NIGMS Institutional Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training (BURT) Program (T34)

The goal of the Institutional Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training (BURT) program is to strengthen research training environments and develop a pool of well-trained students who:Complete their baccalaureate degrees in biomedically-related fields, andTransition into and complete biomedical, research-focused higher degree programs (such as Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.).Specifically, this funding announcement provides support to eligible, domestic organizations to develop and implement effective, evidence-informed approaches to biomedical undergraduate training and mentoring to help build a strong biomedical research workforce for the nation.Applicant organizations must enroll undergraduate students and have received NIH Research Project Grant (RPG) funding averaging less than $50 million in total costs (direct and F&A/indirect) per year over the last three fiscal years (FY). To promote undergraduate research training opportunities across a range of eligible organizations, the program will accept applications in two tracks:Single Site: To support trainees from a single baccalaureate-degree granting organization.Community College Partnerships: To support community college trainee development through strong collaborations between at least one associate-degree granting organization (that is, a community college) and at least one baccalaureate-degree granting organization.The proposed research training programs will incorporate didactic, research, and career development elements to prepare trainees for careers that will have a significant impact on the health-related research needs of the nation.

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility. Applicant organizations must (1) enroll undergraduates and (2) have received NIH Research Project Grant (RPG) funding averaging less than $50 million in total costs (direct and F&A/indirect) per year over the last three fiscal years (FY). RPG data are available through NIH RePORTER. For example, applications submitted in FY2026 will use data from FY 2023, FY 2024 and FY 2025.All applications must include a baccalaureate degree-granting organization. The application must be submitted by the eligible organization with a unique entity identifier (UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile File (IPF) number. For organizations with multiple campuses (e.g., main, satellite, etc.), eligibility can be considered for an individual campus only if a UEI and a unique NIH eRA IPF number are established for the individual campus. For organizations that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for multiple campuses, eligibility is determined for the campuses together.The sponsoring organization must assure eligibility and support for the proposed program. Appropriate information about eligibility and organizational commitment to the program should be detailed according to the Letters of Support attachment instructions in Section IV.Foreign OrganizationsNon-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

All accepted applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate initial review group and by a national advisory council. The goal of NIGMS funding policies is to maximize the scientific impact of investments in investigator-initiated biomedical research to drive fundamental scientific discoveries that advance understanding of human health and disease. To address this goal, the Institute strives to support a broad portfolio of research grants of high scientific and technical merit, as determined by peer review, in its mission areas. However, in deciding to fund any application, NIGMS staff also considers other factors, including (consistent with applicable law): the breadth of the Institute�s research portfolio; approaches, and investigators; the total amount of funding available to the investigator; the priority of the research area for the Institute�s mission; Early-stage investigator status; At-risk investigator status?;? and whether the PI would have more than one NIGMS funded R01 (including multi-PI R01s). Because these factors are considered, NIGMS does not have a �payline� or strict cutoff in scores that it will fund. It is important to understand that even applications with outstanding scores might not be funded if the investigator already has substantial other support. Because NIGMS prioritizes funding for meritorious investigators who otherwise would not have support over providing additional grants to already well-funded...