Short-Term Research Education Program to Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HL 25 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 25 001

The Short-Term Research Education Program to Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) designed to strengthen and diversify the future biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce. This program uses the NIH Research Education (R25) grant mechanism to support structured, educational activities that help people from nationally underrepresented groups gain meaningful exposure to research and build the skills, mentoring relationships, and professional readiness needed to compete for later research training and career development opportunities in areas central to NHLBI. In practical terms, the program is meant to expand the pipeline of researchers by giving participants real research experiences and related learning opportunities that make research careers more accessible and sustainable.

A central feature of this particular announcement is its emphasis on “short-term” research education and a primary focus on Research Experiences. While research education can include a range of developmental activities, the announcement explicitly prioritizes hands-on experiences that place participants in research environments, typically under the guidance of experienced mentors, to learn how research is conceived, conducted, analyzed, and communicated. The overall intent is not simply classroom instruction, but immersive exposure that helps participants build confidence, technical and analytical skills, and an understanding of how to navigate research pathways in heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related fields aligned with NHLBI’s mission. The “Clinical Trial Not Allowed” designation signals that the supported activities cannot include proposing or conducting independent clinical trials under this award, which helps keep the program centered on education and research experience rather than trial implementation.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations that can run training and research education programs. Eligible applicants include state, county, and 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; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both those with and without 501(c)(3) status) that are not higher education institutions; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other types of entities. The announcement also highlights additional categories of eligible applicants that are often closely connected to the diversity and workforce-development mission, 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). It also notes that faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions may apply, reinforcing that the program can be hosted by a wide variety of institutions positioned to reach underrepresented communities.

At the same time, the opportunity places clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. In other words, the applicant organization and supported program components must be based in the United States and structured without foreign components under NIH’s definitions.

From a funding standpoint, this is a discretionary grant competition under an NIH funding instrument (Grant) and is categorized under Health activities. The opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HL-25-001, with CFDA numbers listed as 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, and 93.840, reflecting alignment with NIH/NHLBI program authorities. The posted award ceiling is $175,000, indicating the maximum award amount expected per project under this announcement. The original closing date provided is August 19, 2026, giving prospective applicants a clear deadline to plan, coordinate partners and mentors, and assemble a competitive proposal that demonstrates strong educational design, meaningful research experiences, and a credible approach to enhancing diversity in the NHLBI-relevant research workforce.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as support for institutions to run well-designed, short-term research education programs that intentionally recruit and support individuals from underrepresented groups, connect them with high-quality mentoring and research experiences, and help them build a foundation for future training, advanced study, and research careers in heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related science. The program’s structure and restrictions emphasize education and workforce development rather than clinical trial execution, with a strong focus on expanding equitable access to research opportunities and strengthening the long-term diversity of the health-related research enterprise.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Short-Term Research Education Program to Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25 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): 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-19. (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 $175,000.00 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 RFA HL 25 001

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