Investigator-Initiated Research on Genetic Counseling Processes and Practices FOAs

Funding Opportunity Announcements (RFA-HG-20-048 and RFA-HG-20-049)

1. Can a genetic counselor consultant fulfill the need to have a person with genetic counseling experience on the team?
   
   No, a person or persons with genetic counseling experience need(s) to be an integral part of the research team including being involved in research design, implementation, and analyses, not just providing advice and guidance.
    
2. Can I apply to both the R01 and the R21 RFAs?  
   
   Yes, but please note that while applications will be funded based on impact score, programmatic concerns will also be taken into consideration. Such concerns include having a diversity of investigators involved in the research program.
    
3. Should I communicate with the program contact before applying?
   
   Yes, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the listed program officers prior to submission in order to allow feedback on the responsivity of the proposed research. However, prospective applicants are not required to contact the program official and/or submit a letter of intent.
    
4. Can the proposed research be centered within a specialty genetics clinic?
   
   Yes, the FOAs are seeking applications that enhance genetic counseling strategies in genomic medicine which involves including genetic information about an individual as part of their clinical care. This is in contrast to strategies to improve genetic counseling within specialty genetic clinics that diagnose and treat individuals with diseases that have a genetic mechanism. Research within specialty genetics clinics may be proposed as long as it is broadly applicable to genomic medicine as a field (see related question #6).
    
5. If submitting to the R21 Funding Opportunity Announcement, can budgets be $200,000 direct costs in each year for 3 years?
   
   No, budget requests can be up to $200,000 direct costs in any given year but cannot exceed $400,000 direct costs for the entire study.
    
6. What does the RFA requirement that project findings be broadly applicable to genomic medicine as a field and/or yield generalizable findings mean?
   
   It is important that applicants describe how the project findings can be applicable across different genomic medicine disciplines and not only specific to given disease or discipline. Projects proposing to apply a genetic counseling strategy(ies) to a specific disease/discipline should demonstrate how the strategy(ies) and/or finding(s) is broadly applicable to genomic medicine.
    
7. Can a master’s level genetic counselor serve as the PI for these FOAs?
   
   Yes—any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her institution 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. Principal investigators should have appropriate experience and training to lead the project. For these FOAs, investigator(s) with substantial experience in genetic counseling including identifying and overcoming challenges in the genetic counseling process should be an integral part of the project.
    
8. Will these FOAs support training of genetic counselors?
   
   No, RFA-HG-20-048 and RFA-HG-20-049 are focused specifically on research strategies and do not support training of genetic counselors. Please refer to the NHGRI Funding for Research Training webpage for training funding opportunities.
    
9. How many applications do you intend to fund?
   
   NHGRI anticipates funding 5-7 R01 and R21 awards across two receipt dates (balance will depend on number of fundable applications in each receipt date and available funding) and NCI will fund up to 1 R01 award.  NHGRI is interested in applications that are broadly applicable to genomic medicine as a field; projects studying a specific disease or disease area should demonstrate how the strategy(ies) and/or finding(s) is broadly applicable to genomic medicine.  NCI is interested in cancer focused applications addressing the interest areas as specified in the RFA.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the listed program officers prior to submission in order to allow feedback on the responsivity of the proposed research.