Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

Pre-consultation with IC staff

Participating NIH Institutes and Centers are indicated in Part 1. Components of Participating Organizations. For additional scientific program information and for pre-application guidance, applicants are encouraged to contact the Scientific/Research Contact(s) in Part 2. Section VII with research interests relevant to the applicant's proposed topic. Consultation with relevant NIH staff prior to the application due date is strongly encouraged for new and resubmission applications.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is continuing to make a special effort to stimulate research at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate and/or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation's research institutions that have not been major recipients of NIH support. Since Fiscal Year (FY) 1985 Congressional appropriations for the NIH have included funds for this initiative, known as the Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program, that was intended to focus on undergraduate institutions (PAR-21-155). To complement the AREA program, this NOFO specifically supports eligible health professional schools and graduate schools to provide research experiences to health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students pursuing biomedical or behavioral research.

The three objectives of this NOFO are to: (1) provide support for meritorious research; (2) strengthen the research environment at these institutions; and (3) give health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students an opportunity to gain significant biomedical research experience through active involvement in the research. For the purposes of this NOFO, health professional schools and colleges are accredited institutions that provide education and training leading to a health professional degree, including but not limited to: BSN, MSN, DNP, MD, DDS, DO, PharmD, DVM, OD, DPT, DC, ND, DPM, MOT, OTD, DPT, MS-SLP, CScD, SLPD, AuD, MSPO, MSAT, and MPH. Eligible health professional schools/colleges may include schools or colleges of nursing, medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, public health, optometry, allied health, chiropractics, naturopathy, podiatry, rehabilitation medicine, physical therapy, orthotics & prosthetics, kinesiology, occupational therapy and psychology. Accreditation must be provided by a body approved for such purpose by the Secretary of Education.

The REAP program will enable qualified scientists to receive support for small-scale research projects. It is anticipated that investigators supported under the REAP program will benefit from the opportunity to conduct independent research; that the recipient institution will benefit from a research environment strengthened through REAP grants; and that students at recipient institutions will benefit from exposure to and participation in scientific research in the biomedical sciences so that they consider careers in biomedical research. The REAP NOFO emphasizes the engagement and inclusion of health professional, undergraduates and/or graduate students in research. 

The research project must involve health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students and the research team must be composed primarily of health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students. Student involvement in the research project may include participation in the design of experiments and controls, collection and analysis of data, execution and troubleshooting of experiments, participation in research meetings, and discussion of future directions. When applicable, it is highly desirable that student participation also include presentation at local and/or national meetings, publication of journal articles, and collaborative interactions. The REAP is a research grant program, not a training or fellowship program. As such, applications should not include training plans such as didactic training or non-research activities relating to professional development. This NOFO does not provide support for research at undergraduate-focused institutions, and investigators from those institutions should apply to PAR-21-154 - Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required). Additional information on R15 programs can be found at: NIH Research Enhancement Award (R15).

A REAP application submitted to this NOFO may include other investigators, such as collaborators or consultants, or other individuals such as high school students, post baccalaureate participants, postdoctoral fellows, or clinical fellows. However, involvement of such individuals does not fulfill the goal to engage health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students in eligible environments in research.

This NOFO does not provide support for research at undergraduate-focused institutions, and investigators from those institutions should apply to PAR-21-154 - Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required). Additional information on R15 programs can be found at: NIH Research Enhancement Award (R15).

All applications submitted to this Clinical Trial Required REAP NOFO must propose a clinical trial.  This NOFO supports investigator-initiated clinical trials proposing mechanistic and/or low/minimal risk studies, with the goal of producing clinical findings that have significant public health impact. The NIH defines a clinical trial as a research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions or experimental conditions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions/manipulations on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes ( NIHGPS 1.2 Definition of Terms).

Clinical trials considered responsive to this NOFO must meet the following criteria:

• Does not require FDA oversight such as those requiring Investigational New Drug (IND) or Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) applications. For example, clinical trials involving utilization of a licensed product/device for an approved dose, population, and indication may not require an IND or IDE.
• Potential of the intervention to cause physical or psychological harm is low. For example, risks that are no greater than those encountered in routine medical care or procedures.
• Intends to gather scientific data/evidence to inform subsequent studies but is not aimed or sufficiently powered to directly change health policy or standard of care and is not an NIH-defined Phase III Clinical Trial (https://humansubjects.nih.gov/glossary).

