Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: May 7, 2025 (AIDS) | May 25, 2025 (New/Renewal/Resubmission) | September 7, 2025 (AIDS) | September 25, 2025 (New/Renewal/Resubmission) | January 7, 2026 (AIDS) | January 25, 2026 (New/Renewal/Resubmission) | Full schedule through May 2028
Funding Amounts: No budget cap; awards typically cover stipends, tuition, fees, and training expenses for short-term (8–12 week) research training; project period up to 5 years.
Summary: Supports short-term institutional research training for predoctoral students in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research to prepare them for research careers.
Key Information: Applicants must consult IC-specific requirements and contacts; only U.S. institutions are eligible; trainees cannot lead independent clinical trials.
Description
This NIH funding opportunity supports short-term (8–12 week) institutional research training programs for predoctoral students interested in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research careers. The program is designed to provide intensive, mentored research experiences—often during the summer—for health professional students (e.g., medical, dental, veterinary) and graduate students in physical or quantitative sciences. The goal is to develop or enhance research training opportunities that expose trainees to the principles and conduct of biomedical research, encouraging them to pursue research-oriented careers.
The grant offsets costs for stipends, tuition, fees, and training-related expenses, and is intended to supplement, not duplicate, existing federally funded training programs at the applicant institution.
Due Dates
- Standard NIH due dates apply for this mechanism:
- AIDS-related applications: May 7, September 7, January 7 (annually)
- All other applications (New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision): January 25, May 25, September 25 (annually)
- Expiration date: May 8, 2028
- All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
- See full schedule and details
Funding Amount
- Budget: No specific budget cap; budgets must reflect actual needs.
- Project period: Up to 5 years; renewable.
- Allowable costs: Stipends, tuition, fees, health insurance, training-related expenses (e.g., supplies, travel), and 8% indirect costs (F&A).
- Stipend and expense levels: Set annually by NIH; see current NRSA levels.
Eligibility
Eligible Institutions
- U.S. domestic institutions only (foreign institutions and non-U.S. components are not eligible).
- Types of eligible organizations include:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
- State, local, and tribal governments
- For-profit organizations (other than small businesses)
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- U.S. territories and possessions
- Federally recognized and other tribal organizations
- Eligible federal agencies
Eligible Individuals (Trainees)
- Must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, or permanent residents.
- Must be predoctoral students:
- Health professional students (e.g., medical, dental, veterinary, PharmD)
- Graduate students in physical or quantitative sciences (e.g., physics, mathematics, engineering)
- Must be enrolled in good standing and have completed at least one quarter/semester in a qualifying program.
- Not eligible: Individuals already in a formal research degree program in the health sciences, or those holding a research doctorate, master’s, or combined health-professional/research doctorate (except PharmD candidates in pharmacy schools).
Additional Notes
- Trainees cannot lead independent clinical trials but may participate in trials led by mentors.
- Short-term training is not for activities that are part of a research degree program or for undergraduate-level training.
Application Process
- Consult IC-specific requirements: Not all NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) participate; applicants must review IC-specific information and contacts and are strongly encouraged to contact NIH staff before applying.
- Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via ASSIST, institutional S2S, or Grants.gov Workspace.
- Required registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov (can take 6+ weeks).
- Application guide: Follow the NIH Training (T) Application Guide and program-specific instructions in the NOFO.
- Review criteria: Scientific merit, training environment, program leadership, mentor qualifications, trainee recruitment and retention, and program evaluation.
Additional Information
- Limited submission: Institutions may submit more than one application if each is programmatically distinct.
- No cost sharing required.
- Renewal and resubmission allowed.
- Reporting: Annual progress reports (RPPR), trainee appointments via xTrain, and final reports required.
- Program evaluation: NIH will assess program outcomes, including trainee career progression and research productivity.
External Links
Contact Information
For additional contacts, see the full IC-specific list.