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The Intramural LRP is for researchers who are employed by NIH. Awardees may apply for competitive renewal awards if they continue to meet eligibility requirements. Although the LRPs are organized around broad research areas, they do not fund research projects. Instead, LRP awards are based on an applicant's potential to develop and sustain a successful research career. Please see below for general eligibility requirements and subcategory details.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for the Intramural LRP if you meet all five general eligibility criteria listed below by the award start date:
Citizenship – You must be a U.S. citizen, U.S national, or permanent U.S. resident by the award start date.
Qualifying Degree – You must possess an M.D., Ph.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., D.V.M., A.D.N., B.S.N., or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited institution; or hold the position of Physician Assistant.
Qualified Educational Debt – You must have total qualified educational debt equal to or more than 20 percent of your institutional base salary at the time of award. Institutional base salary is the annual amount you are paid for your appointment, whether the time is spent on research, teaching, patient care, or other activities. Institutional base salary excludes any income that you may earn outside of the duties of the organization. Renewal applicants are not required to satisfy the 20 percent debt-to-income requirement.
Qualified Research – You must be appointed at the NIH in a qualified research area.
- For the AIDS and Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds subcategories, qualified research assignments must involve AIDS or clinical research and be approved by the Loan Repayment Committee (LRC). In support of the objectives of these subcategories, if applicable, an individual who is already employed by the NIH and applies to the Intramural LRP must demonstrate his/her ability and intention to transfer from a non-qualified to a qualified AIDS or clinical research assignment.
- Unlike the AIDS and Clinical subcategories, the General subcategory is not targeted toward a specific area (e.g., AIDS) or type (e.g., clinical) of research. Rather, the focus is on attracting and retaining highly talented investigators to pursue biomedical research studies and investigations in a variety of scientific disciplines. Generally, this subcategory is used to attract or retain more senior researchers rather than trainees. For the General subcategory, a "qualified research assignment" is one that is approved by the LRC based on the nature of the proposed research and its relationship to the mission and priorities of NIH.
NIH Employment – You must be an NIH employee or have a firm commitment of employment from an authorized official of the NIH. Appointments are made under the broad authority of the Federal Civil Service (Title V or Title 42) or the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service. Responsibility for obtaining qualifying employment rests with the LRP applicant.
You are ineligible to apply if you are:
- An individual who is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent U.S. resident by the LRP award start date;
- An individual who has or had a Federal judgment lien against his/her property arising from Federal debt;
- An individual who owes an obligation of health professional service to the federal government, a state, or other entity, unless deferrals or extensions are granted for the length of the NIH LRP contract;
- An individual employed by a federal government agency, other than NIH, with a work schedule of more than 20 hours per week;
- A current recipient of an NIH Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) or a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA);
- An individual conducting research for which funding is precluded by Federal law, Federal regulations, or HHS/NIH policy, or that does not comply with applicable Federal, State, and local law regarding the conduct of the research (e.g., applicable human subject protection regulations);
- An individual who does not meet the 20% debt-to-income ratio.
Intramural LRP Subcategories
| Activity Code | Title | Description | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIA | AIDS Research | Two-year program for NIH investigators conducting research with respect to acquired immune deficiency syndrome. | NOT-OD-25-028 |
| LIC | Clinical Researchers from Disadvantaged Backgrounds | Two-year program for NIH clinical investigators coming from an environment that inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill and ability required to enroll in and graduate from a health professional school, or a family with an annual income below low-income thresholds. | NOT-OD-25-029 |
| LIG | General Research | Three-year program for NIH scientific investigators conducting many types of research. | NOT-OD-25-030 |
| LIN | General Research for ACGME (Non-Competitive) | Three-year program for investigators or fellows who were also in subspecialty and residency training programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). | NOT-OD-25-031 |
Intramural LRP Application Toolkit
Apply for Intramural LRP
Learn how you can apply for the LRP through ASSIST, including what you need before applying, as well as helpful tools and resources.
Important Information for Applicants
Explore key details about the Intramural LRP, including the review process, benefits, contractual obligations, key dates and deadlines, how to prepare an application, and loan requirements.
Reference Letters & Institutional Certification
All LRP applications require reference letters and certification from an IC Coordinator. Learn more about the individuals who must submit supporting documents and their roles in the application process.
LRP IC Coordinators
Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their career interests with their supervisor, IC coordinator, and/or the Director of the Intramural Loan Repayment Program.