NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (MSPP)—Guidance for Applicants

NIH published the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) PAR-23-109, NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (FM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) on March 10, 2023.

Refer to the NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (MSPP) Application Guide.

Updated May 18, 2023. We corrected the answer to the second question below, “What is the NIH Institutional Partnership Program?”

Each time we add new questions or revise, we will revise the dated note shown at the top of this page to describe the latest update.

The NIH has established several formal partnerships with universities, domestic and international, that allow students to perform dissertation research within the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP). Matriculants are considered both full-time students at the home university and NIH pre-doctoral trainees from the beginning of graduate school. Students fulfill their academic requirements at the university while performing part or all of their dissertation research in a research group within the NIH IRP.

Prospective students wishing to enroll must meet the eligibility requirements of the NIH-University Institutional Partnership and complete all required applications by the specified deadlines. There are two application forms for students wishing for admission through the Institutional Partnerships: GPP Application Required for Full Admission Consideration and GPP Application Required After the Applicant is Selected for Matriculation. Prospective students should contact the GPP with any questions or concerns.

This is when a student seeks to obtain both a clinical degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M.) and a research doctoral degree (Ph.D.)

Clinical degree training and the clinical degree itself will take place and conferred (respectively) at and by the clinical degree school that the student attends. The Ph.D. degree will be conferred by an accredited graduate degree-conferring university and department (either the home clinical degree institution or via one of the NIH partnership programs/institutions). In either case, the dissertation research portion of the combined degree program will be conducted in intramural (i.e., on-campus) laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As part of their application to the MSPP, interested candidates must indicate which graduate program or degree-conferring university option they wish to select.

There are three required steps. The student first needs to apply to a clinical degree school. In the fall of the year prior to the anticipated start of clinical degree training, the student needs to apply to the NIH Intramural Research Program’s Graduate Partnership Program (GPP) via the NIH GPP application portal. The student also must submit a NIH FM1 fellowship grant via grants.gov by August 8 of the year prior to the anticipated start of clinical degree training. Students will need to create an NIH eRA Commons account to apply for the NIH FM1 fellowship grant.

  1. Interested candidates who are currently applying to U.S. clinical degree schools should submit an application for Track 1 of the NIH MD/Ph.D. Program. To apply for Track 1, start the NIH GPP Application, then under Partnership Selection, select University of Oxford (England) / University of Cambridge (England) / Consortia of Universities—NIH—MD/Ph.D.—Track-1.
  2. Interested candidates who are currently enrolled in  U.S. clinical degree schools should submit an application for Track 2 of the NIH M.D./Ph.D. Program. To apply for Track 2, start the NIH GPP Application, then under Partnership Selection, select University of Oxford (England) / University of Cambridge (England) / Consortia of Universities—NIH—M.D./Ph.D.—Track-2
Find more information in the NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (MSPP) Application Guide.

The MSPP represents the process of securing your own NIH grant that provides a stipend and tuition support for up to 4 years of clinical degree training. The GPP represents the process by which applicants are evaluated, and if successful, given approval to join a NIH IRP laboratory to do their Ph.D. dissertation research.

There will be a single annual application deadline on August 8 with awards to be made in July of the following year. College seniors and graduates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree can apply in August, and if a FM1 grant is funded, they will receive an award prior to the start of their first year of clinical degree training. Applicants already accepted to a clinical degree school can apply at the beginning of their first year in time to receive an award at the start of their second year of clinical degree training.

Refer to the following Track 1 and Track 2 timelines:

Track 1 Timeline​​​

Timeline of MSPP Track 1

Track 1 Timeline

Credit: NIAID

Track 1 (shown above) is primarily for undergraduates and post-baccalaureates. It begins with the August receipt date. The IRP GPP portal opens between August and November. CSR peer review occurs in October or November 2023. After NIAID Council review in January 2024, NIAID issues an approval letter. IRP interviews are in February and decision follows. The IC IRP identifies the candidates they want in March. IC Council meets in May or June 2024. The IC gets just-in-time information, then makes awards in July 2024.

