National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Research and Capacity Building

NIGMS prioritizes supplements that support:

• Acquisition of a single unit of equipment for the benefit of the project's research plan.
  • For RPGs, the direct costs may not exceed $250,000.
  • For centers and resources, direct costs should not exceed $250,000 without prior consultation with the assigned Program Officer (PO).
  • If requesting a partial amount of the purchase price, explain how the balance of funds will be provided from institutional/other sources via a letter of support.
  • This type of supplement cannot be made in the first year of a new award and generally will not be made in the final year.
• Modernization of IDeA CTR clinical trial and human subjects management software systems, electronic health record systems interoperability.
• Enhancements of the IDeA CTR practice-based research networks (PBRNs), particularly electronic health record systems.
• Consolidation of core facilities supported by IDeA COBRE, INBRE, and CTR grants
• For questions about eligibility, please contact your PO(s) prior to submitting applications.

Workforce Development

NIGMS prioritizes workforce development supplements to support:

• Mentored research training experiences for the re-entry, re-integration and re-training of individuals that include strong plans for applications to future fellowship, career development, or research award support.  
• Career development awardees and investigators with their first research project grant who are facing critical life events that will impact the investigator’s ability to successfully complete the project. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit requests on or before April 18th to be considered for the current fiscal year. Requests received after April 18th may not be considered until the next fiscal year.

Program Contact

Research and Capacity Building
Contact the Program Officer listed on the NoA of the most recent parent award.

Workforce Development
Contact [email protected] to discuss relevance to NIGMS priorities prior to submission.

Grants management Contact

Contact the Grants Management Specialist or Grants Management Officer listed on the NoA of the most recent parent award.

• NIGMS will only support conferences or meetings that:
  • Are focused on basic biomedical research and research training topics closely aligned with NIGMS’ central mission and interests, and
    • Include participants and speakers who do not frequently interact in other venues, and
    • Are held at domestic sites.
• NIGMS will consider support for meetings that focus on research training and/or workforce development or are in support of programs that build research capacity.
• NIGMS anticipates funding very few conference or meeting grants. Simply because a meeting falls within the general areas of science or training and workforce development supported by NIGMS does not mean that the Institute will support the meeting. NIGMS rarely supports an R13 application as a secondary assignment.

• In general, NIGMS support for meetings and conferences is limited to under $10,000.

• The earliest start date for an award must be prior to the meeting start date.
• Apply early to provide at least 10 months before the meeting start date.

• Meetings funded by NIGMS may be awarded for up to 5 years. NIGMS does not support recurring or potentially recurring meetings except for those that focus on research training, workforce development, or research capacity building.

NIGMS DEA Mailbox
[email protected]

NIGMS prioritizes mentored career development applications relevant to its mission that demonstrate compelling career development needs and strong plans to address those needs.    

NIGMS has special interest in supporting mentored career development awards that promote:  

• Clinician-scientist career development in basic or patient-oriented research in NIGMS-mission relevant clinical areas: 
  • Anesthesiology  
  • Clinical pharmacology 
  • Injury and critical illness.  
• Quantitative scientist career development to attract investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has not yet focused primarily on biomedical topics to integrate their expertise with NIGMS-relevant research. 
• Pathway to independence awards to facilitate a timely transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions in all areas of the NIGMS mission.   

NIGMS promotes broad geographic and organizational participation in career development opportunities and strongly encourages applications from:  

• Institutions from IDeA-eligible states 
• HBCUs  
• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24). 

Resource-limited institutions that can support rigorous career development experiences, including those that do not have NIH institutional training or career development programs.

NIGMS will contribute up to the following amounts in salary and fringe benefits/per year:

Clinician-scientist career development: Up to $50,000  

Quantitative scientist career development: Up to $50,000  

Pathway to Independence awards: Up to $25,000   

• For all mentored career development awards, NIGMS expects scholars to devote a minimum of 9 person-months (75% of full-time professional effort) to the award.    
  • Note: Surgeon-scientists with surgical duties may devote a minimum of 6 person-months (50% full-time professional effort) to the award. 

