Research Project Leaders

The next Research Project Leaders funding application process will take place in fall 2025. Project funding for April 2026 to March 2028 will be dependent on successful renewal of the next five years of the Nevada INBRE grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

The Research Project Leaders (RPL) awards  provide mentored career development intended to advance the careers of Nevada researchers in biomedical sciences. The program provides research funding and a mentored pathway of milestones leading to publication submission of an National Institutes of Health (NIH) R-type grant proposal or equivalent proposal (National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, etc.). The project duration is two years, with the second year of funding contingent on the completion of all year-one milestones. Direct costs up to $125,000 per year may be requested. For detailed information and application information, please see the RPL funding announcement.

Research Project Leader pre-proposal materials

• A concise summary describing the goals of the proposed research and expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the proposed research will exert on the research field(s) involved.
• Specific aims page: a succinct list of two to three specific objectives of the research proposed (e.g. to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, etc.).
• A letter of support completed by the applicant's supervisor approving 50% (6 person months) effort to career development and research activities if awarded.

Please note that the summary and specific aims page may not exceed two pages combined.

Project duration

Two years, with second year of funding contingent on completion of all milestones and renewed Nevada INBRE funding.

Funding level and allowable expenses

Direct costs up to $125,000 per year may be requested. Permitted expenses include salaries for the Principal Investigator (PI) and research personnel, as well as research supplies that are allowable NIH expenses. Travel expenses are allowed for conducting fieldwork as part of the project, accessing experts or other resources, or giving invited presentations on INBRE-related research at a national, regional or international meeting. Equipment is generally not allowable.  Awardees are required to attend the Nevada INBRE Network-Wide Annual Research Conference, National IDeA Symposium on Biomedical Research (June 2026), and IDeA Western Regional Meeting (Oct. 2027) and must budget travel funds accordingly.

Eligibility

Awardees must devote 50% effort (6 person months) to career development and research activities. The investigator may not be the PI or Co-PI of an NIH research grant or have research funding from another IDeA program (COBRE, CTR-IN) at the time of an award. The PI may not be awarded more than one RPL grant at a time, and previous recipients are not eligible.

Applicants from Nevada INBRE partner institutions are eligible to apply:

Group A: Research institutions:

• University of Nevada, Reno
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Applicants in group A must have a tenure-track, full-time appointment at a Nevada INBRE Research Institution at the assistant professor level or higher. 

Group B: Outreach institutions

Applicants in group B must have a full-time faculty appointment at one of the Nevada INBRE outreach institutions.

• Nevada State University
• College of Southern Nevada
• Great Basin College
• Truckee Meadows Community College
• Western Nevada College

Group C: Research institution

Applicants must have a full-time appointment at DRI at the Assistant Professor level or higher. 

• Desert Research Institute

Mentors

RPL awards are mentored career development awards. Each awardee will identify a mentor as part of the application process. The mentor must be an established scientist with expertise relevant to the proposed research willing to commit substantial time and effort as described in a formal memo of understanding. The mentors will receive a consulting fee upon completion of the following milestones.

Milestones

• Enroll in SuRE mentoring network and sign up for the SuRE newsletter
• Meet with your research mentor face to face or by teleconference at least once per quarter and return a one-page report of progress and plans toward publication and grant proposal
• Report to Nevada INBRE via the tracking database upon request (at least twice a year)
• Attend and present progress at the Nevada INBRE Network-Wide Annual Research Conference (years one and two)
• Present progress and research results to the External Advisory Committee (EAC) (years one and two)
• Attend the NISBRE Conference in 2026 (year one)
• Attend the Western Regional Conference in 2027 (year two)
• Attend an approved grant writing workshop (e.g., a workshop based on The Grant Application Writer's Workbook by S.W. Russell and D.C. Morrison) in year one
• Submit a manuscript based on the RPL research to a peer-reviewed journal before the end of the second year of funding
• Submit a draft R-type proposal (or equivalent) to the Nevada INBRE administrative core for pre-review early in the second year of funding
• Submit an R-type proposal (or equivalent) by the middle of the second year of funding
• Submit a summary statement to the Nevada INBRE administrative core with plans for revision and resubmission if necessary

Additional information

Please note that you may only submit one proposal for an RPL per funding cycle (every other year).

Funding of Research Project Leaders depends upon the timely arrival of NIH funds.

Other important dates

Expected invitation for full application: Oct. 2025

Required pre-proposal workshops (via Zoom): expected late Oct. to early Nov. 2025

Full application due: Dec. 2025

Earliest possible start date: April 1, 2026

Contact Eduardo Robleto at eduardo.robleto@unlv.edu and Christy Song at cmsong@unr.edu for further information.