Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) (R38) | RFA HL 23 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 23 006

The Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) (R38) program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutional training-style grant designed to strengthen the clinician-investigator pipeline by bringing more resident physicians and other postdoctoral-level health professionals into structured, mentored research experiences during residency. The core idea is to help institutions build or enhance formal residency research programs that can recruit talented clinicians early, keep them engaged in research, and position them to compete successfully for later individual career development awards. In practice, this means the award supports a defined program framework, clear expectations, and measurable milestones so that resident participants are not just doing isolated research electives, but are progressing through a coherent path toward independent research careers.

A central feature of the opportunity is direct support for Resident-Investigators to conduct research for up to two years within a structured clinician-investigator program. Institutions applying are expected to provide high-quality mentorship, protected research time, and an environment that helps residents gain real research skills and productivity (for example, developing rigorous study questions, learning methods and data analysis approaches, responsible conduct of research, manuscript and abstract preparation, and grant-writing development). The overall emphasis is on mentored research that is integrated into residency training in a way that is feasible and career-shaping, rather than short-term exposure. The program is also explicitly oriented toward helping participants transition to the next stage of NIH funding, especially individual career development mechanisms, by building a track record, mentoring relationships, and a clear training plan.

This particular FOA is limited to research that does not involve the Resident-Investigator leading an independent clinical trial. It also excludes proposing a clinical trial feasibility study or an ancillary study to a clinical trial as the primary activity led by the resident. However, it does allow residents to gain experience on a clinical trial if the trial is led by a mentor or co-mentor, which keeps the resident in a mentored role while still allowing meaningful exposure to clinical research operations and trial conduct. The boundary NIH is drawing here is between mentored participation and being the responsible leader for an independent trial, which carries additional regulatory and scientific expectations.

Eligibility is broad on the institutional side, reflecting the intent to support a wide range of organizations that train health professionals. Eligible applicants include many government entities (state, county, city/township, and special district governments), public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and a variety of nonprofit and for-profit organizations (excluding small business-focused limits, since both for-profits other than small businesses and small businesses are listed). Tribal entities are also eligible, including federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities are listed as eligible as well. NIH also highlights additional categories of interest such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. While some “non-domestic entities (foreign organizations)” are mentioned in the provided text as “other eligible applicants,” the FOA restrictions are clear that non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed. In other words, the program is intended to be carried out entirely within eligible U.S.-based applicant organizations and components.

Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary grant under the NIH umbrella, listed with Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HL-23-006, and it falls under the education and health activity category. Multiple CFDA numbers are associated with it (including 93.233 and several others in the 93.39x, 93.83x, and 93.86x ranges), which signals that the program connects to multiple NIH institutes/centers or funding streams. The original closing date provided is May 16, 2024, and the source information does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, implying those details may vary by institute participation, year, or appropriations and should be confirmed in the full FOA and any related notices.

Overall, StARR (R38) is best understood as institutional support to build high-quality, mentored, milestone-driven research time for residents, with the explicit workforce goal of producing more clinician-investigators who are ready to move into NIH individual career development funding. The program’s structure and its restrictions around resident-led clinical trials are meant to keep the experience firmly mentored and training-focused while still allowing residents to participate in clinically oriented research, including trials, when supervised by an experienced mentor.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) (R38)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.233, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.397, 93.398, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.855, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for RFA HL 23 006

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