Region 4 Professional Development Awards Year 5 Funded Extension Period (2026 -2027)

NOTICES:

1. Human Subject Research Restrictions: This award is NOT approved for performance of human subjects research. Human subjects research means any assessment and evaluation activities that meets the definition of research (a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge [45 CFR 46.102(l)]. More information can be found at the Basic HHS Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects §46.104(d). 
2. NIH Acknowledgment: Each publication, press release, or other document about research supported by an NIH award must include an acknowledgment of NIH award support and a disclaimer such as “Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Library Of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UG4LM013732. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.” Prior to issuing a press release concerning the outcome of this research, please notify the NIH awarding IC in advance to allow for coordination.
3. Institution Tax ID & Unique ID: Professional Development Awards reimbursement requests are generally paid to an individual so Tax or Unique Entity IDs may not be required. In the case where a member institution is being reimbursed, please provide the following information with your application.
   1. Tax ID: In cases where an applicant's institution is being reimburse, a 9-digit tax identification number must be provided. 
   2. Unique Entity ID: In cases where an applicant's institution is being reimburse, applicants must confirm their organization’s Unique Entity ID (UEI) with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). If your organization does not have a UEI, register for one as soon as possible. 
4. Public Information: Funded projects are displayed on the publicly accessible NNLM website and are often provided to NLM in responses to data requests from NIH, HHS, OMB, Congress, and the White House. 
5. Speaker Fees: Professional development awards used for speaker fees: There are additional requirements for speaker using public funds. See below section "Important Speaker Requirements".

Funding Summary

Period of Performance: July 15, 2026 - February 28, 2027 (Applications can be sent now. Applications will be reviewed starting July 1, 2026)
Amount: Up to $2,500
Number of Awards Available: 10
Application Deadline: Applications accepted and awarded on a rolling basis until the January 02, 2027, at 5:00 pm MT deadline or when the funds are depleted. 
Eligibility: These awards are intended for use by individuals affiliated with NNLM Region 4 member institutions

Important General Information & Requirements:

1. Awards are cost-reimbursable and:
   • May be issued to NNLM member institutions or individuals affiliated with a member institution within Region 4.
   • Check to see if your institution is a member.
   • In most cases, awardees are encouraged to have their expenses purchased directly by the University of Utah (airfare, registrations, etc.)
2. This award is administered through the University of Utah under a Cooperative Agreement with the National Library of Medicine Award Number UG4LM013732
3. Applicants are discouraged to budget to the maximum amount if the proposal cannot justify it. 
4. Professional development awards are intended to expand beyond the organizations you associate with as a normal part of your profession. For example: MLA and MLA Chapter meetings will not be considered for health science librarians. Other examples of conferences that will not be considered include: ALA, PLA, ARSL, etc.  There is a LIS student exemption to this consideration.
5. The NNLM Region 4 Administration Office provides all subaward agreement or a memorandum of agreement documents for ALL approved projects.
6. Applicants are NOT to begin their project until the University of Utah has completed and signed all necessary documentation.

Important Speaker Requirements:

1. Applications that include speaker fees over $1,000 MUST sufficiently justify the expense.
2. Speaker topics MUST be clearly and explicitly be tied to the purpose of the Professional Development Award and support the mission of the NNLM.
3. Speakers are expected to focus their presentations on helping people access and understand information and help build skills that will improve their ability to make their own decisions. Speakers MUST NOT tell people what is right or wrong, or what a person should or should not do.   
4. Speakers must not be perceived as making political statements. Presenting on controversial topics is allowable, but it MUST focus on information about that topic, such as, how to find it and help people know what to do with it themselves.
5. Please work with NNLM Region 4 staff if there are questions about the content of a presentation.

Pre-Award Support - We want to learn about your project or activity ideas!

You are strongly encouraged to informally discuss your project with john.bramble@utah.edu, NNLM Region 4 Executive Director. 

