Funding mechanism:  NIH R01 (Dr. Renee Cottle)

​

Intent or scope of application:

Research grant designed to support:

• Specific, well-defined research project
• Biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research spanning a wide range of scientific disciplines, including basic, translational, clinical, epidemiological, and health services research
• Projects typically aim to test hypotheses or structured experimental aims
• May support projects led by a single principal investigator (PI) or multiple-PI teams

​

Length of award: up to 5 years, renewable

​

Budget: up to $500,000/year (direct costs)

​

Length of application: 1 page Specific Aims, 12 page Research Strategy (Significance, Innovation, Approach),

Budget Justification, Abstract, Other Key Components (eg, Letters of Support, Vertebrate, Human Subjects)

​

Preliminary data required? Required and critical for success

​

Eligibility (if any): Doctoral degree (eg, PhD, MD); must be affiliated with an eligible institution.

​

Due dates:  February 5, June 5, and October 5 (New applications)

​

Link to funding announcement: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-25-301.html

Not all NIH Institutes and Centers participate in Parent Announcements

​

Institutes accepting R01 applications:

​

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

Tips for Applying to NIH R01 Grants

​

• Start early – allow time for internal reviews and approvals

• Align your aims with NIH institute priorities

• Craft a compelling Specific Aims page – this is your sales pitch

• Emphasize significance, innovation, and rigor

• Provide solid preliminary data to support feasibility

• Use clear visuals, avoid jargon, and follow formatting rules

• Include strong letters of support and biosketches

• Seek feedback from funded colleagues or mentors

• Scheduling a call with a Program Officer early in the process

​

​

​

Funding mechanism:  NIH R15 (Dr. Anita Nag)

​

Intent or scope of application:

Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) and Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP)

• Provide support for meritorious research at undergraduate-focused institutions (>$6 million NIH support/4 years)
• Strengthen the research environment at these institutions
• Allow undergraduate students to gain significant biomedical research experience
• No clinical trial, not for Health Professionals

​

Length of award: Up to 3 years (new, renewal, resubmission, and revision allowed)

​

Budget: Up to $375,000 for 3 years for direct costs (plus indirects)

​

Length of application: 1 page Specific Aims, 12 pages Research Plan; Significance, Innovation, Approach; Undergraduate training plan; letter from the Provost

​

Preliminary data required? not required, but helpful

​

Eligibility (if any): ex. Faculty at the designated institute as a PI, technicians and postdocs are allowed; the main focus is undergraduate training; the PI cannot be PI of another NIH grant.

​

Due dates:  February 25, June 25, and October 25

​

Link to funding announcement: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-25-134.html

Institutes accepting R15 applications:

​

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Tribal Health Research Office (THRO)

Intent or scope of application:

Designed to build research capacity at institutions that award undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in biomedical sciences and receive limited NIH funding.

​

Focuses on supporting faculty-initiated research projects with strong student participation and aims to enhance the research environment at eligible institutions. 

​

Length of award: up to 4 years, renewable

​

Budget: up to $400,000 total ($100,000/year) plus indirects

​

Length of application: 1 page Specific Aims, 6 pages Research Plan, Significance, Innovation, Approach

​

Preliminary data required? not required, but helpful

​

Eligibility: faculty only

NIH R16 (Support for Research Excellence (SuRE)

(Dr. Walden Ai)

Application dates (PAR-25-414)

Eligibility:

​

R16 grants are targeted towards institutions that award undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in biomedical sciences.

Have received limited funding from NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs). Specifically, they should have received no more than $6 million per year in total costs from NIH RPGs in each of the two preceding fiscal years (calculated using NIH RePORTER).

Key Features of the R16/SuRE Award

Research Focus:

​

The program supports faculty-initiated research projects in basic, social, clinical, behavioral, and translational sciences that fall within the NIH mission. 

​

Student Involvement:

​

A key component of the R16 is the requirement for student participation in the research. 

Key Features of the R16/SuRE Award (continued)

There are two distinct funding opportunities within the SuRE program:

​

• SuRE (PAR-25-414): Supports faculty investigators who have prior experience in leading externally-funded, independent research but are not currently funded by an NIH RPG (except for other SuRE or SuRE-First awards). 

