Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 14 017
Apply for PAR 14 017
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Pilot Project Award (SC2)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 9, 2013 and posted on Dec 9, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 7, 2016. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled 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) This funding opportunity announcement is open to all institutions of higher learning that 1) award science degrees to undergraduate (B.S. or B.A.) and/or graduate students (M.S./Ph.D.) 2) have an historical mission statement that explicitly states that it was founded to educate students from any of the populations that have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research as defined by the National Science Foundation NSF, see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/) (i.e., African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, U.S. Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities) or a documented track record of recruiting, retaining, training, and graduating underrepresented students as defined by NSF (see above) which has resulted in the demonstrable outcome of increasing the institutions contribution to the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical and behavioral research careers and 3) have received on average less than 6 million dollars per year from R01 support (total cost) in the last two fiscal years. Applicant institutions must be located in the United States of America or its territories including Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone, Guam, America Samoa, or the successor States of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Institutions that have active NIGMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) awards are not eligible to apply to SCORE.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Pilot Project Award (SC2) is an NIH grant opportunity meant to help strengthen the research capacity and competitiveness of faculty at institutions that have a clear mission and/or a proven record of educating and graduating students from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research. It is positioned as a developmental, capacity-building program rather than a large-scale research mechanism, with the practical goal of helping investigators generate the preliminary results, publications, and momentum that make them more competitive for larger NIH awards later on. In other words, SC2 functions as a pilot project pathway that supports smaller, focused studies that can launch or accelerate a faculty member's research trajectory while also reinforcing an institution's overall research base.
Eligibility is tied primarily to the type of institution and its demonstrated commitment to training underrepresented students in biomedical fields. Applicants must be institutions of higher education that award science degrees at the undergraduate level (BS or BA) and/or graduate level (MS or PhD). Beyond degree granting, the institution must either have an explicit historical mission statement indicating it was founded to educate populations underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research (as defined by the National Science Foundation) or show a documented track record of recruiting, retaining, training, and graduating those students in a way that measurably increases the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical and behavioral research careers. The underrepresented groups referenced include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, US Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities, consistent with NSF definitions referenced in the announcement.
A key additional eligibility filter is the institution's level of recent NIH R01 funding. To qualify, the institution must have received, on average, less than 6 million dollars per year in NIH R01 support (total costs) over the previous two fiscal years. This requirement is intended to focus SCORE resources on institutions that have historically had less access to large-scale NIH research funding and are still building a robust research enterprise. The announcement also notes a specific restriction: institutions with active NIGMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) awards are not eligible to apply to SCORE, which helps prevent overlap between major capacity-building programs.
The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant in the health funding activity area and is associated with CFDA 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowers the financial barrier for eligible institutions. The award ceiling listed is 100,000 dollars, reinforcing that this mechanism is designed for pilot-level work rather than major multi-year research efforts. While the excerpt does not list an award floor, the ceiling indicates the intended scale and supports the idea that projects should be tightly scoped, achievable, and oriented toward producing strong preliminary data and evidence of feasibility.
Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education, with explicit inclusion of several categories of minority-serving institutions and related designations. These include 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 Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). The program is limited to institutions located in the United States or its territories and specified affiliated jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and several freely associated states and former trust territories listed in the announcement (such as the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).
Administratively, this funding opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity number is PAR-14-017, and it was posted on December 9, 2013, with an original and current closing date of September 7, 2016, and an archive date of October 8, 2016, meaning it is no longer active in its posted form. The listing includes an NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact for technical access or linking problems, indicating that full requirements, submission instructions, and detailed review criteria were provided in the complete FOA document hosted on the NIH grants site.
In practical terms, the SC2 SCORE pilot award is best understood as a targeted NIH investment in early-stage or developing research programs at institutions that both educate underrepresented students and operate with comparatively modest recent R01 funding. The structure and funding level encourage projects that are likely to produce tangible near-term outputs, such as preliminary datasets, proof-of-concept results, and publishable findings, which can then be leveraged into more competitive applications for larger NIH mechanisms, while simultaneously building institutional research infrastructure and mentoring environments that support the next generation of biomedical researchers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NIH SCORE Pilot Project Award (SC2) - PAR-14-017
1) What is the Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Pilot Project Award (SC2)?
