Yes, as long as each application is distinct, and the applicant organization meets the eligibility criteria specified in the NOFO (see Section III. Eligibility Information - 1. Eligible Applicants).

Organizational eligibility is determined by an eligible organization's unique entity identifier (UEI) and unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number. For institutions with multiple campuses (e.g., main, satellite, etc.), eligibility can be considered for an individual campus only if a UEI and a unique NIH eRA IPF number are established for the individual campus. For institutions that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for multiple campuses, eligibility is determined for the campuses together.

To avoid any potential for overlap, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the program officers of each program before applying.

Any individual(s) with the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out the proposed research training program as the Training Program Director/Principal Investigator (Training PD/PI) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support.

NIGMS encourages multiple PDs/PIs, particularly when each brings a unique perspective and skill set that will enhance training. Note the following:

• To provide research training leadership for the program, at least one of the Training PDs/PIs should have a record of using rigorous and transparent methods in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and reporting in a biomedical research field applicable to the program.
• Additional PDs/PIs may be included to strengthen the expertise of the PD/PI team. Examples include individuals such as program directors who regularly interact with students, or individuals with expertise in education, relevant social sciences, program evaluation, mentoring, or university administration. For more information, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy.

Any of the PDs/PIs may serve as the contact PD/PI.

The contact PD/PI is expected to have a full-time appointment at the applicant organization unless extremely well-justified. If the full-time status of the contact PD/PI changes after the award, the organization must obtain prior program approval to appoint a new PD/PI or request a deviation from the full-time rule.

The applicant organization will select the trainees to be supported by the research training program. It is the responsibility of the organization to establish the qualifications, consistent with applicable law, of the trainees before they are supported by the program. Funded programs may not use the race, ethnicity, or sex of a trainee or faculty candidate as an eligibility or selection criteria.

Trainees must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment. (A non-citizen national is a person who, although not a citizen of the U.S., owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. This is generally a person born in a land that is not a state, but that is under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or administration — for example, American Samoa.) An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence must possess an alien registration receipt card (I-551) prior to appointment on the grant.

Individuals on temporary visas, those seeking asylum or refugees, or those supported through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are not eligible for support through NIH NRSA programs. Additional details on citizenship, training period, and aggregate duration of support are available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

• For Undergraduate Programs (T34): Trainees must be matriculated full time in a program leading to a baccalaureate biomedical science degree.
• For Predoctoral Basic Biomedical Training Programs (T32): Predoctoral trainees must be enrolled in a program leading to a Ph.D. in a biomedical discipline.
• For Dual-Degree Clinician-Scientist Training Programs (T32): Trainees must be enrolled in a program or programs leading to a combined clinical degree and a Ph.D. (e.g., M.D./Ph.D.; D.O./Ph.D.; D.V.M./PhD.; D.D.S./Ph.D., Pharm.D./Ph.D., etc.).
• For Postdoctoral Research Training (T32): Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. Comparable doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to, the following: D.M.D., DC, DO, DVM., OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, DrPH, DNSc, DPT, PharmD, ND (Doctor of Naturopathy), DSW, PsyD, as well as a doctoral degree in nursing research. Details on eligibility can be found in Section III. Eligibility Information of the NOFO.

Any of the PDs/PIs may serve as the contact PD/PI.

The contact PD/PI is expected to have a full-time appointment at the applicant organization unless extremely well-justified. If the full-time status of the contact PD/PI changes after the award, the organization must obtain prior program approval to appoint a new PD/PI or request a deviation from the full-time rule.

No. Policy requires that NRSA trainees must have a currently valid Alien Registration Card (I-551A) and provide a notarized statement verifying the possession of permanent residency documentation with the Statement of Appointment Form (2271) at the time of award. There is a distinction between an asylee and a permanent resident. An asylee is not considered a permanent resident.

NIGMS makes training grant awards to institutions of higher education, and these programs are responsible for selecting the trainees to be supported. To find an institution that has an NIGMS training award, please see the list of participating institutions for each designated program (see the NIGMS Training Awards Dashboard) and reach out to the PI of the program about how to apply to participate.

