Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Pilot Project Award (SC2) | PAR 16 438

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 438

The Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Pilot Project Award (SC2) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity intended to strengthen biomedical research competitiveness among faculty and to build research capacity at institutions that have a clear, documented history of educating and graduating students from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research. Positioned as a developmental program, SCORE is designed to help eligible schools and their investigators generate the research progress, preliminary data, and experience needed to compete more successfully for larger and more sustained NIH funding in the future. In practice, the SC2 pilot mechanism supports focused, smaller-scale projects that can move a research idea forward while simultaneously enhancing an institution's research environment and mentoring/training culture.

Eligibility is centered on the institution rather than simply the individual applicant. To apply, an institution must award science degrees at the undergraduate level (B.S. or B.A.) and/or graduate level (M.S. or Ph.D.). In addition, the institution must be comparatively low in NIH R01 funding, specifically having received less than 6 million dollars per year in NIH R01 support (total costs) in each of the last two fiscal years. This funding threshold is meant to ensure the program targets institutions that can benefit most from capacity-building support, rather than those already operating with robust NIH R01 portfolios.

The opportunity explicitly includes several categories of institutions commonly recognized for serving populations historically underrepresented in biomedical research. These include 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), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). More broadly, the opportunity is open to both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education, as well as other eligible applicants that meet the program's institutional criteria and mission/track record expectations.

There are clear restrictions on foreign involvement. Non-U.S. (non-domestic) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. Additionally, foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this funding opportunity. This means the work and participating components supported by the award must be domestic and compliant with NIH rules regarding foreign activities.

From the funding details provided, this opportunity is a discretionary grant program administered by NIH, listed under Funding Opportunity Number PAR-16-438. The award ceiling is 100,000 dollars, indicating the pilot-scale nature of the SC2 mechanism. The opportunity falls under broad federal activity categories that include education and health, among others, and it is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.173, 93.233, and others), reflecting the NIH institutes and programs that may participate or be relevant to the funding announcement. The original closing date shown is 2019-09-07, and the record indicates a creation date of 2016-09-21.

Overall, the SC2 SCORE Pilot Project Award is best understood as an entry or bridge-style NIH research support mechanism for eligible institutions that serve and graduate underrepresented students in biomedical fields, pairing a modest project budget with the larger goal of improving long-term research competitiveness and institutional research capacity within the U.S. higher-education landscape.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Pilot Project Award (SC2)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.173, 93.233, 93.242, 93.279, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.859, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-09-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-07. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for PAR 16 438

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