Helping to Accelerate Research Potential (HARP) (UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 22 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 22 002

Helping to Accelerate Research Potential (HARP) (UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is an NIH funding opportunity from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) designed to strengthen the research pipeline by investing in high-quality mentorship. Rather than funding independent research projects or clinical trials, this program supports mentors and mentoring teams who will build structured, educational, and evidence-informed mentoring activities for NIDDK scholars and early career individuals from diverse backgrounds, especially people from groups that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research. The central aim is career advancement: helping participants gain the skills, networks, guidance, and professional support needed to move toward independent, NIDDK-relevant research careers.

The program emphasizes that mentoring is not an informal add-on, but a core workforce development tool that can directly influence retention, success, and long-term career progression for early career faculty and scholars from underrepresented backgrounds. Applicants are expected to create thoughtful, tailored mentoring structures that match scholars to appropriate mentors, incorporate educational activities that build research career readiness, and use approaches grounded in existing evidence about effective mentorship. The intention is to support a diverse cohort of scholars through mentoring that is organized, intentional, and responsive to individual needs, with the broader outcome of increasing success and representation in NIDDK-related research areas.

This opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement (UE5), meaning NIH will likely have substantial involvement in the program as it is carried out, compared with a standard grant mechanism. The activity category is listed under Food and Nutrition and Health, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.847. The award ceiling is stated as 150,000, indicating the maximum funding level per award under this announcement. The original closing date for applications was 2022-11-30, and the opportunity was created on 2022-07-28. The listing does not specify the exact number of expected awards in the provided data.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the announcement includes clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) and non-domestic (non-U.S.) foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. The clinical trial restriction is also explicit in the title: clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA, reinforcing that the program is intended to fund mentoring and educational capacity-building rather than interventional clinical research.

In practical terms, a competitive HARP application would be expected to describe a coherent mentoring model and a set of educational or professional development activities that directly support early career scholars in becoming independent researchers in NIDDK-relevant fields. This typically means outlining how scholars will be recruited and selected, how mentoring relationships will be structured and supported, what training or career development content will be delivered, and how the program will track progress and outcomes for scholars over time. The overall focus remains on building a stronger, more diverse research workforce by improving the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of mentoring for individuals early in their research careers.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Helping to Accelerate Research Potential (HARP) (UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-07-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-11-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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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