Promoting Broad Participation in NIDCD's Extramural Workforce through Research Education Experiences and/or Mentoring Networks (R25 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 166

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 166

The opportunity titled "Promoting Broad Participation in NIDCD's Extramural Workforce through Research Education Experiences and/or Mentoring Networks" (PAR-24-166) is an NIH Research Education Program (R25) grant aimed at strengthening and diversifying the future research workforce connected to the mission of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). The program is designed to fund structured research education activities, with a strong emphasis on expanding participation among individuals from diverse backgrounds, especially people from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. The overall intent is not simply to provide general training, but to create meaningful educational experiences and/or organized mentoring networks that help participants build the skills, connections, and confidence needed to continue into advanced study or long-term research careers in relevant scientific areas.

This is a discretionary federal grant in the health category (CFDA 93.173) offered by the National Institutes of Health. The funding instrument is a grant under the R25 mechanism, and it explicitly indicates "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the supported activities should focus on education, training, and mentoring rather than running an independent clinical trial as the primary project. In practical terms, strong applications typically center on well-planned curricula, hands-on research exposure, career development programming, cohort-based experiences, and/or multi-institution mentoring structures that create sustained guidance and professional development. The program is framed around research education, so reviewers generally expect a clear educational rationale, defined participant populations, a plan for mentoring and oversight, and a credible approach to measuring outcomes such as persistence in research pathways, continued training, research productivity, and successful transitions to the next career stage.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicant types, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. The common theme is that the program is open to a wide range of organizations that can credibly deliver research education and mentoring activities and can demonstrate the ability to reach and support participants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

At the same time, there are important restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means certain discrete parts of the work may be carried out internationally if they meet NIH rules and are well-justified, even though a non-U.S. organization cannot be the primary applicant. This structure allows programs to incorporate limited international elements when they clearly enhance the education or mentoring experience, while keeping the award and primary leadership anchored in an eligible U.S. organization.

From a funding standpoint, the listed award ceiling is $250,000, indicating the maximum amount expected per award under the terms provided in the source data. The opportunity was created on April 17, 2024, and the original closing date is listed as September 29, 2027, which suggests a multi-year window where NIH may accept applications across multiple due dates tied to the announcement. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, so applicants should not assume a guaranteed volume of funded projects and should treat competitiveness as typical for NIH programs. Overall, this R25 is best understood as a workforce-development and research education investment: it is meant to build pathways into NIDCD-relevant research by funding thoughtfully designed educational experiences and mentoring networks that broaden participation and improve long-term retention and advancement in the research pipeline.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Promoting Broad Participation in NIDCD's Extramural Workforce through Research Education Experiences and/or Mentoring Networks (R25 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-09-29.
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 24 166

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