A mechanistic clinical trial meets the definition of a clinical trial and is designed to explore or understand a biological or behavioral process, the pathophysiology of a disease, or the mechanism of action of an intervention (i.e., a mechanistic trial is not a test of efficacy or effectiveness of an intervention). Research that is designed to understand a biological or behavioral process or the pathophysiology of a disease (but not the more applied goal of the mechanism of action of an intervention or therapeutic), is supported through this NOFO.

Proposed studies should be hypothesis-driven and produce research data/evidence that are necessary to inform core scientific design, implementation and issues essential to advance scientific knowledge.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the NIH guidance on clinical trials prior to submission: Does Your Human Subjects Research Study Meet the NIH Definition of a Clinical Trial? | grants.nih.gov

Investigators who are solely proposing non-clinical trial human subjects research (e.g., observational, epidemiological, secondary data analyses, device development), should apply to the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (PAR-22-060).

Applicants are encouraged to consult the Frequently Asked Questions website and the NIH Research Enhancement Award R15 website for more information about this program.

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

Section II. Award Information

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions - Includes all types

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

In addition, all organizations must meet the following criteria at the time of submission:

• The applicant organization must be an accredited public or non-profit private school that grants baccalaureate or advanced degrees in health professions (see section below for more details) or biomedical and behavioral sciences. The application must be submitted by the eligible organization with a unique entity identifier (UEI)  (including DUNS) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number.
• At the time of application submission, all components of the institution combined must not have received support from the NIH totaling more than $6 million per year (in both direct and F&A/indirect costs) in four of the last seven years. A year is defined as a federal fiscal year: from October 1 through September 30. For institutions composed of multiple schools and colleges, the $6 million funding limit is based on the amount of NIH funding received by all of the schools and colleges within the institution as a whole. Note that all activity codes are included in this calculation except the following: C06, S10, and all activity codes starting with a G. Help determining the Organization Funding Level can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/Determing-Organization-Funding-Levels-R15-Eligibility.pdf
• Only eligible Health Professional or Graduate Institutions may apply
• Non-health professional or non-graduate academic institutions are not eligible to apply
• For the purposes of this NOFO, a graduate school offers advanced degrees, beyond the undergraduate level, in an academic discipline including M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees.
• Health professional schools and colleges are accredited institutions that provide education and training leading to a health professional degree, including but not limited to: BSN, MSN, DNP, MD, DDS, DO, PharmD, DVM, OD, DPT, DC, ND, DPM, MOT, OTD, MS-SLP, CScD, SLPD, AuD, MSPO, MSAT, and MPH.
• Eligible health professional schools/colleges may include schools or colleges of nursing, medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, public health, optometry, allied health, chiropractic, naturopathy, podiatry, rehabilitation medicine, physical therapy, orthotics & prosthetics, kinesiology, occupational therapy, social work, and psychology. Accreditation must be provided by a body approved for such purpose by the Secretary of Education.
• For institutions with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for each individual campus (e.g., main, satellite, etc.) only if a UEI and NIH IPF number are established for each campus. For institutions that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for all campuses, eligibility is determined for all campuses (e.g., main, satellite, etc.) combined.

Additional Eligibility Guidance

A signed letter is required from the Provost or similar official with institution-wide responsibility verifying the eligibility of the applicant institution at the time of application submission according to the eligibility criteria indicated above. Consult the application instructions for "Other Attachments" on the SF424(R&R) Other Project Information form in Section IV.2 Instructions for Application Submission. Final eligibility will be validated by NIH prior to award.

To assist in determining eligibility, organizations are encouraged to use the NIH RePORT website under NIH Awards by Location & Organization and to consult the NIH Research Enhancement Award R15 website.

A REAP grant is permitted to have a subcontract to a non-REAP-eligible institution. However, applicants should keep the goals of the REAP program in mind when preparing the application, which include strengthening the research environment of eligible institutions and engaging students from eligible institutions to research. The majority of the research must be directed by the PD(s)/PI(s) at the grantee institution.

Undergraduate-focused institutions with undergraduate enrollment greater than graduate enrollment should apply to PAR-25-134, "Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" or PAR-25-148, "Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required)".

