Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 08 014
Apply for RFA HD 08 014
- The National Institutes of Health in the health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Womens Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program (K12)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 9, 2008 and posted on Dec 9, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 27, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,725,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $440,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses 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 Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Foreign institutions are not eligible for this award. An application may be submitted on behalf of a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (here understood to include a department providing obstetrical and/or gynecologic care as its primary function, regardless of title) that has as a primary teaching site either a hospital for women or an obstetrics gynecology program with an identifiable organizational structure within a larger medical institution. The applicant institution must have an adequate pool of highly trained established investigators in research related to obstetrics and gynecology and its related subspecialty areas. Applicant institutions must have the clinical specialties and subspecialties and the clinical and research facilities sufficient to meet the purposes of the WRHR Program, namely, to bridge clinical training with a career in basic, translational and/or clinical research relevant to womens reproductive health. These institutions should also have the commitment and capability to provide career development guidance to promising candidates who aspire to become independent investigators. Institutions with existing K12 or other training programs must explain what distinguishes this program from the others, how their program will synergize with one another, if applicable, and make it clear that the pool of faculty and potential scholars are robust enough to support additional programs. As an example, those institutions with a current K12 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Womens Health (BIRCWH) Program, with a focus on womens reproductive health and/or located in a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology or a department providing obstetrical and/or gynecologic care as its primary function, must demonstrate how the addition of a WRHR Program will provide career development training that is separate and distinct from that offered by the BIRCWH Program, including avoidance of overlap in terms of research topics and personnel.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Womens Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program (K12) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity designed to strengthen the pipeline of clinician-researchers in womens reproductive health. Issued by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in partnership with the Office of Research on Womens Health (ORWH), the program focuses on junior faculty members in obstetrics and gynecology who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training and are ready to move from primarily clinical work into a long-term, independent research career. The central idea is to provide structured, mentored research training that helps early-career physician-scientists become productive investigators in obstetrics and gynecology and related subspecialty areas, including basic, translational, and clinical research that meaningfully advances womens reproductive health.
The award uses the NIH K12 mechanism, formally known as the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (institutional). That means the grant is made to an institution rather than directly to an individual. The institution then builds and runs a mentored career development program and appoints eligible junior faculty as scholars. In practice, this mechanism is intended to create a stable training environment with strong mentorship, protected research time, and a clear pathway from mentored work to research independence, typically culminating in scholars competing successfully for their own independent NIH awards in the future.
Funding for this specific announcement (RFA HD 08 014) was planned at roughly $4.75 million in total costs for fiscal year 2009, with an expectation of up to 10 awards. The listed award ceiling is $440,000, which signals that NIH expected each institutional program to operate within a defined annual budget range while supporting multiple scholars and the career development infrastructure needed to mentor them effectively. Importantly, there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, so applicants are not required to commit institutional matching funds as a condition of eligibility, although strong institutional commitment is still an important element of these programs.
Eligibility is broad across several kinds of U.S.-based organizations, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) entities), state-controlled institutions, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. Certain mission-focused institution types are explicitly included as eligible, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions are not eligible. The application, however, must be anchored in a department that provides obstetrical and/or gynecologic care as its primary function (even if the department title differs). NIH also expects the department to have a primary teaching site such as a hospital for women or a well-defined obstetrics-gynecology program within a larger medical institution.
Beyond basic eligibility, the announcement makes clear that the institution must already have the depth to run a high-quality mentored research career development program. That includes an adequate pool of established investigators with strong research programs relevant to obstetrics and gynecology and its subspecialties, as well as the clinical specialties, subspecialties, and research facilities needed to connect clinical training with research in womens reproductive health. NIH is looking for environments where promising clinician faculty can realistically be guided into independence, so the institution must demonstrate both capability and commitment to mentoring, career development, and the infrastructure that supports physician-scientists (for example, access to patient populations for clinical studies, laboratory facilities for translational work, and experienced mentors across relevant disciplines).
The FOA also addresses potential overlap with other institutional career development or training programs. If an institution already holds a K12 or similar training award, it must clearly explain what makes the WRHR program distinct and how the programs will complement rather than duplicate each other. A specific example is provided for institutions that have the K12 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Womens Health (BIRCWH) program. If BIRCWH exists in a way that overlaps with womens reproductive health or is housed in an obstetrics and gynecology setting, the applicant must show that the WRHR program will provide separate and distinct career development training, avoiding overlap in research topics and personnel. The practical takeaway is that NIH wants to expand capacity and opportunity for junior investigators, not fund two programs that train the same people in the same areas under different labels.
Key administrative details include the opportunity being posted on December 9, 2008, with an application closing date of March 27, 2009, and an archive date of April 27, 2009. The program is categorized as a discretionary grant within the health-focused federal assistance area (CFDA 93.865, Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research). For applicants needing the full technical requirements, the full announcement was made available through the NIH grants website, and NIH provided contact support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
Overall, this WRHR K12 opportunity is best understood as an institutional investment in developing the next generation of independent physician-scientists in obstetrics and gynecology. It funds programs that can provide intensive mentorship, a structured research career pathway, and the protected time and resources junior faculty need to transition from completing clinical training to leading impactful research in womens reproductive health.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Womens Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program (K12)
1. What is the WRHR Career Development Program (K12)?
The Womens Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program (K12) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity designed to strengthen the pipeline of clinician-researchers in womens reproductive health. It supports structured, mentored research career development for early-career physician-scientists in obstetrics and gynecology and related subspecialty areas.
