Deadline: January 15th, 2027 09:00 PM EST
Account required to apply. Click "Apply Now" to register/login.
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Research Project
Notice of Funding Opportunity Research Project
Alaska IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (Alaska INBRE)
Announcement Date: October 28, 2026
Recommended Letter of Intent Due: November 30, 2026 at 5pm AKT
Submission Date & Time: January 15, 2027 at 5pm AKT
Award period: 1 or 2 years
Budget total = up to $125,000 per year.
Funding Period: August 1, 2027 - July 31, 2028 OR 2029*
*Award dates and funding period are contingent on the Alaska INBRE NOA.
Section I. Funding Opportunity Purpose/Description
The Alaska IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (AK INBRE 5), supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, invites proposals to build biomedical research and research training capacity within the AK INBRE network. The Developmental Research Pilot Program (DRPP) accepts applications from partner institutions for Research Project (RP) awards that will provide a foundation for ongoing, independent biomedical research support. The most competitive projects will include training of undergraduate students through active participation in meaningful research. AK INBRE 5 maintains a One Health theme to promote interdisciplinary biomedical research. RP awards may support any compelling biomedical research including basic, applied, translational, clinical, or behavioral health topics. Collaborative projects are strongly encouraged. RP leaders should demonstrate high potential to develop projects for independent funding.
Candidate RP leaders are encouraged to leverage Alaska INBRE Core Resources in the development of their proposals and take advantage of the resources available in the AK INBRE 5 network. Letters of Intent are recommended, particularly for any projects that seek guidance or support from the CBPR Core, such as on identifying appropriate communities, learning from communities about their research priorities, sharing research ideas or findings with community members, or including community members in the research process.
RPs include a research mentoring component and support for a research mentor with a record of NIH funding and domain-specific research experience.
Section II. Award Information
Funds Availability and Anticipated Number of Awards - Alaska INBRE expects to award up to 2 awards contingent upon receipt of meritorious applications.
Award Budget - A single-year project may not exceed $125,000 direct costs. The combined budget for direct costs for a two-year project period may not exceed $250,000, with no more than $125,000 requested in any single year. No carryover is allowed from grant year 1 to grant year 2 and beyond. See the BUDGET section in Section IV for additional information.
A project budget exceeding $100,000 in direct costs in a single year must include undergraduate student support for at least two students. Academic year student involvement is planned at 10 hours/week, $18/hour, budgeting ~$5,400/student as an example for consideration.
Effort: NIH requires six months of effort from the project leader of an RP. This may be entirely budgeted in the project or by a combination of RP funding and institutionally-supported research effort. Work with your UA dean or director or THO research supervisor to plan how this requirement will be met. Institutional support need not be explicit matching funds, but should be defined in workload. Effort will be verified prior to submission to NIH.
Award Project Period - The total project period may not exceed 2 years.
Developmental/partial funding recommendations
The AK INBRE External Advisory Committee (EAC) may recommend partial funding of promising research projects that need significant conceptual development, community engagement, Institutional Review Board (IRB), and/or tribal approval. Guidance from an Alaska INBRE core may be recommended.
Section III. Eligibility Information
Eligible Organizations - Must be part of the 6 Alaska INBRE partner institutions.
Eligible Individuals - The research project leader (RPL), preferably early-stage investigators (ESIs), must have a full-time faculty appointment (tenure-track & research faculty) at a partner college or university or serve as a full-time investigator at SCF or ANTHC at the time of award. Collaborating investigators with activity/supplies included in the budget must be from an institution within an NIH IDeA state. Established investigators pursuing new areas of inquiry, such as recipients of R-series awards, are eligible for AK INBRE 5 DRPP awards. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the AK INBRE 5 PD/PI to confirm their eligibility and to discuss project plans prior to submission. NIH requires that DRPP RPLs have 6 months of effort for research during the 12-month grant year.
RPLs may compete for successive DRPP awards. The EAC will include the following criteria in review of successive RP applications:
RPLs are encouraged to include undergraduate students in their research, should show they have disseminated the conceptual basis of the research and/or preliminary results in a poster or oral presentation at a professional meeting, and have submitted a major proposal application for extramural funding (a major proposal supports biomedically relevant research, has a multi-year duration, and supports undergraduate, graduate students and/or post-doctoral scientists, e.g. R15, R16, R21, R01) to a federal agency.
Applications for multi-disciplinary studies with a collaborator at an AK INBRE network institution or in an IDeA eligible state are encouraged; however, each RP must be led by a single project leader at the awardee or network institution.
INBRE, COBRE, and IDeA-CTR Research and Pilot Project leaders are not eligible for simultaneous research funding from two IDeA programs.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
LETTER OF INTENT (recommended)
Alaska INBRE encourages letters of intent (LOI) for this funding opportunity. AK INBRE will provide feedback on research concepts and target mechanisms. The LOI is not required or binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application. AK INBRE 5 leadership and/or the INBRE External Advisory Committee (EAC) members will reply with feedback on the appropriateness of the research area for support through this mechanism. A two-page LOI should include the following:
Descriptive title of proposed research
Anticipated aims and approaches
If applicable: aspects of the proposed project that address community priorities or engage community members, including sharing study ideas or findings with community members, asking for input from community members, or having community members guide the project
How the work, if funded, will lead to applications for independent research support
How the work will meaningfully include undergraduate students in research
Participating institutions
Name and email of the project leader & other key personnel
The LOI can be uploaded by the date on page one at this link. Navigate to the Mod 26 Research Project Letter of Intent. Click Learn More and Apply, Apply Now, and the system will prompt you to create an account unless you have a Piestar account from previous INBRE reporting. Create your account, answer the questions, and upload the document with the following naming scheme: “LOI Mod 26 RP PI Last Name”. For more information, contact Julie Benson at jcbenson@alaska.edu.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Applicants will use the NIH ASSIST system to assemble RP applications responsive to NIH review criteria of Significance, Innovation, Approach, Investigator, and Environment. The RP application should be formatted and assembled in ASSIST as an R21 application (see NIH PA-25-304 (Clinical trial not allowed) or PA-25-306 (Clinical trial required). A complete application will include all sections noted in the solicitation, including a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP), and be exported to a single PDF file through the ASSIST “preview application” function.
The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST.
Content and Form of Application Submission
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Page Limitations - All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the NIH Table of Page Limits must be followed.
Submission dates & times - see the information provided at the top of this document.
Applicants must follow the instructions for current SF424 forms and upload the following sections in ASSIST:
Other Attachment: AK INBRE specific section
Explain how your research project builds biomedical or health research and undergraduate student training opportunities within the AK INBRE network: a) How will your research project include students engaged with the AK INBRE 5 Student Research Program (SRP)? b) Will your project use resources or training available within the AK INBRE 5 Data Science Core, Research Analytics Core, and/or Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Core?
Explain how your project falls within the NIH mission and develops further expertise in alignment with the NIH mission
Explain how the research accomplishments will lead to peer-reviewed publications and submissions of proposals for independent, extramural grants;
Briefly state the direct connection of the research outcomes to human health and/or how the project will impact people in Alaska;
Summarize your outcomes and products of any prior AK INBRE research support. Include all support: research or pilot project, travel, RAC TAG award, Data Science Award, URA Scholar or GRA, etc.
Other Forms: R & R Budget & Budget Justification
Submit a detailed budget justification for the entire proposed project period AND your institutional budget spreadsheet.
University of Alaska System (UAF, UAA, UAS) applicants - your home department will be distributed 2.5% of your institution’s F&A rate towards the overhead of administering your research project. At the time of award, the INBRE Fiscal Officer will set up this distribution and notify your department head of the incoming revenue to cover overhead. Please note: Do not include indirect costs on these awards in your budget forms.
Iḷisaġvik College, ANTHC, and SCF applicants – Indirect costs are based on your institution’s negotiated indirect cost rate agreement. You can include indirect costs on your budget forms.
Helpful Budget Hints:
Describe how you will meet the 6-month (as applicable) commitment to research, which may include trainee mentoring and research professional development.
Use only calendar months OR academic year and summer months but not both. NIH identifies one month as 160 hours.
Include costs for your mentor (see VI. Mentor.)
Tuition for a graduate student is “tuition remission” in NIH terminology; please use this terminology.
Include costs for travel and publication fees to disseminate results, including travel for students/trainees.
Submit two budget periods if applying for a two-year RP.
Honorariums, stipends, scholarships, participant support costs, and foreign components are unallowable.
Include student support if applying for more than $100k/year. Students must participate in the summer seminar and all other INBRE student activities.
Budget questions? Contact INBRE Fiscal Officer Dawniel Dupee via email dadupee@alaska.edu.
Letter of collaboration from a research mentor
Each RPL must have a mentor with expertise relevant to the proposed research, a willingness to mentor the project leader, and who may be a collaborator on the project, unless the awardee is already senior faculty/researcher experienced in leading NIH research projects. The mentor letter of collaboration must be provided at time of submission (Section VI) and will be confirmed by the EAC chair as having the appropriate research expertise and experience with NIH (or other federal) funding.
Human Subject Section
Attach the required documentation as needed.
Submit the ASSIST preview that includes sections as a single PDF via this link. Navigate to the Mod 26 Research Project application Form, click Learn More and Apply, and apply now. The system will prompt you to create an account unless you have a Piestar account from previous INBRE reporting. Create your account, answer the questions, and upload the single .pdf document. If you have any questions regarding submission, please contact the Reporting Manager, Jynene Black. PDF FORMAT IS REQUIRED. Save the ASSIST preview file as follows: “researcher(s) last name MAU/Partner Institution Mod-26 RP app.” Examples: Smith UAS Mod-26 RP App; Turner ANTHC Mod-26 RP App.
This is an internal application. Institutional signatures are not required at this time. If your application is selected to move forward to NIH, institutional signatures will be obtained as a JIT (just in time).