With only a few exceptions, NIH does not accept late applications. However, within a two-week window after an application due date, NIH may consider accepting a late application if you have a valid reason for submitting late. Examples of valid reasons and instructions for how to submit a late application can be found in https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-15-039.html. NIGMS cannot guarantee acceptance of a late application ahead of time.

The number of slots requested should reflect the organization's capacity as determined by the organizational self-assessment (for example, the pool of training grant eligible students and the number of faculty mentors with the ability to commit to the training program). Applicants should only request slots which they can fill.

Programs typically appoint students in cohorts, such that students at a similar stage of their training are appointed at a similar time, for a similar duration, and complete a comparable set of research training activities. New trainee cohorts are typically appointed in each year of the proposed program.

Programs that fund students for two years will typically start with half the number of slots for the first year, and then the full number for subsequent years (for example four slots in year 1, and eight slots in years 2-5), while programs that only fund one year will have the same number for all 5 years.

All requests for slots must be justified in the application.

Training grants are usually awarded for five years.

The maximum project period is five years.

Yes, a Biosketch is required from every proposed program faculty and mentor. The biosketch should be tailored to the research training program. Participating faculty should provide a personal statement that describes the appropriateness of their research background and mentoring philosophy for the proposed training program, and their commitment to supporting trainees participating in activities required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce that are consistent with the trainees' skills, interests, and values.

Note, all biosketches should be compiled in a single PDF and included in the submission.

The application should describe how the participating faculty are trained to ensure the use of evidence-informed teaching, training and mentoring practices that promote the development of all trainees.

Similarly, the application should describe a mechanism to monitor mentoring, including oversight of the effectiveness of the trainee/participating faculty match, and a plan for remediating, and as appropriate, removing faculty displaying unacceptable mentorship qualities from the training program.

Responsible conduct of research focuses on training in the ethics involved in research, and there is guidance listed in NOT-OD-10-019 and NOT-OD-22-055. Methods for enhancing reproducibility focuses more on ensuring that students receive training in the methods of doing rigorous science such as solid experimental design, minimizing bias, consideration of relevant biological variables, etc. NIGMS expects that instruction in both areas be infused throughout your training program.

No, the DMS Policy does not apply to research and other activities that do not generate scientific data, including, Training Grants.

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide information on the effectiveness of the research training program at meeting its goals, and to effectively track trainee and career outcomes. Evaluation data should be used to inform changes and enhancements to the training program. For more information, see the NIGMS Evaluation Resources Webpage.

The evaluator can come from same the organization if appropriately independent from directing program activities.

No. Training grants prepare individuals for careers in the biomedical research workforce by developing and implementing evidence-informed educational practices including didactic, research, mentoring, and career development elements. While funded programs are expected to conduct ongoing program evaluations and assessments to monitor the effectiveness of the training and mentoring activities, training grants funds are not intended to support Human Subjects Research (see additional information on Human Subjects Research from NIH and HHS).

If an investigator wishes to conduct Human Subjects Research involving the trainees supported by the training program as research study participants, they must:

• Follow appropriate institutional policies (e.g., obtaining IRB approvals, consenting study participants), and
• Support this research using funds other than those provided by the training grant.

IACUC and IRB approvals for the full training grant application are not required. In many instances, trainees supported by institutional training grants will be participating in research supported by research project grants for which the IACUC and/or IRB or a determination of exemption exists. Existing IACUC/IRB approval is sufficient for trainees, provided that the IACUC/IRB determines the research would not be substantially modified by the participation of a trainee. Although IRB or IACUC approval dates will not be required in the application, the human subjects or vertebrate animal research projects that involve trainees must have IRB or IACUC approval. Ensuring compliance with this requirement is the responsibility of the awardee institutions. ICs may request that awardees provide the IRB or IACUC approval documentation for specific projects with trainees/ See application instructions for complete details.

The recipient institution must ensure that trainees have received the proper training/education in human subjects and vertebrate animals and to ensure they are properly supervised when working with human subjects or live vertebrate animals.

