R13: Conference Grant, Traditional
Most recent NIDDK funding announcement: PA-25-080
See ‘Updated Guidelines for Enhancing Diversity and Creating Safe Environments in Conferences Supported by NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements’ NOT-OD-21-053.
The R13 at NIDDK
Conference Grants are awarded to institutions and organizations (not individuals) to provide partial support for meetings, conferences, and workshops to coordinate, exchange, and disseminate research information. The NIDDK is interested in conference grants proposing travel expense support for junior investigators and trainees. Generally awarded funds are limited to such support. In addition, individuals from under-represented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
Applicants proposing virtual meeting, conferences, and workshops may request registration or partial registration support for junior investigators, trainees, individuals from under-represented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities. NIDDK will also consider partial support requests for virtual meeting/conference/workshop software platform/packages provided the support request is tied to access and experience enhancements for trainee/junior investigator populations.
Funding
The primary role of NIDDK funding for these conferences is to support the travel of junior investigators and trainees to outstanding meetings. Generally, requests for funding for conferences held outside of North America are not allowed, and only under special circumstances will the NIDDK consider multi-year funding requests for conferences. Indirect costs normally are not allowed.
Applying
Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with appropriate NIDDK program staff when considering an R13 application. To assist NIDDK staff in assessing programmatic relevance of proposed conferences and workshops, potential applicants must submit a letter of intent (LOI) at least 6 weeks before the application receipt date that addresses the relevance of the research focus of the meeting to the NIDDK mission and other elements specified below. The letter should be submitted to the NIDDK R13 email address: NIDDK-R13@niddk.nih.gov
Criteria for establishing programmatic relevance
- NIH funds will meet a critical need not met by societies or industry, but NIDDK does NOT support annual or regularly held meetings (NIDDK's Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases will consider such meetings; contact Program Staff with questions)
- Focuses on a research topic that has high relevance to the NIDDK mission - NIDDK issues should be the primary theme of the meeting
- Topic has not been covered by other conferences in past year
- Addresses current, cutting edge research topics
- Brings together populations of investigators that should benefit from cross-talk but do not typically interact
- Provides excellent training environment for NIDDK junior investigators and trainees
- Program includes women and investigators from groups under-represented in research
Include in the Letter of Intent
- Proposed title, date, and location of meeting
- Brief overview of the scientific themes of the meeting
- Organizing/Planning Committee member names
- Agenda draft with a list of accepted or invited speakers (if available)
- A statement affirming the potential for access to the meeting by the scientific community at large (this is especially important for meetings being held at foreign sites, which as noted above, are generally not allowable)
- Budget proposal (with details on proposed support for invited/attending junior investigators and trainees) and other potential sources of funding
Deadlines
Letters of intent (LOI) are due at least 6 weeks prior to the application receipt date.
| LOI Receipt Date | Feb. 26 | Jun. 26 | Oct. 26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Receipt Date | Apr. 12 | Aug. 12 | Dec. 12 |
| Proposed Conference Date Window | Dec.-Feb. | Mar.-Jun. | Jul.-Nov. |
NIDDK will respond with a letter of permission or denial within 2-4 weeks of LOI receipt.
Review
Following review of the LOI by NIDDK program staff, potential applicants will be notified whether the final application will be accepted. If the R13 is to be accepted, the applicant will receive a "Permission to Submit" letter from the NIDDK (to be included with the final application) and may submit to the next appropriate Full Application Receipt Date.
Applicants should be aware that R13 rules and regulations vary among NIH Institutes. If an applicant wishes to receive dual funding from another NIH Institute, the applicant should contact that Institute before the 6 week LOI deadline to assess their interest and discuss their policy. For applicants intending to list additional NIH Institutes on their application for purposes of potential co-funding, a cover letter containing the list of dual Institutes should be included with the submitted R13 application.
Staff Contact
Overall NIDDK R13 guidance and for submission of LOI
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition
Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases