National Institute of
NRSA Institutional Postdoctoral Training Grants (T32)
Program Goal & Structure
Current NIGMS Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA institutional postdoctoral research training grants support the training of clinician-scientists in clinically relevant research areas within the mission of NIGMS:
- Anesthesiology
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Injury and Critical Illness (including sepsis)
Detailed descriptions can be found here.
All competing applications for NIGMS institutional postdoctoral clinician scientist career development grants should be submitted to the Parent K12 NOFO. Visit NIGMS K12 webpage for more details.
Current programs prioritize the selection of M.D. degree holders as trainees and require at least 2 years of rigorous research training in a range of basic, clinical and/or translational science areas. If Ph.D. postdoctoral scientists are considered, research training should focus on advanced and specialized areas and offer appropriate opportunities to study problems of clinical relevance.
Programs should provide rigorous, multidisciplinary postdoctoral research training with an emphasis on hypothesis-driven laboratory or clinical research. The training experience should be enhanced by providing programmatic activities, such as exposure to the principles of experimental design, statistics and data analysis; courses for skills development; journal clubs, seminars, and scientific symposia; and grant writing. The training faculty should be multidisciplinary and may include both clinician-scientists and basic scientists as potential mentors.
Training Eligibility and Participation
Grantees will select the trainees to be supported by the research training program. It is the responsibility of the organization to establish the qualifications, consistent with applicable law, of the trainees before they are supported by the program.
The individual to be trained must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment. Additional details on citizenship, training period, and aggregate duration of support are available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. NIGMS emphasizes the use of these programs to train clinician-scientists, most of whom are expected to participate in the training program for at least two years. Direct clinical training or experience should not be a part of the program, although providing understanding of the clinical relevance of their individual research projects is an important aspect for all trainees.
All T32 trainees are required to pursue their research training full-time, normally defined as 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring organization in accordance with its own policies.
No postdoctoral trainee may receive more than 3 years of NRSA support, unless a waiver is obtained.
Information for Applicants
Applications are accepted once per year (January 25 application due date) to start the following July 1 (see Postdoctoral Training Grant Application Deadlines).
Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO (including Related Notices in the Overview Section), Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and consult relevant NIGMS staff for the proposed program area to discuss eligibility and application requirements prior to submission. When submitting an application, it's important to follow all instructions and avoid issues that lead to noncompliance and withdrawal prior to review. NIGMS does not require applications requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year to contact staff to obtain agreement that the IC will accept the application.
For general questions about NIGMS postdoctoral training programs, please contact NIGMSPostdocT32@nih.gov.
