Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required)
Supports small-scale investigator-initiated mechanistic and/or minimal-risk clinical trial research at undergraduate-focused institutions to provide biomedical research experiences for undergraduates and strengthen the local research environment.
⚑ Applicant institution must award baccalaureate science degrees and have received no more than $6M/year in NIH support (direct + F&A) in 4 of the last 7 fiscal years. · Foreign organizations are not eligible; non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, but foreign components are allowed. · Award is limited to clinical trials that are mechanistic and/or minimal risk under this NOFO; no formal efficacy studies. · Focus is on undergraduate research experiences and institutional research environment enhancement as well as the research project itself.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 58 good | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research; biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped); clinical-trial/biomedical core — IPPRA angle is policy/community (capped) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 55 good | technical depth: minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
Description
The purpose of this Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions is to support small scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences primarily for undergraduate students and enhancing the research environment at applicant institutions. Eligible institutions must award baccalaureate science degrees and have received no more than $6 million dollars per year of NIH support (in both direct and F and A/indirect costs) in 4 of the last 7 fiscal years. For institutions composed of multiple schools and colleges, the $6 million funding limit is based on the amount of NIH funding received by all the non-health professional schools and colleges within the institution as a whole. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports investigator-initiated mechanistic and/or minimal risk clinical trials addressing the mission and research interests of the participating NIH institutes. For the purpose of this NOFO, minimal risk clinical trials are defined as those that do not require FDA oversight, do not intend to formally establish efficacy, and have low risks to potentially cause physical or psychological harm.
Eligibility
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: National Institutes of Health <grantsinfo@nih.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Institutes of Health conventions SEE AN NIH EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Institutes of Health's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.