Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31) | PA 25 422

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 25 422

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, commonly referred to as the Parent F31, is an NIH fellowship program designed to support promising PhD or other research-doctorate students while they complete their dissertation research. The core idea is to give a predoctoral trainee protected, fellowship-backed time to carry out a well-defined dissertation project and, just as importantly, to receive structured, high-quality mentorship and training from an experienced faculty sponsor (and, when appropriate, a co-sponsor). NIH is looking for applications where the training plan is tightly aligned with the dissertation work and clearly builds the applicant's skills and trajectory toward becoming a productive, independent research scientist in an area that fits the mission of one or more participating NIH Institutes and Centers.

This opportunity is a discretionary grant mechanism (a fellowship-style award) administered by the National Institutes of Health under Funding Opportunity Number PA-25-422. It is categorized under education and health-related funding activities and is connected to multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.307, 93.310, 93.361, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, and 93.879), reflecting the fact that many NIH components participate and that supported research areas can span a broad range of biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and health-related sciences. The fellowship is meant to be individualized, meaning reviewers expect to see a thoughtful training plan that goes beyond simply listing experiments and instead explains how mentoring, coursework (if relevant), technical skill development, professional development, and research experiences will combine to strengthen the candidate's long-term research independence.

A key limitation in this NOFO is its clinical trial policy: applicants are not allowed to propose leading an independent clinical trial as part of the fellowship. However, the program does allow a candidate to gain research experience in a clinical trial as long as that trial is led by the sponsor or co-sponsor. In practice, this means a predoctoral fellow can be embedded in a clinical trial environment and work on trial-related research questions, analyses, or sub-studies under the direction of an established investigator, but the fellowship application cannot position the predoctoral applicant as the responsible leader of the trial itself. This distinction matters because NIH reviews these applications with an emphasis on mentored training and appropriate oversight, particularly in complex regulatory and ethical contexts like clinical trials.

Eligibility, from the institutional perspective, is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The notice also specifies that other eligible applicants include eligible federal government agencies and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations can be eligible in certain circumstances as described in NIH policy and the detailed NOFO. The sponsoring institution is the applicant organization that submits on behalf of the fellow, while the fellowship is centered on the individual trainee and their mentored research and training environment.

The timeline information provided lists an original closing date of 2028-05-07, indicating that this parent announcement is expected to remain active over multiple cycles until that date (subject to NIH updates). The listing does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, which is common for NIH parent announcements where budgets and award counts can vary by institute, fiscal year, and application pressure. The opportunity was created in the source data on 2025-06-12.

In practical terms, a strong Parent F31 application typically communicates four things clearly: the scientific merit and feasibility of the dissertation research; the quality of the sponsor(s) and the mentoring plan; the training activities that will make the applicant measurably more capable as an independent scientist; and the fit between the proposed work and the mission priorities of the NIH institute or center to which the application is assigned. This NOFO is fundamentally about investing in the person as much as the project, using a mentored dissertation research experience to build a foundation for a long-term research career.

• 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 Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)" 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, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.307, 93.310, 93.361, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, 93.879.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-05-07.
• 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.

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