2. Which NIH institutes or offices issue and support this program?
This opportunity is issued by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in partnership with the Office of Research on Womens Health (ORWH).
3. Who is the program intended to support?
The program focuses on junior faculty members in obstetrics and gynecology who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training and are ready to transition from primarily clinical duties into a long-term, independent research career.
4. What kind of research does the WRHR K12 program support?
The program supports mentored career development in research that advances womens reproductive health, including basic research, translational research, and clinical research relevant to obstetrics and gynecology and its subspecialties.
5. What does it mean that this is a K12 award?
The award uses the NIH K12 mechanism (Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, institutional). This means the grant is made to an institution rather than to an individual. The institution develops and operates the mentored career development program and appoints eligible junior faculty as scholars within that program.
6. Does an individual researcher apply directly for this funding?
No. Under the K12 institutional mechanism, the application is submitted by an eligible institution. The institution then selects and appoints junior faculty members as scholars to participate in the supported mentored program.
7. What is the primary goal of the WRHR K12 program for scholars?
The central goal is to provide structured, mentored research training, protected research time, and a clear pathway toward research independence, with the expectation that scholars will become productive investigators and later compete successfully for independent NIH awards.
8. What is the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) identifier mentioned for this opportunity?
The opportunity is identified as RFA HD 08 014.
9. How much funding was planned for this announcement?
Total planned funding for fiscal year 2009 was approximately $4.75 million in total costs.
10. How many awards were expected to be made?
The announcement stated an expectation of up to 10 awards.
11. What is the award ceiling?
The listed award ceiling is $440,000. This indicates NIH anticipated each institutional program would operate within a defined annual budget range while supporting multiple scholars and the program infrastructure.
12. Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are not required to provide institutional matching funds as a condition of eligibility.
13. Even without matching, does NIH still care about institutional commitment?
Yes. While matching funds are not required, strong institutional commitment is described as an important element of these mentored career development programs.
14. What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes a broad range of U.S.-based organizations, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) entities), state-controlled institutions, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses.
15. Are minority-serving institutions and U.S. territories included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The announcement explicitly includes institution types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and organizations in U.S. territories or possessions.
16. Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions are not eligible for this opportunity.
17. Does the application need to be housed in a specific academic or clinical department?
Yes. The application must be anchored in a department whose primary function is providing obstetrical and/or gynecologic care, even if the formal department name differs.
18. Does NIH expect the department to have a primary clinical teaching site?
Yes. NIH expects the department to have a primary teaching site such as a hospital for women or a well-defined obstetrics-gynecology program within a larger medical institution.
19. What institutional capabilities are expected to run a strong WRHR K12 program?
The institution is expected to already have the depth and capacity to run a high-quality mentored research career development program, including an adequate pool of established investigators with strong research programs relevant to obstetrics and gynecology and its subspecialties, plus the clinical specialties, subspecialties, and research facilities needed to connect clinical work with womens reproductive health research.
20. What kinds of resources or infrastructure are implied as important for this program?
The announcement emphasizes environments where clinician faculty can be guided into independence, supported by resources such as access to patient populations for clinical studies, laboratory facilities for translational work, and experienced mentors across relevant disciplines.
21. What if an institution already has another K12 or similar training award?
If an institution already holds a K12 or similar institutional career development or training award, it must clearly explain what makes the WRHR program distinct and how it will complement, rather than duplicate, existing programs.
22. How does this relate to the BIRCWH K12 program mentioned in the announcement?
The announcement gives BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Womens Health) as an example. If BIRCWH exists at the institution and overlaps with womens reproductive health or is housed in an obstetrics and gynecology setting, the applicant must demonstrate that the WRHR program provides separate and distinct career development training, avoiding overlap in research topics and personnel.
23. Why is NIH concerned about overlap among institutional training programs?
The practical intent described is to expand capacity and opportunities for junior investigators, rather than funding two programs that train the same people in the same areas under different program names.
24. When was this opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The opportunity was posted on December 9, 2008. The application closing date was March 27, 2009, and the archive date was April 27, 2009.
25. How is this grant categorized in federal assistance terms?
The program is categorized as a discretionary grant within a health-focused federal assistance area and is listed under CFDA 93.865 (Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research).
26. Where were applicants directed to find the full technical requirements?
The full announcement and technical requirements were made available through the NIH grants website.
27. Who was listed as a contact for access or linking issues related to the announcement?
NIH provided contact support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
28. What is the overall purpose of the WRHR K12 opportunity in plain terms?
It is an institutional investment in developing the next generation of independent physician-scientists in obstetrics and gynecology by funding programs that deliver intensive mentorship, a structured research career pathway, and protected time and resources needed for junior faculty to move from clinical training into impactful womens reproductive health research.
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