Scientific/Programmatic

Clinician-scientist and quantitative scientist career development
[email protected]  

Pathway to Independence awards  
[email protected] 

Financial/Grants Management

[email protected]

NIGMS prioritizes applications relevant to all areas of its mission that demonstrate compelling training needs and propose strong plans to promote trainee skills and career development. 

Additionally, NIGMS will consider all meritorious applications and has special interest in supporting:  

• Predoctoral candidates 
  • With limited access to other NIH research training resources (F31).
  • Who have career goals that typically require postdoctoral training and will conduct NIGMS mission research in the K00 phase (F99/K00). 
• MD-PhD students at institutions without NIH-funded institutional predoctoral dual-degree training programs (F30; F31 for Ph.D. training portion).
• Postdoctoral candidates with less than 2 years of postdoctoral experience at the time of application (F32).  
• Investigators for whom the experience will significantly enhance their research careers (F33). 

To promote broad geographic and organizational participation in fellowship opportunities, NIGMS strongly encourages applications from:

• IDeA-eligible states
• HBCUs 
• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24)
• Resource-limited institutions that can support rigorous fellowship training, including those without NIGMS-funded institutional training awards.  

NIGMS may limit project periods for specific education activities, as follows:

• F30: 4 years. 
• F31: 3 years.  
• F32: 3 years.    
• F33: 1 year.  
• F99/K00: Minimum of one-year F99 phase; up to 3 years K00 phase. 

In addition to current NRSA stipends, tuition/fees, and other budgetary levels, NIGMS may apply the following limits to applicable awards:

• F99  
  • Stipend: NRSA level 
  • Institutional allowance: NRSA + $2000 for travel for program related activities.  
• K00 limits 
  • Salary: $70,000 per year, plus fringe benefits.
  • Research expenses: $5000 per year. 
  • Travel: $2000 per year. 

Scientific/Programmatic

F30
[email protected] 

F31
[email protected] 

F32
[email protected] 

F33
[email protected] 

F99
[email protected] 

Financial/Grants Management

F30, F31, F32, F33
[email protected]

F99
[email protected]

NIGMS prioritizes Institutional Career Development Programs relevant to its mission that prepare postdoctoral researchers for the following career pathways: 

• Clinician Scientist Research Independence (CSRI): Prepares postdoctoral clinician scientist scholars for independent, research careers in NIGMS-mission relevant clinical areas: anesthesiology, clinical pharmacology, and injury and critical illness.  
  • NIGMS anticipates that CSRI programs will recruit 2-3 new scholars annually and support them for two years for a maximum program size of 6 scholars.  
  • At the conclusion of the program, scholars are expected to be able to progress toward research independence, such as successfully competing for mentored career development or independent research awards.   
• Academic Research and Teaching (ART): Prepares early career postdoctoral scholars for academic careers that combine rigorous research and state-of-the art teaching approaches.  
  • Programs are expected to combine mentored postdoctoral research experiences with mentored teaching and professional skills development opportunities at distinct primarily undergraduate teaching partner institutions. 
  • NIGMS anticipates that ART programs will recruit 3-4 new scholars annually and support them for three years for a maximum program size of 12 scholars.  
  • At the conclusion of the experience, scholars are expected to be able to successfully transition to faculty careers at a range of institution types and compete for independent research support.   

To promote broad geographic and organizational participation in rigorous career development programs NIGMS strongly encourages applications from:  

• Institutions in IDeA-eligible states
• HBCUs  
• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24). 
• Resource-limited institutions.   

NIGMS also encourages the participation of these institutions as partners in career development programs, especially Academic Research and Teaching (ART).

Applications are prioritized for funding after October and January councils. Although applications are accepted for all opportunity due dates, we recommend submitting to due dates that align with those councils.

NIGMS may limit project periods as follows:

Support for up to 5 years. 

NIGMS will contribute up to the following amounts in salary and fringe benefits/per year, consistent with the established salary structure:  

CSRI  

• A minimum of 9 person-months (75% of full-time professional effort) to the award.    
  • Surgeon-scientists with surgical duties may request a minimum of 6 person-months (50% full-time professional effort) to the award.  

ART 

• A minimum of 9 person-months (75% full-time professional effort) to the award. 
  • Generally, scholars should commit at least 75% of their full-time professional effort to mentored research and teaching experiences. 

Scientific/Programmatic

CSRI
[email protected]

ART
[email protected]

Financial/Grants Management

[email protected]

NIGMS prioritizes Institutional Training relevant to its mission in the areas described below. Training programs should be well integrated within one or more departments and have a strong, positive influence on the institution’s research training and mentoring practices.  

To promote broad geographic and organizational participation in rigorous training programs, NIGMS strongly encourages applications from:   

• Institutions in IDeA-eligible states 
• HBCUs   
• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24).  
• Resource-limited institutions that don’t yet have NIH training programs.     

• NIGMS prioritizes funding for the following trainees:
• Undergraduate 
• Predoctoral 
  • Ph.D. only 
  • Clinician-scientist dual degree training  
• NIGMS does not support: 
  • Short-term training.  
  • Programs that support trainees at multiple career stages. 
• For institutional support for postdoctoral scientists, see NIGMS Institutional Career Development Programs interests. 

Applications are considered for all three council rounds and are prioritized for funding after October and January councils. 

Although applications are accepted for all opportunity due dates, we recommend submitting to due dates that align with those councils.

Support for up to 5 years. 

Scientific/Programmatic

Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training  
[email protected]     

Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTP)  
[email protected]   

Predoctoral Basic Biomedical Training  
[email protected] 

Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE)

[email protected]

Financial/Grants Management

For TURTLE
[email protected]

For all other Training Programs
[email protected]

• NIGMS participates in the following programs:
  • NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (DP1)
  • NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards (DP2)
• NIGMS supports the research program in an individual investigator’s laboratory through its Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA, R35).  Research programs must be within the NIGMS mission and in any of our general interest areas:
  • Basic research that is aimed at understanding the principles, mechanisms, and processes that underlie living organisms, and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
  • Development of fundamental methods, models, and technologies that advance understanding of broadly applicable basic biological processes. 
  • Clinical areas that affect multiple organ systems:
    • Anesthesiology and perioperative pain
    • Clinical pharmacology common to multiple drugs and treatments 
    • Injury, critical illness, sepsis, and wound healing.
  • Studies that advance “science of science” research to understand and strengthen the biomedical research ecosystem, including the factors and mechanisms that promote: 
    • Interest, preparedness, retention and success in careers in the biomedical research workforce.
    • Rigorous, reproducible, innovative and impactful research.
    • Sustainable enhancement of research capacity and infrastructure.
• NIGMS generally does not support research in which the primary goal is focused on:
  • The pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or cure of a specific disease or condition. 
  • A specific organ or organ system, unless the system is being used as a model to address broadly applicable biological principles. 
  •  A specific stage of life, population, or disease-relevant cohort that falls primarily within another ICO’s mission. 
  • Clinical studies aimed at disease-specific outcomes outside NIGMS-supported clinical areas. 
  • Clinical pharmacology studies focused on a specific disease, treatment indication, or therapeutic area rather than principles common to multiple drugs and treatments.

• NIGMS expects Established Investigators and New Investigators to devote at least 45% of their total research effort to an R35 award, including combined research effort across all institutions where they hold an appointment and excluding time spent on teaching and administration unrelated to their research or clinical duties.
• NIGMS expects Early-Stage Investigators to devote at least 51% of their total research effort to an R35 award, including combined research effort across all institutions where they hold an appointment and excluding time spent on teaching and administration unrelated to their research or clinical duties.

NIGMS may limit MIRA R35 projects to a maximum of five (5) years of support.

For R35 applications, applicants should review the Notice of Funding Opportunity for detailed budget considerations. NIGMS supports:

• Early-Stage Investigators: Up to $275,000 direct costs/year (including equipment).
• New Investigators: Up to $275,000 direct costs/year (excluding equipment).
• Established Investigators: Up to $750,000 direct costs/year (including equipment).

