Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award

The Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award is a discretionary grant opportunity managed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This initiative is being led by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in collaboration with other NIH Institutes and Centers. The purpose of the SuRE Award is to support investigator-initiated research at institutions that are resource-limited, with the broader goal of enhancing the scientific research culture at these institutions and providing students with high-quality undergraduate and/or graduate research experiences. This opportunity targets full-time faculty at eligible institutions who are not currently funded by any NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs), except for previous recipients of SuRE or SuRE-First awards. The grant emphasizes the development of meaningful collaborations and responsive projects, and although applications are not yet being accepted, advance notice is being provided to encourage early preparation among potential applicants. Institutions eligible to apply must be higher education entities that offer undergraduate or graduate degrees in biomedical sciences. Additionally, they must have received no more than $6 million annually in total costs from NIH RPGs in each of the previous two fiscal years, a determination to be made using the NIH RePORTER tool. Institutions must also demonstrate that at least 25% of their undergraduate students are supported by Pell grants, based on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Key timeline details include an estimated post date of July 25, 2025, an application due date of September 25, 2025, and an estimated award and project start date of July 1, 2026. Although the specific funding amounts, award ceiling, and floor are not yet defined, the assistance listing for this opportunity is 93.859 – Biomedical Research and Research Training, confirming the grant’s focus on supporting biomedical sciences research training. For further inquiries, applicants may contact Federico Bernal, Ph.D., of the NIGMS at federico.bernal@nih.gov or by phone at 240-271-5059. Additional details will be provided once the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is officially published.