Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (NRSA)

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant is a federally supported funding opportunity administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program is part of the broader National Research Service Award initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health, which is designed to strengthen the national research workforce. This specific institutional training grant focuses on advancing postdoctoral training in primary care research fields, including biomedical, behavioral, and health services disciplines. The funding reflects a national priority to expand research capacity in response to growing population needs and increasing complexity in healthcare delivery systems. The primary purpose of this opportunity is to support eligible academic institutions in developing or enhancing structured postdoctoral research training programs. These programs are intended to prepare health professionals for careers in primary care research by providing rigorous academic, clinical, and research-based training environments. Awarded institutions are expected to design comprehensive training experiences that foster advanced research competencies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and long-term career development in primary care-related research areas. Funding under this program is distributed as discretionary grants to institutions of higher education. The total estimated program funding is 9566800 dollars, with approximately 20 awards anticipated. Individual awards range from a floor of 134653 dollars to a ceiling of 500000 dollars. Funds are intended to support programmatic costs associated with training postdoctoral researchers, which may include stipends, tuition, training-related expenses, and administrative support. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with this opportunity, which lowers the financial barrier for eligible institutions to participate. Eligibility is limited to domestic public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education that meet specific statutory requirements. Specifically, applicants must be institutions that have previously received funding between 2011 and 2025 under sections 736, 739, or 747 of the Public Health Service Act. This restriction indicates that the program is designed as a continuation or expansion mechanism for previously funded training programs rather than an open competition for entirely new entrants. Both public and private institutions are included, provided they meet the nonprofit and prior funding criteria. The application process is expected to follow standard federal grant submission procedures through Grants.gov, requiring electronic submission by the stated deadline. While specific application components are not detailed in the forecast notice, applicants can expect to prepare comprehensive proposals including program descriptions, training plans, evaluation strategies, and institutional capacity documentation. Applications must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. There is no mention of a required pre-application such as a letter of intent in the available information. The timeline for this opportunity is clearly defined but currently in forecast status. The estimated posting date is May 1, 2026, with an application deadline of June 1, 2026. Awards are expected to be issued by June 15, 2026, with a projected project start date of July 1, 2026. As this is a forecasted opportunity, applicants are encouraged to begin preparation in advance of the official notice of funding opportunity release. The program appears to be recurring, given its long-standing presence and structured funding cycles, though explicit recurrence language is not provided in the forecast. For additional information or inquiries, applicants may contact the program representative at the Health Resources and Services Administration. The listed contact is Svetlana Cicale, who can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 3014437271. No direct link to a PDF funding announcement is provided in the available materials, indicating that applicants should monitor official postings for the full notice once released.