Re: NRSA stipend supplements Kong, Mary 10 Jun 2008 10:49 EST

It is unallowable to supplement from other NIH research grants.  You can
supplement from non-federal sources.

The maximum 2007 NRSA pre-doctoral stipend level is $20,772.
The maximum 2007 NRSA post-doc "0" base stipend level is $36,996.

From NIH:
GRADUATE STUDENT COMPENSATION
Release Date:  December 10, 2001
NOTICE:  NOT-OD-02-017
National Institutes of Health

INTRODUCTION

This notice establishes a new policy related to the level of

compensation for graduate students supported by funds from National

Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants and cooperative agreements.

This notice supersedes the notice that appeared in the NIH guide for

Grants and Contracts on December 2, 1998

(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-168.html).

Under this new policy, the maximum amount awarded by the NIH for the

support of a graduate student supported on a research grant or a

cooperative agreement is tied to the zero level National Research

Service Award (NRSA) stipend in effect at the time the grant award is

issued.  The schedule for NRSA stipends can be found at

http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm.  Consistent with cost

principles for educational institutions described in Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21 at section J.41.b

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a021/a021.html), the

compensation of graduate students supported by research grants must be

reasonable.  These operating principles associated with the

compensation of students performing necessary work on NIH funded

research projects are described in detail in the NIH Grants Policy

Statement at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2001/part_iia_4.htm.

As before, the amount provided for compensation includes salary or
wages,

fringe benefits, and tuition remission. (Does not include direct cost of
tuition and fees.)

These guidelines apply to graduate students at the grantee institution

who are supported by NIH research grants and cooperative agreements and

not to individuals supported by NRSA training grants and fellowships.

NIH has separate appropriations to support research training under the

NRSA authorization at Section 487 of the Public Health Service Act.

The stipends provided to recipients of NRSA support offset the cost-of-

living during the period of training and are not considered equivalent

to salaries or other forms of compensation provided to individuals

supported on research grants.  Nevertheless, the entry-level

postdoctoral NRSA stipend provides a useful benchmark for an award

amount that approximates a reasonable rate of compensation for graduate

students.  Anticipated escalations in NRSA stipends (see

http://grants.nih.gov/training/nas_report/NIHResponse.htm) in future

years should permit annual increases in the maximum award amount for

such individuals.

BACKGROUND

In 1994, the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General

reported that three of the four universities reviewed where using

Federal research grant funds to compensate graduate students at rates

above amounts paid to first-year postdoctoral employees performing

comparable work (http://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region1/19404002.pdf).

Since postdoctoral employees were considered to have more experience

and training than comparable graduate students in this study, the

excess compensation for students was considered unreasonable.  With

encouragement from the OMB, the NIH developed guidelines to establish

the maximum award for graduate student compensation in 1995

(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not95-141.html).  The

maximum award amount was modified in 1996 and again in 1998.  This

document ties the amount awarded for graduate compensation to an NRSA

stipend amount that is likely to be adjusted for increases in the cost-

of-living in future years.

OPERATING GUIDELINES

For all new and competing grant and cooperative agreement awards, the

NIH will provide reasonable amounts for graduate compensation,

consistent with the requested budget for the position(s) and up to the

currently effective NRSA zero postdoctoral stipend level.  For example,

in FY2002 until a NIH budget is finalized, any competing awards issued

will use the FY2001 level of $28,260.  Once FY2002 stipend levels are

established, awards will be issued using the new (yet-to-be-determined)

higher level.  As in the past, no adjustments will be made to

noncompeting total cost award levels or future year commitments.  NIH

staff will review the compensation requested for graduate students on

competing and cooperative agreement applications for which a detailed

budget is submitted.  NIH will not request nor accept budgets for those

applications using a modular budget format solely for the purpose of

reviewing graduate student compensation.

Grantees are reminded that when submitting detailed budgets that

request support for a graduate student, actual institutional-based

compensation should be requested and information justifying the

requested compensation level should be provided.  If not provided, this

information will be obtained from the institution's business office for

any request that appears excessive.  NIH institutes and centers will

review the requested compensation level and, if considered reasonable,

will award the actual amount requested, up to a maximum equal to the

NRSA zero level postdoctoral stipend.  Revised budgets submitted solely

to adjust requested levels for graduate students will not be accepted.

Institutions may continue to rebudget funds to charge more than the

awarded amount provided that OMB cost principles requiring reasonable

compensation are observed.  In general, graduate student compensation

will not be considered reasonable if in excess of the amount paid to a

first-year postdoctoral scientist at the same institution performing

comparable work.

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Department of Health
and Human Services

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20892

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On
Behalf Of Rich Chiriatti
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 10:35 AM
To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org
Subject: [RESADM-L] NRSA stipend supplements

Do any of your Institutions supplement NRSA (F32) stipends with funds
from other NIH grants (R01, P01, etc.)?   If so, under what
circumstances do you reason it is allowable?

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