Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OD 19 020
Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH); K12 Clinical Trial Optional (RFA-OD-19-020) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutional career development grant designed to strengthen the pipeline of independent investigators focused on women's health research. Managed through the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) in partnership with participating NIH Institutes and Centers, the program funds institutions to run structured, mentored career development "Programs" that support junior faculty members, called BIRCWH Scholars, at a critical transition point shortly after completing clinical training and/or postdoctoral fellowship experience. The central goal is to help these early-career faculty build the research skills, publication record, and preliminary data needed to become competitive for independent research funding while working in environments that emphasize cross-disciplinary collaboration.
A defining feature of BIRCWH is its explicit focus on interdisciplinary research that is relevant to the health of women. Supported projects can span basic, translational, behavioral, clinical, and health services research. In addition to addressing conditions that disproportionately affect women or present differently by sex, the program highlights NIH's emphasis on considering sex as a biological variable. That means the research agenda can include studies that use both sexes when appropriate, specifically to clarify how biological sex influences health, disease mechanisms, treatment response, and outcomes. In practice, this encourages Scholars and their mentoring teams to design research questions and methods that can produce more precise, generalizable evidence about prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across populations.
This specific FOA is "Clinical Trial Optional" for Scholars, which broadens the types of mentored research experiences that can be supported. Scholars may propose to be the lead investigator on an NIH-defined clinical trial, propose an ancillary clinical trial related to an ongoing parent study, or gain hands-on experience by working within a clinical trial led by another investigator as part of their career development plan. At the same time, the announcement makes clear that a clinical trial is not required: Scholars may also pursue fundamental laboratory research or human subjects research that does not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial. This flexibility allows institutions to recruit Scholars from a wide range of disciplines and methodological backgrounds while still aligning each Scholar's research plan with a coherent training and mentoring framework.
The applicant is the institution, not the individual Scholar. Eligible applicants are broad and include public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governmental entities, independent school districts, special district governments, tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit organizations (excluding the small-business-only limitation that applies in some other federal programs). The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible organizational categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions. While the opportunity recognizes some non-U.S. involvement, it draws firm boundaries: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may be eligible, which can matter for U.S.-based institutions with operations outside the continental United States.
From a funding perspective, this is a discretionary grant mechanism under an education, environment, and health activity category, using the NIH K12 institutional career development structure. The source information lists an award ceiling of $600,000, indicating an upper cap on the amount that may be awarded under this announcement. The opportunity was posted by NIH with an original closing date of May 29, 2019, and a creation date of April 8, 2019. It is also associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.113, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.856, 93.866), reflecting the involvement of multiple NIH components and related program areas.
Overall, the BIRCWH K12 FOA is aimed at building sustainable, institution-based career development programs that produce the next generation of interdisciplinary women's health researchers. It supports mentored junior faculty as they develop into independent investigators, encourages rigorous integration of sex as a biological variable where appropriate, and provides multiple pathways for Scholars to gain clinical trial leadership experience or other human subjects research experience without requiring a trial for every project.Apply for RFA OD 19 020
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH); K12 Clinical Trial Optional" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.856, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2019-04-08.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-05-29. (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 $600,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the BIRCWH K12 (RFA-OD-19-020) opportunity?
Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH); K12 Clinical Trial Optional (RFA-OD-19-020) is an NIH institutional career development grant. It funds institutions to run structured, mentored career development programs that support junior faculty members (called BIRCWH Scholars) as they transition toward independent research careers focused on women's health.
Who manages and supports this program at NIH?
The program is managed through the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) in partnership with participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
What is the main goal of the BIRCWH program?
The central goal is to strengthen the pipeline of independent investigators in women's health research by helping early-career faculty build research skills, a publication record, and preliminary data needed to compete successfully for independent research funding, within a cross-disciplinary, collaborative environment.
Who is the applicant for this funding: the Scholar or the institution?
The applicant is the institution, not the individual Scholar. Institutions apply for the K12 award to operate a mentored career development program and then support selected junior faculty as BIRCWH Scholars.
Who are BIRCWH Scholars?
BIRCWH Scholars are junior faculty supported through the institution-run BIRCWH program. They are typically at a critical transition point shortly after completing clinical training and/or postdoctoral fellowship experience.
What kinds of research does BIRCWH support?
Supported projects can span basic, translational, behavioral, clinical, and health services research, as long as the work is relevant to the health of women and aligns with the program's interdisciplinary emphasis.
What does "interdisciplinary" mean in the context of BIRCWH?
BIRCWH emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaboration. In practice, this means Scholars work within structured mentoring and training environments that integrate expertise and methods from more than one discipline to address research questions relevant to women's health.
Does the research have to be about conditions that only affect women?
No. The program supports research relevant to women's health, including conditions that disproportionately affect women or present differently by sex. It also highlights NIH's emphasis on considering sex as a biological variable, which can involve research that includes both sexes when appropriate.
What does "sex as a biological variable" mean for this opportunity?
The opportunity highlights NIH's emphasis on considering sex as a biological variable. This can include designing studies that use both sexes when appropriate to clarify how biological sex influences health, disease mechanisms, treatment response, and outcomes, with the aim of producing more precise and generalizable evidence.
What does "Clinical Trial Optional" mean for Scholars?
"Clinical Trial Optional" means a clinical trial is not required for a Scholar's mentored research experience. Scholars may pursue research that includes an NIH-defined clinical trial, or they may conduct fundamental laboratory research or human subjects research that does not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial.
If a Scholar wants clinical trial experience, what options are allowed?
The FOA allows multiple clinical trial pathways for Scholars, including: (1) serving as the lead investigator on an NIH-defined clinical trial, (2) proposing an ancillary clinical trial related to an ongoing parent study, or (3) gaining hands-on experience by working within a clinical trial led by another investigator as part of the career development plan.
Is a clinical trial required for every BIRCWH Scholar?
No. The announcement states that a clinical trial is not required. The program can support a range of mentored research experiences, including non-trial laboratory research and other human subjects research that does not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial.
Why does the FOA include flexibility around clinical trials?
The stated effect of the flexibility is to broaden the types of mentored research experiences that can be supported, allowing institutions to recruit Scholars from a wide range of disciplines and methodological backgrounds while still aligning each Scholar's plan with a coherent training and mentoring framework.
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are broad and include public and private institutions of higher education; state and local governmental entities; independent school districts; special district governments; tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly calls out additional eligible organizational categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). It also includes faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions.
Are non-U.S. institutions or foreign entities eligible to apply?
No. The opportunity states that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
Are foreign components allowed under this FOA?
No. The announcement states that foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, are not allowed.
Can a U.S.-based organization have non-domestic components involved?
The opportunity notes that while foreign components are not allowed and non-U.S. entities cannot apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may be eligible. This may be relevant for U.S.-based institutions with operations outside the continental United States.
What is the grant mechanism used for this program?
This opportunity uses the NIH K12 institutional career development structure.
What is the listed funding cap (award ceiling) for this opportunity?
The source information lists an award ceiling of $600,000, indicating an upper cap on the amount that may be awarded under this announcement.
When was this opportunity posted and what was the closing date?
The opportunity was posted with a creation date of April 8, 2019, and it lists an original closing date of May 29, 2019.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The announcement is associated with multiple CFDA numbers: 93.113, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.856, and 93.866.
What overall outcomes is BIRCWH trying to produce?
The program is aimed at building sustainable, institution-based career development programs that develop the next generation of interdisciplinary women's health researchers, supporting mentored junior faculty as they grow into independent investigators and encouraging rigorous consideration of sex as a biological variable where appropriate.
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