Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 12 022
Apply for RFA RM 12 022
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIH Directors Biomedical Research Workforce Innovation Award Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) (DP7)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 4, 2013 and posted on Mar 4, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 10, 2013. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education.
- 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 Institutions) 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 not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH Director's Biomedical Research Workforce Innovation Award, Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) (DP7), Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-12-022, is a discretionary NIH grant program designed to modernize how U.S. institutions train biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. At its core, the opportunity is focused on supporting bold, innovative approaches that expand training beyond the traditional academic research pathway, so that graduate and postdoctoral programs better match the real range of careers trainees ultimately pursue and that the broader biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research enterprise needs. A key point in the announcement is that the effort is meant to reach trainees regardless of their funding source, signaling an expectation that awardee institutions will integrate these training enhancements broadly across their graduate and postdoctoral communities rather than limiting participation to a small subset supported by a specific training grant.
The program emphasizes intentional exposure to multiple career options and skill sets through structured activities such as new or revised coursework, professional development modules, career-focused rotations, internships, and other experiential learning formats. NIH highlights the value of collaborations with non-academic partners, encouraging institutions to bring in professionals and experts from a wide spectrum of research and research-related careers to help shape and deliver these experiences. In practical terms, this points to partnerships with industry, biotech or pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, nonprofits, science communication organizations, intellectual property and tech transfer offices, data science groups, policy organizations, clinical research operations, regulatory affairs, and other settings where biomedical trainees commonly build careers. The emphasis is not just on providing information about careers, but on creating meaningful, competency-building experiences that help trainees test paths, build networks, and acquire transferable skills.
Another central feature of BEST (DP7) is its role as a change-driving, field-building initiative rather than a typical single-institution training enhancement. NIH frames it as establishing a "new paradigm" for graduate and postdoctoral training, with awardee institutions expected to work together to define needs, learn what works, and share best practices. This signals a community-of-practice approach: the initiative is structured so that participating institutions collectively generate evidence, tools, and models that can be adopted more widely across biomedical training environments. In other words, NIH is not only funding local program improvements but also trying to catalyze broader cultural and structural changes in how training is designed, evaluated, and aligned with workforce realities.
Administratively, the opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health, under CFDA number 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support), and uses the grant funding instrument. The posted date and creation date are both March 4, 2013, with an original and current closing date of May 10, 2013, and an archive date of June 10, 2013. The listed award ceiling is $250,000, and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, which lowers barriers for institutions that might otherwise struggle to commit non-federal funds. As with many NIH initiatives, the details that would govern project scope, allowable costs, evaluation expectations, and reporting requirements would be laid out in the full announcement linked in the source.
Eligibility is centered on U.S.-based higher education institutions. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are eligible, along with a set of specifically named institution types that NIH often emphasizes in workforce development efforts, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Foreign entities are explicitly not eligible to apply, including non-U.S. institutions, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy, reflecting that this FOA is intended to strengthen the domestic biomedical workforce and U.S. training infrastructure.
Overall, this FOA is best understood as NIH-driven workforce and training innovation funding aimed at helping institutions redesign graduate and postdoctoral training so it is both scientifically rigorous and career-realistic. It encourages institutions to build durable programming that integrates external partners, provides substantive experiential learning, and contributes to a shared national effort among awardees to identify needs and disseminate effective models for broadening scientific training experiences.
FAQs: NIH Director's Biomedical Research Workforce Innovation Award (BEST) (DP7) - RFA-RM-12-022
What is this funding opportunity?
The NIH Director's Biomedical Research Workforce Innovation Award, Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) (DP7) is a discretionary NIH grant program designed to modernize how U.S. institutions train biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. It supports bold, innovative approaches that broaden training beyond the traditional academic research pathway.
What is the main goal of BEST (DP7)?
The central goal is to help institutions redesign graduate and postdoctoral training so it better reflects the full range of careers trainees ultimately pursue and the needs of the broader biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research enterprise. The emphasis is on creating training that is both scientifically rigorous and career-realistic.
Who is the funder and what is the program identifier?
The funder is the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) is RFA-RM-12-022.
What funding mechanism is used?
This opportunity uses the grant funding instrument.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support).
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is $250,000.
Is cost-sharing or matching required?
No. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posted date (and creation date) is March 4, 2013.
What are the deadline details?
The original and current closing date is May 10, 2013. The archive date is June 10, 2013.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is centered on U.S.-based higher education institutions. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.
Are Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) included in eligibility?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly includes institution types NIH often emphasizes in workforce development efforts, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).
Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?
No. Foreign entities are explicitly not eligible, including non-U.S. institutions, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy.
What kinds of trainees does BEST aim to serve?
The focus is on biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Does BEST only support trainees funded by a particular NIH training grant?
No. A key expectation is that the effort should reach trainees regardless of their funding source. This signals that awardee institutions are expected to integrate the training enhancements broadly across their graduate and postdoctoral communities rather than restricting participation to a small subset tied to a specific training grant.
What types of activities or program elements are encouraged?
The program emphasizes structured exposure to multiple career options and skill sets. Examples of encouraged approaches include new or revised coursework, professional development modules, career-focused rotations, internships, and other experiential learning formats.
Is the program mainly about career information sessions, or something more?
It is framed as more than simply providing information about careers. NIH emphasizes meaningful, competency-building experiences that allow trainees to test career paths, build networks, and acquire transferable skills.
Are partnerships outside academia encouraged?
Yes. NIH highlights the value of collaborations with non-academic partners and encourages institutions to engage professionals and experts from a wide spectrum of research and research-related careers to help shape and deliver training experiences.
What kinds of non-academic partners are mentioned as relevant?
The announcement points toward partnerships with settings where biomedical trainees commonly build careers, including industry, biotech or pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, nonprofits, science communication organizations, intellectual property and tech transfer offices, data science groups, policy organizations, clinical research operations, regulatory affairs, and other related environments.
Is BEST intended to be a single-institution training enhancement?
NIH frames BEST (DP7) as a change-driving, field-building initiative rather than a typical single-institution training enhancement. It is described as establishing a "new paradigm" for graduate and postdoctoral training.
What does it mean that BEST is a "field-building" or "new paradigm" effort?
It indicates that NIH is not only funding local program improvements, but also aiming to catalyze broader cultural and structural changes in how training is designed, evaluated, and aligned with workforce realities across biomedical training environments.
Are awardee institutions expected to collaborate with each other?
Yes. NIH signals an expectation that awardee institutions will work together to define needs, learn what works, and share best practices, consistent with a community-of-practice approach.
What is meant by a "community-of-practice" approach in this context?
It means participating institutions collectively generate evidence, tools, and models that can be adopted more widely, rather than keeping results limited to one campus. The intent is to enable dissemination of effective approaches for broadening scientific training experiences.
Where would institutions find the detailed rules about allowable costs, reporting, and evaluation?
The full announcement linked in the source is described as the place where key details would be laid out, including project scope, allowable costs, evaluation expectations, and reporting requirements.
What problem is NIH trying to address through this FOA?
This FOA is intended to strengthen the domestic biomedical workforce and U.S. training infrastructure by helping institutions align graduate and postdoctoral training with the real career outcomes of trainees and the needs of the broader research enterprise.
In one sentence, how should institutions interpret the BEST (DP7) opportunity?
It is NIH-driven workforce and training innovation funding to help U.S. institutions build durable, broadly integrated programming that expands graduate and postdoctoral training through experiential, partner-engaged, career-relevant opportunities while contributing to shared national learning and dissemination among awardees.
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