Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools
This upcoming NIH grant will fund small-scale biomedical research projects at health professional and graduate schools with limited NIH funding, focusing on student involvement and minimal risk clinical trials.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (full application deadline, projected) | February 2026 (application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Typical NIH R15 awards; specific ceiling/floor not stated. Supports small-scale projects at eligible institutions.
Summary: Supports small-scale biomedical research projects at health professional and graduate schools with limited NIH funding, aiming to enhance research experiences for students and institutional research environments.
Key Information: This is a forecasted opportunity; applications are not yet being solicited.
Description
The Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools is an NIH initiative (R15 mechanism) designed to support investigator-initiated mechanistic and/or minimal risk clinical trials aligned with the missions of participating NIH institutes. The program specifically targets institutions that do not receive substantial NIH funding, aiming to provide biomedical research experiences for health professional, undergraduate, and graduate students, and to strengthen the research culture at these institutions. The focus is on small-scale research projects, including minimal risk clinical trials that do not require FDA oversight, are not intended to establish efficacy, and pose low risk of harm.
Participating NIH institutes include the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Eye Institute (NEI), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Notice: This is a forecasted opportunity. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is not yet published, and applications are not currently being accepted. This advance notice allows potential applicants to prepare collaborations and responsive projects.
