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NIH Resources

About NIH

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the federal focal point for health research. NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

The NIH is made up of 27 different components known as Institutes and Centers. Each has its own specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems. All but three of these components receive their funding directly from Congress, and administrate their own budgets.

In addition to NIH investigator-initiated grants, the National Institutes of Health offers several grant mechanisms that may be of particular interest to biomedical and behavior scientists at FDU.

NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) (R15)

NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) (R15) grants support small-scale research projects at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation’s research scientists, but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. The goals of the program are to (1) support meritorious research, (2) expose students to research, and (3) strengthen the research environment of the institution. Awards provide limited Direct Costs, plus applicable F&A costs, for periods not to exceed 36 months.

NIH Research Education Program (R25)

The Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities that: (a) Complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (b) Enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce; (c) Help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; or (d) Foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

Career Development (K) Awards

Career Development (K) Awards provide support for senior postdoctoral fellows or faculty-level candidates. K awards are designed to promote the career development of specific groups of individuals based on their past training and career stage.

The objective of these programs is to bring candidates to the point where they are able to conduct their research independently and are competitive for major grant support. Current NIH policies require that, by the time of the award, applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen U.S. nationals, or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Please note that this requirement applies to all the mechanisms below, EXCEPT the K99/R00.

Career Development Instructions for NIH and Other PHS Agencies

Guidance Instructions developed and maintained by NIH for preparing and submitting applications

NRSA Training Grants/Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Training Awards

  • Institutional NRSA Training Grants (T32) enable institutions to recruit individuals selected by them for predoctoral and postdoctoral research training in specified shortage areas. The goal of this program is to prepare qualified predoctoral and/or postdoctoral trainees for careers that have a significant impact on the health-related research needs of the Nation.
  • Undergraduate NRSA Institutional Research Training Grants (T34) provides support undergraduate academic and research training to help ensure that a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles related to the Nation’s biomedical and behavioral research agenda.
  • NRSA Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (T35). The purpose of the Kirschstein-NRSA MARC U-STAR program is to support undergraduate academic and research training to help ensure that a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles related to the Nation’s biomedical and behavioral research agenda.

NIH Sample Applications and Summary Statements

Find NIH Sample Applications and Summary Statements, including NIH and NIAID sample forms, sharing plans, letters, emails and more.