Track 2 Timeline

Timeline of MSPP Track 2

Track 2 Timeline

Credit: NIAID

Track 2 (shown above) begins with the August receipt date at the start of the first year of medical (etc.) school. The IRP GPP portal opens between August and November.  CSR peer review occurs in October or November 2023. After NIAID Council review in January 2024, NIAID issues an approval letter. The IC IRP identifies the candidates they want in March. The IC gets just-in-time information, then makes awards in June or July 2024.

The FM1 grant will provide tuition and stipend support for up to four years of clinical degree training. During the Ph.D. research phase, the student will receive salary support directly from the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP).

MSPP Scholars can conduct their Ph.D. research in any NIH IRP laboratory that accepts them. Most of these laboratories are located in Bethesda Maryland, but there are also NIH IRP laboratories in Hamilton Montana, Baltimore Maryland, and Durham North Carolina.

Applicants can enter the MSPP through two paths – called Track 1 and Track 2. Track 1 is for undergraduate students and graduates who have completed the Bachelor’s or Master's degree(s) and are applying concurrently to clinical degree schools and the NIH IRP. Upon acceptance, usually Track 1 students begin their training by completing the first two (pre-clinical) years of clinical degree education at the desired clinical degree school that is administering the FM1 grant.

They will then take a leave of absence from the home clinical degree school to pursue Ph.D. training through the NIH IRP GPP. Upon completion of the Ph.D. degree requirements, the student returns to the home institution to complete the clinical degree and resume MSPP funding.

Track 1 will therefore provide these MSPP Scholars with four years of support during their clinical degree education. In contrast, Track 2 is for students who have already been accepted to a clinical degree school and are applying to (or already accepted to) the NIH IRP GPP. These candidates will apply to the MSPP at the start of the first year of clinical degree training. Support for Track 2 students will include the second, third and fourth years of clinical degree training as well as during the Ph.D. portion of their training.

The IRP GPP will provide applicants with information about NIH IRP laboratories and principal investigators who are available to serve as mentors. Applicants are also encouraged to identify IRP scientists based on their scientific publications, laboratory websites, and presentations at scientific conferences and contact them directly about mutual research interests. Applicants will need to identify a mentor and IRP laboratory by June 1 of the year they will start their first (Track 1) or second (Track 2) year of clinical degree training.

The clinical degree training will be conducted at a U.S. clinical degree school that the student attends with the clinical degree conferred by that school. The Ph.D. research portion of the combined degree program will be conducted in intramural (i.e., on-campus) laboratories at the NIH with the Ph.D. or D.Phil. degree conferred by the student’s affiliated graduate degree department, Oxford or Cambridge Universities in the U.K., or another NIH institutional partnership program as described below.

An affiliated graduate department can be the graduate (Ph.D. degree conferring) department that is associated with an existing combined-degree program at the student’s clinical degree school. If the student’s clinical degree school does not have a formal combined-degree program, the student should contact a graduate department associated with the clinical degree school (based on their science area of interest) to determine if that department will accept the student into its degree-granting program if they are also accepted to the clinical degree school and the GPP.

If the student is accepted into a graduate department, a clinical degree school, and the GPP, but does not receive a FM1 grant, they can still opt to pursue both degrees without NIH support for the clinical degree training. The NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) will still support that student financially during their dissertation research phase.

If a student cannot identify an affiliated graduate department, they also have the option of applying for the NIH Institutional Partnership Program, and if accepted, their Ph.D. or D.Phil. degree will be conferred by one of the NIH Affiliated Universities. Note that this program is restricted to specific participating universities, specific NIH Institutes, and specific research areas.

The MSPP and GPP are only open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Check Section VII of the NOFO for NIH scientific/research, peer review, and financial/grants management contacts. You may also contact NIHMSPPQuestions@niaid.nih.gov.

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