The SCORE Pilot Project Award (SC2) is an NIH grant opportunity designed to strengthen research capacity and improve the competitiveness of faculty at institutions that educate and graduate students from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research. It is framed as a developmental, capacity-building program that supports smaller, focused pilot studies intended to generate preliminary data, publications, and momentum for future, larger NIH applications.
2) What is the main purpose of the SC2 mechanism?
The practical goal is to help investigators produce near-term research outputs (such as preliminary results and publishable findings) that position them to compete more effectively for larger NIH awards later. At the same time, SC2 is intended to reinforce an institution's broader research base and mentoring environment.
3) Is SC2 meant for large-scale research projects?
No. SC2 is positioned as a pilot project pathway rather than a large-scale research mechanism. The listed award ceiling of 100,000 dollars supports the expectation that projects should be tightly scoped, feasible, and oriented toward proof-of-concept or preliminary data generation.
4) Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Eligibility is primarily institutional. Applicants must be institutions of higher education that award science degrees at the undergraduate level (BA/BS) and/or graduate level (MS/PhD), and they must demonstrate a mission and/or record of educating and graduating students from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research (as referenced via NSF definitions in the announcement).
5) What kinds of institutions are explicitly included as eligible applicants?
The opportunity explicitly includes both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education, and it specifically calls out several categories of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and related designations. Examples listed include HBCUs, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).
6) What does the FOA require regarding the institution's mission or track record?
An eligible institution must either (a) have an explicit historical mission statement indicating it was founded to educate populations underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research, or (b) show a documented track record of recruiting, retaining, training, and graduating those students in a way that measurably increases the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical and behavioral research careers.
7) Which underrepresented groups are referenced in the announcement?
The excerpt references NSF-aligned underrepresented groups that include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, US Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities.
8) Is there an NIH funding threshold that affects institutional eligibility?
Yes. To qualify, the institution must have received, on average, less than 6 million dollars per year in NIH R01 support (total costs) over the previous two fiscal years. This filter is intended to focus SCORE support on institutions with comparatively modest recent R01 funding.
9) Are institutions with active IMSD awards eligible?
No. The excerpt states that institutions with active NIGMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) awards are not eligible to apply to SCORE. This restriction is described as a way to prevent overlap between major capacity-building programs.
10) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The listing states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which reduces the financial barrier for eligible institutions.
11) What is the maximum award amount mentioned?
The award ceiling listed is 100,000 dollars, consistent with SC2 being a pilot-scale mechanism intended for smaller, focused studies.
12) Is there a minimum award amount stated?
The excerpt does not provide an award floor (minimum). It only specifies the ceiling of 100,000 dollars.
13) What is the funding type and activity area?
The opportunity is described as a discretionary grant in the health funding activity area.
14) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The excerpt associates the opportunity with CFDA 93.859, described as Biomedical Research and Research Training.
15) Which federal agency issues this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
16) What is the opportunity number (FOA number)?
The opportunity number provided is PAR-14-017.
17) Is this funding opportunity currently open?
No. The excerpt indicates it is no longer active in its posted form. It was posted on December 9, 2013, with a closing date of September 7, 2016, and an archive date of October 8, 2016.
18) Where are eligible applicant institutions allowed to be located?
Eligible institutions are limited to the United States and its territories and specified affiliated jurisdictions. The excerpt lists Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and several freely associated states and former trust territories, including the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
19) What kinds of project outcomes does SC2 aim to support?
SC2 is described as supporting tangible near-term outputs such as preliminary datasets, proof-of-concept results, and publishable findings. These outputs are intended to be leveraged into more competitive applications for larger NIH mechanisms.
20) What does the excerpt suggest about the program's role at the institutional level?
Beyond supporting an individual investigator's pilot study, SC2 is characterized as reinforcing an institution's research capacity, infrastructure, and mentoring environment, particularly in settings that educate underrepresented students and have had less access to large-scale NIH research funding.
21) Does the excerpt provide submission instructions or review criteria?
No. The excerpt notes that full requirements, submission instructions, and detailed review criteria were provided in the complete FOA document hosted on the NIH grants site, but those details are not included in the text provided here.
22) Who is listed as a contact in the excerpt?
The excerpt mentions an NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact for technical access or linking problems, implying the primary detailed guidance resides in the full FOA on the NIH grants website.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health
Next opportunity: Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Research Continuance Award (SC3)
Previous opportunity: Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Research Advancement Award (SC1)
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