Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: May 28, 2026 (New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision)
Funding Amounts: Up to $840,000 direct costs per year for up to 5 years per award; typically 8–10 awards funded annually.
Summary: Supports institutional programs to develop junior faculty as interdisciplinary researchers in women's health, including mentored research and clinical trial options.
Key Information: Limited submission: only eligible U.S. institutions may apply; foreign organizations are not eligible.
Description
This opportunity, offered by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) and participating NIH Institutes and Centers, funds institutional career development programs to support junior faculty—referred to as BIRCWH Scholars—who have recently completed clinical training or postdoctoral fellowships. The program is designed to foster interdisciplinary research careers in women's health, spanning basic, translational, behavioral, clinical, and health services research. Scholars may propose to lead independent clinical trials, conduct ancillary clinical trials, or gain experience in clinical trials led by others.
The BIRCWH initiative emphasizes:
- Interdisciplinary research integrating multiple scientific disciplines.
- Structured, mentored career development with interdisciplinary mentoring teams.
- Research relevant to women's health and, where appropriate, the use of both sexes to understand sex as a biological variable.
Programs must be distinct from other federally funded career development programs at the applicant institution and are expected to provide a robust environment for transitioning junior faculty to research independence.
Due Dates
- Next application deadline: May 28, 2026 (for new, renewal, resubmission, and revision applications)
- All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
- No letter of intent is required.
Funding Amount
- Maximum direct costs: $840,000 per year per award.
- Project period: Up to 5 years.
- Number of awards: 8–10 awards anticipated per year, subject to NIH appropriations.
- Scholar support: Up to $100,000 salary + fringe per Scholar annually, plus $25,000–$50,000 per Scholar for research and career development costs.
- Indirect costs: 8% of modified total direct costs.
Eligibility
Eligible Institutions
- U.S.-based higher education institutions (public or private)
- Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Federally recognized and other Native American tribal governments/organizations
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- U.S. territories and possessions
- For-profit organizations (other than small businesses)
- Small businesses
Note: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign components are not eligible.
Eligible Individuals (Scholars)
- Must have a clinical doctorate or Ph.D. (or equivalent)
- Must have completed all postdoctoral/clinical training required for a faculty appointment
- No more than 8 years of research or research training beyond their last doctoral degree
- Must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of appointment
- Must not have served as PD/PI on major NIH research or career development awards (e.g., R01, K-series, P50, P60, P20, P30, U54, or equivalent)
Program Directors/Principal Investigators
- Should be established investigators with administrative and scientific leadership experience relevant to the proposed program
Application Process
- Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
- Follow the NIH "How to Apply" Application Guide and the specific instructions in the funding announcement.
- Substitute "scholars" for "trainees" and "career development" for "training" in all application materials.
- Required registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov.
- Applications must include a comprehensive career development plan, interdisciplinary mentoring structure, and a plan for responsible conduct of research.
- Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year must contact a Scientific/Research Contact at least 6 weeks before submission.
Additional Information
- Programs must ensure protected time for scholars (minimum 75% effort, or 6 person-months for surgical specialties).
- Each Scholar must have at least two mentors from different disciplines.
- Programs are encouraged to recruit scholars from diverse backgrounds.
- Clinical trial participation is optional but allowed.
- Indirect costs are capped at 8%.
- Renewal and resubmission applications are permitted.
- Applications must be programmatically distinct if submitting more than one from the same institution.
External Links
Contact Information
For a full list of contacts, see the funding announcement Section VII.