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NIH Grants and Funding
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
National Institutes of HealthReferees/Recommenders
Description
A referee/recommender can address an applicant’s research capabilities and committment to a research career.
Responsibilities
A referee/recommender submits a reference letter via the LRP websystem by the published deadline. The reference letter (2 pages limit) is expected to include the following information about the applicant:
New Award Applicants
- Previous training and experience to prepare for a research career
- Commitment to a career in research
- Potential for a successful career in research
- Research related strengths and weaknesses
- Overall recommendation
Renewal Award Applicants
- Previous training and experience to prepare for a research career
- Commitment to a career in research
- Potential for a successful career in research
- Research related strengths and weaknesses
- Research accomplishments during the current/most recent LRP award period
- Development as an independent investigator
- Overall recommendation
About the NIH Loan Repayment Programs
The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers.
The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. Since tomorrow's medical breakthroughs will be made by investigators starting in their research careers today, the LRPs represent an important investment by NIH in the future of health discovery and the wellbeing of the Nation.
Eligibility requirements for applicants include:
- U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident;
- Doctoral-level degree (except the Contraception and Infertility Research LRP);
- Domestic, non-profit research funding (Extramural) or NIH employment (Intramural); and
- Qualified research for an average of at least 20 hours per week during each quarterly (13 weeks) service period of the award.