Foreign Organizations/ International Collaborations

NIH will no longer issue awards (new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. This new requirement was effective, May 1, 2025.

Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. See NIH Grants Policy Statement 16.8 Collaborative International Research Awards.

Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information.

• System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code. Foreign organizations must obtain a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.  PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

All PD(s)/PI(s) must be registered with ORCID. The personal profile associated with the PD(s)/PI(s) eRA Commons account must be linked to a valid ORCID ID. For more information on linking an ORCID ID to an eRA Commons personal profile see the ORCID topic in our eRA Commons online help.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. 

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply-Application Guide.

To be eligible for an REAP grant, the PD(s)/PI(s) must meet the following additional criteria:

• Each PD(s)/PI(s) must have a primary appointment at a health professional or graduate school or college within the applicant institution, as defined in "Eligible Institutions," above. If proposing multiple PD(s)/PI(s), each PD/PI must be at a REAP-eligible institution.
• Each PD(s)/PI(s) may not be the PD(s)/PI(s) of an active NIH research grant, including another R15 grant, at the time of award of an REAP grant, although they may be one of the Key Personnel for an active NIH grant held by another PD/PI.
• Each PD(s)/PI(s) may not be awarded more than one R15 grant at a time, although they may hold successive New or Renewal grants.

2. Cost Sharing

This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise (in this NOFO, in a policy notice, or other notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the How to Apply- Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply- Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the How to How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Facilities & Other Resources: The following information should be included.

• A profile of the students of the applicant institution and any information or estimate of the number who have obtained a health professional, baccalaureate or advanced degree and gone on to obtain an academic or professional doctoral or other advanced degree in the health-related sciences during the last five years.
• Description of the special characteristics of the applicant institution that make it appropriate for a REAP grant awarded through this NOFO, where the goals of this NOFO are to: (1) provide support for meritorious research at health professional or graduate institution or institutional components; (2) strengthen the research environment at these institutions/components; and (3) give health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students an opportunity to gain significant biomedical research experience through active involvement in the research.
• Description of the likely impact of a REAP grant on the PD(s)/PI(s).
• Description of the likely impact of a REAP grant on the research environment of the applicant institution.
• Description of the likely impact of the REAP grant on the ability of health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students at the institution to gain experience conducting biomedical research.
• Provide a description of the resources of the recipient institution available for the proposed research (e.g., equipment, supplies, laboratory space, release time, matching funds, etc.).
• Although the majority of the research must be directed by the PD(s)/PI(s) and conducted at the applicant institution, limited use of special facilities or equipment at another institution is permitted. For any proposed research sites other than the applicant institution, provide a brief description of the resources and access students will need and have to these resources.

Other Attachments: The application must include a PDF-formatted letter named "ProvostLetter.pdf" (without quotation marks). For MPI applications a signed Provost letter is required from each involved institution. The letter must be signed by the Provost or similar official with institution-wide responsibility attesting to the following information:

• The eligible academic component(s) (i.e., the college/school level) must be a health professional or graduate school that awards health professional, baccalaureate or advanced degrees in biomedical and/or biobehavioral sciences.
• All components of the institution together have received support from the NIH totaling no more than $6 million per year (in both direct and F&A/indirect costs) in 4 of the last 7 years, as described in Section III, "Eligible Organization".
• Validation that the PD(s)/PI(s) has (or in the case of a multiple PD/PI application that all PD(s)/PI(s) have) a primary appointment at the qualifying component (i.e., health professional or graduate school).

Applications that do not contain this signed letter will be withdrawn without review.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Biographical Sketch: The PD(s)/PI(s) should include a summary of their previous and/or current experience supervising undergraduate and/or graduate students in research in the Personal Statement as part of the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement. The PD(s)/PI(s) should indicate which peer-reviewed publications or other research products involved undergraduate and/or graduate students under their supervision.

The PD(s)/PI(s) should indicate how health professional, undergraduate, and/or graduate student researchers helped disseminate research results. Products for dissemination may include, but are not limited to, presentations, posters, publications, and datasets.

R&R or Modular Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Modular Budget (direct costs of $250,000 or less):

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Budget Period 1: Direct Costs

Direct Costs less Consortium F&A: Select the appropriate dollar amount from the drop-down list. This number must not exceed $250,000.

