NIH Loan Repayment Programs Now Accepting Applications

Posted by Kate Stuart on Friday, September 1, 2023 in Announcements .

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers.

The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. Since tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs will be made by investigators starting in their research careers today, the LRPs represent an important investment by NIH in the future of health discovery and the wellbeing of the Nation.

There are two LRPs, one for researchers not employed by NIH (Extramural) and another for researchers employed by NIH (Intramural). Research funding from NIH is not required to participate in the Extramural LRP, and Extramural and Intramural LRP awardees may apply for subsequent, competitive renewal awards as long as they meet Program eligibility. Although organized around broad research areas, the LRPs were never intended to fund research projects. Rather, LRP awards are based on an applicant’s potential to build and sustain a research career

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Application Periods and Documentation Deadlines

Interested in applying? For more information on the programs and eligibility, check out the webpage here https://www.lrp.nih.gov/eligibility-programs

Here are some helpful resources:

Download the LRP Application Instruction Booklet
Review the Tips for Completing a Competitive Application
Check out the Ambassador Program that helps pair applicants with past and present LRP awardees.

Visit www.lrp.nih.gov for more details and to apply. For additional assistance, call or e-mail the LRP Information Center at 866-849-4047 or lrp@nih.gov, Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. You can also follow the NIH Division of Loan Repayment on Twitter and Facebook for more information and cycle updates.

Tags: Announcements, Funding Opportunity