Key Dates

Related Announcements

• November 15, 2024 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T32).  See NOFO PA-25-168.

Issued by

Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)

Purpose

The purpose of this notice is to make corrections to PA-25-168, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T32) in Section I, Funding Opportunity description, Section III, Eligibility Information for Trainees and in Section IV, Program Plan, Program Faculty, Mentor Training and Oversight   These changes are effective immediately.

Section I.  Funding Opportunity Description

Currently reads:

The NRSA program has been the primary means of supporting pre-doctoral and postdoctoral research training programs since enactment of the NRSA legislation in 1974. Institutional NRSA programs allow the Training Program Director/Principal Investigator (Training PD/PI) to select trainees and develop an enhanced program of coursework, mentored research experiences, and technical, operational and professional skills development that provides added value to already existing programs and prepares the appointed trainees for careers in the biomedical research workforce (the breadth of careers that sustain the biomedical research enterprise, including but limited to careers as independent NIH-funded investigators).

Modified to read:

The NRSA program has been the primary means of supporting predoctoral and postdoctoral research training programs since enactment of the NRSA legislation in 1974. Institutional NRSA programs allow the Training Program Director/Principal Investigator (Training PD/PI) to select trainees and develop an enhanced program of coursework, mentored research experiences, and technical, operational and professional skills development that provides added value to already existing programs and prepares the appointed trainees for careers in the biomedical research workforce (the breadth of careers that sustain the biomedical research enterprise, including but not limited to careers as independent NIH-funded investigators).

Section III. Eligibility Information

Additional Information on Eligibility, Trainees

Currently Reads:

Short-term Trainees (section is currently blank)

Modified to Read:

Short-term Trainees

Trainees selected for short-term training are required to pursue research training for 2-3 months on a full-time basis devoting at least 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. Within the full-time training period, trainees must devote their time to the proposed research training and must confine clinical duties to those that are an integral part of the research training experience. Successful trainees may be appointed for additional periods of short-term training or, if appropriate to their career level, they should be encouraged to apply for an extended period of full-time training supported by an NRSA training grant or fellowship, or an NIH career development award.

Short-term training is not intended, and may not be used, to support activities that would ordinarily be part of a research degree program, nor for any undergraduate-level training.

Short-term trainees must be medical students, dental students, students in other health-professional programs, or graduate students in the physical or quantitative sciences. To be eligible for short-term, predoctoral research training positions students must be enrolled, in good standing, and must have completed at least one quarter or semester in a program leading to a clinical doctorate or a doctorate in a physical or quantitative science such as physics, mathematics, or engineering before participating in the training program. Individuals already matriculated in a formal research degree program in the health sciences, or those holding a research doctorate, a master’s degree, or a combined health-professional/research doctorate normally are not eligible for short-term training positions. Within schools of pharmacy, only individuals who are candidates for the PharmD degree are eligible for short-term, research training positions.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

Training Program: Program Plan, Program Faculty

Currently Reads:

Mentor Training and Oversight, please describe:

• How the participating faculty are trained to ensure the use of evidence-informed mentoring practices that promote the development of trainees from all backgrounds, including trainees from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. Include the planned format, duration, and frequency of mentor training activities for program faculty and a description of how mentor training has been tailored to the goals and objectives of the broader training program. Describe the major topics covered in mentor training. Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Aligning expectations.
  • Maintaining effective communication.
  • Fostering independence.
  • Assessing scholars’ understanding of scientific research.
  • Enhancing professional development.
  • Addressing equity and inclusion.

Modified to Read:

Mentor Training and Oversight, please describe:

• How the participating faculty are trained to ensure the use of evidence-informed mentoring practices that promote the development of trainees from all backgrounds, including trainees from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. Include the planned format, duration, and frequency of mentor training activities for program faculty and a description of how mentor training has been tailored to the goals and objectives of the broader training program. Describe the major topics covered in mentor training. Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Aligning expectations.
  • Maintaining effective communication.
  • Fostering independence.
  • Assessing understanding
  • Enhancing professional development.
  • Addressing equity and inclusion.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Please direct all policy related inquiries to:

Division of Biomedical Research Workforce
Office of Extramural Research
Website: https://researchtraining.nih.gov
Email: [email protected]

For inquiries related to specific application instructions/guidance please see the Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts website listed in PA-25-168.