Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30) | PA 18 668

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 668

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30) is an NIH fellowship opportunity meant to support predoctoral students who are pursuing a combined clinical and research doctoral program at an institution that already has an NIH-funded institutional predoctoral dual-degree training program. In practical terms, it targets students enrolled in MD/PhD programs and similar dual-doctoral pathways such as DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, and DVM/PhD. The overall goal is to strengthen the pipeline of future physician-scientists and clinician-scientists by supporting an integrated training experience that blends rigorous dissertation research with the clinical training required by the student’s dual-degree curriculum.

This FOA is centered on the idea that strong clinician-scientists need a training plan that is intentionally integrated rather than treated as two separate tracks. Applicants are expected to lay out a clear, cohesive plan that connects their research development with their clinical development, explaining how the combined experience will build the skills, judgment, and scientific independence needed for a long-term career that bridges patient care (or clinical practice) and biomedical research. Alongside the training plan, applicants must propose a dissertation research project in a scientific, health-related area that aligns with the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The fellowship is intended to be a meaningful enhancement to the applicant’s trajectory, not just a funding add-on, so the application should make a convincing case that the fellowship will materially improve the candidate’s growth into a productive, independent clinician-scientist.

A key boundary in this particular Parent F30 announcement is how it treats clinical trials. The FOA is designed for applicants whose proposed research does not include leading an independent clinical trial, conducting a clinical trial feasibility study, or running an ancillary study to a clinical trial. However, it does allow the fellow to gain research experience within a clinical trial as long as the trial is led by a sponsor or co-sponsor. In other words, trainees can be involved in clinical trial-related work for educational and research development purposes, but the fellowship is not meant to support the applicant as the person responsible for directing the trial itself.

In terms of who can submit applications, the eligible applicant organizations listed include a wide range of entities such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other eligible entities as defined by NIH. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types that reflect NIH’s interest in broad participation across institution types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). At the same time, the FOA makes clear that non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which generally means certain parts of the research or training experience can occur abroad if they meet NIH’s rules and are properly justified, even though the applicant organization itself must be U.S.-based.

Administrative details in the source information identify this as a discretionary grant mechanism under NIH, with the funding opportunity number PA 18 668. It is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (now commonly referenced as Assistance Listing numbers), reflecting that multiple NIH Institutes and Centers participate and can support awards under the announcement depending on scientific alignment. The original closing date shown in the provided data is 2019-02-22, which signals that this is a specific posting from that period; anyone considering applying in the present day would need to verify the current active version of the Parent F30 announcement and its current receipt dates, requirements, and participating NIH components, since NIH often reissues and updates FOAs over time.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a structured fellowship for dual-degree predoctoral trainees who want to become clinician-scientists, requiring a well-thought-out, integrated clinical and research training plan plus a dissertation project that fits NIH priorities, while excluding applicants who would be leading their own clinical trials under the fellowship.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.351, 93.398, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-02-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PA 18 668

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: