National Institute of
Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA)
SEPA supports educational activities, including interactive digital media resources, which complement or enhance workforce training to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. SEPA promotes interactive partnerships between biomedical and clinical researchers and pre-kindergarten to grade 12 (P-12) pre-service and in-service teachers, schools, and other interested organizations. The program provides opportunities for students from underserved communities to consider careers in basic or clinical research; provides teachers with professional development in science content and teaching skills; and improves community health literacy through SEPA-funded science centers and museum exhibits on health and medicine.
SEPA Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) PAR-23-137 funds two types of projects: (1) classroom-based projects for pre-college students and teachers and (2) informal science education (ISE) projects conducted in outside-the-classroom venues such as science centers, museums and libraries. A SEPA project may focus on one or more of the following activities centered on any discipline of health research within NIH’s mission: Courses for Skills Development, Research Experiences, Mentoring Activities, Curriculum or Methods Development, and Outreach. Projects that support quantitative and computational skills development are strongly encouraged.
SEPA also provides funding for eligible small business concerns to develop interactive digital media (IDM) biomedical science resources for pre-college students and teachers, PAR-23-213 (R43/R44, SBIR), with an application receipt date of September 5. PAR-20-239 (R41/R42, STTR) will not be renewed. Applicants interested in applying for STTR SEPA IDM awards should submit applications to the NIH Parent STTR solicitation, PAR-24-247.
