ECRIP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - 2021

1. What is the deadline for ECRIP abstracts? Can follow-up information be provided to the Department of Health (DOH) after the due date?

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 4:00 p.m. on Monday Nov. 1st, 2021. No supplemental information may be submitted after the due date. Abstracts and related attachments will be reviewed solely based upon the information submitted by the teaching hospital.

Please note that teaching hospitals may have their own internal vetting processes that must be completed prior to the actual submission date. Each teaching hospital should advise its researchers to consult with its ECRIP principal contact for any internal deadlines and requirements.

2. When will awards be announced, when can projects begin and when can ECRIP fellows be hired and begin to train in the project?

Awards are expected to be announced in March 2022 and ECRIP principal contacts listed on all abstracts submitted will be contacted at the same time. Projects shall begin after awards are made and no later September 1st 2022. Once a start-up report is approved by DOH, ECRIP fellows may be hired and begin their training in the project.

3. May a teaching hospital submit more than one abstract?

A teaching hospital may submit either: (1) an abstract for a primary project without submitting an abstract for a secondary project; or (2) an abstract for a primary project and an abstract for a secondary project.

A secondary project will only be supported if: (1) both the primary and secondary projects meet all program requirements; and (2) at least $400,000 is available to that hospital, which depends on the number of other qualifying projects. A teaching hospital may wish to submit a secondary project if it believes that it will not be able to support more than four research fellows under one theme in the institution. Each fellow will require: (a) direct supervision from a qualified sponsor/mentor throughout the two years of the project; (b) direct and indirect support within the department/institution to conduct and report on the research; and (c) support to complete formalized training in clinical research.

If a secondary abstract is submitted, both the primary and secondary projects must meet all program requirements. If the primary project does not meet the program requirements, neither project will be funded. However, if the secondary project does not meet the program requirements but the primary project meets the program requirements, the primary project would qualify for the full award.

4. Can an individual physician submit an abstract directly to DOH?

Yes, but only if that individual physician is authorized to submit an abstract on behalf of the teaching hospital. Please check with the hospital's ECRIP principal contact, hospital CEO/Administrator, Designated Institutional Official (DIO) or medical director. All abstracts submitted must be endorsed by an "officer of the institution" whose identity must be shared by the ECRIP principal contact with researchers at the institution.

5. What submissions should accompany abstracts?

Biographical sketches (biosketches) must be submitted with abstracts.

The abstract or abstracts also must be accompanied by a letter from the teaching hospital demonstrating its commitment of $100,000 per year to the project. The letter must identify the source of these matching funds, as noted in the Abstract Outline.

Aside from the biosketches and the above-referenced letter demonstrating a teaching hospital's commitment to funding a project(s), no documentation, including letters of support, will be accepted.

6. Can the teaching hospital request a specific amount of funding for a project?

Teaching hospitals cannot request specific amounts of funding for a project(s). For projects that meet program requirements, funding amounts will be determined by DOH depending on the number of other qualifying projects.

Budgets will be submitted by all awardees and reviewed by DOH as part of the start-up process after awards are made.

7. Can an abstract include tables and charts?

Yes, but all information will be included in the word limits.

8. Must the research fellow have attended medical school or a GME program in New York State?

A research fellow must:

  1. (a) be enrolled or has completed a graduate medical education program;
  2. (b) be a United States or Canadian citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States or Canada; and
  3. (c) be a graduate of a medical, dental or podiatric school located in New York State, a graduate or resident in a graduate medical education program, where the sponsoring institution is located in New York State, or reside in New York State at the time the clinical research plan is submitted to the commissioner which is November 1st 2021.

9. What other important program provisions should I be aware of?

The important program provisions include: (1) other federal research grants and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) grants count as qualifying grants, in addition to grants from the National Institutes of Health; (2) the time period for qualifying grants is within the past two years; (3) the provision that fellows to be funded under the proposed project may not have been previously funded by the teaching hospital within the past three years was eliminated; (4) DOH needs to approve any changes in fellowship positions; and (5) Individual awards are eliminated.

10. Are junior faculty members eligible to be the research fellows?

Yes, provided they meet the program requirements. See the document "ECRIP clinical research position requirements – 2021" on this website for details.