STrengthening Research Opportunities for NIH Grants (STRONG): Structured Institutional Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development for Resource Limited Institutions (RLIs) (UC2 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 144

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 144

The NIH funding opportunity PAR 23-144, titled "STrengthening Research Opportunities for NIH Grants (STRONG): Structured Institutional Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development for Resource Limited Institutions (RLIs)" (UC2; Clinical Trial Not Allowed), is designed to help eligible institutions take a clear, structured look at what is limiting their biomedical research capacity and then turn those findings into a practical plan for improvement. Rather than funding a specific research project, this cooperative agreement focuses on institutional self-study, gap analysis, and implementation-ready planning that can position an institution to compete more successfully for future NIH support. The emphasis is on building a realistic roadmap based on evidence gathered through a formal needs assessment, not on running clinical trials or conducting clinical trial activity under this award.

At the center of this program are Resource Limited Institutions (RLIs), defined here as institutions that (1) have an explicit mission to serve historically underrepresented populations in biomedical research, (2) award degrees in the health professions and/or in STEM fields and social and behavioral sciences, and (3) have received an average of $0 to $25 million per year (total costs) in NIH Research Project Grant (RPG) funding over the past three fiscal years. In other words, NIH is targeting places that serve populations historically left out of biomedical research careers and infrastructure, and that have had comparatively limited access to NIH RPG dollars. The program also lists a wide set of eligible applicant types that can include public and private institutions of higher education, many levels of government, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other entities, as long as the applicant fits NIH eligibility rules and the intent of the program.

The opportunity explicitly calls out categories of institutions and organizations that often align with the RLI mission, including 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), along with certain community-based and faith-based organizations and regional organizations. It also references eligibility for certain tribal governments (including those other than federally recognized, as listed) and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the announcement draws a firm boundary around foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. The practical takeaway is that this is a domestically focused capacity-building mechanism.

What NIH is paying for under STRONG-RLI is a structured institutional needs assessment and the development of an action plan based on that assessment. The needs assessment piece is meant to identify concrete gaps and barriers to research competitiveness and sustainability. Depending on the institution, that can include issues such as limited grants management capacity, insufficient research development support, lack of shared research resources or core facilities, inadequate data systems, weak mentorship structures, limited protected time for faculty research, challenges with compliance infrastructure (IRB/IACUC, data security, effort reporting), difficulty recruiting and retaining research faculty, or limited pipeline supports for students and trainees. The follow-on action plan component is intended to translate assessment findings into an organized set of priorities, timelines, responsible parties, and measurable milestones for closing those gaps, so the institution ends the award with a usable blueprint rather than a report that sits on a shelf.

This award uses the UC2 cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally means NIH expects to have substantial involvement in the project compared to a standard grant. In practice, cooperative agreements often involve NIH staff participating in project oversight, offering input on milestones, and ensuring the work stays aligned with the program goals. Applicants should read that as a partnership-style arrangement where NIH is not simply a check-writer, but an active program participant focused on the quality and utility of the assessment and action plan.

The funding instrument is categorized under Education, Environment, and Health, reflecting that the work is fundamentally about strengthening the institutional ecosystem that supports research training, research administration, and overall research readiness. The opportunity lists multiple CFDA numbers (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing numbers) associated with NIH programs, which signals that the initiative can align with several NIH institutes or centers depending on topic area and administrative assignment.

Financially, the award ceiling is listed as $250,000. The notice provided does not specify an expected number of awards in the excerpt, but the ceiling indicates the scale is meant for planning, assessment activities, convening stakeholders, potentially engaging external evaluators or consultants, and producing a credible, detailed action plan with milestones. Since clinical trials are not allowed, proposed activities need to stay in the lane of capacity assessment, strategic planning, and related non-trial development work rather than enrolling participants into trial protocols.

Key administrative details include the sponsor, the National Institutes of Health, and an original closing date of 2025-09-18. The opportunity was created on 2023-04-19. For institutions considering applying, the timeline matters because needs assessment and planning work benefits from early internal coordination, including leadership buy-in, participation from research administration, faculty, trainees, and community or clinical partners where relevant.

Overall, the STRONG-RLI program is best understood as a structured on-ramp for eligible, resource-limited institutions that want to strengthen their foundation for NIH-funded research. It supports a disciplined process to diagnose institutional barriers and convert that diagnosis into an actionable, measurable improvement plan. The end goal is not a single research discovery during the award period, but a stronger institution that is better positioned to secure and manage NIH grants and to expand inclusive participation in biomedical research over the long term.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "STrengthening Research Opportunities for NIH Grants (STRONG): Structured Institutional Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development for Resource Limited Institutions (RLIs) (UC2 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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, 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.350, 93.361, 93.846, 93.855, 93.859, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-18. (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 $250,000.00 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.

Apply for PAR 23 144

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