Section V. Application Review Information
REVIEW PROCEDURES & SELECTION PROCESS
Complete applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by independent scientific expert reviewers in accordance with and by the EAC using NIH peer review criteria.
Step 1: Submission deadline is January 15, 2027, at 5 pm AKT. All submissions will receive an email confirmation of receipt within 24 hours of submission.
Step 2: The proposal will receive two external reviews. These reviews are returned AK INBRE prior to distribution to the AK INBRE External Advisory Committee (EAC).
Step 3: The INBRE EAC will review and rank the proposals and make recommendations to the AK INBRE 5 leadership.
Step 4: Applications selected for funding based on EAC recommendations and funding availability will be forwarded to NIH for final approval. Only complete applications will be submitted to NIH.
Step 5: NIH will review and approve the proposals for funding.
Step 6: Upon confirmation from NIH, Alaska INBRE will fund the selected research projects.
Only highly-ranked applications that are complete (Section IV) and contain all required information including, if applicable, IACUC approval letter and Vertebrate Animal Section, or IRB approval letter, PHS Human Subject and Clinical Trials Information, and CITI certificates, can be submitted to NIH for approval. Applications selected for funding that include animal or human subjects research per the face page (section 4 or 5) must submit IACUC and/or IRB approval letters by April 15, 2027, if not submitted with the application. If you need support to develop IRB or community support, consider submitting a Pilot Project application.
Section VI. Award Administration Information
AWARD CONDITIONS
To maintain an active award and continuous funding, research project recipients will provide a substantive report of research progress in February/March 2027, which will be reviewed by the INBRE EAC. Additional reports for the EAC may be requested. Research Progress Reports are due in April each year for submission in the AK INBRE annual progress report. Additional reporting details will be provided in the award notification.
By submitting an application for an Alaska INBRE 5 RP, you agree to the following:
AK INBRE 5 DRPP-supported projects are an investment in meaningful research and training opportunities in the network. Awards are investments to support investigators toward establishing productive, sustainable, and independent research programs. Though it is not expected that RP support will necessarily lead to extramural research funding, RPLs are expected to develop action plans to apply for external funding, as growing the number of independent investigators will build additional network research and training capacity. RPLs will be encouraged to apply for awards such as SuRE (R16), AREA/REAP (R15), R03, R01, and other awards as appropriate.
All training (including Responsible Conduct of Research) required at your institution must be completed in the first month of work performed.
Presentations (oral or poster) and publications must include the following acknowledgment and disclaimer:
“Research reported (on this poster/in this publication) was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103395. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”
The RPL must implement the planned activities outlined in the budget section of the application. The expenditures and activities must adhere to applicable NIH rules and regulations that will be listed in the award letter and adhere to institutional policies. Failure to progress reasonably throughout the year of funding could result in dollar reallocation or reduction. All funds must be appropriately expended within the requested time frame. Per NIH rules, unspent funds from Year 1 (or Year 2, if applicable) cannot be carried over.
Failure to comply with prior or current award conditions will render the researcher ineligible for one year to apply for future INBRE funding.
MENTORS
Each RPL must have a mentor with expertise and a record of NIH or other federal funding relevant to the proposed research, a willingness to mentor the project leader, and who may be a collaborator on the project. The mentor's letter of support must be provided at time of submission (Section IV), and if recommended for funding, will be confirmed by the EAC chair as having the appropriate research expertise and experience. Mentors may be from the AK INBRE 5 network or from outside institutions and serve to help refine proposed research and professional development. Mentors can aid in the development of hypotheses, research design, and methodology relevant to the investigator’s research, and provide technical training in their laboratory, if appropriate. Mentors will be expected to mentor research project leaders and review manuscripts and proposals.
Prior to award, the RPL and mentor will develop a mentoring plan describing their scientific and developmental goals, meeting frequency and the types of collaborative input will be generated. Mentor costs of $2000 each budget period (plus additional costs if needed) must be included in the submitted project budget. Mentor costs may include travel between the project leader and mentor’s institutions, salary support for the mentors (if in an IDeA state), and other mentoring plan support. AK INBRE will request a report from the mentor and addressed to the AK INBRE PI that describes the scientific progress and professional development of the project leader and any associated challenges. Suggested mentoring activities include invitation and facilitation of a mentor visit to the RPL’s institution as a scientific colleague.
Section VII. Program Contacts
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
PI/Director Jason Burkhead Program Coordinator Kristin O’Brien
Data Science Core Director Devin Drown Associate Director Julie Benson
Fiscal Officer Dawniel Dupee
Student Research Program Co-Directors Kristin O'Brien, Jonathan Stecyk
Student Research Program Prof. Dev. Coordinator Holly Martinson
CBPR Core Director Katie Cueva
Research Analytic Core Directors Patrick Tomco, Matthew Wooller, Devin Drown
Section VIII. Other Information
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Alaska INBRE follows the NIH Guidelines for Conflict of Interest.
University of Alaska is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, educational institution and provider and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination
