Training grants are awarded to institutions to develop programs that support the education, research training, and career development of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. Training programs are typically designed to prepare individuals for careers in specific areas, as specified in the solicitation (such as biomedical, behavioral, social, etc.). Senior investigators who head research or training programs at an institution apply for these grants, and they support basic research skills, clinical research skills, technical writing, grantsmanship, publications, collaborations, and mentorship.
NIH and NSF both offer several mechanisms for funding institutions to support the education, research training, and career development of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. Other agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture also offer funding opportunities—visit the funding opportunities page for more information. The programs listed below focus mainly on training grants at the institutional rather than the individual level, and highlight some large programs. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list.
National Institutes of Health
NIH Institutional Training Grants include T32 training grants for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, AHRQ T32 awards for predoctoral and/or postdoctoral health services researchers, T34 training grants for undergraduates, T35 short term training grants for graduate students, T90/R90 combined Research Training and Research Education grants for all levels of students and postdocs, T15 Continuing Education Training Grants for graduate students and postdocs in professional schools, T03 Occupational Safety and Health Training Grants, and D43 and D71 International Research Training Grants.
National Science Foundation
NSF offers the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program and the Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Program for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs in STEM fields. NSF also supports research training for undergraduates through its various Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs.