The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers. The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying a portion of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research.
New for fiscal year 2020, LRPs will pay up to $50,000 annually for qualifying applicants. Also new this year, NIDA will participate in the Loan Repayment Program (LRP) for Health Disparities Research (L60). NIDA will continue participating in the Clinical research (L30) and Pediatric Research (L40) LRP Programs. Application submission opens September 1, 2019 and closes November 15, 2019. More information on eligibility and application information can be found on the LRP Website or by contacting NIDA_LRP@nida.nih.gov.
Did you know?
Biosketches are an important part of both competing applications and progress reports since they highlight your qualifications and accomplishments, educational and professional history, as well as set the context for new grant applications. The NIH Forms library provides instructions, blank format pages, and sample predoctoral/postdoctoral fellowship and non-fellowship biosketches (see here). The National Center for Biotechnology Information also supports a valuable tool called Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv). This tool supports multiple research agencies to help you develop your biosketch and automatically format it according to NIH requirements.
Policy Updates
NIH is committed to supporting early-career investigators as they establish their research independence and build their scientific research programs. NIH developed the Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status policy to confer prioritized funding of meritorious applications submitted by PIs who are within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or post-graduate clinical training, whichever date is later, and who have not previously competed successfully as PD/PI for a substantial NIH independent research award. (A list of NIH grants that a PD/PI can hold and still be considered an ESI can be found here.)
Some investigators may experience a lapse in their research or research training or will experience periods of less than full-time effort during the 10-year ESI period. To accommodate such lapses, the NIH will consider requests to extend the ESI period for reasons that can include family care responsibilities, medical concerns, disability, natural disasters, and active-duty military service.
Beginning on August 22, 2019 (NOT-OD-19-125) investigators will be able to request an extension to their ESI eligibility period through eRA Commons via an ESI Extension request button in the Education section of their Personal Profile. The system will provide text fields to provide a justification for the proposed extension, and the ability to upload PDFs of supporting documentation. Once submitted, the request will be reviewed by the ESI Extension Committee, and if approved, the new ESI end date will appear in the Education section of the eRA Personal Profile.
Funding Opportunities
Predoctoral Training
- Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31-Diversity) PA-19-196
- NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00) RFA-NS-19-011
- Drug Abuse Dissertation Research (R36) PA-16-443
Postdoctoral Training
- BRAIN Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Clinical Trial Required) PAR-18-813
- BRAIN Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR-18-814
- Pathway to Independence Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) RFA-OD-18-008
- Pathway to Independence Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-OD-18-007
- BRAIN Initiative Fellows: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) RFA-MH-18-510
Career Development
- New Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers (LRP-CR) (L30) NOT-OD-19-116
- New Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research (LRP-PR) (L40) NOT-OD-19-117
- New Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR) (L60) NOT-OD-19-118
- Short-term Mentored Career Enhancement Awards in Mobile and Wireless Health Technology and Data Analytics: Cross-Training at the intersection of Behavioral and Social Sciences and STEM Disciplines (K18 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR-18-881
- Short-term Mentored Career Enhancement Awards in Mobile and Wireless Health Technology and Data Analytics: Cross-Training at the intersection of Behavioral and Social Sciences and STEM Disciplines (K18 Independent Clinical Trial Required) PAR-18-882
- Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-OD-18-005
- Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) RFA-OD-18-006
- NIDA Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Program Award in Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder Research (K12 Clinical Trial Optional) PAR-18-746
Research Education
- Workshops on the Use of Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Data (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-DA-20-001
- NIDA Research Education Program for Clinical Researchers and Clinicians (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR-19-258
- Providing Research Education Experiences to Enhance Diversity in the Next Generation of Substance Abuse and Addiction Scientists (R25 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) PAR-19-246
- Alcohol and Other Substance Use Research Education Programs for Health Professionals (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR-19-207
- Summer Research Education Experience Program (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR-19-197
Upcoming Events
- National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA)
September 5, 2019
Rockville, MD
Join us in-person or via videocast for the next open session of NIDA’s Advisory Council. The Agenda can be accessed here. - NIDA-NIAAA Mini-Convention: Frontiers in Addiction Research
October 18, 2019
Chicago, IL
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), both part of the National Institutes of Health, will host a one-day mini-convention, a satellite event of the 2019 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.
