Purpose
To provide high quality research experience for students or high school teachers during the summer academic break.

Program Announcement
PAR-21-168

Due Dates for New Applications
March 17, 2022, March 17, 2023, and March 19, 2024

List of Funded Awards
Funded Programs from NIH RePORTER

PD/PI Eligibility
Established investigators

Appointee Eligibility
High school/undergraduate; high school science teachers; U.S. citizens or permanent residents

Institution Eligibility
U.S. domestic institutions

Additional Information
The NIH Summer Research Experience Program is an award to provide high quality research experiences for high school and/or college students or high school science teachers for 8-15 weeks during the summer academic break. R25 programs that propose at least 8 weeks, but fewer than 15 weeks, of full-time research experiences during the summer may request continued part-time support for the participants to work on their research projects during the school year, up to the equivalent of a total of 15 weeks of full-time participation, as long as the entire research experience is completed within a 12-month period.

Applications that demonstrate the potential to impact students and teachers from diverse backgrounds are particularly encouraged and may be given funding priority. All programs are expected to promote inclusive research environments, i.e., institutional and departmental environments in which trainees from all backgrounds feel integrated into and supported by the biomedical community, and outline their efforts in an Enhancing Educational Inclusivity Statement. 

The proposed program needs to align with the mission of the IC to which the application is submitted and not have a general neuroscience focus. ICs will not support projects, regardless of the results of merit review, if they do not fulfill current programmatic priorities. Therefore, we strongly recommend that potential applicants consult Scientific/Research Staff at the intended IC before preparing an application. NINDS will support applications focusing on summer research experiences that address or seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system by supporting and conducting research on the healthy and diseased brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS also encourages activities focused on understanding and addressing disparities in neurologic health, healthcare, and health outcomes in disparate populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, the geographically disadvantaged, sex and gender minorities, and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent inequality and socioeconomic disadvantage. NINDS supports basic, translational, and clinical research: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Current-Research/Research-Funded-NINDS

NINDS will support a maximum of two awards per institution (identified by a unique DUNS number) at any time: one focused on students and one focused on science teachers, except with strong justification.