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TWD Programs GuideResearch training, explained

Program profile

NIH Research Education Programs (parent R25)

R25s fund education programs rather than traineeships. That makes them flexible enough to cover a summer lab program, a short course or a mentoring network.

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

Active Checked November 7, 2026

Mechanism
R25 (and UE5 for mentoring networks), three parent announcements
Who it serves
Depends on the program; undergraduates to faculty
Today
NIGMS lists three parent R25s in 2026: research experiences; courses, curriculum and methods; mentoring activities and networks.

Short answer

R25 Research Education Programs fund institutions to run research experiences, courses and curricula, or mentoring activities and networks. NIGMS lists three parent R25 announcements in 2026. Unlike T32s, R25s don't pay NRSA stipends, and each announcement sets its own participant rules.

What is an R25?

An R25 is an NIH research education grant: it pays an institution to run an educational program, such as research experiences, a course or a mentoring network, rather than to appoint trainees to NRSA slots. Several former NIGMS programs used the R25 mechanism, including RISE, PREP and Bridges to the Baccalaureate.

Which R25s does NIGMS list now?

Parent announcement What it funds
Research Experiences Hands-on research for participants at a defined career stage
Courses, Curriculum and Methods Short courses, curriculum development, methods training
Mentoring Activities and Networks (R25 or UE5) Mentoring programs and networks across institutions

NIGMS also manages the SEPA R25 for pre-K to 12 science education, which has its own announcement.

R25 or T32?

R25 T32 or T34
Pays Program costs; participant costs as allowed NRSA stipends, tuition, training costs
Participants Set by the announcement NRSA citizenship rules
Payback None NRSA rules for some postdocs
Best for Short or flexible programs Multi-year cohorts of full-time trainees

For a program director who lost a PREP or Bridges award, the question is whether a research experiences R25 can carry part of what you did, and which institute's mission it fits. That's a conversation to have with institute program staff before you write.

Questions people ask

Can an R25 fund a postbac program now that PREP has ended?

Possibly. The parent research experiences R25 can support structured research experiences, and the participating institute decides what fits its mission. Read the announcement and talk to the institute's program staff before designing one.

Do R25 participants get stipends?

R25s can usually pay participant costs such as salary or stipends for research experiences, within the limits of the announcement. They are not NRSA stipends, so NRSA levels and payback rules don't apply.

Sources

  1. NIGMS: Current TWD programs (parent R25 listings)

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.