Budget Justification:

Personnel Justification: Since a primary objective of the REAP is to engage health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students in meritorious research, the research team must be composed primarily of health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students from the applicant institution/REAP-eligible component. Indicate aspects of the proposed research in which students will participate. If participating students have not yet been individually identified, the number and academic level of those to be involved should be provided. If there are any Collaborators or Consultants for the project, provide their names, organizational affiliations, and the services they will perform.

R&R Budget (direct costs of $250,001 to $375,000):

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Budget Period 1: Direct Costs

Total Direct Costs less Consortium F&A: This number must not exceed $375,000.

Budget Justification:

Personnel Justification: Since a primary objective of the REAP is to engage health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students in meritorious research, the research team must be composed primarily of health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students from the applicant institution/REAP-eligible component. Indicate aspects of the proposed research in which students will participate. If participating students have not yet been individually identified, the number and academic level of those to be involved should be provided. If there are any Collaborators or Consultants for the project, provide their names, organizational affiliations, and the services they will perform.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy: Describe how the proposed plan can achieve the specific aims using a research team composed primarily of health professional, undergraduate and/or graduate students. Describe how students will be engaged in and supervised in conducting hands-on, rigorous research. Describe how students will participate in research activities such as planning, execution, and/or analysis of the research. Describe any other plans for student involvement, such as presentation at local or national meetings, participation in publication of research findings and development of, or participation in, collaborative activities. Formal training plans (e.g., non-research activities, didactic training, seminars) should not be provided, although a brief description of activities related to enhancing students' research capabilities and progress (e.g., the use of individual development plans, etc.) is permitted.

Progress Report Publication List: For renewals, when listing publications, manuscripts accepted for publication, patents, and other printed materials that have resulted from the project, note which of these products have included the work of students conducting research supported by the REAP grant.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

Other Plan(s): 

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) is required for any NIH-funded or conducted research that will generate scientific data. Applicants must submit the DMS Plan at the time of application using the NIH DMS Plan Format Page. The DMS Plan must address the elements in the structured format. Where the DMS Plan Format Page requires a "Yes or No" response, no additional narrative is allowed. 

Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

• No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply - Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered "Yes" to the question "Are Human Subjects Involved?" on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 2. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time.  If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply - Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete or non-compliant will not be reviewed.

Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200.113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.1.35.

Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at grantdisclosures@oig.hhs.gov.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy

Provost letters may be solicited at the sole initiative and discretion of NIH. 

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

For this particular NOFO, note the following:

This NOFO has three objectives: (1) provide support for meritorious research at health professional or graduate institutions or institutional components; (2) strengthen the research environment at these institutions/components; and (3) give students opportunities to gain significant biomedical research experience through active involvement in the research. 

Scientific foundation for the proposed research should be established using preliminary data (if available) and/or published data. Although preliminary data are not required for an R15 application, they may be included if available.

A proposed Clinical Trial application may include study design, methods, and intervention that are not by themselves innovative but address important questions or unmet needs. Additionally, the results of the clinical trial may indicate that further clinical development of the intervention is unwarranted or lead to new avenues of scientific investigation.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to make important scientific contributions to the research field(s) involved, while providing research opportunities to undergraduate or graduate or health professional students and strengthening the research environment of the institution, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider Factors 1, 2 and 3 in the determination of scientific merit, and in providing an overall impact score. In addition, Factors 1 and 2 will each receive a separate criterion score. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged as a high impact R15 application. For example, a solid and interesting scientific research project that is not by its nature innovative or paradigm-shifting, and includes a good plan to engage undergraduate or graduate or health professional students in primary research may be considered a strong R15 application.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, but will not give criterion scores for these items, and should consider them in providing an overall impact score.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the Center for Scientific Review, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
• Portfolio breadth

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.5.1. Just-in-Time Procedures. This request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding.

Prior to making an award, NIH reviews an applicant's federal award history in SAM.gov to ensure sound business practices. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov. NIH will consider any comments by the applicant in the Responsibility/Qualification records in SAM.gov to ascertain the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and performance record of managing Federal awards per 2 CFR Part 200.206 "Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants." This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

A Notice of Award (NoA) is the official authorizing document notifying the applicant that an award has been made and that funds may be requested from the designated HHS payment system or office. The NoA is signed by the Grants Management Officer and emailed to the recipient's business official.

In accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Any pre-award costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the applicant's own risk.  For more information on the Notice of Award, please refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 5. The Notice of Award and NIH Grants & Funding website, see Award Process.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain "applicable clinical trials" on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The following Federal wide and HHS-specific policy requirements apply to awards funded through NIH:

• The rules listed at 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
• All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the terms and conditions in the Notice of Award (NoA). The NoA includes the requirements of this NOFO. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities.

All federal statutes and regulations relevant to federal financial assistance, including those highlighted in NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4 Public Policy Requirements, Objectives and Other Appropriation Mandates.

By applying for or accepting federal funds from HHS, recipients certify compliance with all federal antidiscrimination laws and these requirements and that complying with those laws is a material condition of receiving federal funding streams. Recipients are responsible for ensuring subrecipients, contractors, and partners also comply.

Applicants and recipients are strongly encouraged to refer to the NIH Director's Statement of Priorities, entitled "Advancing NIH's Mission Through a Unified Strategy." 

Recipients are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable federal regulations. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.340, by accepting an NIH award, the recipient agrees that continued funding for the award is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, recipient satisfactory performance, compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the award, and may also otherwise be terminated, to the extent authorized by law, if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities, in line with 2 CFR 200.340(a)(4).

Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, Div. N, § 405, Pub. Law 114-113, 6 USC § 1533(d), the HHS Secretary has established a common set of voluntary, consensus-based, and industry-led guidelines, best practices, methodologies, procedures, and processes.

Successful recipients under this NOFO agree that:

When recipients, subrecipients, or third-party entities have:

• ongoing and consistent access to HHS owned or operated information or operational technology systems; and
• receive, maintain, transmit, store, access, exchange, process, or utilize personal identifiable information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) obtained from the awarding HHS agency for the purposes of executing the award.

Cybersecurity plans and procedures must at minimum include the following:

• Develop cybersecurity plans and procedures, modeled after the NIST Cybersecurity framework, to protect HHS systems and data:
  • Identify:
    • Develop an inventory of all assets and accounts with access to HHS owned and operated information or operational technology systems or which obtain PII or PHI for the purposes of the award.
  • Protect:
    • Limit access to HHS owned and operated systems to only those in need of access to complete reward activities.
    • Require all staff to complete annual cybersecurity and privacy awareness training. Visit 405(d): Knowledge on Demand (hhs.gov) to obtain free trainings, if needed.
    • Enable multifactor authentication for all employees, subrecipients, and third-party entities to access HHS owned and operated information or operational technology systems.
    • Regularly backup sensitive data and test backups.
  • Detect:
    • Install anti-virus or anti-malware software on all devices, servers, and accounts used to connect to HHS owned and operated systems.
  • Respond:
    • Develop an incident response plan. See Incident-Response-Plan-Basics_508c.pdf (cisa.gov) to learn about developing incident response plans.
    • Have cybersecurity incident reporting procedures that ensure the relevant HHS awarding agencies are notified of a cybersecurity incident within 48 hours of discovery. A cybersecurity incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a technology service or reduction in the quality of a technology service, or an occurrence that actually or potentially jeopardizes the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system or the information the system processes, stores, or transmits.
  • Recover:
    • Investigate incidents and plug any security gaps identified. 

All activities proposed in your application and budget narrative must align with applicable law, including but not limited to statutes, executive orders, federal regulations and applicable judicial holdings.  Accordingly, discretionary awards shall not be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate; racial preferences or other forms of racial discrimination by the recipient, including activities where race or intentional proxies for race will be used as a selection criterion for employment or program participation; denial by the recipient of the sex binary in humans, or the belief that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic; illegal immigration; or any other initiatives that compromise public safety.  If an application does not align, the application will not receive funding to the extent permitted by law and applicable court orders.

For applications involving substance abuse, the application must not support harm reduction. Please see Updated Funding Guidance for Recipients on Supplies and Services.

As of October 1, 2025, HHS has adopted 2 CFR Part 200, with some modifications included in 2 CFR Part 300. These regulations replace those in 45 CFR Part 75. However, for NIH, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2026, (P.L. 119-75, Division B, Title II, Sec. 224), the provisions relating to indirect costs in 45 CFR 75 continue to apply to NIH awards. Consistent with the statute, NIH will not apply updated thresholds outlined within 2 CFR Part 200, at this time.

