make adjustments for the salary cap based on information available at the time of award.

The following are examples of the adjustments that NIH will make when salaries exceed the current salary limitation:

Example 1. Individual with Full-Time Appointment (based on grant award/contract issued on or after January 12, 2014 with salary limitation of $181,500)

Example 2. Individual with Half-Time Appointment (based on a grant award/contract issued on or after January 12, 2014 with salary limitation of $181,500)

Example 3. Individual with a Nine-Month Appointment (based on a grant award/contract issued on or after January 12, 2014 with salary limitation of $181,500)

From NIH NOT-OD-14-046 (issued 2/10/14):

Stipends

Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after October 1, 2013, the following annual stipend levels apply to all individuals receiving support through institutional research training grants or individual fellowships, including the Minority Access to Research Career (MARC) program.

Undergraduates in the MARC Program:  for institutional training grants (T34):  Two stipend levels are used for undergraduate candidates--Freshmen/Sophomores, and Juniors/Seniors.

Predoctoral: for institutional training grants (T32, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31):  One stipend level is used for all predoctoral candidates, regardless of the level of experience.

Postdoctoral:  for institutional training grants (T32, T90) and individual fellowships (F32):  The stipend level for the entire first year of support is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching assistantship, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree.  Once the appropriate stipend level has been determined, the fellow must be paid at that level for the entire grant year.  The stipend for each additional year of Kirschstein-NRSA support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.

Senior Fellows (F33 only):  The amount of the Kirschstein-NRSA stipend to be paid must be commensurate with the base salary or remuneration that the individual receiving the award would have been paid by the institution with which he or she has permanent affiliation on the issue date of the fellowship award. In no case shall the stipend award exceed the current Kirschstein-NRSA stipend limit set by NIH.  The level of Kirschstein-NRSA support will take into account concurrent salary support provided by the institution and the policy of the sponsoring institution.  NIH support does not provide fringe benefits for senior fellows.

Relevant Policies

Current stipend levels are to be used in the preparation of future competing and non-competing NRSA institutional training grant and individual fellowship applications.  They will be administratively applied to all applications currently in the review process.

NRSA support is limited to 5 years for predoctoral trainees (6 years for dual-degree training, e.g., MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, DVM/PhD), and 3 years for postdoctoral fellows.  The NIH provides eight levels of postdoctoral stipends to accommodate individuals who complete other forms of health-related training prior to accepting a Kirschstein-NRSA supported position.  (The presence of eight discrete levels of experience, however, does not constitute an endorsement of extended periods of postdoctoral research training.)

It should be noted that the maximum amount that NIH will award to support the compensation package for a graduate student research assistant remains at the zero level postdoctoral stipend, as described in NOT-OD-02-017.

Tuition and Fees, Training Related Expenses, and Institutional Allowance for Kirschstein-NRSA Recipients

The NIH will provide funds for Tuition and Fees, Training Related Expenses, and Institutional Allowance, as detailed below.   Those amounts do not change with the implementation of the FY 2014 budget.

A. Tuition and Fees

• Predoctoral Trainees and Fellows:  For institutional training grants (T32, T34, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31), an amount per predoctoral trainee equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year, will be provided.  If the trainee or fellow is enrolled in a program that supports formally combined, dual-degree training (e.g., MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, DVM/PhD), the amount provided per trainee or fellow will be 60% of the level requested, up to $21,000 per year.

• Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows:  For institutional training grants (T32, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F32, F33), an amount per postdoctoral trainee or fellow equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $4,500 per year, will be provided.  If the trainee or fellow is enrolled in a program that supports postdoctoral individuals in formal degree-granting training, an amount per postdoctoral trainee or fellow equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year, will be provided.

B. Training Related Expenses on Institutional Training Grants

• For institutional training grants (T32, T34, T35, T90, TL1), these expenses (including health insurance costs) for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees will be paid at the amounts shown below for all competing and non-competing awards made with FY 2014 funds.  

• Predoctoral Trainees: $4,200
• Postdoctoral Trainees: $7,850

C. Institutional Allowance for Individual Fellows
This allowance for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows will be paid at the amounts shown below for all competing and non-competing awards made with FY 2014 funds.

• Institutional Allowance for individual fellows (F30, F31, F32, F33) sponsored by non-Federal Public, Private, and Non-Profit Institutions (Domestic & Foreign, including health insurance):  

• Predoctoral Fellows: $4,200
• Postdoctoral Fellows: $7,850

• Institutional Allowance for individual fellows (F30, F31, F32, F33) sponsored by Federal and For-Profit Institutions (including health insurance):  

• Predoctoral Fellows: $3,100
• Postdoctoral Fellows: $6,750

Application Form Changes

The new packages will be identified with a Competition ID of FORMS-C and will include the form changes documented at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/files/FORMS-C_Changes.pdf.

Highlights include:

• The PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental form has a new "Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors, and Consultants" attachment that will not be subject to a system-enforced page limit.
• The PHS 398 Training Subaward Budget Attachment form allows for up to 30 subaward budget attachments consistent with the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment form.
• Inclusion data now collected in new Planned Enrollment Report & Cumulative Inclusion Enrollment Report forms rather than attachments to existing PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental and PHS Fellowship Supplemental.

Additionally, the "Reference" form used with Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship applications for the submission of reference letters will no longer be required. Applicants can submit reference letters in whatever format they choose as long as the requested information is included.

Instructions

• All F, K, T and D submissions for due dates on or after January 25, 2014 must use the new application forms. Applications submitted using incorrect application forms will not be accepted.
  
  
• Research Training (T), Career Development (K) and Fellowship (F) Parent Announcements will be reissued under new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) numbers. All other active F, K, T and D FOAs will be updated to include a FORMS-C package with the existing announcement (i.e., no FOA number change). NIH is making every effort to have the new FOAs and packages in place 45-60 days prior to the first due date that falls on/after January 25, 2014.

• For the January 7, 2014 AIDS due date, applicants should continue to use the ADOBE-FORMS-B packages found in the old Parent Announcements or that remain available in non-parent announcement.
   
• The new SF424 (R&R) forms will be identified by a competition ID of “FORMS-C”. The competition ID field is visible in the application header information and when downloading the application package from Grants.gov. Learn more about choosing the correct forms packages at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/files/right_forms.pdf.