Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DC 20 002
The Otolaryngology Residency Mentored Research Pathway (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is an NIH-funded training grant opportunity designed to strengthen the pipeline of clinician-investigators in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat medicine and surgery). The central goal is workforce-focused: recruiting and retaining highly promising, postdoctoral-level health professionals who show clear potential and genuine interest in becoming clinician-investigators. In practice, NIH is looking for institutions that can offer a rigorous, well-supported mentored research environment for medical students and otolaryngology resident-investigators, with the explicit intent of helping these trainees build the experience, productivity, and confidence needed to compete successfully for individual NIH career development awards later on.
Rather than funding a single research project, this opportunity supports the creation or enhancement of an institutional research training pathway. Applicants are expected to propose a structured program with defined milestones, meaning the pathway should be organized, trackable, and intentional about trainee progression. A competitive program would typically lay out how trainees are recruited and selected, how mentoring teams are formed, what protected time and research experiences are provided, how research skills are taught (for example, study design, statistics, grantsmanship, scientific writing, and responsible conduct of research), and how the program measures success over time. The emphasis on mentoring and milestones signals that NIH wants more than informal lab exposure; it wants a coherent training model that reliably moves participants toward independence as physician-scientists.
A key limitation is embedded in the title: "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." This means the supported activities under this R25 mechanism are not intended to include NIH-defined clinical trials as part of the training program's funded research experiences. Institutions planning to apply need to design training and research components that stay within allowable boundaries, generally focusing on mentored research experiences that do not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial.
From an eligibility standpoint, the applicant organization must be a U.S.-based institution. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and certain other organizations. The announcement also explicitly highlights that a range of Minority Serving Institutions may apply, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). At the same time, the opportunity is clear about restrictions on foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed. In other words, the program is intended to be developed and carried out entirely within eligible U.S. institutional settings.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health, under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DC-20-002 and CFDA number 93.173, categorized within the health funding activity area. The posted award ceiling is $499,999, indicating the maximum amount NIH would provide per award under the terms of this announcement. The original closing date listed is October 11, 2023, and the opportunity record shows it was created on September 22, 2020. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at institutions that can demonstrate strong mentorship capacity, a robust otolaryngology research environment, and a practical, outcomes-oriented plan to develop resident and medical student researchers into future applicants for individual NIH career development funding.Apply for RFA DC 20 002
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Otolaryngology Residency Mentored Research Pathway (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2020-09-22.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-10-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $499,999.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the Otolaryngology Residency Mentored Research Pathway (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
It is an NIH-funded training grant opportunity intended to build and strengthen a mentored research pathway in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat medicine and surgery). The program is designed to support an institutional training model that helps develop clinician-investigators, rather than funding a single, standalone research project.
2) What is the main goal of this NIH R25 opportunity?
The central goal is workforce-focused: recruiting and retaining highly promising postdoctoral-level health professionals who demonstrate clear potential and genuine interest in becoming clinician-investigators in otolaryngology. The training pathway is expected to help participants gain the experience, productivity, and confidence needed to compete for individual NIH career development awards later on.
3) Does this opportunity fund a specific research project?
No. This opportunity supports the creation or enhancement of an institutional research training pathway. Applicants are expected to propose a structured training program with defined milestones, not a single hypothesis-driven research project as the primary funded deliverable.
4) Who is the program intended to train?
The pathway is intended for medical students and otolaryngology resident-investigators, with an emphasis on developing postdoctoral-level health professionals who are on a clinician-investigator trajectory.
5) What does NIH mean by a "structured program with defined milestones"?
The application is expected to describe an organized, trackable training pathway with intentional trainee progression. This commonly includes how trainees are recruited and selected, how mentoring teams are formed, what protected time and research experiences are provided, what research skills are taught, and how success is measured over time.
6) What types of research training elements are emphasized in the program description?
The opportunity emphasizes a rigorous, well-supported mentored research environment and skill development that can include areas such as study design, statistics, grantsmanship, scientific writing, and responsible conduct of research. The expectation is a coherent training model rather than informal or ad hoc lab exposure.
7) What is meant by "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" in the title?
It means the supported activities under this R25 mechanism are not intended to include NIH-defined clinical trials as part of the training program's funded research experiences. Institutions must design the training and research components so they remain within allowable boundaries and do not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial.
8) Can the mentored research experiences include clinical trials?
Not under the scope described here. The announcement explicitly signals that NIH-defined clinical trials are not allowed as part of the funded research experiences within this training program.
9) Who can apply as the applicant organization?
The applicant organization must be a U.S.-based institution. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and certain other organizations as allowed under the announcement.
10) Are Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) eligible to apply?
Yes. The announcement explicitly highlights that a range of Minority Serving Institutions may apply, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and other eligible MSI categories noted in the opportunity text.
11) Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply.
12) Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations allowed?
No. The opportunity states that non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
13) Are foreign components allowed in any form?
No. Foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed. The program is intended to be developed and carried out entirely within eligible U.S. institutional settings.
14) What is the sponsoring agency and funding type?
This is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is categorized within the health funding activity area.
15) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is RFA-DC-20-002.
16) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number provided is 93.173.
17) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) listed?
The posted award ceiling is $499,999, which indicates the maximum amount NIH would provide per award under the terms of this announcement.
18) When was this opportunity record created?
The opportunity record shows it was created on September 22, 2020.
19) What is the closing date listed for the opportunity?
The original closing date listed is October 11, 2023.
20) What kinds of institutional capabilities are implied to be important for a competitive application?
Based on the description, NIH is looking for institutions that can demonstrate strong mentorship capacity, a robust otolaryngology research environment, and a practical, outcomes-oriented plan that reliably develops medical students and resident-investigators toward independence and future competitiveness for individual NIH career development awards.
21) How is success expected to be evaluated within the pathway?
The program is expected to include defined milestones and a plan to measure success over time. The description emphasizes tracking trainee progression and outcomes rather than relying on informal participation.
22) What is the longer-term career development intent for trainees?
The pathway is explicitly intended to help trainees build the experience, productivity, and confidence needed to compete successfully for individual NIH career development awards later on.
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