Generally, no. T32s do not have Human Subjects or Vertebrate Animals unless the training program itself requires the trainees to take a workshop or course that will involve human subjects or vertebrate animals.

You must use the PHS 398 Training Budget Form. The instructions for using the PHS 398 Training Budget Form are located in the application guide. Applications need to submit a budget page for each year of the project period — if you are having difficulties, please contact the eRA helpdesk.

Application budgets are not limited, but they need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

No.

Students may not concurrently hold another federally sponsored award that duplicates support of the NIGMS training program.

NIGMS training programs are Kirschstein-NRSA awards, which are intended to provide a subsistence allowance to help defray living expenses during the research training experience. Stipend levels, as well as funding amounts for tuition and fees, are announced annually in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, and also posted on the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) webpage.

Yes, NIGMS will provide a certain amount of funds (see the NOFO) per trainee to travel to scientific meetings or training experiences that will enhance scientific development, build science identity and professional networks, and create a sense of belonging in the scientific community.

Training awards contain a lump sum of "Training Related Expenses" that can be rebudgeted within applicable Public Health Service policies in order to meet the expenses in personnel, consultants, equipment, supplies, travel and other program related expenses (e.g., skills development activities, program evaluation), unless the rebudgeting has been specifically prohibited in the Notice of Award. For more, please see the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Yes, training-related funds may be used to defray such costs as staff salaries when they are directly related to the training program.

No. NIGMS expects organizations to prioritize the provision of trainee benefits, such as health insurance, using TRE funds. Remaining funds may be used for allowable costs associated with:

• Salary support for the PD/PI or in a combination of multiple PD(s)/PI(s)/co-Investigators.
• Salary support for administrative personnel.
• Skills development training activities (for example, focusing on quantitative and computational, problem-solving, critical thinking, scientific writing, effective communication, and project management).
• Seminar speakers, who will serve as role models to the trainees.
• Training or mentoring activities designed to increase persistence in research.
• Program evaluation costs.
• Other program-related expenses may be included within the budget for training-related expenses.

TRE expenses must be justified as specifically required by the proposed program and must not duplicate items generally available at the applicant organization. If expenses in one category are excessive, it may limit the ability for the program do the enriching activities that are important for trainee skill development.

Applicants should request full needs for tuition and fees. If tuition is charged per credit hour, request an amount based on the average number of credit hours taken by full time students at your institution in programs similar to those in the proposed training programs. NIH will determine the amount of tuition and fees to be provided according to the policies current at the time of award. The formula currently in effect will be applied by NIH at the time an award is calculated.

Do not include health insurance in the tuition/fees fields.

Follow the instructions in the SF-424 instruction set for the PHS 398 Training Budget page and enter the total tuition/fees request for all requested trainee positions under section A of the PHS 398 Training Budget page. Additionally, itemize tuition and individual fees on the budget justification page. If tuition varies (e.g., in-state, out-of-state, student status), provide a breakdown on the budget justification page and list the various rates separately.

Tuition, fees and health insurance (self-only or family) are allowable trainee costs only if such charges are applied consistently to all people in a similar training status at the organization, without regard to their source of support. Health insurance can include coverage for costs such as vision and/or dental care if consistent with organizational policy. Health insurance is awarded as part of the Training Related Expenses category.

Compensation to faculty for program related effort not already covered by the faculty members typical duties is allowable from TRE. These expenses must be justified as specifically required by the proposed program and must not duplicate items generally available at the applicant institution.

The costs per trainee are not escalated for inflation in the future years.

Generally, the review process timeline takes about 9 to 10 months. The first 1 to 2 months are for referral, then the review panel will be assigned applications, conduct reviews and hold the review meeting after 2 to 6 months. Summary statements should be available approximately 6 to 7 months after submission, and then funding decisions are made after the advisory council meeting, approximately 8 to 9 months after the submission date.

NIGMS recognizes that rigorous, well-designed research training programs that further the goals of these programs can take place in a wide variety of organizational environments and with mentors who have varying levels of NIH research project grant support.

Reviewers are asked to evaluate proposed programs considering their stated objectives, organizational context, available resources, and the capacity of those resources to meet the stated objectives.

Scores and summary statements can be accessed through the Principal Investigator's (PI's) eRA Commons account.

See information on the appeals process here.

There is no predetermined fundable score for applications. Applications compete for available funds with all other recommended applications from eligible institutions. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed research training program to NIGMS priorities.
• Broad geographic and organizational distribution.
• Contributions to portfolio breadth.

For more information visit NIGMS Funding Policies.

Program staff takes the requested number of slots and study section recommendation into consideration when determining slot number. However, slots awarded are determined by a number of factors, including NIGMS' training budget, training grant eligible pool, and program outcomes.

No. However, since trainees may be appointed at any time during the 12-month budget period, you could appoint all of your trainees to start in September, or whatever date coincides with your training schedule fora full twelve-month appointment.

Yes, all trainees must have an appointment form submitted through the eRA Commons to xTrain before they may receive their stipend. NIH requires the use of the eRA Commons xTrain system to electronically prepare and submit PHS 2271 Statement of Appointment forms and/or PHS 416-7 Termination Notices when required for institutional research training and career development awards, individual fellowships and research education awards.

Please see this xTrain Quick Reference Guide for additional information.

Please see the NIH Grants Policy Statement for policy regarding leave, vacations and holidays.

Yes, if trainees cannot continue in the grant program for the full appointment period, an amended appointment must be submitted to xTrain with the correct appointment period. Please see: https://era.nih.gov/help-tutorials/xtrain?q=services_for_applicants/other/xTrain.cfm for more details.

Appointments are generally made in 12-month increments. Students may be supported for the length of time specified in the NOFO (typically, two to three years).

Generally, trainees under Kirschstein-NRSA institutional research training grants are appointed for fulltime 12-month continuous periods. No trainee may be appointed under a regular Kirschstein-NRSA institutional research training grant for less than 9 months except with prior written approval of NIGMS, and then usually only to complete an ongoing program of training. An initial appointment of less than 9 months may be allowed provided an assurance is included that the individual will be immediately reappointed in the subsequent year so that the cumulative continuous training period is at least 9 months.

No. Trainees can be appointed at any point during the 12-month budget period. At the time of an initial appointment the costs for stipends, tuition, and applicable F&A are obligated for the entire 12-month appointment beginning in the budget year the appointment is initiated.

No. Since a trainee's full 12-months of stipend and tuition is charged to the budget year in which the appointment was made, this does not impact awarded slots in the following budget year.

It depends on the Summary Statement IRG recommendation. If the award includes fewer trainee slots than what was recommended by the IRG in the Summary Statement, then the grantee may rebudget to support up to the number of trainee slots/months recommended by the IRG. The grantee cannot rebudget to support more than the IRG recommended number of trainee slots/months without NIGMS prior approval. Each Notice of Award will include a term under Section IV that lists the awarded number of trainee slots/months and the maximum number of trainee slots/months that may be appointed through rebudgeting.

It is possible, but there are a few things to consider.

For undergraduate (T34) programs: T34 students are sometimes accepted for summer programs that are supported by other federal grants. Trainees may receive additional compensation from federal sources as described in section 11.3.10.2 of the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Federal funds may not be used for stipend supplementation unless specifically authorized under the terms of the program from which funds are derived. Under no circumstances may PHS funds be used for supplementation. The summer research experience (SRE) allowance is provided so that students do not have to be supported by other federal awards (e.g., R25s or short appointment T35s) and so they are not “double counted” from an NIH perspective.

For graduate and postdoctoral (T32) programs: Applicants are strongly encouraged to describe any proposed internships, including research training experiences away from the parent organization, that are part of the training program with sufficient detail in the grant application. If this is not included in the grant application, NIH prior written approval is required prior to the internship. To complete a break in training grant support (in this case for a paid internship), submit a Termination Notice via X-Train. Upon resumption of Kirschstein-NRSA support, document the reappointment on another Statement of Appointment form submitted via X-Train.

