NIH R15 AREA Grant Program is a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that funds small-scale research projects at educational institutions that have not been major recipients of NIH support. The program aims to support meritorious research, expose students to research, and strengthen the research environments of eligible institutions.

There are two tracks: the Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for undergraduate-focused institutions, and the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for health professional and graduate schools. Eligible applicants are U.S. domestic accredited nonprofit academic institutions. Awards are up to $300,000 over three years.

Research Enhancement Awards (R15) | Grants & Funding U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Research Enhancement Awards (R15) Supports small-scale research projects at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation’s research scientists but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. Support meritorious research.

Expose students to research. Strengthen the research environment of the institution. There are two R15 programs: Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools Proposed research must fall within the mission and interests of a participating NIH institute or center.

See NIH R15 Research Areas Listed by NIH Institute for program research topics of particular interest. R15 Webinar: What You Need to Know To learn about the two NIH R15 programs, gain insights into the application process, and watch a panel of NIH experts answer questions, please consult the June 15, 2023 NIH Research Enhancement Award (R15)... What You Need to Know!

Webinar Video, Transcript, and Slide Deck . We also offer Frequently Asked Questions on R15 . R15 Eligibility Decision Tree R15 Eligibility Decision Tree (Accessible PDF, 168 KB) Find data on R15 Competing Applications, Awards, Success Rates and Total Funding on the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) website.

RePORT provides information about NIH research grants, including the number of funded new and competing awards, average award dollars, and characteristics of research project grants. U.S. domestic institutions To determine eligibility, organizations are encouraged to use the NIH RePORT website. Find guidance at Need Help Determining Organization Funding Levels for R15 Eligibility?

Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions​ For the AREA R15 program: An academic component is any school/college that is not a Health Professional School or College . A qualifying academic component (i.e., school/college) within an organization (e.g. School of Arts and Sciences) has greater undergraduate student enrollment than graduate student enrollment.

All types of Health Professional Schools and Colleges are not eligible to apply, The application must be submitted by the eligible undergraduate-focused organization with a unique entity identifier (SAM-issued UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number.

For organizations with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for each individual campus (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) only if separate UEIs and NIH IPF numbers are established for each campus. For organizations that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for all campuses, eligibility is determined for all campuses (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) combined.

The applicant organization must be an accredited public or non-profit private school that grants baccalaureate degrees in biomedical sciences. At the time of application submission, all the non-health professional components of the organization together have not received support from the NIH totaling more than $6 million per year (in both direct and F&A/indirect costs) in 4 of the last 7 federal fiscal years.

Note that all activity codes are included in this calculation except the following: C06, S10, and all activity codes starting with a G. A signed letter is required from the Provost or similar official with organization-wide responsibility verifying the eligibility of the applicant organization at the time of application submission.

Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools The application must be submitted by the eligible health professional or graduate school with a unique entity identifier (SAM-issued UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number.

For organizations with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for each individual campus (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) only if separate UEIs and NIH IPF numbers are established for each campus. For organizations that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for all campuses, eligibility is determined for all campuses (e.g. main, satellite, etc.) combined.

The applicant organization must be an accredited public or non-profit private school that grants baccalaureate or advanced degrees in health professions or advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences.

At the time of application submission, all components of the applicant organization combined may not have received support from the NIH totaling more than $6 million per year (in both direct and F&A/indirect costs) in 4 of the last 7 federal fiscal years. Note that all activity codes are included in this calculation except the following: C06, S10, and all activity codes starting with a G.

A signed letter is required from the Provost or similar official with organization-wide responsibility verifying the eligibility of the applicant organization at the time of application submission. Carefully read the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity for opportunity-specific organization eligibility requirements.

Project Director/ Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Eligibility The PD/PI must have a primary appointment at the R15-eligible organization. AREA: Each PD/PI(s) must have a primary appointment at a non-health professional school or college within the applicant organization. If proposing multiple PD/PIs, each PD/PI must be at an AREA-eligible organization.

REAP: Each PD/PI(s) must have a primary appointment at a health professional or graduate school or college within the applicant organization. If proposing multiple PD/PIs, each PD/PI must be at a REAP-eligible organization. The PD/PI may not be the PD/PI of an active NIH research grant at the time of a R15 award, though the PD/PI may be one of the Key Personnel for an active NIH grant held by another PD/PI.

Instrumentation awards (S10), conference grants (R13), and institutional training grants (T32) are examples of grants that are not considered research grants. The PD/PI may not be awarded more than one R15 grant at a time. Eligibility applies only to the PI and Multiple PIs, not to collaborators, consultants, or subawardees.

Carefully read the Eligibility section of the funding opportunity for opportunity-specific PD/PI eligibility requirements. Project Period: Limited to 3 years NIH's Modular Budget Policy applies: Applicants submitting an application with direct costs of $250,000 or less (total for all years, excluding consortium Facilities and Administrative [F&A] costs) must use the Modular Budget.

Applicants submitting an application with direct costs of $250,001-$375,000 (total for all years, excluding consortium Facilities and Administrative [F&A] costs) must use the Research and Related (R&R) Budget form. Awards can be renewed by competing for an additional project period.

Application and Submission Information The application should propose a research team, including undergraduate and/or graduate students, that is appropriate to accomplish the specific aims and to make an important scientific contribution. A signed letter is required from the Provost or similar official with organization-wide responsibility verifying the eligibility of the applicant organization at the time of application submission.

Sample application attachments Sample Provost Letters Certifying R15 Eligibility (DOCX, 24KB) Sample R15 Biosketch Personal Statement (DOCX, 25KB) Sample Facilities and Other Resources (DOCX, 44KB) After identifying a funding opportunity, follow guidance in the How to Apply – Application Guide instruction call-outs, except where instructed to do otherwise in the funding opportunity or related notices.

Research Enhancement Awards Use the Explore NIH Grant Opportunities tool to search Grants. gov. Ready to develop your application? Learn from a step-by-step guide.

Standard Due Dates apply. AIDS and AIDS-Related Applications Beginning with applications for Advisory Council Review in January 2027 (i.e., application due dates on or after May 25, 2026), NIH will no longer accept applications submitted on dedicated AIDS application due dates.

( NOT-OD-26-029 ) Standard Application Due Dates (when applicable) Participating Funding Organizations Each funding opportunity specifies the participating organizations. Applications must fit within the mission of at least one participating funding organization and meet all opportunity-specific requirements. The following funding organizations participate on at least one active funding opportunity.

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Cancer Institute National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Human Genome Research Institute National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institute of General Medical Sciences National Institute of Mental Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institute of Nursing Research National Institute on Aging National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institute on Drug Abuse National Library of Medicine Tribal Health Research Office R15 Grant Research Areas Listed by NIH Institute R15 Scientific/Research Contacts For technical issues E-mail OER Webmaster