Limited Competition: Tribal Institutional Review Board Establishment and Enhancement (TIRBEE)

The Limited Competition: Tribal Institutional Review Board Establishment and Enhancement (TIRBEE) opportunity, identified as PAR-28-038, is a forecasted federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity is associated with Assistance Listing 93.859, Biomedical Research and Research Training, and is categorized by Grants.gov as a discretionary health funding opportunity. The forecast was posted on September 14, 2026, and was last updated on the same date. Because this is a forecast rather than a posted funding announcement, several funding and application details have not yet been provided. The purpose of the TIRBEE Notice of Funding Opportunity is to enable federally recognized Tribes or eligible Tribal Entities to establish or enhance Institutional Review Boards. The program is intended to build capacity and infrastructure for biomedical research involving human participants in federally recognized Tribal communities. Specifically, the opportunity seeks to expand Institutional Review Board review and oversight capabilities within these communities. The source does not provide detailed allowable or prohibited cost categories, budget restrictions, indirect cost limitations, subaward restrictions, or other spending rules. No cost sharing or matching requirement applies to the opportunity. Eligibility is limited to specified Tribal applicants. Eligible applicants include a federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native Tribe as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603(14); a Tribal college or university; a Tribal health program; or a Tribal organization as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603(24), (25), and (26), respectively. A consortium consisting of two or more of these Tribal entities may also apply. Grants.gov separately identifies federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other applicants meeting the detailed Tribal eligibility provisions. Foreign components may be included only when one or more federally recognized Tribes with ancestral catchment areas crossing the U.S. border will participate in the proposed TIRBEE application. This opportunity is forecast as a limited competition and will invite applications from eligible organizations. The forecast does not yet provide detailed submission mechanics, application forms, required narratives, attachments, registration instructions, or pre-application requirements. No Letter of Intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, Notice of Intent, or other qualifying pre-application gate is identified in the supplied source. The estimated posting date is March 25, 2027, and the estimated application due date is May 25, 2027. Because the opportunity is still forecasted, applicants should treat these dates as estimated rather than final until the complete Notice of Funding Opportunity is posted. Applications submitted under the eventual opportunity will be evaluated through NIH standard peer-review processes. The forecast states that applications will be peer reviewed and that only meritorious applications will be considered. The available source does not provide detailed scoring criteria, review factors, point allocations, or application questions. Based strictly on the stated program purpose, the funded activity concerns establishing or enhancing Institutional Review Boards and strengthening the capacity and infrastructure necessary for review and oversight of biomedical research involving human participants in federally recognized Tribal communities. The estimated award date is April 1, 2028, and the estimated project start date is April 1, 2028, with fiscal year 2028 identified for the opportunity. The source does not state the expected number of awards, estimated total program funding, award ceiling, award floor, or performance period. It also does not state that the opportunity will recur annually, biennially, or according to another recurring schedule, so no recurrence is established. Program questions may be directed by email to the NIGMS TIRBEE Program at NIGMS_TIRBEE_Program@nigms.nih.gov. No individual grantor contact name or telephone number is provided in the supplied forecast.

Align the proposed project directly with establishing or enhancing Institutional Review Board capacity and infrastructure for biomedical research involving human participants in federally recognized Tribal communities. Clearly demonstrate the proposed expansion of Institutional Review Board review and oversight capabilities. Applications will undergo NIH standard peer review, and only meritorious applications will be considered.