When you next apply through an NIAID notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), you might encounter a new application component called the Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP). NIH’s Brain Initiative introduced PEDPs in 2021, and their use is proliferating among NIH institutes, including NIAID.
When initially requiring PEDPs, the Brain Initiative encouraged the research community to broadly consider how diverse perspectives can advance research outcomes, in addition to bringing equity and inclusion to the science they inform.
When a NOFO requires a PEDP, any applications that do not include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn prior to peer review. Peer reviewers for NOFOs assess PEDPs as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation and will consider it as part of the scientific and technical merit of the proposed project.
The following is a partial list of NOFOs in which NIAID is participating that require a PEDP as part of the application: RFA-AI-23-015; RFA-23-032; PAR-23-116; PAR-23-117; PAR-23-289; and RFA-DA-24-063.
What Do I Need to Include in a PEDP?
Individuals from various types of backgrounds can contribute to a group of investigators with diverse perspectives, including geographic diversity, or transdisciplinary expertise. Further, the recruitment of diverse research participants and the inclusion of community perspectives ensures that research questions are informed by patient and family perspectives and that the benefits of research have wide applicability.
When required, applicants will append a document titled "Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives" as an “Other Attachment” and within it include a summary of strategies to advance the scientific and technical merit of the proposed project through expanded inclusivity.
Examples of structures that promote diverse perspectives include the following:
- Participation of investigators from diverse backgrounds, including groups historically underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce (see NOT-OD-20-031), such as underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, those with disabilities, those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and women.
- Engagement with different types of institutions and organizations (e.g., research intensive and research active, undergraduate-focused, minority-serving, community-based).
- Partnerships that may enhance geographic and regional diversity.
- Use of the project infrastructure (i.e., research and structure) to support career-enhancing research opportunities for diverse junior and early- and mid-career researchers.
- Training and mentoring opportunities encouraging participation of students, postdoctoral researchers, and co-investigators from diverse backgrounds.
- Transdisciplinary collaborations that require unique expertise or seek diverse perspectives to address research questions.
- Inclusion of community-based partners to ensure alignment of research goals and activities with community values.
Resources and Contact Information
For more information on PEDPs, refer to Frequently Asked Questions and Key Elements and Examples. If you have inquiries, contact the program official listed in the NOFO through which you are applying.