Research Enhancement Awards (R15)

Supports 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.

Purpose

  • Support meritorious research. 
  • Expose students to research. 
  • Strengthen the research environment of the institution. 

Overview

There are two R15 programs: 

  • Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions 
  • Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools

Proposed research must fall within the mission and interests of a participating NIH institute or center. See NIH R15 Research Areas Listed by NIH Institute for program research topics of particular interest.

R15 Webinar: What You Need to Know 

Check the June 15, 2023 Webinar Video, Transcript, and Slide Deck to learn about NIH R15 programs, gain insights into the application process, and watch a panel of NIH experts answer questions. You can also check the FAQ

R15 Eligibility Decision Tree

Thumbnail image of R15 decision tree

R15 Eligibility Decision Tree (Accessible PDF - 168 KB)

Award Data

Find data on R15 Competing Applications, Awards, Success Rates and Total Funding on the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) website. RePORT provides information about NIH research grants, including the number of funded new and competing awards, average award dollars, and characteristics of research project grants.

Organization Eligibility

To determine eligibility, organizations are encouraged to use the NIH RePORT website. Find guidance at Need Help Determining Organization Funding Levels for R15 Eligibility? 

Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions​ 

  • For the AREA R15 program: 
    • An academic component is any school/college that is not a Health Professional School or College
    • A qualifying academic component (i.e., school/college) within an organization (e.g. School of Arts and Sciences) has greater undergraduate student enrollment than graduate student enrollment. 
    • All types of Health Professional Schools and Colleges are not eligible to apply,
  • The application must be submitted by the eligible undergraduate-focused organization with a unique entity identifier (SAM-issued UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number. 
  • For organizations with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for each individual campus (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) only if separate UEIs and NIH IPF numbers are established for each campus. For organizations that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for all campuses, eligibility is determined for all campuses (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) combined. 
  • The applicant organization must be an accredited public or non-profit private school that grants baccalaureate degrees in biomedical sciences. 
  • At the time of application submission, all the non-health professional components of the organization together have not received support from the NIH totaling more than $6 million per year (in both direct and F&A/indirect costs) in 4 of the last 7 federal fiscal years. Note that all activity codes are included in this calculation except the following: C06, S10, and all activity codes starting with a G. 
  • A signed letter is required from the Provost or similar official with organization-wide responsibility verifying the eligibility of the applicant organization at the time of application submission. 

Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools 

  • The application must be submitted by the eligible health professional or graduate school with a unique entity identifier (SAM-issued UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number. 
  • For organizations with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for each individual campus (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) only if separate UEIs and NIH IPF numbers are established for each campus. For organizations that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for all campuses, eligibility is determined for all campuses (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) combined. 
  • The applicant organization must be an accredited public or non-profit private school that grants baccalaureate or advanced degrees in health professions or advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. 
  • At the time of application submission, all components of the applicant organization combined may not have received support from the NIH totaling more than $6 million per year (in both direct and F&A/indirect costs) in 4 of the last 7 federal fiscal years. Note that all activity codes are included in this calculation except the following: C06, S10, and all activity codes starting with a G. 
  • A signed letter is required from the Provost or similar official with organization-wide responsibility verifying the eligibility of the applicant organization at the time of application submission.

Carefully read the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity for opportunity-specific organization eligibility requirements.

Project Director/ Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Eligibility

  • The PD/PI must have a primary appointment at the R15-eligible organization.
  • Additionally, for:
    • AREA: Each PD/PI(s) must have a primary appointment at a non-health professional school or college within the applicant organization. If proposing multiple PD/PIs, each PD/PI must be at an AREA-eligible organization.
    • REAP: Each PD/PI(s) must have a primary appointment at a health professional or graduate school or college within the applicant organization. If proposing multiple PD/PIs, each PD/PI must be at a REAP-eligible organization.
  • The PD/PI may not be the PD/PI of an active NIH research grant at the time of a R15 award, though the PD/PI may be one of the Key Personnel for an active NIH grant held by another PD/PI.
    • Instrumentation awards (S10), conference grants (R13), and institutional training grants (T32) are examples of grants that are not considered research grants.
  • The PD/PI may not be awarded more than one R15 grant at a time.
  • Eligibility applies only to the PI and Multiple PIs, not to collaborators, consultants, or subawardees.

Carefully read the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity for opportunity-specific PD/PI eligibility requirements.

Award Information

  • Funding Instrument: Grant
  • Funding Category: Research and Development
  • Budget Mechanism Code: RP - Research Projects
  • Multi-year Funded: Yes

  • Project Period: Limited to 3 years
  • NIH's Modular Budget Policy applies:
    • Applicants submitting an application with direct costs of $250,000 or less (total for all years, excluding consortium Facilities and Administrative [F&A] costs) must use the Modular Budget.
    • Applicants submitting an application with direct costs of $250,001-$375,000 (total for all years, excluding consortium Facilities and Administrative [F&A] costs) must use the Research and Related (R&R) Budget form.
  • Awards can be renewed by competing for an additional project period.

Application and Submission Information

After identifying a funding opportunity, follow guidance in the How to Apply – Application Guide including any Research (R) instruction call-outs, except where instructed to do otherwise in the funding opportunity or related notices.

Research Enhancement Awards (R15)
Active Funding Opportunities
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Due Dates

The Key Dates section of funding opportunities lists specific due dates. Many opportunities indicate Standard Due Dates apply.

Standard Application Due Dates (when applicable) Review and Award Cycles
New Renewal, Resubmission,
Revision as Allowed
AIDS and AIDS Related
Grant Applications
Scientific Merit Review Advisory Council
Review
Earliest Start Date

Participating Funding Organizations

Each funding opportunity specifies the participating organizations. Applications must fit within the mission of at least one participating funding organization and meet all opportunity-specific requirements.

The following funding organizations participate on at least one active funding opportunity.

  • Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
  • National Eye Institute (NEI)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  • National Library of Medicine (NLM)
  • Tribal Health Research Office (THRO)

FAQs


This page last updated on: December 4, 2024
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