Oral Diseases and Disorders Research

NIDCR extramural research provides research funds to support basic, translational, and clinical research in dental, oral, and craniofacial health and disease through grants, cooperative agreements, including small business research through the Small

The mission of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is to advance fundamental knowledge about dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) health and disease and translate these findings into prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies that improve overall health for all individuals and communities across the lifespan.

Research Project Grants: Scientists at universities, colleges, medical and dental schools, hospitals, laboratories, and other public or private nonprofit and for-profit institutions. NRSA, career development awards and career transition awards: (1) Nonprofit domestic organizations may apply for institutional awards. (2) Individual candidates or applicants must arrange sponsorship by a public or nonprofit private institution having staff and facilities appropriate to the proposed research training program. (3) All NRSA, career development awardees, and NIDCR postdoctoral to faculty position awards must be citizens, or non-citizen nationals of the United States or have been admitted to the United States for permanent residence. (4) Extramural career transition postdoctoral to tenure track faculty or equivalent position and the R90 component of T90/R90 grants support non-citizen dentists. (4) To be eligible, postdoctoral NRSA, intramural to extramural career transition awardees, and career development awardees must have a professional or scientific degree (M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., Sc.D., D.Eng., or equivalent domestic or foreign degree). Institutional applicants must be able to provide the staff and facilities suitable for the proposed research education or research training. SBIR and STTR grants: Can be awarded only to domestic small business concerns that meet the following criteria: 1) Is organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States, which operates primarily within the United States or which makes a significant contribution to the United States economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; 2) Is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except where the form is a joint venture, there must be less than 50 percent participation by foreign business entities in the joint venture; 3) Be a concern which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by one or more individuals (who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), other business concerns (each of which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), or any combination of these; no single venture capital operating company, hedge fund, or private equity firm may own more than 50% of the concern, 4) Has, including its affiliates, not more than 500 employees, and 5) meets the other regulatory requirements found in 13 C.F.R. Part 121. For STTR awards, the small business must "partner" with a research institution in a cooperative research and development project. In both Phase I and Phase II for both SBIR and STTR, the research must be performed in the U.S. and its possessions. To be eligible for funding, all grant applications must be evaluated for scientific merit and program relevance by a scientific peer review group and the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council

Health professionals, graduate students, undergraduate students, health professional students, scientists, researchers, and any nonprofit or for-profit organization, company or institution engaged in biomedical research.

Research Project Grants and Cooperative Agreements: provide funds for salaries, equipment, supplies, travel, and other expenses associated with scientific investigation in the dental, oral and craniofacial health sciences. They are awarded to universities, colleges, medical and dental schools, hospitals, and other nonprofit and for-profit institutions. Awards include investigator-initiated project grants, exploratory and developmental grants, small grants, center grants, conference grants, and career development awards. Individual and institutional dual degree (DDS or DMD and PhD) awards provide support for research training and career development in basic, clinical and translational science. National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) provide support for research training in specified biomedical areas, and can be made to institutions to enable them to accept individuals for research training. Postdoctoral scientists who receive NRSAs may be obligated upon termination of the award to comply with service and payback provisions. SBIR Phase I grants (duration of approximately 6 months) provide support to establish the technical merit and feasibility of a proposed research effort that may lead to a commercial product or process. Phase II grants support the continuation of the research initiated in Phase I to further develop the commercial products or process initiated in Phase I. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to receive Phase II support. STTR Phase I grants (duration of typically 1 year) support cooperative efforts between small businesses and research institutes to determine the scientific and technical merit, and commercial feasibility of a product or process with potential for commercial application. Phase II funding is based on the results of the research initiated in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit, and commercial potential of the Phase II application.

As per requirements and restrictions described in NOFO.

Research Project Grants: Approval of a project includes a determination of support for the authorized project period (generally not to exceed 5 years). Awards to support the project are made on an annual basis. At the time of initial award, the grant provides funds for the conduct of the project during the first budget period (usually 12 months) and the Notice of Grant Award indicates the support recommended and expected to be made available for the remainder of the project beyond the approved project period, an application for renewal must be submitted in accordance with the deadline dates and instructions attached to the form. SBIR Phase I awards are generally for 6 months; Phase II awards normally are for 2 years. STTR Phase I awards are generally for 1 year; Phase II awards are for 2 years.

Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

The primary criteria for evaluating grant applications include assessment of: (1) the scientific merit, significance and overall impact of the proposed study and its objectives; (2) the competency of the proposed investigator(s) to successfully pursue the project; (3) the innovation and novelty of the concepts, approaches, or methodologies; (4) the technical adequacy of the experimental design and approach; (5) the adequacy of the available proposed facilities and resources; (6) the necessity of the budget components requested in relation to the proposed project; and (7) the relevance and importance to the posted institute program objectives. Also evaluated, where applicable, but not scored are: (1) protections for human subjects; (2) inclusion of women, minorities, and children; (3) vertebrate animal welfare; and (4) adequate protection of research personnel and/or the environment, biosafety, biocontainment and the security of select agents; (5) resource sharing plans; (6) authentication of key biological and/or chemical resources, (7) budget and period of support. In addition, the following criteria will be used in considering the scientific and technical merit of SBIR/STTR Phase I grant applications: the potential of the proposed research for commercial application. Phase II grant applications will reviewed based upon the following criteria: (1) The degree to which the Phase I objectives were met and feasibility demonstrated; (2) the scientific and technical merit of the proposed approach for achieving the Phase II objectives; (3) the technological innovation, originality, or societal importance of the proposed research; and (4) the potential of the proposed research for commercial application. NRSA individual fellowship applications will be evaluated for: (1) overall impact/merit; (2) suitability of the applicant; (3) qualifications of the sponsor(s)/collaborator(s); (4) scientific merit of the research training plan; (5) training potential; and (6) institutional environment and commitment to training. NRSA institutional training grants are assessed for: (1) overall impact; (2) merit of the training program and institutional environment; (3) the experience and success of the training program directors, PIs, and mentors; (4) the trainee recruitment plan and selection; and (5) the training record of the program and/or institution. Career Development and Career Transition applications will be evaluated for: (1) overall impact; (2) qualifications of the candidate; (3) the career plan and career goals/objectives of the candidate; (4) scientific merit of the research plan. (5) qualifications of the mentor(s), consultant(s) and collaborator(s); and (5) institutional environment and commitment to career development.

All accepted grant applications competing for research project grants, career development awards, and NSRA awards are reviewed by two advisory groups. Primary review is conducted by an initial review group composed of extramural peer scientists, and secondary review by the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council (NADCRC). Secondary review of NRSA fellowship applications is conducted by NIDCR staff rather than by the NADCRC. All accepted SBIR/STTR applications are evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate initial review group and by the NADCRC. All applications receiving a priority score compete for available SBIR/STTR set-aside funds on the basis of scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the proposed research, program relevance, and program balance among the areas of research.

Research Project Grants, SBIR/STTR, and NSRA: From 6 to 9 months.

Grants: Applications for approval beyond the approved project period must be submitted at least 6 to 9 months in advance of the termination date. NRSA: Institutional Awards may be made up to 5 years. No individual may receive NIH/NRSA support at the postdoctoral level for more than 3 years, and total support of more than 6 years, unless a specific waiver is requested and approved.

A Principal Investigator (PI) may question the technical or procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating with the program staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH home page: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/peer_review_process.htm#Appeals and in the Notice: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-11-064.html.