NIH Loan Repayment Programs -- Apply Now for Up to $35,000 of Annual Educational Debt Repayment

The NIH is accepting applications for its extramural Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) now through 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on November 15, 2012.

These programs often allow scientific investigators to remain in the research workforce, achieve research independence and focus their efforts on advancing the health of the nation. Opportunities are available in clinical research, pediatric research, health disparities research, contraception and infertility research, and clinical research for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Each year, about 1,600 scientists benefit from the more than $70 million NIH invests in their careers through the extramural LRPs. Visit http://www.lrp.nih.gov to learn more about the programs and apply.

BENEFITS: New LRP contracts are awarded for a two-year period and help repay up to $35,000 of qualified educational debt each year. Federal tax offsets also are provided as additional benefits. Participants may apply for competitive renewals, which are issued for one or two years. Undergraduate, graduate, medical school, and other health professional school loans qualify for repayment. An NIH grant or other NIH funding is not required to apply for or participate in the LRPs.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must possess a doctoral-level degree (with the exception of the contraception and infertility research LRP); be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident; devote 20 hours or more per week to conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit, university, or government entity; and have qualified educational loan debt equal to or exceeding 20 percent of their institutional base salary.

QUESTIONS? Visit the LRP website at http://www.lrp.nih.gov for more information and to access the online application. For additional assistance, call or e-mail the LRP Information Center at (866) 849-4047 or lrp@nih.gov.


NIH's New Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)

To standardize reporting, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is requiring a new research performance progress report (RPPR) for all annual or interim reports on federally funded research projects. This report will eventually replace the eSNAP. The option to use the new format became available last month and will be mandatory sometime in the spring of 2013. More information is available here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/rppr/index.htm.