Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required)

The Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions is designed to support small scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH. The program emphasizes providing biomedical research experiences primarily for undergraduate students while enhancing the research environment at applicant institutions. Eligible institutions must award baccalaureate science degrees and have received no more than $6 million dollars per year of NIH support in 4 of the last 7 fiscal years. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports investigator-initiated mechanistic and/or minimal risk clinical trials addressing the mission and research interests of participating NIH institutes. Minimal risk clinical trials are defined as those that do not require FDA oversight, do not intend to formally establish efficacy, and have low risks to potentially cause physical or psychological harm. The program is specifically designed to engage undergraduate students in biomedical research and strengthen research capacity at institutions with limited NIH funding. The award covers a wide range of health-related research areas including cancer research, cardiovascular diseases, drug use and addiction, mental health, aging research, human genome research, and various other biomedical fields. For institutions composed of multiple schools and colleges, the $6 million funding limit is based on the amount of NIH funding received by all the non-health professional schools and colleges within the institution as a whole.