NIH Training Opportunities
NIH offers many types of training opportunities – those within the intramural program (on the NIH campus), those focused on clinical research, and those funded by NIH. Selected intramural research training opportunities are highlighted below, and these are coordinated by the Office of Intramural Training and Education. Opportunities are available for individuals at the high school through postdoctoral levels.
- The Summer Internship Program offers individuals the opportunity to work on a project in an NIH research laboratory and present the project to the NIH scientific community upon completion.
- The NIH Academy Fellowship allows recent college graduates to be engaged in a biomedical investigation with an emphasis on health disparities while working side by side with leading scientists in the world.
- The Graduate Partnerships Program partners with universities to link NIH as a provider for graduate level research training of students who will be the scientists of the future. The National Institutes of Nursing Research coordinates training and funding for PhD students attending a school of nursing through the NINR Graduate Partnership Program.
- The NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.
Important Note
BACKGROUND CHECK: In order to be approved for logical and physical access to NIH facilities and systems, candidates must be able to pass a Federal background check, using Standard Form-85 (read SF-85). NOTE: Section 14 of the form asks “In the last year, have you used, possessed, supplied, or manufactured illegal drugs?” The question pertains to the illegal use of drugs or controlled substances in accordance with Federal laws, even though permissible under state laws.
NIH Training Resources
NIH offers resources to support scientists in their careers. See below for more information on guidelines for scientists who are engaged in clinical research, assistance with student loan repayment, and continuing education opportunities.
- The Standards for Clinical Research within the NIH Intramural Research Program offers guidelines for good clinical research and outlines resources required for clinical principal investigators.
- The Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams offers a free tutorial on protecting human research participants that institutions may elect to use to fulfill requirement for education in the protection of human subjects.
- The Human Research Protection Program was established to protect the rights and safeguard the welfare of human subjects who participate in the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP).
- The NIH Loan Repayment Programs are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers.
- Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) conducts advanced educational programs and supporting activities to promote the productivity and attractiveness of professional life on the NIH campuses. FAES programs complement the work of NIH in accomplishing its mission of research and training in the biomedical sciences.
- The Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research (IPPCR) course trains registrants on how to effectively and safely conduct clinical research.
