Development of Curricular or Training Activities in Skills Development (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PA 18 759

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 759

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offered an administrative supplement opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PA-18-759) to strengthen skills-focused training within existing NIGMS-supported predoctoral T32 institutional training grants. The central purpose was to fund the development and implementation of new or improved curricular and training activities that help predoctoral trainees build the technical, operational, and professional skill sets needed to succeed as biomedical scientists. In practical terms, this supplement mechanism was meant to help T32 programs modernize and refresh how they prepare graduate researchers, with an emphasis on reworking and revitalizing predoctoral biomedical research education rather than simply adding more of the same.

Because it is an administrative supplement, the funding is tied to an already active, eligible NIGMS-funded predoctoral T32 award. The supplement funds could be used to design, pilot, and roll out structured learning experiences that address skills gaps commonly encountered in biomedical research careers. While the notice does not list specific modules, the intent clearly covers a broad range of competencies that support researcher development, including hands-on technical proficiency, effective research operations (such as rigor and reproducibility practices, data management, and project execution), and professional growth (such as communication, teamwork, mentoring, leadership, and career development). The overall goal was to encourage training programs to rethink and update their approaches so that trainees are better equipped for today’s research environment.

This opportunity was categorized as discretionary grant funding within the NIH health funding activity area and associated with CFDA number 93.859. The stated award ceiling was $80,000, indicating the supplement was designed to be a targeted, limited infusion of support for specific training enhancements rather than a large-scale program expansion. The original closing date listed was May 18, 2018, with a creation date of April 17, 2018, reflecting a time-limited supplement competition typical of NIH administrative supplement announcements.

Eligibility, as summarized in the source information, spans many organization types that may hold NIH awards, including public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments, federally recognized tribal governments, certain tribal organizations, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, among others. The announcement also explicitly calls out a range of community- and mission-focused institutions as eligible applicants in general, including 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), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the opportunity makes clear restrictions on foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. Additionally, the notice states “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” meaning the supplement funds were not intended to support clinical trial activities, but rather educational and training-focused improvements within the scope of the T32 training program.

In short, this NIGMS supplement opportunity was aimed at helping existing NIGMS T32 predoctoral training programs upgrade and implement practical, skills-centered curriculum and training experiences that better prepare graduate trainees for biomedical research careers, using a relatively modest, capped supplement budget and excluding foreign components and clinical trial work.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development of Curricular or Training Activities in Skills Development (Admin Supp 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): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-04-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-05-18. (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 $80,000.00 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 PA 18 759

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