The NDSU Research Office has determined that NDSU is eligible for the National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Award grants (R15). “This had historically been a popular program for NDSU researchers until it was determined NDSU was ineligible in recent years,” said Kay Sizer, manager of faculty development and special projects. “Now, eligibility has been extended to institutions that have received no more than $6 million (was previously $3 million) in funding from the National Institutes of Health, so NDSU is again eligible.”

Academic Research Enhancement Award grants support small research projects in the biomedical and behavioral sciences conducted by faculty and students in health professional schools and other academic components that have not been major recipients of National Institutes of Health research grants funds. Students will benefit from participating in meritorious research and will be encouraged to continue studies in the biomedical sciences. The Academic Research Enhancement Award grant is a research award and not a training award, so the focus is not on course work but on hands-on meritorious research.

The three goals of the Academic Research Enhancement Award program are to support meritorious research, strengthen the research environment of the institution, and expose students to research.

For more information on Academic Research Enhancement Awards, go to grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-007.html.