NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Overview

<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 over-arching 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. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs.</p> <p>To assure the vitality and continued productivity of the research enterprise, the NIGMS provides leadership in training the next generation of scientists, in enhancing the diversity of the scientific workforce, and in developing research capacity throughout the country.</p> <p><strong>The SEPA program supports P-12 and informal science education (ISE) activities that:</strong> <strong>(1)</strong> enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce and <strong>(2)</strong> foster a better understanding of NIH-funded biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its public health implications.</p> <p><strong>The SEPA program targets two primary audiences:</strong> <strong>(1)</strong> SEPA formal or classroom-based projects, provide STEM content, pedagogical expertise, and problem solving skills to teachers, students, and families in communities not generally supported by advanced and innovative educational practices:<strong> (2)</strong> SEPA informal science education (ISE) activities, conducted in outside-the-classroom venues as well as in science centers and museums, target both workforce diversity and improved public health literacy.</p> <p>Applications that target pre-kindergarten to grade 12 (P-12) or ISE topics that are not be addressed by existing school, community, or ISE-based activities are encouraged.</p> <p><strong>Proposed projects:</strong></p> <ul> <li>May focus on any area of NIH-funded research</li> <li>Must address broader impact issues, i.e., the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired workforce diversity and capabilities, societal, and health literacy outcomes.</li> </ul> <p><strong>To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support innovative educational activities with a primary focus on:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Courses for Skills Development:</strong> For example, advanced courses in a specific discipline or research area, or specialized research or analytical skills such as biostatistics and datascience.</li> <li><strong>Research Experiences:</strong> Research experiences for P-12 teachers and students that will provide hands-on exposure to research methods and concepts that are not available through conventional teacher training or classroom activities.</li> <li><strong>Mentoring Activities:</strong> Programs that provide mentors and near-peer role models, in terms of age, gender, race, and ethnicity, for P-12 students.</li> <li><strong>Curriculum or Methods Development:</strong> For example, to improve biomedical, behavioral, or clinical science education, or to develop novel instructional approaches or computer and data science-based educational tools.</li> <li><strong>Outreach:</strong> Activities that enhance workforce diversity, community health and medicine knowledge through dissemination of educational resources and biomedical, behavioral and clinical research findings.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Examples of projects within the scope of activity of SEPA include:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Innovative and inquiry-based P-12 curricula that will increase student interest in STEM topics.</li> <li>Understanding of the scientific research process to improve biomedical, behavioral, or clinical science education.</li> <li>Virtual reality or artificial intelligence-based educational tools.</li> <li>Community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects on important health prevention issues such as obesity, diabetes, opioid addiction and vaping</li> <li>Citizen science or crowd-sourcing projects where non-scientists participate in scientific research either alone or in collaboration with scientists.</li> <li>Maker Movement projects where students and teachers learn by "doing" or "making" inside or outside-the-classroom.</li> <li>Veterinarian-based P-12 projects that will encourage students to consider careers in veterinary medicine or projects designed to educate students, teachers, and the community on the need for, and the ethical use of, animals in research.</li> <li>Curriculum or methods development activities for P-12 teachers that provide instruction in novel approaches to STEM topics that challenge the current knowledge base of pedagogy and problem based learning.</li> <li>Interactive digital media (IDM)-based projects where scientists partner with educators and developers to create learning resources for P-12 students, teachers, and the public. IDM applications may include, but are not limited to: interactive curricula; attitude changes towards game-based learning; new skills development; teamwork and group activities; public participation in scientific research (citizen science) projects; and behavioral changes in lifestyle and health.</li> <li>Public service announcements, documentaries, films, radio, TV, and other media-based community health literacy resources.</li> <li>Science center and museum-based exhibits, traveling exhibits, and public outreach activities e.g., science cafes and community health fairs, that will educate students, teachers, and the community on health-related topics.</li> <li>Quantitative and computational skill-building educational resources for a data-science literate workforce.</li> <li>Collaborations and leveraging with the following programs and other educational organizations:</li> <li>NIGMS research capacity building and infrastructure programs within the Division for Research Capacity Building, e.g., Institutional Development Awards (IDeA), Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) and workforce diversity programs in the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, e.g., MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) , Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) or Bridges to the Baccalaureate.</li> <li>Clinical and Translational Science Awards</li> </ul> <p><strong>New areas of high SEPA programmatic interest include:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Educational activities, where participants have access to research-generated data, that will train students for informatics, bioinformatics, data science careers.</li> <li>Embedded math and reading content for projects targeting P-8 student participants.</li> <li>Adaptations of successful SEPA programs in new locations or with new populations.</li> </ul>