The National Institutes of Health, through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, announces the funding opportunity for the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Research Training Grant within the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program. This funding opportunity, PAR-25-195, is specifically designed to support postdoctoral research training in clinical and translational science. The program aims to equip a diverse group of postdoctoral trainees with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to advance diagnostics, therapeutics, clinical interventions, and behavioral modifications that improve human health. Applicants must ensure their training programs are distinct and tailored to clinical and translational research goals.

The proposed institutional research training program focuses on supporting postdoctoral researchers with doctoral degrees, such as PhD, MD, DDS, DVM, PharmD, and others, who are early in their postdoctoral careers. Programs must develop high-quality training that provides mentored research experiences and promotes team science, inclusivity, and collaboration across disciplines. Training curricula should address translational science principles, including clinical research, regulatory science, epidemiology, health disparities, implementation science, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The program also emphasizes the importance of experiential learning opportunities such as internships, externships, and collaborations with industry.

Programs must implement strategies to foster mentoring and support for trainees from diverse backgrounds, including those underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. Applicants are required to describe evidence-informed mentoring approaches and assessments to ensure the development of a safe, inclusive, and supportive training environment. Proposals must include a detailed plan for evaluating mentoring quality, identifying progress milestones, and promoting the successful career transitions of trainees.

The award allows institutions to request budgets aligned with the tier size of their associated Clinical and Translational Science Award hub. These tiers range from tier G, which permits two trainee slots per year, to tier A, which allows five slots. Budgets must align with applicable NRSA funding levels for stipends, tuition, trainee-related expenses, and travel. Each postdoctoral trainee is typically supported for up to two years, with travel costs capped at fifteen hundred dollars annually per trainee. The program will not allow cost-sharing to increase the number of trainee slots.

Eligible institutions must hold an active or pending Clinical and Translational Science Award under the UM1 funding mechanism. Applications must include detailed program plans, including curricula, recruitment strategies, mentoring plans, retention efforts, and sustainability approaches. Proposals should also outline how the program will expose trainees to career opportunities across academia, industry, regulatory agencies, and other sectors relevant to translational science. Applicants must submit their proposals through the NIH ASSIST system or Grants.gov by the specified due dates.

Applications will be evaluated based on several key criteria, including the quality of the training program, institutional environment, qualifications of program directors and mentors, and the success of prior training programs. Emphasis will be placed on the program’s ability to promote trainee diversity, foster high-quality mentorship, and prepare postdoctoral scientists for independent careers in clinical and translational science. Applicants are encouraged to align their proposals with NCATS priorities, including team-based research, translational science principles, and collaborative learning environments.

Key application due dates include March 13, 2025, May 28, 2025, and subsequent cycles through September 28, 2027. Awards are contingent on the availability of funds and the submission of meritorious proposals. Institutions are encouraged to review all application requirements and participate in available technical assistance webinars for additional guidance.