Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)
Applications close May 7, 2028
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- Agency
- National Institutes of Health
- Opportunity number
- PA-25-422
- Posted
- Jun 12, 2025
- Closes
- May 7, 2028
- Cost sharing required
- false
About this opportunity
The purpose of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral (Parent F31) award is to enable promising predoctoral students will obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research projects in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The proposed mentored research training must reflect the candidates dissertation research project and is expected to clearly enhance the individuals potential to develop into a productive, independent research scientist.
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) does not allow candidates to propose to lead an independent clinical trial but does allow candidates to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a sponsor or co-sponsor.
Who can apply
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations).
How to apply
- 1Register your organization
Applications are submitted by your institution, not individuals. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration (with a UEI) and a Grants.gov account with an Authorized Organization Representative.
- 2Read the full notice
Open the official notice for the complete eligibility rules, review criteria, page limits, and required forms. Applications close May 7, 2028.
- 3Download the application package
From the Grants.gov opportunity page, download the package (or apply via your agency's system where required) and prepare each component.
- 4Build and submit
Prepare the budget and narrative, route for institutional sign-off, and submit before the deadline: GrantsManager can track every step for you.
Agency contact: National Institutes of Health · grantsinfo@nih.gov
Details are pulled from Grants.gov and can change, always confirm against the official notice. GrantsManager isn't affiliated with these agencies.
About the NIH F31 program
An NIH fellowship that supports promising PhD students through their dissertation research and training.
Typical award: Support for up to 5 years (predoctoral), set by NRSA stipend levels that NIH updates periodically.
Resources for applying
All NIH grants and resources- Proposal submission checklist
A pre-submission checklist for research proposals: solicitation review, internal routing, budget, compliance, and sponsor-system steps to hit the deadline cleanly.
- NIH modular budget
How NIH modular budgets work: the $250,000 threshold, $25,000 modules, consortium F&A, what goes in the personnel, consortium, and additional narrative justifications, and a worked example.
- Reading your Notice of Award
The parts of a Notice of Award that determine what you can spend, when, and what needs prior approval, plus the terms that cause disallowed costs if missed.
- Letter of Support Template for Grant Applications
A free letter of support template for NIH and other research grant applications, with collaborator and consultant versions, what NIH asks letters to include, and how NIH's move to letters of collaboration affects them.
- NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Template
A free NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan template in the updated 2026 format required for due dates on or after May 25, 2026, with every element, word limits, and example answers.
- Budget Justification Template
A free budget justification (budget narrative) template for research grants, organized by the federal R&R budget categories, with example language for personnel, fringe, equipment, travel, other direct costs, subawards, and F&A.
- Grant Application Cover Letter Template
A free cover letter template for NIH grant applications, with when a cover letter is required, what to include, who reads it, and why assignment requests now go on a separate form.
- NIH salary cap 2026
The NIH salary cap for 2026 is $228,000 (Executive Level II, effective January 1, 2026). See the cap by year and calculate the allowable salary and over-the-cap amount at any effort level.
- NIH modular budget
Round direct costs up to $25,000 modules for each budget year, check eligibility for a modular budget (up to $250,000 a year), and total the request with consortium F&A.
- F&A & MTDC calculator
Build the Modified Total Direct Cost base, apply your F&A rate, and see total direct costs, indirect costs, and the full award total, with the usual MTDC exclusions handled.
- Grant burn rate
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- Grants.gov
Federal grant applications and forms for NIH, USDA, and many others.
- NIH eRA Commons
NIH application status, progress reports (RPPR), and award management.
- SciENcv
Biosketches and Current & Pending (Other) Support documents.
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