Generally, only existing program participants can be supported while a grant is on a no-cost extension. Consideration may be given if:

• The program has existing funds to support the new students for a minimum of 12 months,
• There is a plan to submit a renewal or new application to continue the program, and
• There is evidence of appropriate program management and successful outcomes.

The PI should contact the Program Officer and Grants Management Specialist for prior approval.

NIGMS training programs are Kirschstein-NRSA awards, which are intended to provide a subsistence allowance to help defray living expenses during the research training experience. Stipend levels, as well as funding amounts for tuition and fees, are announced annually in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, and also posted on the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) webpage.

Students may not concurrently hold another federally sponsored award that duplicates support of the NIGMS training program.

Yes, training related expenses (TRE) funds can be used on activities that are directly related to the training grant program.

Funds may be re-budgeted only as follows (see table for quick summary):

Trainee Costs: For rebudgeting purposes, trainee costs include funds awarded in the stipends and tuition/fees budget categories. These costs may not be used for other purposes except under unusual circumstances and then only with the prior approval of the NIH awarding IC. Unless otherwise restricted by the terms and conditions of the grant award, rebudgeting into or within the stipends and tuition/fees is allowable without prior approval.

Trainee-Related Expenses: Rebudgeting of funds awarded in a lump sum for trainee-related expenses does not require NIH awarding IC prior approval.

Trainee Travel: Rebudgeting of funds awarded in a lump sum for trainee travel does not require NIH awarding IC prior approval.

Summer Research Experience (SRE, as applicable): Note that SRE funds are restrictive and cannot be rebudgeted into any other category, unless granted permission from NIGMS.

The table below summarizes what cost categories can be rebudgeted without NIH prior approval.

No. Any stipend increases are effective only for NRSA program awards made with funds from the fiscal year in which the stipend increase was effective. No retroactive adjustments or supplementation of stipends or other budgetary categories with Kirschstein-NRSA funds for an award made prior to October are permitted. However, an organization may use other non-Federal funds to supplement stipends for existing trainees as long as there is no additional obligation for the trainee and the organization has policies in place consistently applied to all individuals in similar training status regardless of the source of funds.

NIGMS typically does not permit carryover from one budget period to the next. These funds are used by the Institute to offset future year commitments. This helps us to utilize the training budget available in the most judicious manner possible.

No. However, since trainees may be appointed at any time during the 12-month budget period, you could appoint all of your trainees to start at whatever date coincides with your training schedule for a full twelve-month appointment.

Change of PI requires prior approval. Please send the request through the eRA Commons via the Prior Approval — Change of PD/PI link. Be sure to include the NIH format biosketch, other support documentation, and an updated MPI Leadership plan (as applicable). NIGMS will review the materials.

A countersigned letter requesting approval of an acting PD/PI should be submitted to NIGMS. The letter should describe plans for the conduct of the program during the original PD's absence and indicate that the acting PD/PI will have signature authority on trainee forms. A copy of the acting PD/PIs biosketch should be included. NIGMS will review the request and provide a written decision to the grantee.

Generally, no. NRSA institutional research training grants may not be transferred except under the most unusual circumstances.

Electronic submission of the FFR through the eRA Commons is required from the grantee for each budget period no later than 90 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the budget period ended. The NIH Commons is available at https://public.era.nih.gov/commons. Additional information on electronic submission of FFRs is available at the Commons Web page, or by contacting the eRA Service Desk Toll-free: 1-866-504-9552; Tel: 301-402-7469; Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays). If you need immediate help (i.e. you are within 2 days of a deadline or in the event of a security emergency), call the ServiceDesk rather than submitting a web ticket. Note that the Service Desk's busiest hours are 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET. eRA website

These monies should be reflected as an unliquidated obligation since these are bona fide expenses charged/incurred to the Stipend and Tuition categories but have not yet been paid. As a reminder, if the FFR report covers the final budget period of the project period, it must have no unliquidated obligations and must indicate the exact balance of unobligated funds.