​

​

• SuRE-First (PAR-25-415): Supports faculty investigators who have not had any prior independent external research grants. 

SuRE vs. SuRE-First

Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Program (R16)

​

Institutes accepting R16 applications

​

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

The NIGMS SuRE program's success rate in its first year (FY 2022) was 44% for SuRE grants and 48% for SuRE-First grants. 

​

Personal notes when applying for an R16 award

1. Cover the basics:

Page limits, budget, readability

​

2. Get the reviewers excited:

Present novel concepts or follow the trend.

​

3. DO NOT give up!

Keep improving and keep submitting

Funding mechanism:  NIH R21 �(Dr. Kandy Velazquez)

​

Intent or scope of application:

Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant:

• NIDCD Early Career Research Award – Clinical Trial Optional
• Exploratory Grants in Cancer Control – Clinical Trial Optional
• Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants
• NOSI (Notice of Special Interest): Addressing Cancer-Related Financial Hardship to Improve Patient Outcomes
• NOSI: Understanding and Addressing Weight Stigma, Bias, and Discrimination to Promote Health for All
• NOSI: NCI’s Interest in Research on Interprofessional Teamwork and Coordination During Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
• NOSI: Survivorship Research for People Living with Advanced and Metastatic Cancers
• Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders – Clinical Trials Not Allowed
• Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications – Clinical trial optional
• Multidisciplinary Studies of HIV/AIDS – Clinical trial optional
• Ancillary Studies to Ongoing Clinical Projects (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• Using Innovative Digital Healthcare Solutions to Improve Quality at the Point of Care (R21/R33)

​

​

�

Length of award: up to 2 years, not renewable

​

Budget: up to $275,000 total ($200,000 max in 1 year) plus indirects

​

Length of application: 1 page Specific Aims,

6 pages Research Strategy - Significance, Innovation, Approach

​

Preliminary data required? not required, but necessary

​

Eligibility (if any): ex. faculty only, no students, etc.

​

Due dates: *Check because some of them might be different

(New submission) *February 16, June 16, and October 16

(Resubmission) *March 16, July 16, and November 16

​

​

Link to funding announcement: NIHhttps://grants.nih.gov/funding/nih-guide-for-grants-and-contracts?ac=R21&pfoa=yes

Not all NIH Institutes accept R21 applications

​

Institutes accepting R21 applications:

​

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Fogarty International Center (FIC)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)

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

Tribal Health Research Office (THRO)

Diversifying Your Funding

Finding Other Biomedical Research Funding Opportunities

Beyond NIH

• Many agencies fund research in overlapping areas

​

​

• Broader funding equals more stability, innovation and collaborations

​

Federal Funders

• Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP): High-risk, high-impact biomedical research especially in cancer, trauma and mental health

​

• Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H): Transformative biomedical and health breakthroughs (high-risk, high-reward) and research that cannot be easily accomplished through traditional research

​

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Public health, disease surveillance, health disparities research

​

Federal Funders

• National Science Foundation: Under its directorates, provides funding for:
• Bioengineering and engineering healthcare (CBET)
• Behavioral science (SBE)
• Computational biology and environmental biology (BIO)

​

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Health systems, outcomes, implementation science research

​

Non-Federal Funders

• American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and stroke research
• American Cancer Society: Cancer prevention and control research
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Health equity and public health systems research
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Comparative clinical effectiveness research to help people make informed decisions and improve healthcare delivery and outcomes
• Pew Foundation: Research on advancing health and well-being

Non-Federal: Specific to South Carolina

• The Duke Endowment: Healthy lifestyles and health systems research
• Blue Cross Blue Shield SC Foundation: Complex health care challenges research
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Health equity and public health systems research
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Comparative clinical effectiveness research to help people make informed decisions and improve healthcare delivery and outcomes

How to Find Opportunities

• Grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/
• Broader search tool for all federal funding
• Sign up for email alerts

​

• Check funders’ websites and newsletters

​

• Sign up for email alerts from individual agencies as well as at your institution

​

• Partner with your Research Development and/or Foundation Relations Office early in the process

QUESTIONS?

Erin Butler, MBA, CRA

Director of Research Training

eb129@mailbox.sc.edu