Of particular interest for the discussion will be:  

1. Learning objective(s),
2. Expenses,
3. Timeline,
4. Short and long term beneficiaries of new knowledge or skill.

Proposal Writing Support

1. Grant writing aids and tips are available in the NNLM Proposal Writing Toolkit
2. Evaluation design aids and tips are available at the National Evaluation Center. 
3. Funding FAQs

Purpose of the Professional Development Award

The purpose of the Professional Development Award is to 1) strengthen the professional knowledge and experience of individual(s) from NNLM network member institutions in health data or health information access related services, 2) empower libraries and other organizations to train staff in skills needed to deliver reliable health information, and 3) build professional capacity in support of specific Region 4 Core Aims, the NNLM mission, and the NLM 2017-2027 Strategic Plan. 

Professional development awards are intended to expand beyond the organizations you associate with as a normal part of your profession. For example: MLA and MLA Chapter meetings will not be considered for health science librarians. Other examples of conferences that will not be considered include: ALA, PLA, ARSL, etc.  There is a LIS student exemption to this consideration.

NOTE: If your application is for an online professional development activity costing $500 or less, please go directly to the Express Application instructions tab.

Potential Project Ideas

Professional development opportunities such as classes, conferences, or workshops for individuals or groups of individuals associated with NNLM institutional members in Region 4. Ideas include but are not limited to:

• Introduce students to the health sciences, trusted National Library of Medicine (NLM) resources, and develop their professional skills.
• Prepare individuals for a leadership position in a hospital or academic health sciences library.
• Host a reading club with learning outcomes focusing on health information access issues that can be used to improve library programming that are more impactful to your underrepresented communities.
• Costs associated with arranging for an expert speaker to give a talk, workshop, class, or lecture. 
  NOTICE: Applications that include speaker fees over $1000 MUST sufficiently justify the expense.
• Educational activities that relate to preparing professionals to better reach the broad range of communities they serve.
• Learning about data tools and services important to library patrons/users
• For those with existing data tools and services skills, learn to train other librarians in these skills. 

Focus & Impact

• Award Focus & Impact

  Applicants should describe how their PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT activity will improve their ability to provide improved health information access related library services to their communities. 

  Applicants are recommended to submit proposals that supports: 

  1. An INDIVIDUAL to attend a workshop, conference, or meeting (example topics - patient safety, biomedical, informatics, health information access, data services, etc.). 

     NOTE: Professional development awards are intended to expand beyond the organizations you associate with as a normal part of your profession. For example: MLA and MLA Chapter meetings will not be considered for health science librarians. Other examples of conferences that will not be considered include: ALA, PLA, ARSL, etc.  There is a LIS student exemption to this consideration.

  2. NETWORK MEMBER INSTITUTIONS host a CE event, workshop, or speaker (example expenses - speaker fees. reading club materials, funding licenses to online training services, hosting a virtual book club, etc.)
  3. STUDENTS currently enrolled in a library and information science, iSchool, or health occupations program (this funding is ideal for students interested in exploring health information as a career path or the role that information plays in improving the knowledge of health care providers).
  4. ONLINE CONFERENCES EXPRESS APPLICATION registration costs (under $500) for individuals interested in attending an online workshop, conference, or meeting that meets the purpose and alignment with NNLM and NLM mission and strategic plan.  APPLY USING "EXPRESS APPLICATION" TAB

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  Improve access to a broad range of communities

  Successful applications will demonstrate how community-based health organizations, public health organizations, and libraries can work together to address the broad range of health information needs of their communities.

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  NNLM Region 4 Core Aims

  Successful applicants will include how their professional development activities will support one or more of the following NNLM Region 4 Core Aims:

  • Construct a rich culture built on a foundation of programming designed to attract and engage a broad regional network.
  • Use community-driven approaches to increase access to health information.
  • Work through libraries and other members to support a highly trained workforce in biomedical, health information, and data science resources

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  Human Subjects Research Restrictions

  Successful applicants will attest that their project will not involve the performance of human subjects research. Human subjects research means any assessment and evaluation activities that meets the definition of research (a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge [45 CFR 46.102(l)]. More information can be found at the Basic HHS Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects §46.104(d). 

   

  Constructing Your Application

  NOTICE:

  ONLINE CONFERENCES EXPRESS APPLICATION registration costs (under $500) for individuals interested in attending an online workshop, conference, or meeting that meets the purpose and alignment with NNLM and NLM mission and strategic plan. To Apply go to the "Express Application" Tab

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  Application Format

  Applicants are required to use the following proposal outline and submit as a Microsoft Word Document. You may use this Application Template.

