Division for Research Capacity Building (DRCB)

Some content on this website includes historical information about programs or activities that have since been discontinued.


DRCB supports research, infrastructure improvements, and research workforce development in states and institutions across the U.S. that do not receive high levels of NIH funding. The research supported by the division spans all areas of biomedical research, from basic science to translational research to clinical studies. The division administers the Congressionally-mandated Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, the Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) program, the Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA) program, and health research programs for federally-recognized tribes including the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program.​

IDeA

IDeA is a congressionally mandated program that builds research capacity in states with low levels of NIH funding. It supports competitive basic, clinical, and translational research, research workforce development, and infrastructure improvements. The program aims to strengthen institutions' ability to support biomedical research, enhance the competitiveness of investigators in securing research funding, and catalyze clinical and translational research that addresses the needs of IDeA state populations.

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NARCH

The NARCH program funds federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes and organizations for health research, research career enhancement, and research infrastructure enhancement activities.

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SuRE

The SuRE program supports research capacity building at eligible higher education institutions through funding investigator-initiated research in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences that falls in the mission areas of the NIH.

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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.​​

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For DRCB staff contact information and their biographical sketches, please see the Contacts by Research Area page.​