We’re pleased to announce a new notice of special interest (NOSI) (NOT-GM-23-031) associated with PAR-20-296, modules for enhancing biomedical research workforce training (R25). The NOSI requests applications to develop biomedical research training modules on one of the following topics:

• Wellness and resiliency: effectively providing individuals with the knowledge and skills to enhance their wellness, resiliency, and ultimate success during their research training.
• Structural racism and discrimination: addressing harassment, intimidation, and other forms of structural racism and discrimination to reduce disparities in recruitment, retention, and success and to promote access, inclusion, equity, and accessibility in the research training environment. Modules should focus on how to create optimized research training environments where all participants feel safe, respected, and supported.
• Safe research training environments: catalyzing a strong culture of responsibility and obligation to maintain high standards for physical, chemical, and biological safety.
• Program evaluation capacity: developing evaluation capacity by informing program directors and administrators about effective and practical approaches to evaluate biomedical research training programs at their institutions.

We’re pleased to announce the second webinar in our series on issues in biomedical research training, workforce development, and diversity. The series is a combination of lectures, panel discussions, and workshops focused on a variety of important topics for the broader training community, such as program evaluation, mentoring, safe and inclusive research environments, and curricular development.

We’re offering another round of administrative supplements to provide summer research experiences to undergraduate students. The research experiences can be conducted remotely or in person, depending on the institutional regulations of the applicant organization. The supplements are open to all NIGMS-funded investigators with active R01, R35, and R37 awards, including those in their final year of funding. We’ll accept requests under PA-20-272, Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements.

To continue our efforts to modernize biomedical research training and career development, we invite eligible institutions with NIGMS training (T32, T34), certain research education (R25), or institutional career development (K12) awards to apply for administrative supplements to develop and implement curricular, training, or administrative activities to enhance:

• Laboratory safety curriculum and a culture of safety in biomedical research training environments (NOT-GM-22-010)
• Safe and inclusive biomedical research training environments (NOT-GM-22-011)
• Undergraduate biomedical research training (NOT-GM-22-012) (T34 and R25 undergraduate programs only)
• Program evaluation capacity (NOT-GM-22-013)
• Mentoring in the research training environment (NOT-GM-22-014)
• Wellness and resilience (NOT-GM-22-015)

UPDATE: The webinar slides [PDF] and video are now available.

We’re pleased to announce a technical assistance webinar for people interested in applying for training grants in the predoctoral basic biomedical sciences (PAR-20-213) and our Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) (PAR-21-189). The next application due date for both programs is January 25, 2023.

During the webinar, we’ll provide an overview of both programs and answer any questions you may have. You can send questions before the webinar or post them in the chat box during the event:

This past February, we shared our plans to develop a program to broaden the types of institutions participating in NIH-funded dual-degree training programs. We’re pleased to announce that the Leading Equity and Advancing Diversity in the Medical Scientist Training Program (LEAD MSTP) funding opportunity announcement has been published (PAR-23-030). The LEAD MSTP aims to develop a diverse pool of highly trained clinician-scientists who meet the nation’s biomedical research needs. The program supports dual-degree training programs at institutions that haven’t historically been well represented among NIGMS-funded MSTPs. It’s limited to dual-degree training programs at 1.) historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and 2.) Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), and 3.) institutions in Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible states. NIGMS encourages applications proposing partnerships between the applying HBCUs, TCUs, or IDeA-state institutions to further advance the goals of the program.

Since the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) began in 1975, it has supported more than 14,000 clinician-scientist trainees. The program provides predoctoral training grants (T32) to institutions to develop and implement effective, evidence-informed training for students pursuing both a clinical and a research doctorate degree (i.e., M.D.-Ph.D.).

Are you preparing a grant application for the NIH Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) K99/R00 or UE5 programs? If so, please join our webinar to learn about the programs and application components and to ask questions:

Wednesday, September 14, 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Zoom Meeting link
Meeting ID: 160 690 9580
Passcode: 228794

We’re pleased to announce the first in a webinar series for the broader community on issues in biomedical research training, workforce development, and diversity. Its combination of lectures, panel discussions, and workshop activities will focus on a variety of important topics for the training community, such as program evaluation, mentoring, promotion of safe and inclusive environments, and curricular development. Our hope is that these webinars will enhance program directors’ and administrators’ ongoing management of training, career, or workforce development programs.

NIGMS supports individuals and institutions that foster research training and a strong and diverse biomedical research workforce through a variety of programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. We’re seeking input from trainees (undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral scientists), biomedical faculty, and research education program participants (e.g., postbaccalaureates), on initiatives that can help us improve research training, career progression, or the educational environment. NIGMS is especially interested in hearing about trainee-initiated activities—particularly from the trainees themselves—in NIGMS-funded training programs, including U-RISE, MARC, BUILD, PREP, G-RISE, IMSD, Bridges to the Baccalaureate, Bridges to the Doctorate, IRACDA, MOSAIC, basic biomedical T32, and MSTP.