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  Submit your Application

  Please submit your application: reg4_funding@lists.utah.edu.

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  Application Summary

  • Program/Event Name: Provide the name of the event, program, or educational activity.
  • Program/Event Dates: Provide the appropriate dates.
  • Professional Development URL: URL for the exhibit, conference, or professional development you would like to attend or hold, if available.
  • Amount Requested: The amount specified should not exceed the limit established by the RML/Office. Contact your Region 4 Medical Library if you have questions about the funding amount. Enter the amount to the nearest whole dollar.
  • Proposed Professional Development Activity: Provide a short 1-2 paragraph description that summarizes the proposed learning objectives.
  • Significance/Objectives: Describe how the learning objectives will: 1) strengthen the professional knowledge and experience of the applicant in health data or health information access related services, 2) support the skills needed to deliver reliable health information, and 3) aligns with the specific Region 4 Core Aims, the NNLM mission, and/or the NLM 2017-2027 Strategic Plan.

  Express Applications 

  ONLINE CONFERENCES EXPRESS APPLICATION is designed to support the professional development needs of NNLM Region 4 members. Application may cover registration costs that are under $500, for individuals interested in attending online workshops, conferences, meetings, etc. Request for funds MUST demonstrate how it aligns with NNLM’s mission and NLM’s strategic plan. To Apply see the "Express Application" Tab.

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  Agreement to comply with required tasks

  Include in your application that you acknowledge and agree to:

  • You will share the information gained with colleagues in your institution/RML/Office as required by the Request for Proposal.
  • You will submit regular, interim, and final reports, as requested by the funding agency and stipulated in the Request for Proposal.
  • Any web-based resources developed for this project will ensure accessibility to the greatest possible number of people.
  • Additional documentation will need to be completed should your project be awarded. Please consult with john.bramble@utah.edu for details.

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  Member Information

  • Member Organization: 
    • Institution Name
    • Institution Address 
    • Phone Number
    • Applicant Full Name
    • Applicant Email
    • If the reimbursement is NOT reimbursing an individual, identify the institution that will receive the payment.
      • Primary Contact: If you are the primary contact, list your own name.
      • Institution Tax ID: Enter the 9-digit tax identification number for your institution. Check with your Region 4 Medical Library to see if this is a requirement. Professional Development Awards reimbursement requests paid to an individual are excluded.
      • Institution Unique Entity ID: Please confirm your organization’s Unique Entity ID (UEI) with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). If your organization does not have a UEI, register for one as soon as possible.. Check with your Region 4 Medical Library to see if this is a requirement. Professional Development Awards reimbursement requests paid to an individual are excluded.
  • Have you/your institution previously received NNLM funding in the past 5 years (yes, no, or unknown). If yes, what month and year did you apply for funding?
  • Qualifications: The applicant should include their current resume or CV.  

  Your Budget

  NOTE:

  1. Refer to the NIH Policy on Allowability of Costs/Activities for details on allowable expenses.  
  2. Applicants are required to limit their expenses based on the Schedule of Allowable Rates for University of Utah Travel. 

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  Professional Development Expense Categories

  Download Professional Development Application Template

  Your budget estimate should be categorized by the following, as they apply:   

  • Fees: Any fees associated with the educational activity/program or event. 
  • Travel: Estimates for travel. Include description and any quotes in the budget table and narrative justification attachments.  
  • Hotel: Costs associated with lodging. 
  • Per Diem: Costs associated with meals and incidental expenses. 
  • Other: Include description and any quotes in the attached budget or as other attachment. 
  • Other Funding if Applicable: Other funds that will be used to support the project should be specified. This includes matching funds, other grants, etc.      

  Reporting Requirements

  The following reporting requirements is mandatory for Professional Development Award recipients.

  Professional Development Award Report must be submitted before the 10th day of the month following the end of the activity.

  Awardees are responsible for sharing their professional development experience locally through a newsletter article, presentation, or a mutually agreed upon method with the Region 4 administration and include the outcome details in their final report. 

