Atom | NICHD Research Education Programs (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Due Dates: May 25, 2025 (New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)

Funding Amounts: Up to $150,000 direct costs per year, for a maximum of 5 years

Summary: Supports creative educational programs focused on research skills development in areas relevant to NICHD; clinical trials are not allowed.

Key Information: Proposals must be distinct from existing federally funded training programs; informal mentoring and professional skills development are permitted only as part of research skills courses.

Description

This opportunity, offered by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), supports research education activities that enhance the training of the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce. The primary focus is on developing and delivering short-term educational programs that build research skills, such as advanced courses in specific disciplines, research methodologies, or hands-on research experiences. While the program does not support activities focused solely on mentoring or professional skills development, these elements are allowed when integrated into research skills courses.

Programs should be unique, address unmet needs, and provide clear value to participants. The target audience ranges from upper undergraduates to established investigators. All activities must be relevant to the NICHD mission, which includes research on human development, reproductive health, child and adolescent health, rehabilitation, disabilities, and population dynamics.

Due Dates

Next application deadline: May 25, 2025 (for new, renewal, resubmission, and revision applications)
Letter of Intent: 30 days prior to application due date (optional but encouraged)
Expiration date: May 26, 2025

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.

Funding Amount

Maximum direct costs: $150,000 per year
Project period: Up to 5 years
Indirect costs: 8% of modified total direct costs (excluding tuition, equipment, and certain consortium costs)
Number of awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications

Allowable costs include personnel, participant support (with justification), consultant costs, equipment, supplies, and travel. Full-time participant support (i.e., 40 hours/week for 12 months) is not allowed.

Eligibility

Eligible Organizations

Public and private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
State, local, county, city, and special district governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal governments (federally recognized and other)
Faith-based and community-based organizations
Regional organizations
U.S. territories and possessions
Eligible agencies of the federal government

Note: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed.

Eligible Individuals

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s))
PD/PI should be an established investigator in the relevant scientific area and capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership

Additional Notes

Institutions with existing NIH training grants (e.g., T32) may apply, but proposed activities must be distinct from those already federally supported.
Programs should primarily serve U.S. citizens and permanent residents unless strongly justified.

Application Process

Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
Required registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, and (if applicable) NCAGE for foreign organizations.
Application instructions: Follow the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the full FOA.
Letter of Intent: Not required, but recommended to help NIH plan the review.
Key attachments: Research Education Program Plan, Letters of Support, Budget Justification, and, if applicable, plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research.

Additional Information

Scope: Programs must focus on research skills development. Examples include advanced research techniques, computational analysis, gene editing, data management, and best practices for inclusion in research.
Not supported: Programs focused solely on mentoring, professional skills, curriculum development, or for-credit courses at a single institution; conferences/workshops suitable for R13/U13 mechanisms; or activities duplicating existing NIH training.
Evaluation: Applications must include a plan for evaluating program effectiveness and a dissemination plan for sharing materials and outcomes.
Review criteria: Significance, investigator(s), innovation, approach, and environment, as well as plans for responsible conduct of research.

External Links

Contact Information

Topic	Contact Person	Email	Phone
Scientific/Research Contact	Dennis A. Twombly, PhD	dtwombly@mail.nih.gov	301-451-3371
Scientific/Research Contact	Tiina K Urv (NCATS)	urvtiin@mail.nih.gov	301-402-7015
Peer Review Contact	Joanna Kubler-Kielb, PhD	kielbj@mail.nih.gov	301-435-6916
Financial/Grants Management	Margaret Young	margaret.young@nih.gov	301-642-4552
General Grants Info	NIH Grants Information	GrantsInfo@nih.gov	301-480-7075
Grants.gov Support	Grants.gov Customer Support	support@grants.gov	800-518-4726

For additional details, see Section VII. Agency Contacts in the FOA.