Attachment2

2

Supporting Statement for the

Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

Appendices

National Institutes of Health

A Process Evaluation of the NIH Director’s

Pioneer Award (NDPA) Program

Attachment 2: Respondent Instructions

Prior to supplying respondent instructions, an email signed by the FIC officers and the evaluation team will be sent to all respondents. This letter will introduce the evaluation and will request that participants complete the surveys (the letter is included in Appendix 4). A few days after the introductory letter, Abt Associates will provide instructions for completing the web-based survey (see below).

1. Survey web site access

Welcome to the NDPA Candidate Survey. Please provide responses to the following questions to the best of your ability. You may choose not to answer specific questions and it will not affect your ability to submit the survey. After choosing a response, please click "next" to view the next set of questions. If you would like to go back and change a response, you can use the "back" button on the survey or the pulldown menu at the bottom of the page. Please do not use your browser's navigation buttons. If you would like to save and come back to the survey, click the "save" button at the bottom of any page. The survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete.

Please consult the NDPA website to review the Request for Applications (RFA), criteria, or processes:

NDPA Website

Please note that participation in this survey is entirely voluntary. Your decision to participate will have no effect on your current or future NIH funding status, and other risks for participation or non-participation are minimal.

Additionally, you may click on underlined words in the survey, which are hyperlinked to the appropriate document.

To begin the survey, scroll down and click "next." >>

2. Requested mailed survey

To increase response rates, individuals who are unable to fill out the survey on the web will be supplied with a hard copy (or email copy):

Date

Dear Prof. ____________,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the NDPA survey sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. As you requested, we are sending the survey to you by mail. Please note that your answers will be kept confidential and you will not be quoted by name in the report of the evaluation findings.

Please complete the enclosed questionnaire and return it in the postage-paid envelope. If you prefer, you may return the completed survey by fax to XX, at XX.

If you have any questions about the study, please call XX at XX. In the meantime, thank you in advance for you participation.

Sincerely,