Institutional Training Grants (T32/K12)

These awards are made to institutions to support groups of pre- and/or postdoctoral fellows, including trainees in basic, clinical, and behavioral research.

T32 Institutional Training Programs

Purpose: Ensures that a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research
- Issued to eligible institutions to support research training for groups of pre- and/or postdoctoral fellows. The number of positions or "slots" varies with each award.
- The maximum duration of support for pre- and postdoctoral fellows under any National Research Service Award (NRSA) program is 5 years and 3 years, respectively (6 years for students in formal M.D./Ph.D. programs).
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, non-citizen U.S. nationals, or those lawfully admitted for permanent residence
NICHD participates in the Parent T32 announcement, as well as other T32 announcements that promote training in priority scientific, health-related research fields relevant to the NICHD mission.

Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Institutional Research Training Grant

Access: Parent T32 Announcement
NICHD and Other NIH Institute/Center-Specific Requirements for the Parent T32: Select the “Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts” link within the parent announcement to find NICHD-specific information.

T32 Clinical Pharmacology Training Network (CPTN)

Read: Program Overview
Access: CPTN Program Announcement. Applications are accepted through this RFA or the Parent T32 RFA in the preceding listing.
Visit: CPTN webpage

K12 Institutional Career Development Programs

NICHD uses the Mentored Clinical Scientist Award (K12) Program to provide support to domestic institutions that mentor clinical fellows and scientists and help them become independent research investigators.

NICHD only accepts K12 applications in response to active Requests for Applications (RFAs). Receipt deadlines are listed in the RFA.

K12 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH)

Purpose: Provides bridge support to physician-scientists as they move between completion of clinical or research fellowship training and an independent research career
Eligibility: Open to all types of clinicians and non-clinicians
Addresses the spectrum of women's health topics
Led by: NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH); administered by: NICHD Fertility and Infertility Branch (FIB)
Visit: ORWH BIRCWH Web site to learn more and to find the most recent funding opportunity announcement.

K12 Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) Program

Purpose: Supports institutional career development programs for fellows and new investigators who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training in pediatrics and who are committed to launching an independent research career
Eligibility: Fellows and new investigators who recently completed pediatrics postgraduate clinical training
Access: Current CHRCDA K12 announcement
Administered through: NICHD Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch (PGNB)
Visit: CHRCDA webpage
NICHD Contact: Karen Winer

K12 Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development Program (PCCTSDP)

Purpose: Develops successful pediatric critical care and pediatric trauma physician scientists
Eligibility: Supports mentored advanced career development and training in research for junior faculty in pediatric critical care medicine and pediatric trauma surgery at research-intensive institutions
Access: Current PCCTSDP announcement
Administered through: Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch
NICHD contacts: Tammara L. Jenkins

K12 Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP)

Purpose: This national network provides mentored career development opportunities for pediatricians who intend to pursue independent research careers in academic settings.
Eligibility: Pediatricians who have completed clinical training and have promising research potential
Access: Current PSDP announcement
Administered through: NICHD PGNB
Visit: PSDP Website (maintained by the Duke University Medical Center)
NICHD Contact: Karen Winer

K12 Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP)

Purpose: This national network aims to develop a cadre of reproductive physician-scientists based in academic departments who use cutting-edge cell and molecular technologies to address important problems in the field of obstetrics and gynecology
Eligibility: Junior faculty who have an M.D. or equivalent and have completed a postgraduate residency training in general Ob/Gyn or an Ob/Gyn subspecialty area
Access: Current RSDP Announcement
Administered through: NICHD FIB
NICHD Contact: Susan Taymans

Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program

Purpose: Supports programs for eligible junior faculty who are committed to an independent research career in women's reproductive health
Eligibility: Junior faculty who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training in obstetrics and gynecology
The current announcement for the program has expired; you can access the expired WRHR announcement for reference.
Administered through: NICHD Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch
NICHD Contact: Steven Kaufman

Resources for T32/K12 Programs

NIH Information about Institutional Training Grants (T): Provides descriptions of institutional training grants supported by NIH, along with eligibility considerations and funding policies.
NIH Information about K12 Institutional Career Development Awards: Provides descriptions of institutional training grants supported by NIH, along with eligibility considerations and funding policies.
Application Guides and Instructions: This page links to the different NIH application instruction sets. Applicants for T32/K12 programs should use the “T Training Instructions” provided on this webpage.
Peer Review of T32/K12 applications: T32 and K12 applications are reviewed by the NICHD Scientific Review Branch. NICHD has been using a single dedicated committee for review of T32 applications since 2011.
NIH Grants Policy Statement (GPS): The GPS outlines policies for all grant mechanisms at NIH, including fellowships, career development awards, and institutional training grants. The GPS is the ultimate resource for policy questions. Information about T32 institutional training grants is available in Chapter 11.
FAQs: Get answers to common questions about institutional training grants (T32) and institutional career development (K12) programs.
The NICHD T32 Diversity Supplement Program for Pre- and Postdoctoral Candidates provides research training support for well-qualified predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows, who meet NIH diversity criteria, under an eligible NICHD-funded institutional training grant (T32)—that is, a program that is funding fewer total slots than were approved by the study section—whose slots for the current year have already been filled. Read the NICHD T32 Diversity Supplement Background, Eligibility, Application, and Reporting Requirements (PDF 155 KB).