NIH has announced updates to NIH Institutional Training Grant applications and required training data tables for due dates on or after January 25, 2025 (NOT-OD-24-129). These changes are to reduce applicant and reviewer burden, and further support the development of a biomedical research workforce that will benefit from the full range of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds needed to advance discovery.
NIH has made significant investments to develop, implement, assess, and disseminate innovative, effective approaches to research training and mentoring and to prepare trainees for a variety of career paths in the biomedical research workforce over the past decade. Some of these investments include NIH’s Advisory Committee to the Director Working Groups on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce and Re-envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training, Common Fund initiatives to advance research training and mentorship, and the UNITE initiative. These updates contribute to building on these efforts.
The updates will affect institutional training, international institutional training, and institutional career development awards. Key changes include:
- The Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity will be its own attachment in the PHS 398 Research Training Program Plan Form.
- Mentor training expectations will be more clearly defined in parent T32 Notices of Funding Opportunity.
- Institutional Training data tables will be updated to reduce burden and promote consistent information collection across training programs.
- “Responsible Conduct of Research” and “Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity” will now be included among the Additional Review Considerations that contribute to the overall impact score.
To help everyone prepare, NIH is holding a webinar on the changes on June 5 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET and the community is encouraged to register to attend. To learn more, please review NIH’s Full Announcement.
By Research Operations