Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T35) | PA 25 280

FAQs: Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T35) - PA-25-280

What is the NRSA Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T35)?

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T35) is an NIH discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PA-25-280) that supports U.S.-based institutions in building, strengthening, or expanding short, intensive research training programs for predoctoral students considering careers in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research workforce.

What is the primary purpose of this opportunity?

The central purpose is research training rather than hypothesis-driven research. Applicants propose a structured training program that places trainees into mentored research environments for a concentrated period so they leave with practical understanding of how biomedical research is conceived, conducted, analyzed, and communicated.

Who is the sponsoring agency?

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the funding opportunity number?

The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is PA-25-280.

Is this a grant or a contract?

This opportunity is categorized under a grant funding instrument.

What types of training experiences does the T35 mechanism emphasize?

A key emphasis is the classic summer research experience for health professional students, typically involving a full-time block (often during the summer) devoted to immersive research in a mentored environment.

Which trainees are the program designed to support?

The program is designed for predoctoral students who are considering careers in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research workforce. It is also commonly used to support health-professional students and is intended to attract graduate students from physical or quantitative science backgrounds into health-related sciences through short-term mentored exposure.

Are health professional students specifically supported under this program?

Yes. Many NIH Institutes and Centers use the T35 program specifically to support medical students, veterinary students, and students in other health-professional degree programs who can devote a full-time block to immersive research (often during the summer).

Can this program support trainees transitioning from quantitative or physical sciences into biomedical research?

Yes. Beyond health professional students, the program is also meant to attract graduate students from physical or quantitative science backgrounds by providing short-term, mentored exposure to health-related sciences to help bridge disciplines and encourage longer-term biomedical research pathways.

What research competencies are trainees expected to gain?

The training experience is intended to provide meaningful exposure to experimental design, responsible conduct of research, data interpretation, and broader principles that guide high-quality biomedical investigation, along with experience communicating research.

What does a competitive T35 application generally need to demonstrate?

Based on the provided description, a competitive application typically demonstrates the institution can deliver a well-supervised, high-quality short-term research training experience, including a strong pool of mentors, an organized training plan, appropriate research environments, clear trainee selection and support processes, and programming that exposes trainees to core research principles.

What kinds of organizations are eligible to apply?

Eligibility includes a broad range of U.S.-based entities, including public and private institutions of higher education; governmental entities (state, county, city or township, special district governments, and independent school districts); federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status, including those outside higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities described in the announcement.

Are minority-serving institutions explicitly encouraged or identified as eligible?

Yes. The announcement explicitly highlights that organizations 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) may apply.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly highlighted among the categories of organizations that may apply.

Can federal agencies apply?

Eligible federal agencies are explicitly listed among the categories of organizations that may apply.

Can organizations in U.S. territories or possessions apply?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly highlighted as eligible applicant categories.

Are non-U.S. (non-domestic) organizations eligible to apply?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply.

Can a U.S. organization apply if the training program includes a non-domestic component?

No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, reinforcing that the training program and administering organization must be U.S.-based.

Is the intent to fund research projects or training programs?

The intent is to fund training programs. The core purpose is structured, short-term research training in mentored environments, rather than conducting hypothesis-driven research as the primary objective.

What is the overall career or workforce goal of the program?

The program is intended to create a pipeline effect by giving predoctoral and health-professional trainees concentrated research immersion that can influence career direction toward biomedical and related research fields.

Which NIH Institutes and Centers participate?

The information provided indicates that multiple NIH Institutes and Centers may participate depending on scientific alignment, as reflected by the included assistance listing identifiers.

What federal assistance listings (CFDA) are associated with this opportunity?

The provided CFDA numbers include 93.113, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.273, 93.286, 93.351, 93.847, 93.866, and 93.867.

What is the closing date for this opportunity?

The original closing date listed is May 7, 2028. Applications may be accepted during this extended window according to NIH receipt dates and the schedule described in the full funding announcement.

Is the award ceiling provided?

No. Award ceiling information is not specified in the provided source data.

Is the expected number of awards provided?

No. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided source data.

Where should applicants look for budget expectations and allowable costs?

Because award ceiling and expected award counts are not included in the provided information, prospective applicants typically need to consult the full funding announcement and relevant NIH Institute or Center guidance to understand budget expectations, allowable costs, and institute-specific priorities.

What kind of time commitment is implied for trainees?

The program emphasizes a short, intensive, full-time block for trainees (often a summer period), designed to provide concentrated immersion in mentored research.

What does the training environment look like under this program?

The program description emphasizes placement into mentored research environments with supervision, hands-on engagement, and organized programming intended to teach core research principles and practices.