National Research Service Award in Primary Care Medicine

The purpose of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program is to train and provide support to postdoctoral health care professionals who are planning to pursue careers in biomedical and behavioral health research related to

The purpose of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program is to train and provide support to postdoctoral health care professionals who are planning to pursue careers in biomedical and behavioral health research related to primary care. The NRSA Institutional Research Training Grants administered by HRSA are awarded to eligible institutions to develop or enhance postdoctoral research training opportunities for individuals who are planning to pursue careers in primary care research. The NRSA Grants administered by HRSA are awarded to eligible institutions to develop or enhance postdoctoral research training opportunities for individuals who are planning to pursue careers in primary care research.

Eligible applicants are those entities that have received a grant under Title VII, sections 736, 739, or 747 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act designed to prepare the primary health care workforce. Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government and Native American Organizations may apply if they are otherwise eligible.

Individuals and public or private nonprofit organizations or institutions, including state or local governments and U.S. Territories. Participants must be U.S. Citizens, non-citizen nationals, or foreign nationals who possess visas permitting permanent residence in the United States. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution.

NRSA grants are made to approved institutions to enable them to provide up to five years of fellowship support to qualified postdoctoral individuals undertaking primary care research training. Each NRSA trainee is obligated to comply with federal service and payback provisions. Trainees in the first 12 months of postdoctoral support incur one month of service payback obligation for each month of support. Postdoctoral trainees in the 13th and subsequent months of NRSA support do not incur any further service obligation. In addition, the 13th and subsequent months of postdoctoral training serve to discharge the NRSA payback obligation.

Stipends may only be used for cost-of-living expenses during the period of training. Indirect costs under training awards will be budgeted and reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total direct costs rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement, and are not subject to upward or downward adjustment.

This funding opportunity provides support for a 5-year project period. No individual trainee may receive more than three years of aggregate National Research Service Award support at the post-doctoral level, including any combination of support from institutional and individual awards.

Procedures for assessing the technical merit of grant applications have been instituted to provide an objective review of applications and to assist the applicant in understanding the standards against which each application will be judged. Critical indicators have been developed for each review criterion to assist the applicant in presenting pertinent information related to that criterion and to provide the reviewer with a standard for evaluation. Competing applications are reviewed by non-Federal expert consultant(s) for technical merit recommendations. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated against the following criteria: (1) Purpose and Need; (2) Response to Program Purpose; (3) Impact; (4) Organizational Information, Resources and Capabilities; and (5) Support Requested. See the most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity for detailed selection criteria.

Notification of award is made in writing (electronic) by a Notice of Award.

Approximately 120 to 180 days after receipt of applications.

Depending on Agency priorities and availability of funding, during the final budget year of the approved project period competing continuation applications may be solicited from interested applicants.