The EA Program is a trans-NIH initiative designed to facilitate the development of institutional capacity in supporting the technical development of research grant proposals, providing oversight and administrative management of grant awards, and fostering and facilitating ongoing research activities.

Capacity development in research administration includes (but is not limited to):

• Recruiting and training staff in research administration
• Creating databases
• Establishing collaborative activities with other institutions of higher learning
• Developing research administration curricula
• Sponsoring training courses in regulatory compliance, research methodologies, grantsmanship, and scientific writing

The primary mechanism for the EA Program to accomplish its mission is through the Extramural Associates Research Development Award (EARDA), which provides support to develop and/or expand research capacity at:

• Women’s colleges and universities;
• Colleges and universities offering undergraduate, graduate, or health professional degrees that have a traditionally high (more than 50 percent) minority student enrollment, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges; and
• Colleges and universities in developing countries.

There are currently two EARDA mechanisms available:

• Domestic EARDA
• International EARDA (I-EARDA)

To learn more about the Domestic or International EARDA, visit the Mechanisms and Application Information page.