Funding News Edition: March 17, 2021 See more articles in this edition
NIH is preparing several new approaches to longstanding challenges to the biomedical research enterprise. As described at the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD)—February 2021 meeting, NIH is introducing measures to address health disparities, research inclusion, and workforce diversity.
As an extramural researcher, there are several actions you can take now to participate:
- Bookmark NIH’s Ending Structural Racism website.
The website houses information on NIH’s Health Equity Research and UNITE initiatives, which aim to remove barriers for health disparities research and identify and address structural racism within the scientific community. The News and Notices page will index funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) as they become available.
- Respond to NIH’s Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Comments and Suggestions To Advance and Strengthen Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Biomedical Research Workforce and Advance Health Disparities and Health Equity Research.
The RFI seeks community feedback on matters related to workforce diversity and inclusion, policies that create racial disparities, research gaps in the science of health disparities, and ideas for new approaches. The deadline to submit your response is April 9, 2021.
- Learn about the NIH Common Fund’s Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program.
The FIRST program will enhance diversity and inclusion among biomedical faculty by helping institutions build a self-reinforcing community of scientists through recruiting a critical mass of early-career faculty who have a demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence. The FOA NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program: FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center (U24, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is active now.
New FOAs to support research on health disparities are likely. For example, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities issued Notice of Intent To Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01, Clinical Trial Optional), in which NIAID will participate.
For current NIAID grantees, NIAID supports Research Supplements To Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Admin Supp, Clinical Trial Not Allowed). Contact AITrainingHelpDesk@niaid.nih.gov if you have any questions.