Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Senior Fellowship (Parent F33) | PA 20 247

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 20 247

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Senior Fellowship (Parent F33), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number PA-20-247, is an NIH discretionary grant mechanism designed specifically for experienced scientists who are already established in their careers but want to deliberately pivot or expand their research expertise. The fellowship is framed as a research training opportunity rather than a standard research project grant. Its core purpose is to support senior investigators who either plan to make a substantial shift in research direction (for example, moving into a new field or adopting a fundamentally different scientific approach) or who want to broaden their skill set by gaining new research capabilities that strengthen their long-term independence. The supported work must align with research areas that are relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers.

A key boundary in this FOA is how it treats clinical trials. Applicants are not permitted to propose leading an independent clinical trial as part of the fellowship. However, the FOA does allow an applicant to pursue research training experiences that take place within a clinical trial context as long as the clinical trial itself is led by a sponsor or co-sponsor (in other words, the fellow is not the clinical trial lead, but can gain experience and training by participating in a trial run by someone else).

Eligibility for applicant organizations is broad, reflecting NIHs intent to make this fellowship accessible across many sectors that conduct biomedical, behavioral, and health-related research and training. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly notes additional categories of eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible agencies of the Federal Government, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This explicit listing signals that the opportunity is intended to be open to a wide range of institutional settings, including those serving historically underrepresented communities and certain international organizations, provided other NIH requirements are met.

From an administrative standpoint, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity is categorized as a grant under the broader funding activity areas of education, environment, and health, emphasizing the training-focused nature of the mechanism. The FOA is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.113, 93.121, 93.173, 93.233, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.859, 93.866), which correspond to different NIH programs and Institutes and Centers that may participate under this parent announcement. The source data lists an original closing date of 2020-10-23 and a creation date of 2020-06-30. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided data, which is common for NIH parent announcements where final budgets and award counts depend on Institute priorities, application pressure, and available appropriations.

In practical terms, this fellowship is best understood as NIH support for a senior researcher to pursue a structured, mentored (or otherwise supervised) training plan that meaningfully upgrades their scientific toolkit or enables a credible transition into a new research area. Rather than funding a typical independent research agenda, the F33 emphasizes the applicants development as an investigator through deliberate training experiences, positioned to strengthen future contributions in NIH-relevant fields.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Senior Fellowship (Parent F33)" 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, 93.233, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.859, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-10-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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 PA 20 247

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