Slots: 1
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Friday, July 26th, 2024, 5pm PT TBA
LOI: 30 days prior
External Deadline: September 26, 2025
Award Information
Award Type: Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Anticipated Award Amount: Application budgets are limited to a maximum of $250,000 direct cost per year, and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
Who May Serve as PI:
The proposed PD/PI should hold a basic or health professional degree (e.g. Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent), and have clearly demonstrated training/mentoring credentials. The PD/PI must have a regular, full-time appointment (i.e. not adjunct, part-time, retired, or emeritus) at the applicant institution and should have research, teaching, and/or academic administrative experience. Early-stage investigators are eligible to serve as PD/PIs, as long as doing so will not detract from their research program and career advancement.
If a scientific society is identified as the applicant organization, the advisory board of the given scientific society or organization should identify an affiliated member to serve as PD/PI and work with them to develop an application for support.
Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-178.html
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers.
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.
This NIH Neuroscience Development for Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25) is a flexible and specialized program designed to foster the development of neuroscience researchers from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented groups, across the specified career stages. This Neuroscience Diversity R25 initiative will focus on factors that have been shown to affect retention of underrepresented postbaccalaureate, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and junior faculty in neuroscience research, such as mentoring, scientific networks, professional development, and attention to the structural and institutional environment regarding inclusion (http://acd.od.nih.gov/dbr.html; Structure and Belonging: Pathways to Success for Underrepresented Minority and Women Ph.D. Students in STEM Fields; The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM). Undergraduate students are not considered eligible for career stage support for this funding opportunity announcement, please view current NIH programs for undergraduate students.
The participating ICs are committed to the development of a diverse biomedical research workforce. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks to promote diversity in training and research programs and to encourage the participation of individuals from underrepresented groups identified by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities. Evidence from several reports demonstrates that an intervention designed to facilitate successful transitions along this pathway would benefit the research community (Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine 2011; and Advancing the Nation’s Health Needs: NIH Research Training Programs). Specifically, for neuroscience early career researchers, there is a decrease in the proportion of trainees from underrepresented backgrounds from the predoctoral (12%) to tenure-stream neuroscience faculty level (5%); 2011 Survey Report of Neuroscience Departments and Programs. Active interventions are necessary to prevent the loss of talent at each level of educational advancement (PCAST, 2012).
The NIH expects applicant institutions to propose programs that will lead to an improvement in the professional development, mentoring and technical expertise of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups that are nationally underrepresented in neuroscience research. The activities may focus on individuals at a particular eligible research career stage or at a range of eligible career stages. Programs that target transitions and/or more than one career stage for neuroscience career advancement and progression are encouraged. This initiative will support the development of collaborative research education partnerships that will increase participants’ awareness and interest in the neurosciences, develop participants’ scientific knowledge and research skills that will allow them to progress and transition to more advanced neuroscience-related research education and training activities. Proposed program interventions to enhance workforce diversity in response to this NOFO should also focus on asset models and leadership opportunities, rather than solely deficit models and remediation (recommendations from 2022 NINDS Transforming Mentorship Workshop, 2019 NINDS Pathways for Institutional Change Regarding Diversity and Inclusion, 2017 NINDS Activating a Neural Network;?and NAMHC Workgroup on Research Training Report).
To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this NOFO will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on three types of activities (all three must be included):
- Mentoring Activities: Within the context of a mentoring network, activities may include, but are not limited to, dedicated efforts at providing not only technical expertise, but advice, insight, and professional career skills that advance the broad career goals of graduate students, postdoctorates and/or early-career faculty from diverse backgrounds; facilitating scholarly writing and grantsmanship; promoting successful transitions from one career stage to another; providing leadership development; helping to identify potential collaborators; and helping to establish interdisciplinary collaborations in order to foster a career trajectory towards independent neuroscience research. Additionally, the NIH realizes that quality mentorship is critical to the recruitment and retention of scientists from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented groups . Therefore, this NOFO welcomes programs aimed at improving the caliber of mentorship and focusing on strategies and recommendations that utilize the science of effective mentoring. For example, workshops to educate mentors on establishing and sustaining effective research mentoring relationships (e.g. summer course or a workshop accompanying a neuroscience-related scientific meeting in which case-based scenarios may be used to educate mentors on various relevant ethical, professional and cultural issues facing students today, for example, effective communication and mentoring compacts, or addressing cultural awareness, among others). Also, the program intends to support innovative mentoring network programs within neuroscience-focused scientific and/or professional societies and organizations. Mentors from all demographic backgrounds should be encouraged to participate in the proposed program.
