Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32) | PA 19 188

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 19 188

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32), funding opportunity number PA-19-188, is an NIH discretionary grant mechanism designed to support the research training and professional development of highly promising postdoctoral researchers. The core goal is to help postdoctoral candidates build the skills, experience, and scientific track record needed to transition into productive, independent investigators in health-related research areas that align with the missions of participating NIH Institutes and Centers. In practice, this means the fellowship is less about simply funding a project and more about funding a structured training period that strengthens the applicant's trajectory toward research independence.

A central expectation of this opportunity is high-quality mentorship. Applications are expected to be built around an exceptional mentoring and training environment, typically involving a sponsor (and sometimes co-sponsors) who will provide scientific guidance, career development support, and access to resources that help the fellow grow in technical expertise, experimental design, responsible conduct of research, publication and presentation skills, and long-term career planning. The training plan and the mentoring plan are therefore major pillars of a competitive application, reflecting NIH's emphasis on the candidate's development rather than only the proposed experiments.

The FOA places clear boundaries around clinical trials. Applicants are not allowed to propose that they will lead an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial as the primary driver of the fellowship. However, the announcement does allow applicants to propose a research training experience that involves participation in a clinical trial that is led by a sponsor or co-sponsor. In other words, clinical trial-related training can be included when the fellow is gaining experience under the leadership and oversight of an established trial leader, rather than acting as the independent trial lead.

Eligibility for applicant organizations is broad, reflecting the goal of supporting postdoctoral training across many types of institutions. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and a range of nonprofit and for-profit entities. This includes nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (in both cases other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as other organization types that meet NIH requirements. The FOA also explicitly recognizes additional eligible institutional categories that commonly fall under federal designations for serving specific communities, 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), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and eligible agencies of the federal government.

This opportunity is administered by the National Institutes of Health, and it is associated with multiple CFDA (assistance listing) numbers, reflecting participation across several NIH components and mission areas. The activity category is listed broadly across areas such as education and health (among others), but the unifying theme is research training aimed at developing future independent investigators in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and other health-relevant scientific domains. The opportunity was created on 2019-02-22, and the source data lists an original closing date of 2020-06-25, which indicates the specific cycle referenced in the posting (applicants should always confirm the current open dates and reissued FOA versions on NIH/Grants.gov if applying today).

Overall, the Parent F32 is best understood as a mentored postdoctoral fellowship that funds a well-justified training plan, embedded in a strong research environment, with the explicit intent of accelerating a talented postdoc toward independence. It prioritizes the candidate's potential, the quality and commitment of mentorship, and a training experience that is clearly aligned with NIH mission areas, while restricting fellows from serving as the independent leader of a clinical trial during the award period.

• 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 Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32)" 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, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.307, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.859, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-02-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-06-25. (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 19 188

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