Frequently Asked Questions for the Fogarty HIV Research Training Program

What countries are eligible for support for training under the Fogarty HIV Research Training program?

FIC restricts grant support to research or training for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). LMICs are defined by the World Bank classification system (according to Gross National Income (GNI) per capita as low-income, lower-middle-income, and upper-middle-income.

Additional country restrictions are placed for research training under D71 and D43 mechanisms. See Country Eligibility for Fogarty International Training Grants for additional information.

Who can submit an application to the FOAs under the program?

Infrastructure Development Training Programs for Critical HIV Research at Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (G11)  (PAR 22-153)

An application can be submitted by a foreign institution in any low- or middle-income country (LMIC) or by a domestic (U.S.) institution that demonstrates collaboration with an institution in an LMIC.

Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D43)  (PAR 22-151)

An application can be submitted by a foreign institution in an eligible low- or middle-income country (LMIC) or by a domestic (U.S.) institution that demonstrates collaboration with an LMIC institution. LMIC institutions are no longer required to have had a D71 award before submitting an application to the D43 FOA.

Planning Grant for Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low- and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D71) (PAR 22-152)

An application can only be submitted by a foreign institution in an eligible low- or middle-income country (LMIC). U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply for a D71 planning grant.

How can non-U.S. high-income country or non-eligible LMIC institutions be involved in applications to the program?

Other high-income countries (HICs) may be named as partners and serve as training sites in applications submitted to any of the three FOAs. However, HIC institutions may not serve as degree granting institutions.

Non-eligible LMIC institutions may be named as partners and serve as training sites in applications submitted to the D71 or the D43 FOAs.

Can a U.S. or LMIC institution submit more than one application or have more than one award under the program? Can an LMIC institution be supported for training by more than one award under the program?

An U.S. or LMIC institution may submit more than one application and be the recipient of more than one award as long as the applications and /or awards are unique. An LMIC institution may be the beneficiary of more than one award as long as the training being provided is not duplicative. Applicants can view current Fogarty HIV Research training awards with links to award data in NIH's RePORTER system. Applicants are expected to work with their partners to design training programs so that overlap and duplication of training is avoided.

Does an application from an LMIC institution require a U.S institutional partner or collaborator?

LMIC applicants are not required to have collaboration with a U.S. institution.

Are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in LMICs eligible to apply?

The Fogarty HIV Research Training Program is designed to support research capacity building for indigenous academic and research institutions. These institutions would be expected to have LMIC leadership and to have stable financial and research infrastructure so that research capacity investments would be sustained for the foreseeable future. An NGO that can demonstrate that it meets these criteria would be eligible to be considered an LMIC institution for these FOAs.

Will CDC/GAP, USAID, or PEPFAR in-country offices be considered eligible for support as LMIC institutions?

No. CDC/GAP, USAID, and PEPFAR in-country offices do not meet the definition of LMIC institutions.

Are professional research management associations eligible to apply to the G11 FOA, Infrastructure Development Training Programs for Critical HIV Research at Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions?

No. The program is designed to strengthen capacity at an individual LMIC institution and therefore associations of LMIC institutions, such as research management associations, are not eligible to apply.

What constitutes "relevant HIV research collaborations"?

Evidence of relevant HIV research collaborations include an active or very recent research grant related to the proposed scientific focus, awarded to either the applicant institution or the partner institution(s) with the applicant or partner as sub-awardee or a recent publication in the topic with co-authors from the institutions involved.

As one of the Scored Review criterion, the reviewers will review the history of research collaborations and evaluate its ability to serve as a strong platform for the proposed five-year research or three-year research infrastructure development training program.

Applicants with only a history of a collaborative workshop or clinical or programmatic activities need to provide strong evidence that their past collaboration could serve as a strong platform for the proposed research or research infrastructure training.

May an institution submit multiple applications with different Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs)?

Institutions may submit multiple applications with different PDs/PIs as long as each application pertains to a unique topic or question. PDs/PIs should meet the eligibility requirements listed in Section III: Eligibility Information of each announcement and have the expertise and experience in the scientific area or infrastructure function for the proposed training in each application.

The PI/PD for a D71 planning grant award would be expected to be the PI/PD on the resulting application for the research training award (D43) or be a Multiple PI.

Can multiple applications be submitted with the same PD/PI?

Yes, as long as each application pertains to a unique topic or question.

Is the PD/PI for the application to the FOA, Infrastructure Training Programs for Critical Research for LMIC Institutions (G11) PAR-22-153, required to be a scientist?

No. The PD/PI for the G11 application is not required to be a scientist. Although the PD/PI on the G11 may be a scientist, the FOA calls for the PD/PI to be an "established expert in the research infrastructure function in which the application is targeted." The expertise of the proposed PD/PI is included in the Scored Review Criteria and will be evaluated by the reviewers on a case-by-case basis for appropriateness.

How broad or narrow should the focus of the proposed training be?

The proposed training should fill a gap identified at the LMIC institution or LMIC sites in the HIV research network and result in demonstrable increased capacity in the selected scientific area or infrastructure function after the funding period. The proposed training plans will vary in breadth and depth based on the existing level of capacity at the LMIC institution or site, and the proposed training should fill the gap in the three- or five-year funding period.

Does lab training fall under the FOA for research infrastructure (G11)?

No. Lab capacity, biostatistics for research design and data analysis, and training for clinical research team members to support clinical research and clinical trials are all included in the Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D43) (PAR 22-151).

Once an application is funded may a topic be added mid-project period? May a site in a new country be added mid-project period?

No. Once an application is funded, additional scientific topics may not be added. This program is designed to support one topic per grant in one LMIC institution. As new scientific topics and/or LMIC Institutions emerge, a separate application may be submitted under the FOAs.

Will the main measure of success in the new program be the number of degrees awarded?

The HIV research training program will focus more on increased research capacity at the LMIC institution(s). Per the FOAs, applicants will be responsible for defining the measures that can be used to demonstrate the increased research capacity. While master and doctoral degrees reflect in-depth research training investments, the proposed training should fill the needs and gaps at the LMIC institution to achieve the increased level of research capacity that can be sustained over time. It is expected that support for masters and doctoral degrees would be included in some applications.

If one institution is applying for multiple grants, how are shared administrative costs demonstrated?

The budget request for administrative cost should be appropriate for the research training program proposed. If an institution receives multiple awards, the budgets will be reviewed and compared to ensure cooperation and lack of overlap.

Are there set percentages of the budget that must be allocated to certain costs, such as U.S. and LMIC costs, or trainee and faculty/ administrative costs?

No. Certain percentages are not required explicitly in the announcement. Budgets will be judged on an application-by-application basis and should reflect the priorities of the proposed training plan.