The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. 

Consistent with this purpose, the R25 program is designed to advance several key educational and workforce development objectives:

• Support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs;
• Help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences; and
• Foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research and its implications. 

To help meet these objectives, this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will support educational activities with a primary focus on Research Experiences.

Research Education Program Structure

Proposed programs should provide mentored research experiences as part of a comprehensive program based on educational practices designed to stimulate the interest, skills and knowledge base of participants. In addition to providing mentored research experiences, programs are expected to include complementary activities appropriate to the educational stage of program participants that support the participants' scientific development, such as scientific writing and presentation skills, and instruction to enhance rigor and reproducibility in research.

Programs should have clear goals and objectives appropriate for the educational level and needs of the audience to be reached, including the content to be conveyed, and the intended outcome(s). For example, outcomes may include the following:

• For high school and college science teachers: to enhance their knowledge of cutting-edge biomedical research and incorporate relevant technologies and approaches into classroom environments to improve student learning.
• For undergraduate students or postbaccalaureate researchers: to provide hands-on exposure to research, to reinforce their intent to graduate with a science degree, to prepare them for graduate school admissions or careers in research.
• For masters, doctoral, medical, dental, nursing, and other health professional students: to provide research experiences and related training not available through formal NIH training mechanisms.
• For postdoctorates, clinical residents and fellows, and faculty: to extend their skills, experiences, and knowledge base in state-of-the-art biomedical research approaches. 

Programs proposed through this R25 can vary in structure and duration.  For example, programs can be short-term (e.g., 8–12-week summer research experiences for students or teachers), a full academic or calendar year (e.g., postbaccalaureate research experiences), or spread over multiple years (e.g., part-time mentored research experiences for clinical residents). Programs should be designed consistent with the stated goals and objectives, and the educational stage of the participants to be reached. The proposed program is expected to align with the mission of the NIH Institute, Center, and Office (ICO) to which the application is submitted. ICOs will not support projects, regardless of the results of peer review, if they do not align with current programmatic priorities. Therefore, potential applicants are encouraged to consult scientific/research staff at the intended ICO listed in Section VII before preparing an application. A description of ICO priorities can be found on the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices website.

NIH encourages applications from a wide variety of eligible organizations, including those in Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible states, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).  Recipients are encouraged to recruit participants who have the potential to significantly benefit from the program, including those who have not had substantial previous research experience. Consistent with existing NIH practices and applicable law, NIH does not use race, ethnicity, or sex of PI/PD applicants, participants, or program faculty in the application review process or funding decisions. Applicants and award recipients are encouraged to consult with their General Counsel to ensure all applicable laws and regulations are followed in program design and implementation.