Structured Institutional Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)
Council Date: May 24, 2022
Objective
The purpose of this initiative is to provide research active MSIs with grants to conduct comprehensive and structured institutional research capacity needs assessments and create action plans based on the results. The initiative’s long-term goal is to develop a cadre of MSIs who have completed comprehensive and structured institutional research capacity needs assessments and a strategic plan. Awards are intended to support research active MSIs in quantifying their institutional research capacity needs as well as their strengths. Download full concept paper.
Description of Initiative
This NIH-wide initiative will support research active MSIs in conducting rigorous needs assessments to evaluate their research capacity and to create action or strategic plans based on their outcomes. Because of the significant diversity in the types of MSIs, two separate categories will be created for this initiative.
The two proposed categories of research active MSIs are:
- Low Research Active (LRA): An undergraduate or graduate degree granting institution with less than $6 million in research project grants (RPGs) in NIH support per year in three of the last five years, and at least 25% of undergraduate students supported by Pell grants.
- High Research Active (HRA): A doctoral degree granting institution with less than $25 million in RPGs in NIH support per year in three of the last five years.
Both LRA and HRA MSIs must have a historic mission of supporting underrepresented groups in biomedical sciences.
Funding support will be used to conduct objective needs assessments, creating, using, and adapting existing instruments to measure research capacity at MSIs. Once the needs assessments are completed, in the second phase of this initiative, the institutions will develop action plans for short and long term goals, including metrics and methods for assessing progress.
Download the full research concept paper: Structured Institutional Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)
Page updated December 14, 2022