Not Applicable

A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) is required for any NIH-funded or conducted research that will generate scientific data. Applicants must submit the DMS Plan at the time of application using the NIH DMS Plan Format Page. The DMS Plan must address the elements in the structured format. Where the DMS Plan Format Page requires a "Yes or No" response, no additional narrative is allowed. 

4. Reporting

Progress reports for multi-year funded awards are due annually on or before the anniversary of the budget/project period start date of award. The reporting period for multi-year funded award progress report is the calendar year preceding the anniversary date of the award. Information on the content of the progress report and instructions on how to submit the report using the RPPR are posted at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/myf.htm. 

Given the three objectives of the REAP R15 program, progress reports should include information on how the R15 award has strengthened the research environment and, specifically in Section B.4 of the RPPR, information on how students have been actively involved in research and information on outcomes for undergraduate, graduate, and health profession students, including, but not limited to: how many students have gone on to and/or graduated from graduate or health professional schools or found employment in the biomedical workforce.

Section D.1 of the RPPR should list all researchers, including student researchers, and whether or not they were compensated by the R15 award.

If additional reporting requirements need to be added, please insert a comment indicating what reporting requirements are desired. Note that additions likely will require approval by OER. 

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.6 Closeout. NIH NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 2 CFR Part 200.301.

In carrying out stewardship of grant programs, NIH will periodically evaluate the REAP R15 program, employing the representative measures identified below. In assessing the effectiveness of research project grant investments, NIH may use information from progress reports and public databases, PDs/PIs, and from participants themselves. Where necessary, PDs/PIs and participants may be appropriately contacted after the completion of the grant period for updates on participants' subsequent outcomes.

The overall evaluation of the program will be based on metrics that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Characteristics of the applicant and awardee pool for the program, such as the following:
  • Geographic distribution
  • Investigator demographics
  • Health professional, graduate and/or undergraduate student researcher demographics
  • Institution types
  • Scientific topics of supported research
• Indicators of scientific accomplishments/productivity, such as the following:
  • Outcomes for student researchers
  • Effects on the institution's research environment
  • Peer-reviewed research publications and citations
  • Presentations at scientific conferences (e.g., talks, posters, etc.)
  • Patent activity among grantees

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk - Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues.

Grants.gov Support Center - Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and services (e.g., Workspace, subscriptions).

National Institute on Aging (NIA)
NIA-NOFO-GrantsContacts@nih.gov

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Email:  REAP@NIDCD.nih.gov

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Email: NINRProgram@mail.nih.gov

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Email: nichd_dbcab_nofos@mail.nih.gov

National Eye Institute (NEI)
Email: NEI_extramural@nih.gov

NIDA Referral 
National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Email: NIDAreferral@mail.nih.gov

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 
Email: NIMHinitiatives@mail.nih.gov

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
NHLBI R15 Program
E-mail: nhlbi_r15@nhlbi.nih.gov
Subject: PAR-27-078

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Email: nhgri-research-funding@nih.gov

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Email: NIMHDDCHPSScientificTeam@mail.nih.gov 
Email: NIMHDDCHSRinquiries@mail.nih.gov 
Email: NIMHDDIBBSScientificTeam@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
E-mail: niaaa-training@mail.nih.gov

Referral Officer
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6390
Email: ncirefof@dea.nci.nih.gov

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Email: NOFOReviewContact@csr.nih.gov

National Institute on Aging (NIA)
NIA-NOFO-Grants@nih.gov

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Email: NIDCDGrantsMgt@nidcd.nih.gov

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Email: NINRProgram@mail.nih.gov

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Email: nichdgrantsmanagement@mail.nih.gov

National Eye Institute (NEI)
Email: NEI_extramural@nih.gov

Chief, Grants Management Officer 
National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) 
Email: nidagmbemail@nida.nih.gov

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 
Email: NIMHNOFOGrantsManagement@mail.nih.gov

Office of Grants Management
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Email: NHLBIOGMInbox@nhlbi.nih.gov 
Subject: PAR-27-078

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Email: nhgrigab@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) 
Email: NIMHD-CGMO@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Email: niaaagmbstaff@mail.nih.gov

 

Office of Grants Administration
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6277
Email: NCIFinancialContact@nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 2 CFR Part 200.