The forms are critical to establishing the payment of stipends and other costs and determining possible payback service. Failure to submit the required forms in a timely manner will result in an expenditure disallowance or a delay in any continuation funding.

Annual progress reports are due 7.5 months before the next budget period start date (for awards that begin on July 1, the RPPR is due November 15).

This differs from other NIH Institutes and Center, therefore we include a reminder in the Terms and Conditions section of the training grant Notice of Award. If a competitive renewal (Type2) application has been submitted, the recipient must submit an Interim-RPPR 120 days from the project period end date. In the event the Type 2 is funded, NIH will treat the Interim-RPPR as the annual performance report for the final year of the previous competitive segment. If the Type 2 is not funded, the Interim-RPPR will be treated as the Final RPPR.

Final RPPR is required for any grant that is terminated and is due within 120 calendar days of the end of the project period.

For the first year, the report should cover the dates from the Notice of Award until the time of submitting the award.

For subsequent years, the report should cover information from the date that the last progress report was submitted.

All progress reports require use of the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) module to submit annual progress reports. See information and resources on the RPPR, including the current RPPR Instruction Guide.

Yes, reporting on RCR training is a required element on NRSA progress reports. A concise description of RCR training should be done and be no longer than one page in length.

Yes. The NIH Public Access Policy requires that any publications of individuals supported by an NRSA training grant be linked to the grant and have a PMCID number. Listing trainee publications on progress reports that were done during a reporting period must include a PMCID number; non-compliance could delay the start of the next award. Visit the Public Access Policy Web site for more details.

Evaluation data is for the use of the PI and the institutional team. Evaluation data is not a required part of the RPPR. However, programs are encouraged to report on how evaluation data will impact program administration.

The Extramural Trainee Reporting and Career Tracking (xTRACT) system is a new module in the eRA Commons that allows applicants, recipients, and assistants to create research training data tables for progress reports and institutional training grant applications. Because xTRACT is integrated with eRA Commons, some training data will be prepopulated in the system, including trainee names, selected characteristics, institutions, grant numbers, and subsequent NIH and other HHS awards.

For more information on xTract, please visit the eRA website:
https://www.era.nih.gov/recipients/submit-reports/xtract.htm

T32 awardees must use the xTRACT system to create the required training tables for RPPRs due on or after October 1, 2019.

Use of xTRACT for new and renewal training grant applications is not mandatory; however, it may be required in future years. For more information on the use of xTRACT, see NOT-OD-18-133.

Please contact the eRA Service Desk: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help

Students on NIGMS-funded training grants are typically supported for 1-2 years of graduate studies in Ph.D. programs. Use of training grant support during the first two years of graduate research training, is strongly encouraged to provide maximum flexibility in the selection of courses, rotations, research fields, and mentors. Use of training grant support beyond year 3, if proposed, should be strongly justified.

NIGMS standard receipt dates for predoctoral T32s are January 25, May 25, and September 25. Since NIGMS funds predoctoral T32s once a year on July 1 and makes funding decisions in March-April of each year, applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the September receipt date for funding the following July. To read more, see http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/InstPredoc/pages/PredocTrainingDeadlines.

Some programs recruit their own students and have them rotate with approved faculty (who are current or potential program mentors). There is an expectation that training programs mentor their trainees on rotation choices. There is also an expectation for a mechanism to admit appropriate faculty to your program.

This is somewhat unusual, but the individual could be trained on the predoctoral grant and compensated only at the predoctoral level. The grantee institution, however, could supplement the trainee at the postdoctoral level but cannot use training grant or other federal funds for this supplementation.

For the basic biomedical program described in PAR-23-228 there are no required attachments.

The two optional attachments are:

• Training Activities (optional, 10-page maximum).
• Advisory Committee (optional, however list names if one exists, 1 pg.)

For the basic biomedical program described in PAR-23-228 there are no required appendices. Applicants should consult the SF424 for allowable appendices (for example, blank survey instruments, rubrics, or forms).

See information on NIGMS medical scientist training program website.

