NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
Promoting diversity in research experiences in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences
Diversity supplements promote diversity in research experiences in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences by funding trainees and faculty to work on an existing NIH-funded project in a particular area (often referred to as the parent grant).
Diversity supplements are administrative supplements sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that are intended to improve the diversity of the research workforce by recruiting and supporting post-baccalaureate, predoctoral students, post-doctorates, and eligible investigators from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related research. This supplement opportunity is also available to PD(s)/PI(s) of research grants who are or become disabled and need additional support to accommodate their disability in order to continue to work on the research project.
Supplements are typically less competitive than peer-reviewed grant funding mechanisms, and they are not reviewed by a full peer-review faculty panel. Because of this, these supplements are a great entry point for early career researchers.
We encourage you to explore if this resource may be a good fit for your needs. For more information, refer to Penn Libraries, which provides detailed information on the application process and eligibility criteria. You may also contact Savannah Richard.
Watch the recording of a recent “Researcher Roundtable: NIH Administrative Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research.” This Roundtable was held with panelists from the National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH/NIMHD) to discuss why these supplements are important, how to submit a competitive application as both a Principal Investigator and/or candidate for support, and institute-specific clarification about what happens after you apply. You can also view the presenters’ slides here:
Diversity Supplement Repository
This Diversity Supplement Repository provides a compilation of funded NIH and NSF research projects from the UPenn community to refer to in developing successful applications. We express our thanks to the UPenn-affiliated Principal Investigators and award recipients who have graciously given us their work. In order to respect the confidentiality of these contributions, a UPenn login is required for access.
Matching Candidates and Principal Investigators
Additionally, we would like to help identify and connect candidates and Principal Investigators interested in this resource. Please use this form and let us know a bit about your specific research and project interests if any of the following applies to you:
- I believe I may be eligible for a diversity supplement and I want to know how to find someone to work with on a project.
- I am a PI and am interested in how to find an eligible candidate to apply for a diversity supplement who wants to work on my project.
- I have a general question about diversity supplements, eligibility, how to apply, deadlines, etc.