Research Enhancement Awards – R15s
Research Enhancement Awards (R15s) support meritorious, small-scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences for undergraduate through post-doctoral students (as defined in each R15 FOA – see below) and enhancing the research environment at these institutions.
For February 25, 2019 R15 receipt dates and beyond, changes to the NIH R15 Program described in NOT-OD-19-015 are in effect. NIMH accepts applications to the following R15 FOAs:
- PAR-21-155: Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- PAR-21-154: Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required)
- PAR-22-060: Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (nih.gov)
- PAR-21-357: Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools (R15 Clinical Trial Required) (nih.gov)
To determine whether to submit to a “Clinical Trial Not Allowed” or “Clinical Trial Required” FOA, applicants must determine whether or not the research being proposed in the R15 application meets the NIH definition of a clinical trial . Please see the Decision Tool provided by the NIH Office of Extramural Research for further details. In addition, applicants to the NIMH are encouraged to consider the webpage entitled "Support for Clinical Trials at NIMH” if proposing a clinical trial.
For any application submitted to the NIMH, applicants are strongly encouraged to consider how their proposed research relates to NIMH Strategic Research Priorities. Prior to submission, applicants are encouraged to send an abstract or Specific Aims page to NIMHR15@nih.gov.
PLEASE NOTE: Eligibility requirements have changed for all R15 FOAs, and applicant organizations must meet the specific institutional eligibility requirements as described in the respective FOAs. Resubmissions and renewal applications must meet eligibility requirements listed in the current FOA. Institutional eligibility requirements are described under “Eligible Organizations” in Section III. Eligibility Information of the FOA. Also, summaries of Organizational and Principal Investigator requirements for the respective R15 Program can be found of the NIH Research Enhancement Award (R15) webpage .
As stated in NOT-OD-19-015 , NIH will no longer be providing a list of ineligible institutions. Rather, a signed letter from a Provost or similar official that verifies institutional eligibility must be included in each R15 application, as detailed in the FOAs above. For assistance in determining eligibility, please refer to the Need Help Determining Organization Funding Levels for R15 Eligibility? document, as referenced in the January 7, 2019 issue of the Extramural Nexus .