Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO).

Program Summary

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

To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on: Courses for Skills Development and Research Experiences for undergraduate freshmen and sophomores from diverse backgrounds to pursue further studies and careers in bioengineering or STEM fields relevant to NIBIB’s scientific . Applications are encouraged to propose integrated educational activities that include 3 elements: a summer bridge program for incoming freshmen, and in the freshman and sophomore years, academic year activities and summer research experiences. The ESTEEMED program is intended to expose students to bioengineering research early in their college careers while also providing students didactic, mentoring and career development opportunities. This will prepare students to join, in their junior and senior years, an honors program that promotes STEM and entrance into a Ph.D. program. The ultimate goal is for the participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a subsequent research career in bioengineering or NIBIB-relevant field.

The program supported by this FOA must contain at least three elements:

  1. Summer Bridge Program: A Summer Bridge Program is to occur before the start of the freshman year to prepare student participants, in bootcamp-style, for their first year of college. The bootcamp should introduce students to the ESTEEMED program and provide a review of basic topics and skills necessary for success. It must take place during the summer before the freshman year, last at least five weeks, emphasize basic sciences, computation, and science communication, and provide survival skills to help participants transition from high school to college, such as socialization/networking and strong time management and organizational skills. Summer Bridge Programs are encouraged to incorporate mentoring of incoming freshman participants by rising sophomores in the ESTEEMED program.
  2. Academic Year Activities: In addition to continuing to emphasize basic sciences, computation, and science communication during the freshman and sophomore academic years, the Academic Year Activities should help participants maximize their academic performance and prepare them for summer research experiences and eventual entry into an honors program. Academic year activities should include, but are not limited to, courses, journal clubs, individual development plans for each participant, seminars/workshops, professional development programs, internal and external speakers to introduce the students to different career paths, and participation in national scientific meetings. Activities such as workshops on scientific presentation and writing that promote scientific communication skills are highly encouraged. There should be an increasing sophistication in these activities as participants proceed from the freshman to the sophomore year.
  3. Summer Research Experience: At the end of their freshman and sophomore years, participants are required to take part in hands-on summer research experiences that involve a defined research project and includes a final oral presentation and written report of their work. Research experiences can take place in an on-campus laboratory or can be an off-campus research experience in an academic or industrial or NIH/NIBIB laboratory research setting. The Summer Research Experience is expected to last at least eight weeks or most of the summer.

Deadlines

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØInternal Deadline: 11:59pm MST October 7, 2024

Sponsor Letter of Intent Deadline: 5:00pm MST December 17, 2024

Sponsor Application Deadline: 5:00pm MST January 17, 2025

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Research Education Program Plan Summary (3 pages maximum): Please describe the proposed research education program (including plans for the summer bridge program, academic year activities, and summer research experience), program participants, institutional environment and commitment, recruitment plan to enhance diversity, and evaluation plan.
  • Project Team Description (2 pages maximum): Please identify the program director/PI, describing their history of mentoring, especially of students/trainees from diverse/underrepresented backgrounds and their experience in developing and leading similar programs, and identify program faculty mentors and roles.Ìý
  • PI CV / Biosketch
  • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit: Ìý

Eligibility

The PD(s)/PI(s) should have a background in bioengineering or a closely related field in engineering or the physical/computational sciences and should have demonstrated experience in the applications of these fields in medicine and/or biology. The PD(s)/PI)(s) should be capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed program. The PD/PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program and submit all documents and reports as required.

The proposed PD(s)/PI(s) should hold a research or clinical doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent), and have clearly demonstrated training/mentoring credentials, particularly of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including students from underrepresented groups. The PD/PI must have a regular, full-time appointment (i.e., not adjunct, part-time, retired, or emeritus) at the applicant institution.

Limited Submission Guidelines

Only one application per institution.

Award Information

$325,000 in direct costs per year over 4 years

Review Criteria

See the solicitation’s full for information on the internal competition evaluation process.