NIAID Research Opportunities for New and “At-Risk” Investigators to Promote Workforce Diversity (US)

Deadline: 7-Sep-25

Applicants are invited to submit their applications for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Research Opportunities for New and “At-Risk” Investigators to Promote Workforce Diversity.

This program is intended to support New Investigators and At-Risk Investigators from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the health-related sciences.

NIH and NIAID recognize a unique and compelling need to promote diversity in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences workforce. NIH expects efforts to diversify the workforce to lead to the recruitment of the most talented researchers from all groups; to improve the quality of the educational and training environment; to balance and broaden the perspective in setting research priorities; to improve the ability to recruit subjects from racial and ethnic minority and other NIH-designated populations that experience health disparities into clinical research protocols; and to improve the Nation’s capacity to address and eliminate health disparities.

Scope and Objectives

• The Project entitled, “Investing in the Next Generation of Researchers,” established the Next Generation of Researchers Initiative within the Office of the NIH Director. This initiative is intended to promote and provide opportunities for new researchers and earlier research independence, and to maintain the careers of at-risk investigators. In particular, subsection
• Requires the Director to “Develop, modify, or prioritize policies, as needed, within the National Institutes of Health to promote opportunities for new researchers and earlier research independence, such as policies to increase opportunities for new researchers to receive funding, enhance training and mentorship programs for researchers, and enhance workforce diversity”; and subsection
• Requires the Director to “Carry out other activities…as appropriate, to promote the development of the next generation of researchers and earlier research independence.” See, The NIH Policy Supporting the Next Generation Researchers Initiative (NOT-OD-17-101).The NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) offered a number of recommendations to NIH on the “Next Generation Researchers Initiative.” Among those: the Committee recommended “special funding consideration for “at-risk” investigators. These are researchers who developed meritorious applications who would not have significant NIH research funding if the application under consideration is not awarded.
• The objective of this program is consistent with the provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act and the recommendations from the NIH ACD and seeks to support research from New Investigators and At-Risk Investigators from diverse backgrounds, including investigators from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, in order to enhance the diversity of R01-funded investigators.

Specific Areas of Research Interest

• NIAID supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases, with the goal of developing new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies. Research areas include microbiology and infectious diseases, AIDS, and AIDS -related research, immunology, allergy, transplantation, and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. For the purposes of this FOA, NIAID encourages research within the scope of all areas of NIAID’s scientific areas of focus. Applicants are advised to contact the scientific contact for the NIAID Division most closely aligned with their research interest and planned proposal. Clinical trials are optional, based on NIAID’s determination of level of risk.
• Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs. Consultation with NIAID staff prior to the application due date is strongly encouraged for submission of a clinical trial application.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Organizations
  • Higher Education Institutions
  • Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  • Private Institutions of Higher Education
• The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
  • Hispanic-serving Institutions
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  • Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
  • Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
  • Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
• Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• For-Profit Organizations
  • Small Businesses
  • For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
• Local Governments
  • State Governments
  • County Governments
  • City or Township Governments
  • Special District Governments
  • Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
  • Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
• Federal Government
  • Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
  • U.S. Territory or Possession
• Other
  • Independent School Districts
  • Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
  • Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
  • Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
  • Regional Organizations
• Foreign Institutions
  • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
  • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
  • Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343643