New Mailing Address for OSPA

The Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) has updated its mailing address to reflect the office's expansion to the first floor of Kinkead Hall.  The new mailing address is:

Office of Sponsored Projects Administration
University of Kentucky
109 Kinkead Hall
Lexington, KY 40506-0057

The new address should be used for all proposal submissions and sponsored projects administration correspondence.

Health  Insurance Costs for Graduate Assistants Increases

Graduate Assistant health insurance at the University of Kentucky has increased to $584 (up from $521) effective for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 academic years.  The new rate should be used when preparing proposal budgets.

Reminder:  Tuition support for graduate research assistants should also be included in the budget of all proposals that are expected to be awarded after July 1, 2002.  Tuition support should be budgeted under “Other” in proposal budgets unless sponsor guidelines stipulate otherwise.  Guidance on the policy and budgeting levels is available at  http://www.rgs.uky.edu/ospa/RaTuition.pdf.

NIH Salary Cap Increases

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Appropriation Act for FY 2002, Public Law 107-116, restricts an individual’s direct salary under an NIH grant, contract, or cooperative agreement to the Executive Level I of the Federal Executive Pay Scale.  The Executive Level I annual salary rate is $161,200 for the period Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2001.  Effective January 1, 2002, the Executive Level I salary level increased to $166,700.    

An individual's base salary is NOT constrained by the legislative provision for a limitation of salary.  The rate limitation does limit the amount that may be awarded and charged to NIH grants and contracts. 

Competing grant applications and contract proposals that include a categorical breakdown in the budget figures/business proposal should continue to reflect the actual institutional base salary of all individuals for whom reimbursement is requested.  In lieu of actual base salary, however, applicants may elect to provide an explanation indicating that actual institutional base salary exceeds the current salary limitation.  When this information is provided, NIH staff will make necessary adjustments to requested salaries prior to award.

National Research Service Award (NRSA) 
Increases Stipends and Institutional Allowances 
for Training Expenses

Stipend levels for all NRSA institutional research training grants or individual fellowships awards made on or after Oct. 1, 2001 have been increased.  Details on the specific increases are available in the NIH Guide at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-028.html

The increases described in the NIH Guide are effective only for NRSA awards made FY 2002 funds.  Retroactive adjustments or supplementation of stipends, or other budgetary categories with NRSA funds for an award made prior to Oct. 1, 2001 is not permitted. 

NINDS Policy Update for Career (K) Awards

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) announced a change in the allowable salary and research costs for its career-award mechanisms.  The mechanisms affected are the following (see: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/research_training.htm):

• Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01)
• Independent Scientist Award (K02)
• Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08)
• NINDS Career Transition Award (K22)
• Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)

Effective with career awards funded in FY 2002, all competing (Types 1) applications are eligible to request the following higher salary and research costs:

• Maximum allowable salary is $85,000.
• Maximum allowable research costs for K01 awards is $35,000.
• Maximum allowable research costs for K02, K08 and K23 awards is $50,000.
• Maximum allowable total direct costs for the extramural phase of the K22 awards is $150,000; therefore, applicants may request any combination of salary (up to $85,000) and research costs up to the maximum allowable direct costs.

Policy Applicability:  This policy also applies to all non-competing (Type 5) K02 awards.  However, the non-competing (Type 5) K01, K08, and K23 awards will continue to receive salary and research support under the original terms and conditions of the award.

NOTE: The salary limits and research costs for the following career award mechanisms will remain the same.  These programs follow separate NIH-wide guidelines:

• Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
• Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25)

NIMH Policy Update for Career Awards (K-Series)

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a revised “POLICY UPDATE FOR CAREER AWARDS (K-SERIES).”  This announcement complements the policies of the Trans-NIH K-Series program announcements (see below).  Prospective applicants must follow all the instructions covered under each program announcement, as well as the Research Career Award section of PHS 398 when preparing an application.

The purpose of this notice is to address NIMH-specific issues regarding the following program announcements:

PA-00-019:  Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01)

PA-00-020:  Independent Scientist Award (K02)

PA-00-021:  Senior Scientist Award (K05)

PA-00-003:  Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08)

PA-00-004:  Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)

PA-00-005:  Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)

PA-99-087:  Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award  (K25)

PAR-99-169:  Scientist Development Award for New Minority Faculty (K01)

PA-01-065:  NIMH Research Career Award for Transition to Independence (K22)

Relevant career award announcements can be found at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/grants/training.cfm. 

Complete details on the changes implemented through this update are available in the NIH Guide at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MH-02-001.html.