Research and Training

Limit: 1// I. Reyes ( Collge of Education -  Borderlands Education Center (BEC))

Planning Grant (these require approval from the NSF Program Officer): J. Watkins (Math)

In response to the CHIPS Act of 2022 (Pub.L. 117-167), NSF is establishing the National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program. The purpose of this program is to elevate the profession of STEM teaching by establishing a National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program to recognize outstanding STEM teachers in our Nation’s classrooms, reward them for their accomplishments, elevate their public profile, and create rewarding career paths to which all STEM teachers can aspire, both to prepare future STEM researchers and to create a scientifically literate public.

With this solicitation, NSF is inviting proposals to establish an initial set of Regional Alliances responsible for (a) recruiting eligible applicants to become members of the National STEM Teacher Corps (see definitions in section II.A.); (b) screening, interviewing, and selecting members; and (c) supporting other activities detailed in the Program Description and the law (136 STAT. 1515).

Each Alliance will be awarded as a cooperative agreement that represents the breadth of activities important to National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program and serves to elevate the public profile of STEM teachers within the region. Collectively these Alliances are expected to have a national impact. 

The National STEM Teacher Corps also welcomes planning proposals submitted at any time during the year. See Section II.E for additional information about the preparation and submission of planning proposals.

Limit: 1 // C. Lacasse ( College of Nursing - Teaching/ Learning Practice and Evaluation)

*This is a Forecasted Opportunity.

The purpose of the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention (NEPQR)-Workforce Expansion Program (WEP) is to increase the nursing workforce in rural (non-metro) and underserved areas to address the critical shortage of nurses, specifically in acute and long-term care settings. 

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Only one application per institution is allowed. 

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity is to invite Institutional Network Awards (U2C-TL1) to cultivate a highly integrated cohort of trainees and early career investigators and to develop career development resources to accelerate kidney, urologic, and hematologic research. To maximize integration and promote a true trainee community, Institutions are invited to submit a single, unified U2C-TL1 application to engage, recruit, prepare, and sustain the next generation of scientists able to contribute to advancing research in kidney, urology, and hematology. Applications representing multiple institutions within a single metropolitan area are strongly encouraged (see Section III.3). Successful awardees are expected to relinquish all active T32s supported by the NIDDK, Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases (KUH) at the time of the U2C-TL1 award.

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Only one application per institution is allowed.

NIEHS invites applications for cooperative agreements to support the development of model programs for the training and education of workers engaged in activities related to hazardous materials and waste generation, removal, containment, transportation, and emergency response within the Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons complex. 

The aim of this funding opportunity is to prevent work-related harm through safety and health training. The training programs consist of information and practical exercises with the objective of raising the knowledge of workers in protecting themselves and the community from being exposed to hazardous materials encountered during hazardous waste operations; facility decommissioning and decontamination; hazardous materials' transportation; environmental restoration of contaminated facilities; or chemical emergency response. Currently, tens of thousands of DOE employees are required to complete safety and health training. The goal of this training is to help reduce the risk of workers being exposed during work activities to hazardous materials and hazardous waste products. The NIEHS/DOE Nuclear Worker Training Program enhances training capabilities at these sites. 

Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 0 

T. Largent-Milnes (Pharmacology) 

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research
To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

• Courses for Skills Development
• Research Experiences

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides support to eligible, domestic institutions to develop and implement effective, evidence-informed approaches to biomedical research education and mentoring that will keep pace with the rapid evolution of the research enterprise. NIGMS expects that the proposed research education programs will incorporate extensive research experiences and well-designed courses for skills development to prepare recent baccalaureates from diverse backgrounds to transition into and complete rigorous, research-focused biomedical doctoral degree programs (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.). This program is limited to applications from doctoral degree-granting institutions that are research-intensive (i.e., those with NIH research project grant (RPG) funding averaging greater than or equal to $7.5 million in total costs per year over the last three fiscal years).
This FOA does not allow appointed participants to lead an independent clinical trial but does allow them to obtain research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor.

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0

N. Hennessey (ENGineering Access, Greater Equity and Diversity)
E. Enikov (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering) 

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 2

An eligible organization may participate in two Innovations in Graduate Education proposals per annual competition. Participation includes serving as a lead organization on a non-collaborative proposal or as a lead organization, non-lead organization, or subawardee on a collaborative proposal. Organizations participating solely as evaluators on projects are excluded from this limitation.

The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Program is designed to encourage development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative approaches to STEM graduate education training. The program seeks proposals that a) explore ways for graduate students in STEM master's and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers, or b) support research on the graduate education system and outcomes of systemic interventions and policies.

IGE projects are intended to generate the knowledge required for the customization, implementation, and broader adoption of potentially transformative approaches to graduate education. The program supports piloting, testing, and validating novel models or activities and examining systemic innovations with high potential to enrich and extend the knowledge base on effective graduate education approaches.

The program addresses both workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity-building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science organizations, and academic partners are encouraged.

Request Ticket // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) is allowed.

The Jointly Sponsored NIH Predoctoral Training Program in the Neurosciences (JSPTPN) is an institutional program that supports broad and fundamental research training in the neurosciences. In addition to a broad education in the neurosciences, a key component will be a curriculum that provides a strong foundation in experimental design, statistical methodology and quantitative reasoning. JSPTPN programs are intended to be 2 years in duration and students may only be appointed to this training grant during the first 2 years of their graduate research training. The primary objective is to prepare students to be well-trained scientists equipped to pursue careers in neuroscience.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) does not allow appointed Trainees to lead an independent clinical trial, but does allow them to obtain research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor.

Apply to the UA internal competition  // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research.

To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this NOFO will support educational activities with a primary focus on:

• Courses for Skills Development
• Research Experiences
• Mentoring Activities

The fully integrated educational activities should prepare undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences, to enter Ph.D. degree programs in the neurosciences. To accomplish this goal, this initiative will provide institutional awards to develop neuroscience research education programs comprised of collaborative partnerships integrated across different educational institution types.

Update 1/27/2025 - This funding opportunity has been archived

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2

Limit on number of proposals per organization description 

FORECAST does not accept separately submitted collaborative proposals. Any collaboration among organizations should be through a subaward. An eligible organization may submit only two (2) proposals. Proposals that exceed the organizational eligibility limit will be returned without review. Potential PIs are advised to contact their institutional office of research regarding processes used to select proposals for submission.

Organizations participating only as evaluators or subawardees on projects are excluded from this limitation.

Proposals may only be submitted by certain types of PIs. Please see solicitation for details.

Focus On Recruiting Emerging Climate and Adaptation Scientists and Transformers (FORECAST) seeks to facilitate the transition from status quo graduate career preparation to a student-centered model with a particular emphasis on building entrepreneurial and innovation capacity at emerging research institutions (ERIs). Transformers are scientists ready to tackle the challenges the nation and world are facing due to climate change. This opportunity will adopt the spirit of multiple directives for the research community; for example, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report on Earth System Science and the Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education report on Engaged Research. These directives call on the research enterprise to support the building of a robust scientific workforce ready to work with communities in addressing societal challenges. Through convergence research approaches to address societal challenges, the transdisciplinary researchers engaged in FORECAST will foster community resilience and the translation of research outcomes for societal benefits, as well as gain a broader understanding of the governmental context related to these issues. A new generation of scientists trained in "engaged research" will be expected to have a national impact in communities that may be disproportionately affected by climate change impacts. The program will build cohorts of innovative scholars from the full spectrum of diverse talent at emerging research institutions to include groups historically excluded in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Participants, who are senior students in undergraduate programs and students who are in master's degree programs, will be supported through intentional professional development activities. FORECAST participants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

FORECAST proposals will fall into three categories: Track 1, Track 2, and FORECAST Planning grants. Track 1 will support one Coordination Hub, to coordinate support for rising seniors from emerging research institutions (ERIs) or historically excluded and underserved groups as part of a national cohort to participate in structured professional development opportunities. Track 2 projects will support cohorts of Master's degree students at ERIs. Mentorship and capacity building should be central to the cohort approach. FORECAST Planning grant proposals will build capacity at ERI institutions and with the appropriate partners to undertake the activities necessary to establish a future FORECAST track 2 cohort.

No Applicants  // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

This FOA is intended to enable the community to develop and implement evidence-informed approaches to biomedical research training and mentoring to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report provided evidence that financial concerns and the absence of a community of peers from similar backgrounds can erode self-confidence and the desire to remain in STEM majors (PCAST Report, 2012). NIGMS diversity enhancing institutional training grants offset the cost of appointed trainee stipends, tuition and fees, and training related expenses, including health insurance, in accordance with approved NIH support levels. Additionally, funded programs are expected to provide activities that will build a strong cohort of research-oriented individuals while enhancing the science identity, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging among the cohort members. Programmatic activities include, but are not limited to, providing authentic research experiences, academic enhancements, skills development, and additional mentoring -- activities proven to increase persistence in STEM fields (cited in PCAST Report, 2012, Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, 2018, and The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM, 2019).

Each Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program must consist of a strong partnership/consortium composed of at least two institutions: an associate degree-granting institution that offers the associate degree as the terminal degree in STEM, and a baccalaureate degree-granting institution with STEM degrees in disciplines related to the biomedical sciences. Each program should provide high-quality training that equips individuals with the technical (e.g., appropriate methods, technologies, and quantitative/computational approaches), operational (e.g., independent knowledge acquisition, rigorous experimental design, and interpretation of data, conducting research in the safest manner possible) and professional (e.g., management, leadership, communication, and teamwork) skills required for careers in the biomedical research workforce.

Program Objective

The Overarching Objective of this Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program is to develop a diverse pool of research-oriented undergraduates who transition from an associate degree-granting institution to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution and complete a baccalaureate STEM degree, positioning them to pursue research-oriented biomedical higher degree programs, or enter careers in the biomedical research workforce. The long-term goal is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained biomedical scientists, who have the following technical, operational, and professional skills:

• A broad understanding across biomedical disciplines and the skills to independently acquire the knowledge needed to advance their chosen fields;
• Expertise in a biomedical scientific discipline and the skills to think critically and independently, and to identify important biomedical research questions and approaches that push forward the boundaries of their areas of study;
• A strong foundation in scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative and computational approaches, and data analysis and interpretation;
• The skills to conduct research in the safest manner possible, and a commitment to approaching and conducting biomedical research responsibly, ethically, and with integrity;
• Experience initiating, conducting, interpreting, and presenting rigorous and reproducible biomedical research with increasing self-direction;
• The ability to work effectively in teams with colleagues from a variety of cultural and scientific backgrounds, and to promote inclusive and supportive scientific research environments;
• The skills to teach and communicate scientific research methodologies and findings to a wide variety of audiences (e.g., discipline-specific, across disciplines, and the public); and
• The knowledge, professional skills and experiences required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce (i.e., the breadth of careers that sustain biomedical research in areas that are relevant to the NIH mission).

Diversity at all levels from the kinds of science to the regions in which it is conducted, to the backgrounds of the people conducting it is integral to excellence in research training environments and strengthens the research enterprise. This FOA is intended to support outstanding research training programs that will enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. As part of NIGMS strategy to support the development of a diverse pool of well-trained biomedical scientists, the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program supports trainees at a critical transition point in the biomedical research training pathway (i.e., the transition from associate degree-granting institutions to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions), and prepares them to enter a research-oriented biomedical higher degree program, or careers in the biomedical research workforce.

Program Considerations

NIGMS intends to fund applications that propose feasible academic and research focused training programs that will enhance diversity in the biomedical workforce. Programs are expected to have mentors from biomedical disciplines relevant to the NIGMS mission to provide a breadth of research experiences to trainees. Proposed programs focused on disciplines outside of the NIGMS mission (e.g., allied health professions, forensic science) will be considered a low priority for funding.

