Institutional Research Training Grants

Trainee Eligibility and Appointment Criteria

1. Citizenship. Trainees must be U.S. citizens, residents of U.S. possessions (e.g., American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands) or must be permanent residents of the U.S. by the time of appointment to the grant. Being a permanent resident is what is informally known as possessing a "green card". Technically the card is an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551) and the trainee must either possess it or have similar legal verification of status. A notarized statement verifying permanent residency is required with the Statement of Appointment form (Form 2271).
2. Duration of appointments. Minimum appointment lengths. Except for short term trainees, no trainee can be appointed for a period less than nine months without the prior written approval of NIA. The allowable exceptions are either to permit the trainee to complete a planned program of training that was supported by other means, or that an assurance is provided that the trainee will be reappointed in the subsequent year to provide longer term support. Appointment lengths of at least two years (i.e., two consecutive 12-month appointments) are encouraged. NIH is particularly concerned that health professional (usually M.D.) postdoctoral trainees receive at least two years of training support and reviewers are asked to examine competing renewal applications to check the average duration of appointments for such health professionals.
3. Maximum appointment lengths. At the predoctoral level no more than five years of NRSA support are allowed. At the postdoctoral level no more than three years of support are allowed. However, waivers are possible to these limits when the circumstances are appropriate. The most common waivers are (i) for clinicians who are now pursuing PhDs and (ii) for individuals who have experienced a break in training. However other exceptional circumstances arise from time to time and if appropriately justified may be grounds for a waiver. To apply for a waiver, the trainee must write to the NIA training officer and explain the circumstances and rationale for the request. The training director and an authorized institutional official should endorse the request and certify the need for additional training.
4. When can trainees be appointed? Trainees can be appointed at any time during the year. If the training director wishes to synchronize appointments the initial appointment can be for less than twelve months. If the appointment is for less than nine months then, as described in (2) above, the training director must assure NIA that the trainee will be reappointed in the next year of the award.

Stipend Information

1. Stipends. NIH increases stipend rates and advertises these increases in the NIH Guide on an annual basis. If stipend rates are increased in the middle of a fiscal year, NIH will adjust any awards that have already been made that year to reflect the new rates. Appointments to institutional training grants that have already been awarded in a given fiscal year must be amended to reflect that fiscal year’s stipend levels once the training grant award has been adjusted by NIH.
2. Stipend supplementation vs. compensation. Stipend supplementation refers to the institution adding funds to the stipend from its own resources. Stipend supplementation is encouraged as long as it does not come from federal funds, which typically cannot be used for stipend supplementation. Stipend supplementation cannot require extra duties of the trainee. Compensation refers to additional part-time duties that a trainee undertakes in order to offset expenses. Such work is allowed provided that the duties are part-time, do not interfere with the trainee's training and are not work on a research grant which would be part of the trainee's research training on the training grant. Training directors are expected to verify that any work on research grants will not detract from or prolong the training program.

Also see Institutional Training Grants .

Other Direct Costs

1. General training-related expenses (including health insurance costs) and travel costs. In FY2024, NIH and NIA will award $4,750 per predoctoral trainee and $12,400 per postdoctoral trainee for general training-related expenses. This money is relatively unconstrained and should be used to assist the training program in whatever ways are appropriate. NIA also allows travel costs to scientific meetings for trainees at the amounts of $750 per predoctoral trainee and $1,500 per postdoctoral trainee per year. Family health insurance costs are eligible for support.
2. Trainee-specific expenses. Trainee tuition and fees are provided on a formula basis. The formula is fixed and cannot be adjusted by the grantee. For predoctoral trainees, an amount equal to 60% of the actual tuition level at the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year, will be provided. If the trainee or fellow is enrolled in a program that supports formally combined, dual-degree training (e.g., MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, DVM/PhD), the amount provided per trainee or fellow will be 60% of the actual tuition level, up to $21,000 per year. For postdoctoral trainees, an amount equal to 60% of the actual tuition level at the applicant institution, up to $4,500 per year, will be provided. If the trainee or fellow is enrolled in a program that supports postdoctoral individuals in formal degree-granting training, an amount per postdoctoral trainee or fellow equal to 60% of the actual tuition level at the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year, will be provided.
3. Rebudgeting of funds. NIH distinguishes between trainee costs (stipends, tuition, and fees) and other expenses (general training-related expenses, health expenses, and conference travel). Rebudgeting restrictions apply only to trainee costs. These stipends, tuitions, and fees are considered as a lump sum for rebudgeting purposes. No funds may be moved out of this category without NIA approval. However, it is possible to rebudget general training-related expenses or travel expenses into the trainee costs category. It is also possible to lump together the funds provided for conference travel and the funds provided for general training-related expenses.

Non-Competing Progress Report (Type 5) Applications

1. When to submit. At the end of each year of funding, T32 PIs must submit a progress report in order to receive funding for the following year. NIA strongly encourages training directors to submit noncompeting continuations and progress reports by February 1 or, if the start date is other than May 1, then by three months before that start date. Failure to submit the application by February 1 could delay award of the noncompeting renewal. If you need assistance, please contact Jessi Perez at jessi.perez@nih.gov .

