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TWD Programs GuideResearch training, explained

Program profile

IRACDA, the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards

IRACDA trained postdocs for faculty careers by giving them both a research lab and a classroom, usually at a partner college that served many students from underrepresented groups.

By the TWD Programs Guide editors · Updated · 1 min read

No longer listed by NIGMS; awards reported terminated in 2025 Checked November 7, 2026

Mechanism
K12 institutional career development award
Who it serves
Postdocs combining research with teaching at a partner institution
Today
Not on NIGMS's 2026 list. NIGMS lists a general institutional K12; individual postdocs can use F32 or K99/R00.

Short answer

IRACDA was an NIGMS K12 program that supported postdocs for about three years of mentored research at a research-intensive institution plus teaching at a partner institution, preparing them for academic careers. IRACDA awards were reported terminated in spring 2025, and IRACDA is not on NIGMS's current list of programs.

What was IRACDA?

IRACDA, the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards, was an NIGMS K12 program that combined a mentored research postdoc at a research-intensive institution with teaching experience at a partner institution. It aimed to prepare postdocs for faculty careers and to strengthen research and teaching ties between the partner schools.

A typical IRACDA appointment ran about three years. Scholars spent most of their time in a research lab and the rest learning to teach and teaching courses at the partner campus, often a minority-serving or primarily undergraduate institution nearby.

Why did it matter to program directors?

IRACDA was one of the few NIH programs that treated teaching as part of postdoctoral training rather than a distraction from it. It also created a working link between a research university and teaching-focused campuses, which some institutions used to build research opportunities for undergraduates at the partner school.

What happened in 2025?

IRACDA was on the list of programs whose directors reported cancellation in spring 2025, and those directors believed the cut was nationwide. NIGMS's program list in November 2026 does not include it.

Postdoctoral training at NIGMS has narrowed overall: NIGMS no longer takes competing postdoctoral T32 applications, and the MOSAIC transition awards also ended in 2025.

Questions people ask

Did IRACDA scholars have teaching duties?

Yes. Teaching and pedagogy training at a partner institution was the defining feature, alongside mentored research. The split varied by program, but research stayed the larger share.

What should a postdoc look for instead?

Some universities run teaching-focused postdoc programs with their own money. For research funding, look at the F32 and K99/R00, and ask your institution whether it holds a K12 with a teaching component.

Sources

  1. The Transmitter: NIH nixes funds for several pre- and postdoctoral training programs (April 8, 2025)
  2. NIGMS: Current TWD programs (October 2026)

This profile is an independent summary, not an official NIH or NIGMS description. Eligibility and deadlines are set by the current funding opportunity; read it before you apply.