NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25)

The following is a limited submission opportunity with only one proposal per institution is allowed. If you are interested in this limited submission please email me a single PDF by March 19, 2018 with the following pre-proposal requirements:

1.      A two-page summary that must include your research/project:

a.      goals
b.      objectives
c.       methods, and
d.      a short statement of competitiveness (i.e., what you think will discriminate your proposal from the competition, including anything you have done to pre-position yourself/your team for this funding opportunity)

2.      A pro forma budget, including any cost-sharing and facilities requirements and how you plan to meet them; use template: https://www.umass.edu/research/form/pro-forma-budget-template

3.      A short-form CV for the PI and each senior staff person

4.      Current and Pending Support of PI’s

 

Program Description:

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The over-arching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

The over-arching goal of this NIGMS R25 program is to support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs.  To assure the vitality and continued productivity of the research enterprise, the NIGMS provides leadership in training the next generation of scientists, in enhancing the diversity of the scientific workforce and in developing research capacities throughout the country. The SEPA program supports P-12 and informal science education (ISE) activities that: (1) enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce and (2) foster a better understanding of NIH-funded biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its public health implications. Applications that target P-12 or ISE topics that may not be addressed by existing school, community or ISE-based activities are encouraged.  Proposed projects may focus on any area of NIH-funded research.     

 To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:

  • Courses for Skills Development: For example, advanced courses in a specific discipline or research area, clinical procedures for research, or specialized research techniques.    
  • Research Experiences: For example, for undergraduate students: to provide hands-on exposure to research, to reinforce their intent to graduate with a science degree, and/or to prepare them for graduate school admissions and/or careers in research; for graduate and medical, dental, nursing and other health professional students: to provide research experiences and related training not available through formal NIH training mechanisms; for postdoctorates, medical residents and faculty: to extend their skills, experiences, and knowledge base; for high school and college science teachers: to enhance their science teaching.    
  • Mentoring Activities: For example, dedicated efforts at providing not only technical expertise, but advice, insight, and professional career skills to college students, graduate students, postdoctorates and/or early-career faculty.     
  • Curriculum or Methods Development:
  • Innovative and inquiry-based P-12 curricula that will increase student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) topics, understanding of the scientific research process and motivation to pursue careers in basic and medical research. example, to improve biomedical, behavioral or clinical science education, or develop novel instructional approaches or computer-based educational tools.
  • Citizen or Crowd-Sourced projects where non-scientists participate in scientific research either alone or in collaboration with scientists.
  • Maker Movement projects where students and teachers learn by "doing" or "making" in or outside the classroom.
  • Veterinarian-based P-12 projects or ISE exhibits that will encourage students to consider careers in veterinary medicine or projects designed to educate students, Teachers, and the community on the need for, and the ethical use of, animals in research. 
  • Curriculum or Methods Development activities for P-12 Teachers that provide instruction in novel approaches to STEM curriculum that challenge the current knowledge base of pedagogy and problem based learning
  • Interactive digital media (IDM)-based projects where scientists partner with educators and developers to create learning resources for P-12 students, Teachers and the public.  IDM applications may include, but are not limited to: interactive curricula; attitude changes towards learning; new skills development; teamwork and group activities; public participation in scientific research (citizen science) projects and behavioral changes in lifestyle and health Community-Based Participatory Research
  • (CBPR) projects on important health prevention issues such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
  • Public service announcements, documentaries, films, radio, TV and other media-based community health literacy resources.
  • Science center and museum-based exhibits, traveling exhibits and public outreach activities e.g., Science Cafes and Community Health Fairs, that will educate students, Teachers and the community on health-related topics.
  • Outreach:  Collaborations and leveraging with the following programs and other educational organizations are encouraged:
  • NIGMS capacity building, and research infrastructure programs within the Center for Research Capacity Building, e.g., Institutional Development Awards (IDeA), Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) and workforce diversity in the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, e.g., MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR), Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) or Bridges to the Baccalaureate.
  • Clinical and Translational Science Awards    
  • Research Centers in Minority Institutions              
  • P-12 STEM programs at other government agencies, e.g., Department of Education, Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency       
  • Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) projects on important health prevention issues such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease   
  • Public service announcements, documentaries, films, radio, TV and other media-based community health literacy resources.   
  • Science center and museum-based exhibits, traveling exhibits and public outreach activities e.g., Science Cafes and Community Health Fairs, that will educate students, Teachers and the community on health-related topics

SEPA funding does not support large scale STEM or ISE projects where the total cost of the project will exceed the total amount of the requested SEPA award.

Research education programs may complement ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant institution, but the proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those training and education programs currently receiving Federal support. R25 programs may augment institutional research training programs (e.g., T32, T90) but cannot be used to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.