NIDDK Short Term Education Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP UP) (R25) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The NIDDK Short Term Education Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP UP) (R25) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) grant opportunity that supports institutions in running a national summer research education and training program specifically for high school students. The central purpose is to broaden participation in biomedical research by giving students who are underrepresented on a national basis a structured, hands-on research experience that lasts roughly eight to twelve weeks during the summer. The program is meant to be more than a one-off lab visit; it is designed as an organized educational experience coordinated by the applicant institution, with a focus on building early awareness of biomedical research careers and strengthening student interest in science and health-related fields.

A key feature of STEP UP is its explicit focus on students who face systemic barriers to entering biomedical research. The target participants include individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and students with disabilities. By concentrating resources at the high school level, the program aims to influence career trajectories early, when exposure to real research environments and mentorship can have an outsized impact. The content emphasis aligns with NIDDK mission areas, meaning student research education and related activities should connect to topics such as diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and diseases affecting the digestive system, liver, urologic system, kidneys, and blood (hematologic diseases). In practice, that could involve laboratory or clinical research exposure, research skills development, and career exploration activities that reflect these fields.

This funding opportunity is identified as RFA-DK-12-005 and uses the NIH R25 research education grant mechanism. It falls under a discretionary grant category, with the activity category listed as food and nutrition/health, and is associated with CFDA number 93.847 (Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research). The announcement anticipated a single award, with an estimated total funding amount of about $171,000 and an award ceiling of $158,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which is significant for organizations that may not have large discretionary budgets to contribute as a formal match.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that could realistically coordinate a national or regional summer program for high school students. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, independent school districts, and a wide range of government entities (state, county, city or township, special district governments, and certain housing authorities). Tribal governments and tribal organizations are also eligible, including federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations. The announcement also recognizes the value of institutions that have strong access to diverse student populations and therefore strongly encourages applications from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions. Additional eligible applicant types explicitly noted include faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

From an administrative standpoint, the FOA highlights standard NIH application requirements and institutional responsibilities. Program leadership (the Program Director/Principal Investigator or multiple PDs/PIs, if applicable) must ensure the organization is properly registered and that the PD/PI is affiliated with the applicant organization in NIH eRA Commons by the application deadline. The sponsoring institution must also demonstrate a clear commitment to the program, including providing adequate staff support, facilities, and educational resources to carry out the proposed summer research education experience. Importantly, institutions that already hold federally funded training grants are not excluded from applying; however, the proposed STEP UP activities must be distinct from existing NIH-supported training programs. The expectation is that STEP UP can complement ongoing training and research infrastructure at an institution while still offering a clearly separate set of educational experiences tailored to the high school audience.

Timing details in the source information indicate the FOA was posted on March 7, 2012, with an original and current closing date of May 9, 2012, and an archive date of June 9, 2012. While these dates indicate the specific announcement is historical and has been archived, the summary provides a clear picture of what NIDDK sought to fund through this opportunity: a coordinated, short-term, summer-based research education program that expands access for underrepresented high school students and introduces them to research aligned with NIDDKs disease and health mission areas. For additional official details, the announcement referenced the NIH grants page link for RFA-DK-12-005 and provided NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for technical access issues.

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