Notice Number: NOT-GM-19-024

Key Dates

Issued by

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to inform the biomedical research community that NIGMS is planning to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to continue the Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) R25 program. IPERT supports creative and innovative research educational activities designed to complement and/or enhance the training of the biomedical research workforce.

The IPERT supports research education and career development activities not supported by other NIGMS training, workforce development, and diversity-enhancing grants.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The new announcement will incorporate minor changes to the program, such as: 1) direct costs will be capped at $500,000 per year; 2) the proposed activities must be relevant to the areas of biomedical research training supported by NIGMS; 3) the application must include a sustainability plan that describes how successful activities and elements will be continued beyond the duration of the award; and 4) an October application due date instead of the previous January due date.

The FOA is expected to be published in Summer 2019 with an expected first application due date in October 2019.

This FOA will utilize the R25 activity code. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

Each IPERT program must address the NIGMS goals of creating a highly-skilled and diverse biomedical research workforce. Proposed IPERT programs can be designed to support ancillary or complementary research career development for individuals ranging from the undergraduate to the faculty level; however, IPERT programs are not intended to be stand-alone training programs (e.g., project-based research internships such as a summer research program). Additionally, an IPERT award is not intended to support development of courses that are or would become part of the standard/required curriculum of an academic degree program or institution.

Participation in an IPERT program must be open to the biomedical research community and not restricted to potential participants from one program, department, institution or college/university system. In each case, while the balance of activities may vary, an IPERT application must effectively integrate three core elements:

• Short courses/workshops for skills development (e.g., activities to develop scientific research skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills, emerging technologies).
• Mentoring (e.g., activities to provide technical expertise, professional development, biomedical research career planning advice and insight to students, postdoctorates or early-career faculty).
• Outreach (e.g., activities including contemporary, research-based science/health education or dissemination of biomedical research findings to individuals from diverse backgrounds). Outreach could include support of travel to enable students and faculty to participate in conferences, symposia and workshops, provided that the other core activities are included as part of the program.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Funding TBD
Expected Number of Awards TBD
Estimated Award Ceiling $500,000 direct costs per year
Primary CFDA Numbers 93.859

Anticipated Eligible Organizations

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to: