NIAID Research Education Program Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 282

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 282

The NIAID Research Education Program Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity designed to build and strengthen research education programs that help develop the next generation of biomedical and behavioral researchers. The central purpose is workforce development, with a strong emphasis on expanding participation and advancement of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including groups that are underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences. Rather than funding a traditional hypothesis-driven research project, this R25 mechanism supports structured educational and career-development activities that prepare participants to pursue additional training, graduate or professional study, and long-term research careers aligned with NIH and NIAID mission areas.

This opportunity specifically supports research education activities that are organized around several core program elements. First, it can fund courses for skills development, which typically include structured instruction in research methods, responsible conduct of research, quantitative and computational skills, scientific communication, grant writing, and other competencies that improve research readiness and competitiveness. Second, it supports research experiences, meaning hands-on, mentored exposure to research environments where participants can develop practical skills, learn how research teams function, and build a record of research engagement. Third, it supports mentoring activities, which can include formal mentoring networks, career coaching, near-peer mentoring, mentorship training for faculty, and structured guidance that helps participants navigate academic and research career pathways. Overall, the emphasis is on creating a coherent education and mentoring framework that measurably supports progression into research training and research careers.

A key administrative boundary is that clinical trials are not allowed under this notice of funding opportunity. In practical terms, the proposed program cannot include conducting clinical trials as part of the supported activities. Applicants should structure research experiences and educational content accordingly, focusing on training, education, and non-trial research exposure rather than interventional clinical study implementation.

Eligibility is broad across many U.S.-based organization types, reflecting the goal of reaching participants through multiple institutional settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; and a range of nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status) as long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying under those nonprofit categories. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also listed as eligible, along with Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories that often play a major role in broadening participation, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities or foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. These restrictions mean the applicant organization and supported program activities must be structured without foreign components in the NIH sense, and applicants should be careful about overseas sites, subawards, or program elements that could be interpreted as foreign components.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is an NIH discretionary grant mechanism under the R25 Research Education Program authority, with the activity category listed as Health and the CFDA number 93.855. The opportunity number is PAR-23-282, and the agency is NIH (with NIAID as the sponsoring institute for this program). The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $351,000. The original closing date shown is 2026-09-07. The notice was created on 2023-11-03. The listing also shows the expected number of awards field without a specified value in the provided source data, which typically means applicants should not assume a particular award volume and should instead focus on responsiveness, quality, feasibility, and alignment with the program goals.

In short, this grant opportunity is aimed at institutions and organizations that want to build or enhance structured research education programs that combine skills-based coursework, meaningful research exposure, and strong mentoring to help a more diverse group of trainees and early-career participants move into and persist in research pathways. The intended outcome is a stronger, more inclusive biomedical and behavioral research workforce, achieved through education and career development programming rather than through funding clinical trials or stand-alone research projects.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIAID Research Education Program Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $351,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 23 282

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