Institutional Training Grants Resources

Institutional training grants differ in their guidelines and requirements compared to typical research grants. This webpage serves as a resource for PIs and administration staff when preparing and managing NIH T grants.

About Training Grants

An institutional research training grant is an award that provides funding to support research training and education programs for trainees at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Training grants are an important source of support for research training programs, and help to ensure adequate numbers of diverse and highly trained scientists to assume leadership roles related to the Nation’s biomedical and behavioral research agenda. For National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded training grants, the focus of training activities can be in basic biomedical or clinical sciences, in behavioral or social sciences, in health services research, or in any other discipline relevant to the mission of NIH. Training grants provide support for stipends, tuition and fees, training-related expenses, and health insurance. Training grants are awarded to institutions, rather than individual researchers, and the institutions are responsible for overseeing the administration of the training program and selecting trainees who will participate. Training programs can include a variety of activities, such as research rotations, coursework, and mentored research projects. Training grants are usually awarded for a period of five years, and are renewable, subject to the availability of funding and demonstration of a strong program.

NIH Training Grants

The NIH offers several types of T-grants to support research training and education programs.

The most common types of T-grants include:

• T32 Ruth L Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award
  • To enable institutions to recruit individuals selected by the program leadership for predoctoral and/or postdoctoral research training in specified scientific areas.
  • Parent Announcement
  • View Current Funding Opportunities

• T35 Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant
  • To provide individuals with research training during off-quarters or summer periods to encourage research careers and/or research in areas of national need.
  • These grants provide support for short-term research training programs, usually lasting one to two months, for high school, undergraduate, and medical students.
  • Parent Announcement
  • View Current Funding Opportunities

• T90/R90 Interdisciplinary Research Training Award
  • To support comprehensive interdisciplinary research training programs at the undergraduate, predoctoral and/or postdoctoral levels, by capitalizing on the infrastructure of existing multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research programs.
  • These grants provide additional funding to institutions to support the research training and education of individuals from underrepresented groups in health-related research.
  • View Current Funding Opportunities

• T15 Continuing Education Grants
  • To assist professional schools to establish, expand, or improve programs of continuing professional education, or refresher education dealing with new developments in the science of technology of the profession.
  • These grants provide support for research training programs for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in areas of biomedical and behavioral research.
  • View Current Funding Opportunities

• T34 Undergraduate NRSA Institutional Research Grant
  • To enhance the undergraduate research training of individuals from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences through Institutional NRSA training grants, in preparation for research doctorate degree programs.
  • View Current Funding Opportunities

Application Overview

T grants require different elements than R01s. Institution must show

• Clear objectives and quality training program, including special features (e.g., lab rotations, seminar series, entrance requirements; advisory committee)
• Proposed training program director who is a well-recognized scientist with a long training track record
• Senior-level faculty with publications history, grants from NIH or similar agencies, and training experience
• Successful past trainees
• Adequate source of trainees
• Diversity recruitment plan

Course on responsible conduct of research