Independent guide · status checked November 7, 2026
NIH research training programs, explained plainly
What MARC, IMSD, RISE, PREP, Bridges, IRACDA, T32 and the newer BURT and TURTLE programs are, who they serve, which ones changed or ended, and what is open now. Written for program directors, faculty, students and postdocs.
How to use this guide
- Pick the career stage. The program finder lists the program types that fit an undergraduate, a postbac, a PhD student, a postdoc or an institution.
- Read the profile. Each program profile covers purpose, mechanism, who it served and where it stands in 2026.
- Plan the work. Use the timeline builder for application deadlines and the travel budget calculator for conference trips.
Free tools
- Research training program finderPick a career stage and see which NIH training program types fit, marked active, changed or ended as of late 2026.
- Training program eligibility quick-checkAnswer three questions and see which NIH training awards are likely open, worth checking, or closed, with the reason for each.
- Training grant application timeline builderPick an award type and NIH due date; get a back-planned schedule, a countdown, review and council months, and a calendar file.
- Poster abstract word and character counterCount words and characters against a limit, see words per section, flag long sentences, and clean up pasted text and title case.
- Conference travel budget calculatorAdd up airfare, shared hotel rooms with tax, per diem meals with the 75% travel-day rule, registration, posters and contingency for a group.
Program profiles
A training program is an institutional grant that pays for students or postdocs to do research while a program adds courses, mentoring and career development. Here are the ones people ask about most.
- What changedA dated timeline of how NIGMS training and diversity programs were merged, renamed, restructured and in many cases ended, from 2011 to late 2026.
- ActiveBURT (T34)NIGMS's current undergraduate training grant. For institutions averaging under $50 million a year in NIH research project grants, with a community college track.
- ActiveTURTLEA phased NIGMS award made to Tribes, Tribal colleges and Tribal organizations, building their own research training programs for undergraduates and PhD students.
- ActivePredoctoral T32The core NIGMS PhD training grant. Applications move to the Parent T32 in January 2027, regrouped from 12 specialized areas into 8 broad ones.
- ActiveMSTPNIGMS's MD/PhD training grant. Unaffected by the 2026 T32 reorganization; NIGMS plans to widen organizational and geographic participation.
- ChangedPostdoctoral T32 and K12NIGMS no longer accepts competing postdoctoral T32 applications. Clinician-scientist postdoc training moves to the Parent K12.
- ActiveFellowships and career awardsThe awards a student or postdoc applies for personally, with a sponsor. Standard dates, citizenship rules and how they fit with institutional programs.
- ActiveParent R25The flexible research education grant. Three parent versions cover research experiences, courses and curricula, and mentoring networks.
- ActiveSEPANIGMS's pre-K to 12 science education grant for partnerships between researchers, schools, museums and community groups. Up to $250,000 a year.
- ActiveIDeA INBREStatewide research networks in IDeA-eligible states. They fund faculty projects, student research and shared infrastructure at member campuses.
- EndedMARCLong-running NIGMS undergraduate honors research program, renamed from MARC U-STAR. Reported terminated in spring 2025.
- EndedRISE, U-RISE, G-RISEThe Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement, split around 2020 into U-RISE (undergraduate T34) and G-RISE (graduate T32). Both cut in 2025.
Guides
- How to write an institutional training grant application
- Program evaluation for research training programs
- Mentoring in research training programs
- Teaching rigor and reproducibility in training programs
- Individual development plans for trainees
- Choosing a research training path as a student
- Writing abstracts and posters for training program conferences
- Planning conference travel for a group of trainees
Meeting history
This domain used to host pages for the NIGMS TWD Program Directors' Meetings and the Postdoctoral Preparation Institute workshops. We keep a short factual record of each event, from Chicago in 2013 to the Washington, D.C., area in 2019.
Questions people ask
Is this the official NIGMS TWD Program Directors' Meeting site?
No. The domain once hosted pages for that meeting series, but this site is an independent guide run by unaffiliated editors. We are not part of NIH, NIGMS or any meeting organizer, we don't take registrations, and nothing here speaks for the government. For official information, go to nigms.nih.gov and grants.nih.gov.
What does TWD stand for?
TWD is the short name of the NIGMS division that runs training and workforce programs. It was created in 2011 as the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity. NIGMS's own site now lists it as the Division of Training and Workforce Development, still abbreviated TWD.
Are MARC, IMSD, RISE and PREP still running?
Not in the form most people remember. RISE was split into U-RISE and G-RISE around 2020, and MARC U-STAR became MARC. In spring 2025 many MARC, U-RISE, G-RISE, IMSD, PREP, Bridges and IRACDA awards were reported terminated, and as of November 2026 none of these programs appears on NIGMS's list of current training programs. Each program page here explains what changed.
What NIGMS training programs are open now?
As of November 2026, NIGMS lists the predoctoral basic biomedical T32, the Medical Scientist Training Program, the new Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training (BURT) T34, the TURTLE program for Tribal entities, the parent R25 research education programs, individual fellowships and career awards. It no longer accepts competing postdoctoral T32 applications.
Do the tools save what I type?
No. The program finder, eligibility check, timeline builder, abstract counter and travel budget calculator all run in your browser. Nothing is sent to us or stored on a server.