Individual Fellowship Awards
NIA fosters the development of research and clinician scientists in the following areas: genetic, biological, clinical, epidemiological, neuroscience, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging, both basic and translational.
In support of this goal, NIA funds several Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) for researchers across career stages, as well as additional mechanisms to support graduate researchers. On this page you can click on the title of each award below for details, learn where to find answers to your questions, and find out how to apply.
| Career Stage | Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dual-Degree Students |
F30 | Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-funded Dual-Degree Programs | Dual-degree students who have chosen a research lab; No more than 48 months after matriculation. |
| Dual-Degree Students | F30 | Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions without NIH-funded Dual-Degree Programs | Dual-degree students who have chosen a research lab; No more than 48 months after matriculation. |
| Pre-doctoral Students | F31 | Individual Predoctoral Fellowship | PhD students at the dissertation stage (after qualifying exam). |
| Pre-doctoral Students | F31 - Diversity | Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research | PhD students who have chosen a research lab and are members of an underrepresented population. |
| Pre-doctoral Students | F31 - Diversity (AD/ADRD) | NIA Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD |
PhD students at the dissertation stage who are members of an underrepresented population. Drug discovery or data science research in Alzheimer's disease and AD-related dementias. |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | F32 | Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship | Postdoctoral researchers |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | F32-Diversity (AD/ADRD) | NIA Postdoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD |
Postdoctoral researchers who are members of an underrepresented population. Drug discovery or data science research in Alzheimer’s disease and AD-related dementias |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | F32 BRAIN | BRAIN Initiative Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Final-year PhD students and first-year postdoctoral researchers. Neuroscience of aging research. |
| Senior Researchers | F33 | Individual Senior Fellowship | Independent researcher with at least seven years of experience after the doctorate. |
| Career Stage | Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation Award | R36 - Diversity | Aging Research Dissertation Awards to Promote Diversity | Students in the dissertation phase of their PhD who are members of an underrepresented population. |
| Predoc - Postdoc Transition Award | F99/K00 | Transition to Aging Research for Predoctoral Students | PhD students at the dissertation stage *in any discipline* who will pursue a postdoc in aging research. |
| Predoc-Postdoc Transition Award | F99/K00 | NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Diversity Predoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience Award |
Students in the dissertation phase of their PhD who are members of an underrepresented population. Neuroscience of aging research. |
Questions?
Many answers to your Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) policy questions can be found in the NRSA section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
If you have further questions about NRSAs or other awards, please contact NIATraining@mail.nih.gov. If you would like feedback on whether your research area is appropriate for the NIA, please include a one-page summary of your Specific Aims.
How to Apply
Detailed application instructions can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for each fellowship, and in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guides for fellowships (F30, 31, 32, 33, 99) and research grants (R36 only).
There are three options available to submit your application to NIH:
- NIH ASSIST: Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare and submit your application, and track its progress through the review process after submission.
- Grants.gov: Use Grants.gov to prepare and submit your application. (Perform an “Opportunity Number” search using the fellowship's NOFO, or follow the Grants.gov link found in the fellowship's NOFO.); Then, use eRA Commons to track your application's progress through the review system.
- System-to-System: Your institution may have a system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Then, use eRA Commons to track your application’s progress through the review process.
Which Submission Option is Right for Me?
To choose the submission method that is best for you, consult with your institution's grant office or read more information from the NIH Office of Extramural Research.
What Are My Chances of Succeeding?
Find success rates at Success Rates on NIH's RePORT.
What is the ORCID ID Requirement?
As described in this notice, all applicants for individual Fellowship awards are required to have an ORCID ID, which is a unique digital identifier for an individual researcher. Registration for an ORCID ID takes only a few minutes.
Resubmission
Revising and resubmitting an unfunded application is highly encouraged, and can result in a higher chance of receiving funding. Find tips on resubmission. However, you cannot have two applications active under the same Notice of Funding Opportunity. If you wish to resubmit an application, you will need to wait to receive a summary statement from the original submission.
Duplication of Effort
NIA will not support fellowship applications if the specific aims, questions being asked or approach to answering a specific question are fundamentally identical to those already proposed in the mentor's grants.
Diversity Supplement and Re-Entry Programs
Faculty who hold NIA research grants can also support trainees using administrative supplements such as the Diversity Supplement and the Re-Entry and Re-Integration Supplement. Diversity supplements can support trainees at a wide variety of career levels who are members of a group underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. Re-entry supplements can support trainees who have taken a break from research for qualifying circumstances including child-rearing, illness, or military service. Re-integration supplements specifically support trainees who are transitioning out of unsafe, harassing, or discriminatory research environments. Read more about NIA policies surrounding diversity and re-entry supplements.
