Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship for Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (F30)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Award (NRSA) for predoctoral dual-degree researchers (F30) supports a mentored research experience for up to 6 years for promising predoctoral students, who are matriculated in a combined M.D./Ph.D. or other dual-doctoral degree training program and who intend to pursue careers as physician or clinician-scientists. The fellowship experience is designed to enhance the trainee's potential to develop into a productive, independent physician/clinician-scientist.

Notices of funding opportunities 

• PA-23-261, parent F30: Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs  
• PA-23-260, parent F30: Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs  

Due dates

• New applications and resubmissions: April 8, August 8, December 8
• AIDS applications: May 7, September 7, January 7

Program director/principal investigator (PD/PI) eligibility

The F30 program is specifically designed to support combined dual-degree training leading to the award of both a health professional doctoral degree (for example, M.D., D.O., D.D.S., Au.D., D.V.M., Pharm.D.) and a research doctoral degree (such as Ph.D., or Dr.PH.) from an accredited program. An F30 award does not support training leading to the M.D., D.O., D.D.S., Au.D. or similar professional degrees, or studies that are part of residency training leading to a medical specialty.

For all M.D./Ph.D. and D.O./Ph.D. degree applicants: To be eligible, an applicant must have: 

• Matriculated into a dual-degree program no more than 48 months prior to the due date of the initial (-01) application
• Identified a dissertation research project and sponsor(s)

By the time of award, the applicant must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card, USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status).

Institutional eligibility

• U.S. domestic institutions
• Foreign components allowed

Additional information

Individuals may receive a maximum of 6 years of aggregate Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level for dual-degree training. Therefore applicants must consider any prior NRSA research training in determining the duration of support requested. Information about previous Kirschstein-NRSA support must be included in the application and will be considered at the time of award. The F30 fellowship is generally not intended to support dual-degree students after year 8 of dual-degree training.

At the time of award, individuals are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis, typically defined as 40 hours per week or as specified by the sponsoring institution's policies.

Over the total duration of F30 support, at least 50% of the award period must be devoted to research training leading to the doctoral research degree. If not considered prior to submission, award durations may be adjusted accordingly.

Salary and research support

The F30 budget provides a stipend (salary support), tuition and fees, and an institutional allowance to help defray fellowship expenses such as health insurance, research supplies, equipment, books, and travel to scientific meetings.

One stipend level is used for all predoctoral applicants, regardless of the level of experience. Stipend levels, as well as funding amounts for tuition and fees and the institutional allowance are announced annually in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts . Current stipends are also posted on the NRSA fellowship webpage .

For a complete list of funded awards and grants, please visit NIH RePORTER . 

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to review the notice of funding opportunity and the frequently asked questions (FAQs) below before contacting the appropriate NIMH Research Training and Career Development representative for additional information.

For general NRSA FAQs, see NIMH NRSA Fellowship FAQs or NIH Research Training and Career Development FAQs .

FAQs

Q: When does the 48-month eligibility window start?

A: Applicants have 48 months from the date they start the dual-degree program to apply. The eligibility window does not begin when they start the Ph.D. portion of their training.

Q: Is it possible to request a waiver of the 48-month eligibility criterion?

A: Exceptions to the 48-month eligibility criterion will be considered only when the applicant has taken an official leave of absence from the dual-degree program. Applicants are expected to contact the appropriate NIMH Research Training and Career Development representative to discuss eligibility issues prior to applying and to learn if their circumstance warrants an exception.

Q: What is the difference between the two F30 announcements that NIMH supports?

A: NIMH supports two types of F30 applications – those from institutions without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (i.e., Medical Scientist Training Program [MSTP]) and those from institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (i.e., MSTP). When submitting, applicants should be sure to apply to the appropriate parent announcement. Please contact your institution’s grants office if you are unsure which F30 to apply for. 

Q. I am an M.D./Ph.D. student at an MSTP institution. Can I apply for an F30 at NIMH?

A. Yes. NIMH supports the F30 NRSA for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30).

Q: How much of my clinical training can I include in the application?

A: Applicants can request up to 50% of the time spent on the award for clinical training. 

Q: Do I need to identify a sponsor before preparing my application for submission?

A: Yes. Before submitting the application, the applicant must identify a sponsor(s) who will supervise the proposed mentored training experience. 

Q: How important is it to contact NIMH before submission? How early should I do this?

A: It is very important to have pre-submission correspondence with the NIMH Research Training and Career Development representative overseeing the relevant individual NRSA fellowship program. Applicants are encouraged to email several months before the submission deadline to provide information regarding their proposed application, including their NIH biosketch, specific aims page, and their sponsor's name.

Q: How can I tell if my research area is within the mission of NIMH?

 A: Program priorities at NIMH are diverse but meet the institute’s guiding mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. NIMH is also interested in research to reduce the incidence of HIV worldwide and to decrease the burden of living with HIV. The research proposed should be well-aligned with NIMH’s Strategic Plan. Before preparing an individual NRSA fellowship application, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate NIMH Research Training and Career Development representative for feedback on the project’s fit with current NIMH or the Division of AIDS Research priorities. We recommend contacting NIMH at least a few months before the deadline.

For a complete list of funded awards and grants please visit NIH RePORTER .

Q: How many years of individual fellowship support can I request?

A: Individuals may receive up to 6 years of aggregate Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level for dual-degree training, including any combination of support from institutional training grants (e.g., T32) and an individual fellowship award.

Q. Is a U.S. citizen working on an M.D./Ph.D. degree in a foreign country eligible for the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Predoctoral M.D./Ph.D. Fellowship (F30)?

A: For the F30, the sponsoring institution must be a U.S. institution. However, an individual may request support for training abroad. In such cases, the applicant is required to provide detailed justification for the foreign training, including why the facilities, the sponsor, or other aspects of the proposed experience are more appropriate than training in a domestic setting. The justification is evaluated in terms of the scientific advantages of the foreign training compared to the training available domestically. Foreign training will be considered for funding only when the scientific advantages are clear.