Superfund Research Program Occupational Health and Safety Education Programs on Emerging Technologies (R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA ES 20 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 20 011

The Superfund Research Program Occupational Health and Safety Education Programs on Emerging Technologies funding opportunity (RFA-ES-20-011) is an NIH research education grant mechanism (R25) administered through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). It is designed to support structured education and training activities, rather than traditional hypothesis-driven research projects, and it explicitly does not allow clinical trials. The central purpose is workforce-focused: to build, expand, or strengthen occupational health and safety education tied to emerging technologies in ways that align with NIH and NIEHS mission areas, particularly environmental health concerns connected to the Superfund Research Program.

At its core, the opportunity aims to develop educational programs that complement or enhance the preparation of people who will meet national biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce needs, with a specific emphasis on occupational health and safety challenges created by new and rapidly evolving technologies. In practice, this typically means creating or improving curricula, training modules, continuing education, and related educational activities that help workers, trainers, and professionals recognize, evaluate, and manage hazards that may arise when novel technologies are introduced into workplaces. The SRP framing signals a connection to hazardous substances and environmental exposures, so the educational focus is meant to be relevant to real-world exposure scenarios and prevention strategies, especially where emerging technologies may change risk profiles, introduce unfamiliar contaminants, or require new safety practices.

The funding instrument is a discretionary grant under the education, environment, and health activity category, listed under CFDA 93.143. The posted award ceiling is $250,000. The opportunity was originally released on April 30, 2020, with an original closing date of August 3, 2020. While the notice does not specify the expected number of awards, applicants would generally interpret the award ceiling and the R25 structure as supporting modest-to-mid-scale program development and delivery, rather than large multi-site research centers.

Eligible applicants include a broad range of U.S.-based organizations: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (both those with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education under that classification). The announcement also highlights that certain types of institutions are explicitly included among eligible applicants, reflecting an emphasis on broad participation and capacity-building across diverse educational settings. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).

A key restriction is that the program is domestic-only. Non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. In other words, the applicant organization and the supported program activities must be structured so that they remain within NIH rules for domestic projects, without foreign performance sites or foreign program components.

Overall, this R25 opportunity is best understood as funding for educational infrastructure and training delivery focused on occupational health and safety in the context of emerging technologies, under the umbrella of NIEHS and the Superfund Research Program. It is geared toward building a capable workforce through education and skills development, not conducting clinical trials or primarily generating new research data, and it is open to a wide range of U.S. academic and nonprofit institutions, including many minority-serving institutions.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Superfund Research Program Occupational Health and Safety Education Programs on Emerging Technologies (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): 93.143.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-04-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-03. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

Apply for RFA ES 20 011

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: