NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The NIH Science Education Partnership Award, or SEPA, is a federal research education funding opportunity administered through the National Institutes of Health, with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and multiple participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The NIH Research Education Program supports research education activities that complement formal training programs within NIH mission areas. SEPA is intended to increase understanding of biomedical research among pre-college individuals from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and to encourage awareness of and continued interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. Projects may operate through classroom-based education for students and teachers or through informal science education outside traditional classroom settings. Applications focused on quantitative and computational skills development and applications from resource-limited institutions are strongly encouraged. Supported activities may include courses for skills development, research experiences, mentoring activities, curriculum or methods development, and outreach. Projects may address any area of biomedical research within the mission of participating NIH Institutes and Centers. Educational experiences may complement existing research training and education at the applicant institution, but they must be distinct from programs currently receiving federal support. Proposed activities should address an identified biomedical research education gap, establish specific measurable short-term and long-term objectives, use sound educational concepts and evidence-informed approaches, and explain the regional or national relevance of the proposed educational objectives. Programs must identify intended participants and grade levels and establish participant eligibility and selection criteria consistent with applicable law. Direct costs are limited to 250000 dollars annually, excluding consortium facilities and administrative costs, and the maximum project period is five years. Allowable expenses may include appropriate salary and fringe benefits for personnel designing, directing, and implementing the program; justified participant compensation for activities specifically required by the program; consultant costs; equipment; supplies; key-person travel; and other justified program-related expenses. Funds may also be requested for the Program Director or Principal Investigator and other key personnel to attend the annual SEPA Conference. Indirect costs are reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total direct costs, subject to the exclusions stated in the notice. Cost sharing is not required. The Program Director or Principal Investigator must devote at least 2.0 person months per year, with up to 4.8 person months per year permitted with justification. For multiple Principal Investigator projects, each Principal Investigator must devote at least 2.0 person months annually, while up to 4.8 person months may be requested for the combined multiple Principal Investigator effort. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, other for-profit organizations, state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized and other tribal governments, U.S. territories or possessions, independent school districts, public housing and Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, public, private, and charter schools, and focused research organizations. Foreign organizations, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign subawards or subcontracts are not eligible under this opportunity. Applicant organizations must maintain the required SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov registrations. Program Directors and Principal Investigators must have eRA Commons accounts and valid ORCID identifiers linked to their eRA Commons profiles. An individual may serve as Program Director or Principal Investigator on no more than one active SEPA at a time, subject to the limited overlap provisions in the notice. Applications must be submitted electronically using NIH ASSIST, an institutional system-to-system solution, or Grants.gov Workspace, with subsequent tracking through eRA Commons. Applicants must follow the Research Instructions in the NIH How to Apply Application Guide and the program-specific requirements of the notice. The Research Strategy must contain the Research Education Program Plan, including the proposed program, Program Director or Principal Investigator, program faculty, program participants, institutional environment and commitment, responsible conduct of research instruction, evaluation plan, and dissemination plan. A letter of institutional commitment is required. Applicants must also provide an evaluation plan with baseline metrics and measures of program success and a dissemination plan for national distribution of results or resources. SEPA programs must establish a free public website for dissemination of developed resources within six months of the award date. Applications lacking the required responsible conduct of research plan will not be reviewed. Peer review evaluates overall impact as well as significance, investigators, innovation, approach, and environment. Reviewers consider whether the program addresses an important research education need, advances understanding of STEM research and careers among pre-college participants, incorporates validated educational practices, has capable leadership and faculty, uses a sound educational rationale, includes an effective evaluation strategy, and provides appropriate national dissemination and website plans. Funding decisions also consider scientific and technical merit, availability of funds, relevance to SEPA and participating NIH priorities, portfolio balance, and geographic and institutional distribution. Scientific inquiries may be directed to the NIGMS SEPA program at NIGMS_SEPA@mail.nih.gov or to the participating Institute and Center contacts identified in the notice. Financial and grants management inquiries for NIGMS may be directed to NIGMSPPBCGABNOFO@nih.gov. The opportunity was posted May 5, 2026, and opens for submissions August 25, 2026. Standard application deadlines are September 25, January 25, and May 25 across the published cycles, beginning September 25, 2026 and continuing through May 25, 2029. Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization, with weekend or federal holiday deadlines automatically extended to the next business day under NIH policy. For the September 25, 2026 deadline, scientific merit review is expected in March 2027, Advisory Council review in May 2027, and the earliest start date is July 2027. Later cycles have corresponding review and start dates listed through April 2030. The notice expires May 26, 2029. The repeated standard due dates establish a recurring application schedule rather than a single one-time deadline.

Demonstrate strong alignment with NIH mission areas and pre-college STEM education goals;Include measurable objectives and evidence-based educational methods;Provide a strong dissemination strategy including a public SEPA website within six months of award;Clearly distinguish the proposed project from existing federally funded training programs;Develop a detailed evaluation framework tied to participant outcomes