For R35 Early-Stage Investigator applicants:

NIGMS ESI MIRA Mailbox
[email protected]

For R35 New Investigators and Established Investigator applicants:

NIGMS EI/NI MIRA Mailbox
[email protected]

NIGMS prioritizes programs in a range of scientific fields relevant to its mission to strengthen the biomedical research workforce and support participants who will significantly benefit, including those:  

• Without substantial previous research experience,  
• From resource-limited institutions, or  
• With circumstances that would otherwise prevent them from pursuing biomedical research. Such circumstances might include but are not necessarily limited to: 
• Financial hardship 
• Return from military service 
• Career delay or change 
• Family responsibilities   

Programs should have broad reach with national (or regional, when appropriate) recruitment. Programs that recruit participants from a single organization or focus on a single discipline – especially those in the mission of other ICs – will be low priority for funding.  

NIGMS has special interest in supporting:   

Science Education awards to: 

• Increase understanding of biomedical research and encourage awareness of and interest in biomedical careers, especially among high school students.   
• Activities can support students or educators. 

Research Experience programs focused on a single career stage that prepare cohorts of individuals to transition into and complete biomedical Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs. NIGMS is specifically interested in:  

• Summer undergraduate research programs.   
• Yearlong postbaccalaureate programs.  
• Research-based master’s programs with clear and strong transition plans, typically to distinct institutions.    

Note: NIGMS will support only one research experience award per applicant organization per career stage. 

Mentoring Activities & Networks to:  

• Equip cohorts of NIGMS-supported career awardees with the networks and professional skills to successfully transition to independent research careers (typically using UE5 cooperative agreements). Awards should focus on a single career stage:  
• Predoctoral-to-postdoctoral (F99/K00), 
• Postdoctoral-to-faculty (K99/R00), or  
• Supporting postdoctoral/early career clinician scientists to research independence (K08 or K23).  
• Address critical biomedical research workforce needs as part of a formal mentoring structure.   

Courses for Skills Development, Curriculum or Methods Development  

• Courses to equip participants with technical, operational, or professional skills required for careers in the biomedical research workforce.    
• Programs that develop and disseminate innovative curricular or instructional approaches to improve biomedical research education at multiple secondary or postsecondary organizations.  

To promote broad geographic and organizational participation in rigorous research education programs, NIGMS strongly encourages applications from:   

• Institutions in IDeA-eligible states 
• HBCUs   
• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24). 
•  Resource-limited institutions, including those that do not have NIH institutional training programs.     

NIGMS prioritizes funding applications: 

• Science Education - at January council
• Research Experience - at October council
• Courses for Skills Development, Curriculum or Methods Development - at January council
• Mentoring Activities & Networks - at May council

While applications are accepted for all opportunity due dates, we recommend submitting them to due dates that align with those councils.

• Undergraduate
• Predoctoral
• Postdoctoral/Residency
• Early Career
• Established Investigator
• Other

  Participant Type	Science Education	Research Experiences	Mentoring Activities & Networks	Courses for Skills Development, Curriculum or Methods Development
  High School Student	X
  Undergraduate		X	X	X
  Postbaccalaureate		X
  Master’s Student		X
  Predoctoral			X	X
  Postdoctoral/Residency			X	X
  Early Career			X	X
  Established Investigator			X	X
  Secondary Educator (middle or high school teacher)	X			X

NIGMS typically supports research education awards for up to 5 years. NIGMS also supports pilot curriculum and methods development projects for up to three years.  

NIGMS will consider up to $500,000 direct costs per year for: 

• Research experiences for postbaccalaureate or master’s students 
• Mentoring activities & networks  
• Courses for skills development  
• Curriculum and methods development projects 

NIGMS will consider up to $250,000 direct costs per year for: 

• Research experiences for summer undergraduate students
• Science education awards 

For Research Experiences  

Salary support: Depending on the number of participants in the program and the person-months devoted to administration of the program, NIGMS typically supports: 

• Total PD(s)/PI(s) (including a combination of multiple PD(s)/PI(s)) up to a total of 2.0 person-months per year.  
• Total salary support for other administrative staff (for example, a program coordinator to assist the PD(s)/PI(s)) up to 6 person-months.  

Participant Costs: Participants may only receive funding for the period they participate in the program. Remuneration is through salary and wages. There must be an employee-employer relationship between the participant and the institution. Per the cost principles, participant salary must be consistent with institutional salary policies for individuals in similar circumstances regardless of the source of support for the activity. 

Additionally, for postbaccalaureate and research-based master’s participants:  

• Salary, fringe benefits, tuition and fees up to the maximum NIH-permitted annual graduate student support (NRSA level 0 for postdoctoral trainees) are allowable. 

Other program-related expenses: For research-based master’s participants, institutions may request up to a maximum of $12,500/student participant for Other Program-Related Expenses. 

For all Research Education Awards 

NIGMS typically supports limited program evaluation costs are allowed up to a maximum of 5% of direct costs per year for the 5-year project period. This includes salaries for evaluation consultants, if any. 

Scientific/Programmatic

Science Education
[email protected]

Research Experiences
[email protected] 

Mentoring Activities & Networks:
[email protected] 

Courses, Curriculum or Methods Development
[email protected] 

Financial/Grants Management

[email protected]

NIGMS R01 Contacts
[email protected]

NIGMS AREA Program – R15 Contacts
[email protected]

NIGMS SuRE and SuRE-First Program – R16 Contacts
[email protected]

NIGMS NARCH Program – R34 Contacts
[email protected]

NIGMS Team Science – Collaborative Program Grant – RM1 Contacts
[email protected]

NIGMS supports the development of technologies to address complex and interdisciplinary research questions in i) basic research, ii) clinical areas that impact multiple organs systems and iii) biomedical workforce development/training through educational activities, that may require additional resources.

1. Development of instrumentation and/or computational methods for detection, analysis, separation and/or manipulation of cells (e.g., flow cytometry).
2. Development of software for improving the effectiveness of computational approaches in analysis of biomedical data. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and electronic health records.
3. Development of new methods and materials directed toward the determination of macromolecular structures, assemblies, and complexes using methods including, but not limited to, x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, cryo-EM, NMR and mass spectrometry.
4. Development of computational tools and methods for modeling, simulations and/or analysis of complex biological systems.
5. Development of methodology (technology) for genetic manipulation and analysis and detection of genetic polymorphisms, including disease genes (e.g., gene expression, probes) and/or detection of epigenomic changes (e.g, CRISPR).
6. Technologies for application of microscopy, spectroscopy, optical imaging, and single molecule analysis in basic biomedical research. Modalities of interest include, but are not limited to, fluorescence, scanning probe, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and infrared (IR).
7. Development of technologies and methods to better achieve anesthesia and control of peri-operative pain.
8. Development of technologies to improve delivery of small molecules and biologics, not specific to an organ system or disorder (those projects should be directed to other categorical institutes of NIH).
9. Artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to address early recognition of critical illness, including but not limited to sepsis, sepsis endotypes, patient trajectories, and resolution of sepsis.
10. Development of factors or therapies or devices involved in treating injuries not specifically linked to chronic illnesses, including tissue repair and wound healing.
11. Synthetic chemistry to efficiently produce methods for molecules of biomedical significance (including evaluation through pre-clinical testing).
12. Development of efficient, user-friendly, and culturally appropriate resources to enhance health science literacy.
13. Development of educational products for fostering biomedical entrepreneurship in under-resourced states.

• NIGMS prioritizes Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough awards in which clinical trials in the NIGMS-supported clinical research areas are proposed. The institute may approve budgets up to $4 M for Strategic Breakthrough Phase IIB awards in these clinical areas. For applications for all other Phase IIB awards, NIGMS accepts budgets up to $3M.

NIGMS will generally provide support for:

• Phase I awards up to one year 
• Phase II awards for two years 
• Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough awards and Commercialization Readiness Pilot program awards up to three years

NIGMS Small Business Program
[email protected]

NIGMS Grants Administration Branch
[email protected]