Enhancing Science, Technology, EnginEering, and Math Educational Diversity (ESTEEMED) Research Education Experiences (R25)

Overview

<div> <p>The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The overarching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.</p> </div> <div> <p>The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research.</p> </div> <div> <p class="Normal">With ESTEEMED, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) focuses on early preparation for undergraduate students in bioengineering or STEM fields relevant to bioengineering, such as engineering or the physical/computational sciences, which play key roles in biomedical technologies and innovation. Participants should be from diverse backgrounds and interested in ultimately pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degree and a research career integrating engineering and the physical sciences with medicine and biology. The program activities will begin in the summer before the freshman year and continue through the summer following the sophomore year. At that time, participants will be expected to enter an honors program that prepares high-achieving STEM students for doctoral programs in biomedical research fields. Therefore, only institutions with a federally or institutionally funded honors program that is open to students in the junior and senior years and that promotes STEM and entrance into a Ph.D. program are eligible to apply.</p> <p class="Normal">This FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on:</p> <ul> <li>Courses for Skills Development: For example, to provide preparation for hands-on exposure to research for freshmen and sophomores. At a minimum, this preparation must include a summer bridge program (or summer bootcamp) for incoming freshmen and additional activities during the freshman and sophomore academic years, including, but not limited to seminars and/or workshops that enhance skills in the basic sciences, computation, and scientific communication as well as introduce students to the laboratory environment.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Research Experiences: For example, to provide hands-on exposure to bioengineering research for freshman and sophomores, to interest them in pursuing advanced studies in bioengineering or a related STEM field and ultimately a career in the biomedical research workforce.</li> </ul> <p class="Normal"><strong>Programmatic Approach. </strong>The program supported by this FOA must contain at least three elements:</p> <p class="Normal">1. Summer Bridge Program</p> <p class="Normal">2. Academic Year Activities</p> <p class="Normal">3. Summer Research Experience</p> </div>