  Awardees are expected to author or coauthor a short post about their experience that will be published in the Region 4 News Blog. If you are able to take photos of your experience, please do! They go great in the news blog. Other writing guides include that make your post great are:
   

  • Why were you interested in this particular conference?
  • What skills or knowledge do you hope to gain by attending?
  • What were your favorite sessions and why?
  • How do you plan to implement the information you learned into your position once you’re finished?
  • Any noteworthy trends?
  • Anything else you’d like to share? 

  For Awards to Organizations (if applicable to Professional Development Award activities):

  Activity Reports:  

  Participant Activity Survey: NLM Required, awardees must provide participants with survey to collect data on activities supported by the award. Awardees must coordinate with their Region 4 to set this up prior (allow for at least two weeks lead time) to the activity taking place. This is only applicable for organizations, not individuals.

  Participant Activity Survey for Subawardees (PAS-SUB): NLM required data collection and reporting. Learn more about this reporting requirement. 

  For any questions about reporting, please contact john.bramble@utah.edu.

   

  NIH Requirements

  Human Subject Research Restrictions:

  This award is NOT approved for performance of human subjects research. Human subjects research means any assessment and evaluation activities that meets the definition of research (a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge [45 CFR 46.102(l)]. More information can be found at the Basic HHS Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects §46.104(d). 

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  NIH Acknowledgement

  Each publication, press release, or other document about research supported by an NIH award must include an acknowledgment of NIH award support and a disclaimer such as: 

  “Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Library Of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UG4LM013732. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.” 

  Prior to issuing a press release concerning the outcome of your professional development award, please notify the NNLM Region 4 Administration in advance to allow for coordination.

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  508 Compliance 

  Recipients of NNLM funding to create website content are required to comply with Section 508 requiring that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet as well as internet. The National Library of Medicine is a part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recipients of National Library of Medicine funding through the NNLM must meet all requirements under Section 508. Click here for additional information on 508 compliance.

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  NIH Public Access Policy

  Recipients of NNLM funding are required to deposit any peer-reviewed manuscript upon acceptance for publication in PubMed Central in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy.

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  Data Sharing and Development of Training Materials

  To facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and information associated with the NNLM Cooperative Agreement Award, all sub-awardees are required to share any data or training material resulting from funding. This information must be submitted to the following collection sites as applicable:

  • Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) website;
  • Other websites specifically designated by the NLM as part of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (considering changes in the project and data repositories required to maintain sharing within the Network).

  In addition, recipients of funding are expected to use or adapt existing training materials before developing new materials. Consult with your RML/Office and the NNLM Training Office (NTO) prior to developing materials.

   

  Scoring

  Professional Development Application Review

  Professional Development Applications are reviewed internally by NNLM Region 4 staff. 

  Review Criteria

  Applications are reviewed to ensure the proposal adequately describes meeting the Professional Development Award's:

  1. Purpose
  2. Focus and Impact 
  3. Budget requirement details, including expenses and timeline
  4. NNLM Region 4 membership requirement and contact information

   

  Express Application

  Instructions

  If your proposal is for an online professional development activity costing $500 or less, you may use a streamlined process to apply

  PRO TIP: Contact john.bramble@utah.edu if you would like to discuss your proposal idea.

  Prepare your proposal with the following information:

  • What are the primary learning objectives of the activity you hope to meet?

  PRO TIP: Find this on conference website.

  • How do you think the learning objectives will tie into improving access to health information? 

  PRO TIP: Describe activity’s connection to the provision of health information in about 40-50 words.

  • Who will benefit after the knowledge gained by attending the professional development experience? 

  PRO TIP: Describe how you and your key stakeholders will benefit in about 40-50 words.

  • When is the activity?
  • What is the registration cost being requested?
  • When is it due? 

  Understanding of Agreement

  1. Are You an employee or student of an NNLM Region 4 member institution?
  2. What is the name of your institution?
  3. Will you work with the NNLM Region 4 staff to register and pay the registration?
  4. Will you attend the event?
  5. Will you allow the NNLM Region 4 to promote your award?
  6. Will you report on your experience in the required NLM reporting system? 

  PRO TIP: Most of these are "yes" or "no" responses. If you respond with a "no" response, please explain why.

  Email the above to the Region 4 Medical Library by February 20, 2027 or earlier.  Awards are made on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.