Research to Understand and Inform Interventions that Promote the Research Careers of Students in Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences (R01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity (RFA-GM-10-008) about?

This NIGMS (NIH) R01 funding opportunity supported research designed to explain why some students do or do not move toward research careers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, and how that understanding can be used to shape better interventions. The focus is on generating evidence about social and behavioral factors that influence students' interest in research, motivation to pursue it, and preparedness to succeed along research training pathways.

2) Is the goal to run an intervention program, or to study interventions?

The goal is to fund studies that test assumptions and specific hypotheses about factors influencing student research career trajectories, with results that can directly inform how interventions are designed, improved, and tailored. The core idea is not to fund an intervention program for its own sake, but to fund research that builds evidence to guide interventions.

3) What kinds of research questions were encouraged?

Projects were expected to be hypothesis-driven and aimed at understanding social and behavioral factors that affect whether students develop interest in research careers, maintain motivation, and become prepared to succeed in research training pathways. The FOA emphasized producing generalizable insights that can inform intervention design and refinement.

4) What is the main population emphasis of this FOA?

A major emphasis was on increasing the number of students from underrepresented groups who enter and persist in biomedical and behavioral research career paths. NIGMS signaled particular interest in interventions intentionally designed with that objective in mind, and in research that can identify what works, for whom, and under what conditions.

5) Are projects limited only to underrepresented minority students?

No. The opportunity did not limit studies only to underrepresented minority students. It explicitly encouraged comparative research that examines the experiences of all groups, using comparisons to put underrepresented students' experiences in context and to determine whether interventions should be tailored, how they should be tailored, and which components appear most important for improving outcomes for underrepresented students.

6) What does "comparative research" mean in the context of this announcement?

Comparative research here refers to examining experiences across multiple groups (not only underrepresented students) to understand differences in barriers, supports, and contexts. The intent is to identify whether the same intervention components work similarly across groups or whether tailoring is needed to improve outcomes for underrepresented students.

7) What kinds of factors did the FOA highlight as potentially important to study?

The description highlights factors such as differential barriers and supports, institutional context, mentoring, identity, belonging, expectations, and related social and behavioral influences that may shape student career trajectories toward (or away from) biomedical and behavioral research careers.

8) What NIH funding mechanism was used?

The award mechanism was the NIH Research Project Grant (R01).

9) What did using the R01 mechanism imply for applicants?

Applicants were expected to propose a clearly defined, hypothesis-driven research project with rigorous methods and an analytic plan appropriate for generating generalizable insights.

10) How much funding was planned, and how many awards were anticipated?

The FOA set an estimated total funding level of about $2.4 million in total costs, with an anticipated 6 to 8 awards. Awards were contingent on available funds and the quality and quantity of meritorious applications.

11) What does "contingent on available funds and meritorious applications" mean?

It means the estimated funding level and anticipated number of awards were projections, and actual awards depended on NIH/NIGMS having funds available and receiving enough high-quality applications that met the program's goals and review standards.

12) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad. Eligible applicants included public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and governmental entities such as state governments, counties, cities or townships, special district governments, and certain federal agencies.

13) Were tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. The FOA listed tribal governments and tribal organizations, including federally recognized tribes and other tribal entities, as eligible applicants.

14) Were school districts or regional organizations eligible?

Yes. The FOA listed independent school districts and regional organizations as eligible applicants.

15) Were public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities eligible?

Yes. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities were included among eligible applicant types.

16) Did the FOA specifically call out any institution types as additional eligible applicants?

Yes. It specifically called out (as additional eligible applicants) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

17) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated in the information provided.

18) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA listing associated with this opportunity was 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training).

19) What were the key dates for this FOA?

The opportunity was posted on August 13, 2009. The application due date was October 22, 2009. It was archived on November 22, 2009.

20) What does it mean that the FOA is archived?

Based on the provided information, the FOA being archived indicates it is no longer an active solicitation (it was archived on November 22, 2009). The archived listing remains useful for reference, but it is not presented as currently open for new submissions.

21) Where could applicants find the full announcement?

The full announcement was available through the NIH grants guide at the provided link.

22) Who could be contacted for access or technical issues related to the announcement link?

NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) contact information was included for access or technical linking issues.

23) What is the broader purpose of generating this type of evidence?

The broader purpose is to build evidence that can directly inform the design, improvement, and tailoring of interventions intended to strengthen the pipeline into biomedical and behavioral research careers, especially for students from underrepresented groups.