Funding Opportunity: Research on Causal Factors and Interventions that Promote and Support the Careers of Women in Biomedical and Behavioral Science and Engineering (RFA-GM-09-012)

In July 2008, on behalf of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) published a Request for Applications (RFA) to support research on causal factors and interventions that promote and support the careers of women in biomedical and behavioral science and engineering. In October 2009, the NIH announced that it will fund 14 grants estimated to total $16.8 million over four years with support from 11 Institutes and Centers (ICs) as well as 4 Offices within the Office of the Director, with 7 ICs administering the grants:

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)*
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)*
National Institute on Aging (NIA)*
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)*
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)*
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)*
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)*
NIH Office of the Director (OD)
Office of AIDS Research (OAR)
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
*Indicates an IC which is administering grants.

The aims of the program are to support research on 1) causal factors explaining the current patterns observed in the careers of women in biomedical and behavioral science and engineering; and 2) the efficacy of programs designed to eliminate sex/gender disparities and promote the careers of women in these fields.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to,

Broadly written, the funding opportunity was intended to support research not only into women’s careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, but in basic, clinical and interdisciplinary research settings as well as academic, governmental, or corporate settings. Through rigorous research efforts, the NIH and others can begin to change this reality by establishing the evidence base to better understand the causal factors affecting the career paths of men and women and identify new principles to inform the development and/or adaptation of intervention strategies.

The new grants will examine many influences on women's career choices such as family and economic factors, institutional environments and broader social and cultural issues. Topics include the role mentoring and funding support play throughout women’s academic careers to the impact of family-friendly policies in retaining women in the scientific workforce. The career paths of underrepresented and financially disadvantaged women will also be examined.

The grant recipients are:

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This page last updated: November 9, 2012