Summer Research Education Experience Program (Clinical Trials Not Allowed R25) | PAR 19 164

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 164

The Summer Research Education Experience Program (R25) opportunity (PAR 19-164) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant designed to strengthen research education in areas that match NIH mission priorities. The core purpose is educational: helping participants build a clearer, more practical understanding of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research, along with why that research matters and how it connects to real-world health outcomes. A key point in this specific announcement is that clinical trials are not allowed, so proposed activities must stay on the research education side without involving NIH-defined clinical trial work.

The program is centered on summer research experiences, meaning it is aimed at activities that take place during the summer academic break and emphasize hands-on learning. NIH is looking for creative education programs that primarily provide research experiences for high school students, undergraduate students, or science teachers. In practice, this usually means structured summer research placements, mentored lab or research group experiences, skills workshops, seminars on research methods and ethics, professional development activities, and other organized components that immerse participants in the research process. The emphasis is not on general science enrichment for its own sake, but on helping participants understand how research is formulated, conducted, interpreted, and communicated within the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research landscape.

A central requirement is mission alignment. Applicants have to tailor the proposed summer program to the mission of the specific NIH Institute or Center (IC) they plan to submit to. The announcement explicitly warns against proposing a broad, generic STEM summer program; instead, the project should fit clearly within the research priorities of the participating IC. NIH references IC-specific guidance (including points of contact) to reinforce that programs should be focused and relevant rather than broadly framed as general science training.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities). For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also listed among eligible applicants, along with an "other" category that can capture additional qualifying entity types. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories 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.

At the same time, the announcement draws a firm line on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed. In other words, the applicant organization must be U.S.-based and the supported activities must be structured without foreign components under NIH definitions.

From the funding details provided, the award ceiling is listed as $100,000, and the activity category is Education, Environment, Health under the NIH research education mechanism. The CFDA numbers associated with the opportunity include 93.113, 93.273, 93.279, and 93.853. The opportunity is administered by NIH, and the original closing date shown in the source data is January 23, 2019.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Summer Research Education Experience Program (Clinical Trials Not Allowed R25)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.273, 93.279, 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-01-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 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 19 164

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