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Home > Funding Opportunities
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Social Network Analysis and Health Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |
- The full text of the R01 announcement can be found here: PAR-10-145
- The full text of the R21 announcement can be found here: PAR-10-146
Question:
Can you please clarify what you mean by the following, found under “Research Objectives“ in the FOA? “It is important to note that research projects that focus exclusively on an identified node of interest (aka “ego”), and the ego’s relationships to other nodes is not appropriate for this FOA, because it does not involve the study of a network or web of social relationships. What is missing is the focus on many nodes and the interrelationships with one another. Therefore, if a study were to examine various nodes in relation to one another without the restriction to only those relationships that involve a particular node, then it would be considered social network research and would be appropriate for this FOA.“
show/hide Answer
It is important to note that this FOA excludes research that focuses exclusively on a single identified node of interest (aka “ego”), and the ego’s relationships to other nodes. Such an approach is excluded because it does not involve the study of a network or web of social relationships. What is missing is the focus on many nodes and the interrelationships with one another. Therefore, if a study were to examine various nodes in relation to one another without the restriction to only those relationships that involve a particular node, then it would be considered social network research and would be appropriate for this FOA.
To illustrate this point, consider the following example-pairs; each is a contrast between: (A) research which would not be considered appropriate for the purposes of this FOA, and (B) research that would be appropriate for this FOA:
Example 1:
(A) Research to understand who individuals turn to for social support – not appropriate for this FOA
(B) Research on how the cohesion of a friendship network affects the quantity and quality of social support its members receive – appropriate for this FOA
Example 2:
(A) Research on the relationship between an individual’s HIV risk and the number of lifetime and concurrent sexual partners; – not appropriate for this FOA
(B) Research on how various sexual network structures created by particular temporal patterns of partner number and concurrency affect the spread of HIV – appropriate for this FOA
Example 3:
(A) Research on how to enhance an agency’s collaboration with other agencies in the delivery of health services. – not appropriate for this FOA
(B) Research on whether the structure of ties among all agencies engaged in delivering health services within a community affects the effectiveness of collaboration between any set or grouping of these agencies. – appropriate for this FOA
Question:
What are the expectations of R21 and R01 applications? At what point is preliminary data required?
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The R21 funding mechanism encourages new, exploratory, and developmental research projects by providing support for the early stages of project development so it is ideal for pilot and feasibility studies. No preliminary data is generally required. The goal is to describe your proposal including time for establishing the partnership and developing the methods. R21 applicants are not expected to have fully accomplished their goals pre-award.
Conversely, the R01 funding mechanism is used to support discrete, specified, circumscribed research projects. Preliminary data is required as R01 proposals are expected to be more developed than R21 proposals; feasibility is expected to be proven in the R01 application.
See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_program.htm for more information on types of grants programs.
Question:
Is a letter of intent required?
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Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information in such a letter can be valuable in the formation of a review panel. For example, if an applicant's letter gives us enough information, we can enlist reviewers who have specific expertise in the applicant's scientific field. The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed on the announcement and to the contact and address listed in the announcement.
Question:
What do you mean by “basic research” in the announcement?
show/hide Answer
This FOA is not intended to solicit proposals on the development of intervention strategies that operate on social networks, but rather to strengthen basic science knowledge on which intervention strategies may later be based. Proposals that seek to develop or test interventions designed to disrupt, rearrange, create, or otherwise influence social networks in order to improve health are not considered basic research and are not appropriate under this FOA unless such interventions are designed to provide evidence on basic social network processes.
Basic research in the behavioral and social sciences addresses fundamental mechanisms and patterns of behavioral and social functioning relevant to human health and well being. Basic research may involve both human and animal studies and span the full range of scientific inquiry, from processes “under the skin” to mechanisms “outside the skin” that explain individual, group, community, and population-level patterns of collective behavior. Prospective investigators are encouraged to consult the NIH definition of basic behavioral and social sciences research (b-BSSR) provided at http://obssr.od.nih.gov/about_obssr/BSSR_CC/BSSR_definition/definition.aspx#bfr.
For purposes of this FOA, we include within our definition of b-BSSR both: (A) research on social networks that does not have health-related outcomes but does address fundamental mechanisms, tools, and/or theories that could potentially inform research on health and health behaviors; and (B) research on social networks theories, mechanisms, and tools in the context of health-related outcomes.
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