It is the program's responsibility to have a combined, integrated curriculum that provides an efficient and feasible course of study in a range of scholarly areas while preserving the quality of the graduate and clinical education. Programs may elect a broad range of graduate options, including basic biomedical medical disciples, social and behavioral sciences relevant to public health, health care delivery and economics, ethics, and engineering.

Programs should aim to have all students finish their doctoral work prior to entry into the clerkships.

It is important that programs select trainees who are firmly committed to using their dual degrees and for programs to provide a strong program identity to all trainees, accompanied by career discussions throughout the entire training period.

If at any time during a trainee's upcoming appointment, the period of aggregate NRSA predoctoral support will exceed 60 months (5 years), a Statement of Appointment [PDF] form along with a waiver request must be submitted through the business official to the grants management official for the award.

For Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) described in PAR-24-128, there are no required attachments. The two optional attachments are:

• Training Activities (optional, 10-page maximum).
• Advisory Committee (optional, however list names if one exists, 1 pg.)

For the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) described in PAR-24-128, there are no required appendices. Applicants should consult the SF424 for allowable appendices (for example, blank survey instruments, rubrics, or forms).

NIGMS accepts applications from eligible institutions to support the training of clinician-scientists in the four clinically-relevant research areas within the mission of NIGMS: anesthesiology; clinical pharmacology; medical genetics; and injury and critical illness.

NOFO PA-25-168 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (Parent T32).

Note, NIGMS only accepts postdoctoral research training grants under PA-25-168. Predoctoral T32 applications should be submitted to NIGMS-specific predoctoral T32 NOFOs (see current list of TWD programs).

NIGMS does not accept applications requesting support for combined predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs.

Details on eligibility can be found in Section III. Eligibility Information of the NOFO. The sponsoring institution must assure support for the proposed program. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program includes the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can contribute to the planned program.

In general, only one award in each of the training grant program areas will be made to an institution.

NIGMS postdoctoral programs emphasize the selection of clinical degree holders as trainees (such as M.D., M.D./Ph.D. D.O. or Pharm.D.). The training of Ph.D. postdoctoral scientists should focus on advanced and specialized areas of research and offer appropriate opportunities to study problems of clinical relevance.

This may be allowable based on rare exception and unique individual scenario. Clinicians (including those with MD, DDS, DVM and other licensed health professionals) in a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research may also be eligible for the K99/R00 award. Please contact NIGMS program staff to determine if additional postdoc training is appropriate.

An individual may not receive more than 3 years of aggregate NRSA support at the postdoctoral level, including any combination of NRSA support from institutional research training grants and individual fellowships, inclusive of NRSA support from another agency. Typically, trainees supported under NIGMS T32 postdoc research training programs spend at least 2 years in the training program. Appointments are normally made in 12-month increments, and no trainee may be appointed for less than 9 months during the initial period of appointment, except with prior approval from NIGMS. All trainees are required to pursue their research training full time, normally defined as 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. Trainees must devote a minimum of 80 percent effort toward their research. NIGMS allows up to 20 percent effort (= 8 hrs/week) to maintain clinical skills. NIGMS does not allow short-term training positions.

Payback means that you will perform qualified research or teaching activities for a length of time equal to the period of NRSA support you received. Receiving 12 months of postdoctoral training support obligates you to perform 12 months of qualified research or teaching activities as payback.

Only the first year of training incurs a payback obligation; the second year of training pays back the first year, with each month of qualifying payback activity paying back one month of NRSA support. If you receive two full years of NRSA training, you will have completed your payback obligation. In general, payback activity must involve at least 20 hours per week and be conducted over 12 consecutive months. Special exceptions to these requirements may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

More details can be found in the Payback FAQs.

The following resources are available on the NIH website:

• Training data tables
• Research Training Data Tables FAQs
• NIH Training Tables — Associated Slides
• NIGMS Informational Videos for completing NIH Training Tables

NIH is currently transitioning to updated data tables. Applicants and recipients must select the appropriate version based on their use date. FORMS-I will be required starting with January 25, 2025, due date.