The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program requires strong partnerships between associate degree-granting institutions and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. At least one partner must be an institution that offers the associate degree as the highest STEM degree and the other partner(s) must offer baccalaureate degrees in disciplines related to the biomedical sciences. Two different scenarios are anticipated for these partnerships:

• One associate degree-granting institution as the applicant institution partnering with one or more baccalaureate degree-granting institutions, or
• One baccalaureate degree-granting institution as the applicant institution partnering with one or more associate degree-granting institutions.

The program does not support single institutions offering both associate and baccalaureate degrees where graduates or transfers from the associate degree programs enter the baccalaureate programs, even if the students are moving to another department, school, or college. To reinforce strong partnerships, the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program requires the participation of least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) from each partner institution.

The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program recognizes the heterogeneity of institutional settings and institutional missions. Therefore, each application must include a self-assessment of each participating institution that includes baseline data on student demographics, enrollment, transfer rates, research experience, and degree attainment rates. Program objectives should be based on this self-assessment and must align with the purpose of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program. Applicants are expected to identify training objectives (i.e., specific, measurable, and obtainable outcomes the program intends to achieve) and to develop plans to implement evidence-informed training and mentoring activities that are grounded in the literature and from evaluations of existing relevant programs. Funded programs are expected to provide evidence of accomplishing the training objectives in progress reports and in renewal applications, to make training and career outcomes publicly available, and are strongly encouraged to disseminate successful training practices to the broader community.

Funded programs are also expected to implement robust plans to enhance diversity and to promote inclusive, safe, and supportive research environments. Specifically, funded programs should have institutional and departmental environments where individuals from all backgrounds are welcomed and feel integrated into and supported by the biomedical community. Programs are also expected to implement plans to enhance trainee retention, i.e., to sustain the scientific interests and participation of trainees from all backgrounds. Additionally, safety in research training should encompass (1) environments free from harassment and intimidation, in which everyone participating is treated in a respectful and supportive manner, (2) laboratory and clinical settings where individuals exercise the highest standards of practice for chemical, biological and physical safety, and (3) practices at the institutional leadership and research community levels that demonstrate core values and behaviors to emphasize safety over competing goals.

Institutional commitment and support for the proposed training program are important elements of the application. The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program may complement and synergize with other ongoing federally supported research training programs at the applicant and partnering institution(s); however, the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program goals and activities to achieve those goals must be distinct from related programs currently receiving federal support at the applicant and partnering institution(s). In cases where an institution has multiple NIGMS training grants, it is expected that these programs will create administrative and training efficiencies to reduce costs and improve trainee services and outcomes. The training grant should be well integrated within one or more department(s)/program(s) and should exert a strong, positive influence on the development and execution of the outreach and recruitment of potential trainees, curriculum, training opportunities, and mentoring. Training grant funds may not be used solely as a vehicle to provide stipends for trainees to conduct research.

Training grants are usually awarded for five years. The grant offsets the cost of stipends, tuition and fees, and training related expenses, including health insurance, for the appointed trainees in accordance with the approved NIH support levels. Trainees are typically provided full-time support for two years of undergraduate studies within the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program partnership. There is flexibility in how the two years of support can be administered, but there must be robust support at both the associate degree-granting and baccalaureate degree granting-institutions. Research-oriented trainees must be enrolled at the associate degree-granting institution at the time of initial appointment. Typically, one year of full-time support is provided at the associate degree-granting institution and one year of full-time support at the baccalaureate degree-granting institution. However, at baccalaureate institutions where other NIH undergraduate research training programs (e.g., U-RISE, MARC) exist, the Bridges to the Baccalaureate trainees may transition into or benefit from these training programs. In this case, trainees may receive up to two years of full-time support at the associate degree-granting institution.

This FOA does not allow appointed trainees to lead an independent clinical trial but does allow them to obtain research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. NIH strongly supports training towards a career in clinically relevant research and so gaining experience in clinical trials under the guidance of a mentor or co-mentor is encouraged.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.