- Research Experiences: Provide hands-on authentic research experiences that reflect intellectual contribution to the project and for postbaccalaureate and graduate students to provide research experiences and related training not available through formal NIH training mechanisms; for postdoctorates and junior faculty to extend their skills, experiences, and knowledge base. The research experience should enhance competitiveness and innovative research exposure for the R25 participants. In addition to hands-on research experiences, programs are expected to include complementary activities that support the participants’ scientific development, such as scientific writing and presentation skills, and training in rigor and reproducibility. The nature of research experiences should be tailored to the needs and career levels of participants. It is expected that mentoring will be provided in conjunction with planned research experiences and participants will design individualized development plans (IDPs) that are compatible with their needs and experience. Additionally, programs that provide educational/research experiences that enhance the participation and productivity of investigators from diverse backgrounds, including from underrepresented groups, in carrying out research on mission-relevant health disparities will be considered.
- Courses for Skills Development: For example, advanced courses in a neuroscience research area relevant to participating IC missions, or specialized research techniques to enhance the research skills of postbaccalaureate, graduate students, postdoctorates, and junior faculty from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, career development seminars and workshops such as grant writing, manuscript preparation, enhancing laboratory management for early stage faculty, building a successful career and other core competencies–like experimental rigor and quantitative skills, as recommended in Developing a 21st Century Neuroscience Workforce–are highly encouraged. Activities should fill a gap in existing resources and provide a course that is significant and impactful for the neuroscience research community.
Although this Advancing Neuroscience Diversity R25 is not a typical research instrument, applicants should develop education programs and activities that can be amenable to formal program evaluation to determine their effectiveness. A specific plan must be provided for program evaluation (see Section IV, Evaluation Plan). For some types of projects, a plan for disseminating results may also be appropriate and may be required as well (see Section IV, Dissemination Plan). NIH recognizes the heterogeneity of institutional/organizational settings and missions; therefore, the scope, purpose, and objectives of Advancing Neuroscience Diversity R25 applications are anticipated to reflect such variations ; however, all three types of activities must be included.
Fostering diversity in the scientific research workforce is a key component of the NIH strategy to identify, develop, support and maintain the quality of our scientific human capital. Programs that target periods of transition and/or more than one career stage for research career advancement and progression are strongly encouraged. See the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity (NOT-OD-20-031) for populations that NIH has identified as underrepresented in the U.S. biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences research enterprise.The proposed program needs to align with the mission of the participating IC to which the application is submitted. ICs will not support projects, regardless of the results of merit review, if they do not fulfill current programmatic priorities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that potential applicants consult scientific/research staff at the intended IC listed in Section VII before preparing an application. For the specific ICs, the following represents mission focus areas (more information can be found in the Table of IC-Specific Information and Contacts page):
- NINDS will support applications that address or seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system by supporting and conducting research on the healthy and diseased brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS supports basic, translational, and clinical research. NINDS also encourages activities focused on understanding and addressing disparities in neurologic health, healthcare, and health outcomes in minority health and NIH-designated populations that experience health disparities and populations adversely affected by persistent inequality and socioeconomic disadvantage. Only research education projects that will contribute to the development of the future NINDS workforce will be considered for funding. See the NINDS mission statement (https://www.ninds.nih.gov/About-NINDS/Who-We-Are/Mission) and the NINDS Strategic Plan (https://www.ninds.nih.gov/About-NINDS/Strategic-Plans-Evaluations/Strategic-Plans/NINDS-Strategic-Plan-and-Priorities/Neuroscience-Research).
- The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. NIMH supports research on topics that include basic neuroscience and behavioral science, and translational application of brain and behavior relationships in healthy and diseased states. Mental disorders may be defined according to existing diagnostic criteria or along dimensions of neurobehavioral functioning according to the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework. If existing diagnostic criteria are to be used, investigators should include plans for addressing heterogeneity within the diagnostic category or categories. Applications considered for funding by the NIMH must fall within the areas of priority detailed in the NIMH Strategic Plan and the NIMH Strategic Research Priorities.
- NIAAA encourages applications that support the mission to generate and disseminate fundamental knowledge about the effects of alcohol on health and well-being, and apply that knowledge to improve diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and recovery of alcohol-related problems, including alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated organ damage, across the lifespan. NIAAA supports basic and/or translational research in a wide range of alcohol research scientific areas including genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment.
- NIDA encourages applications that support the mission to advance science on drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health. This funding opportunity seeks to facilitate the research education of those who are knowledgeable about substance use, addiction and neuroscience research and plan to study these research areas later in their careers. It is expected that efforts and resources from this program will foster a greater understanding of the implications of substance use and addiction nationwide and contribute to the biomedical research workforce which will help to develop solutions to reduce the burden of substance use, addiction, and its health-related consequences across all populations. Moreover, the goal is for participants to develop new skills necessary to become independent neuroscientists in the substance use and addiction field.
Potential applicants are strongly advised to communicate with the Scientific/Research staff listed in this funding announcement prior to writing an application to determine whether the Advancing Neuroscience Diversity R25 is the appropriate program for the proposed efforts to enhance research training.
Research education programs may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those training and education programs currently receiving Federal support. R25 programs may augment institutional research training programs (e.g., T32, T90) but cannot be used to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.