2. Publications. All publications must be listed in C.1 “Publications” section of the progress report. Publications can be referred to in other sections of the RPPR but must be listed in the Publications section. Any publication, or manuscript accepted for publication in a journal or other publication during the reporting period resulting directly from the award, even if it is not covered by the Public Access Policy, must be reported.

   The system will allow the RPPR to be submitted with non-compliant publications. However, the system will provide a Warning message, and, following submission to the agency, the PD/PI will receive an automated email requiring verification that all publications are in compliance with the Public Access Policy no later than two weeks prior to the start date of the next budget period.

   Please review the NIH Public Access Policy page for guidance on submitting publications to PubMed Central to ensure that they are compliant with the NIH Public Access Policy at the time of RPPR submission.

3. Carryover requests. Sometimes not all the training slots are filled in a particular year of a training grant, and occasionally postdoctoral trainees are appointed who are at lower levels of experience than anticipated. Therefore, not all the funds awarded in a given year are obligated. NIA's policy is not to allow requests to obligate these funds in the following year. Exceptions are given rarely. The most common exception occurs following a tuition increase at a university. Carryover funds are usually allowed to cover a portion of the tuition increase.

Statements of Appointment and Termination

Statements of Appointment and Termination are the method by which NIH tracks how long individual trainees have been trained on NRSA grants. NIH uses that information to find out whether and how much payback requirement a trainee has incurred through their length of service (only postdoctoral trainees incur payback requirements) and to analyze and evaluate the program. Because the Statement of Appointment form is the official financial record of the trainee's start of service it requires the social security number of the trainee.

Statement of Appointment

The Statement of Appointment Form (PHS 2271) must be submitted via xTrain prior to, or at the start of, each trainee's appointment or reappointment. No stipend or allowance may be paid until the appointment form has been submitted. If the support is the first 12 months of support for a postdoctoral trainee, then a signed payback agreement (PDF, 263K) must also be submitted. Because the Statement of Appointment Form is a financial document the program director should work with institutional financial officials to coordinate the information reported on the form.

Statement of Termination

The Termination Notice (PHS 416-7) (PDF, 314K) should be submitted to NIA immediately upon termination of the trainee's support. Without a termination notice, a trainee would be incorrectly tracked in the NIH system as accumulating more NRSA service than was actually accumulated. Even if a trainee temporarily leaves the program and then returns, a Termination Notice should be submitted when the trainee leaves and a Statement of Appointment Form should be submitted when the trainee returns.

Leave and Absence Rules

1. Vacations and holidays. Trainees may receive the same vacations and holidays available to individuals in comparable training positions at the sponsoring institution. Trainees should continue to receive stipends during vacations and holidays. The time between semesters or quarters is generally considered an active part of the training period.
2. Sick leave and other leave. Trainees may continue to receive stipends for up to 15 calendar days of sick leave per year. Under exceptional circumstances the time can be extended via a written request from the training program director to NIA.
3. Parental leave. Trainees may receive stipends for up to 60 calendar days of parental leave per year for the adoption or birth of a child when those in comparable training positions at the institution have access to paid leave for the same purpose. Either parent is eligible. The leave must be approved by the training director.
4. Unpaid leave. When trainees need longer periods of absence, the training program director must request approval for that leave in advance from NIA. The request must be countersigned by an appropriate institutional official. During such a leave of absence an amended Statement of Appointment form and Termination Notice must be submitted. The reappointment is indicated in another Statement of Appointment form.

Other Important Resources for Training Grants

• ORCID ID requirements : All trainees submitting Fellowship and Career Development applications, as well as newly assigned individuals under institutional programs such as the T32 and T35 are required to have ORCID IDs.
• Mandatory Harassment and Discrimination Protections in NIH Training Applications (T32, T35) – NOT-OD-19-029 .

Top Three Tips for Your NIA T32 Application

NIA T32 applications can be complex. Learn how to strengthen your application with this video explaining the top three tips from OSEP.

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T32 at a Glance

• Eligibility: Established PIs at US institutions. Multiple PIs are encouraged.
• Maximum Award Duration: 5 years
• Due Date: May 25
• Budget: Yearly award budgets are composed of participant stipends, tuition and fees, and institutional allowance, which are set annually by NIH and posted on the NRSA webpage .
• Over the Cap Requests: T32 applications in excess of $500,000 in direct costs per year are subject to NIA’s guidance for large budget grant applications . This guidance applies even if the grant’s direct costs will be reduced below $500,000 upon award.
• NIA Trainee Travel Costs: NIA allows travel costs to scientific meetings for trainees at the amounts of $750 per predoctoral trainee and $1,500 per postdoctoral trainee per year.
• Questions about T32 awards at NIA? Contact NIATraining@mail.nih.gov .