NIH R25 — Funding Opportunity : Short Courses on Innovative Methodologies and Approaches in the Behavioral and Social Sciences
NIH is supporting short courses that advance innovative, cross-cutting research methods in the behavioral and social sciences. Of particular relevance to neuroarts, participating center NCCIH explicitly identifies research methods for complex interventions including music and art therapy, alongside whole-person health, mind-body approaches, AI, machine learning, and computational methods.
NIH R25 — Short Courses on Innovative Methodologies and Approaches in the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Funding Opportunity: RFA-OD-25-003
Funder: National Institutes of Health (NIH) / Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Mechanism: R25 Research Education Program
Status: Open / Upcoming 2027 Deadline
Next Application Deadline: April 9, 2027
Expiration Date: April 10, 2027
Clinical Trials: Not Allowed
Overview
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), led by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) with participation from multiple NIH Institutes and Centers, is offering R25 Research Education grants to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate short courses in innovative methodologies and analytic approaches for behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR).
Rather than supporting a traditional experimental research project, this opportunity focuses on research education and skills development. Proposed courses should address an important methodological training gap that is not adequately covered by existing educational programs and should build research capacity across disciplines.
Why is this relevant to Neuroarts?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), one of the participating NIH centers, specifically encourages educational programs focused on research methods relevant to complementary and integrative health approaches and complex interventions, including music and art therapy.
NCCIH also identifies interest in computational and data-science methods for studying complex systems and advancing Whole Person Health, including:
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence
- Mathematical and computational modeling
- Predictive multisystem models
- Mechanistic multisystem models
- Simulation modeling
The broader NIH announcement also identifies methodological areas that may intersect with neuroarts research, including neuroscience and neuroimaging measurement, cognitive and emotional processes, mobile and digital health, mixed methods, community-engaged research, AI and machine learning, multimodal AI, intervention development, implementation science, and innovative approaches to behavioral measurement.
For the neuroarts community, this opportunity could therefore support development of methodological training infrastructure for studying arts-based and music-based interventions rather than funding the intervention study itself.
What Can Be Funded?
The R25 supports courses for skills development in innovative research methodologies and analytics.
Programs should:
- Address an important methodological or analytic skills gap in behavioral and social sciences research.
- Provide training that is broadly applicable rather than focused exclusively on a single disease.
- Clearly define learning objectives and how participant learning and program impact will be evaluated.
- Demonstrate how the proposed course differs from or improves upon existing training opportunities.
- Include plans to disseminate course materials to the broader scientific community.
- Build capacity beyond the individuals who directly attend the course.
- Consider sustainability of the training beyond the NIH funding period.
Courses may be delivered in person, online, or through a hybrid model and may be offered once or recur during the award period. NIH particularly encourages approaches that expand the reach of the training, including remote education, Open Educational Resources, and “train-the-trainer” models.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible U.S.-based applicant organizations include:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit organizations
- Small businesses and other for-profit organizations
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Eligible tribal governments and organizations
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- Regional organizations and certain other eligible U.S. entities
Non-U.S. organizations and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
The Program Director/Principal Investigator should have the expertise and resources necessary to lead the proposed program. NIH states that the PD/PI should be an established investigator in the scientific area targeted by the application and capable of providing scientific and administrative leadership.
Funding
NIH anticipates approximately 3–4 awards, corresponding to approximately $1 million in total funding for each applicable fiscal year, subject to appropriations and the availability of meritorious applications.
Maximum direct costs: $200,000 per yearMaximum project period: 4 years
Budgets should reflect the actual needs of the proposed research education program.
Where?
Programs are administered through eligible U.S.-based applicant institutions.
Training itself may be offered in person, remotely, or through a hybrid format. NIH encourages approaches that extend access beyond a limited group of in-person participants and make educational materials broadly available.
Timeline
NOFO Posted: January 21, 2025Opened for Applications: February 10, 2025
Next Application Deadline:April 9, 2027, by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization
Scientific Merit Review: July 2027Advisory Council Review: October 2027Earliest Anticipated Start Date: December 2027NOFO Expiration: April 10, 2027
NIH does not accept late applications for this opportunity.
Application Process & Guidelines
Applications must follow both the NIH Research (R) Application Guide and the specific instructions contained in RFA-OD-25-003.
Applicants should first identify which participating NIH Institute or Center most closely aligns with the proposed training program. For neuroarts-related proposals involving music therapy, art therapy, complementary and integrative health, or Whole Person Health, NCCIH may be particularly relevant.
NCCIH strongly encourages investigators to discuss their proposed plans with program staff before applying.
Applicants should be prepared to:
- Identify a significant training need. Explain the methodological or analytic skills gap the proposed course will address.
- Review existing training opportunities. NIH strongly encourages applicants to identify similar existing courses and explain why they do not sufficiently address the identified need.
- Develop clear learning objectives. Describe what participants will learn and how the program will enhance their research capabilities.
- Design the educational program. Explain the course structure, content, instructional approach, target participants, duration, and delivery format.
- Plan for evaluation. Applications must include a strategy for evaluating the proposed educational activities and their effectiveness.
- Plan for dissemination and sustainability. Applicants must describe how user-friendly course materials will reach the broader scientific community. NIH encourages resources that remain available beyond the original course participants and funding period.
- Complete institutional registrations. Applicant organizations must maintain required registrations, including SAM, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov. NIH notes that organizational registration can take six weeks or longer.
- Submit electronically. Applications may be prepared and submitted through NIH ASSIST, an institutional system-to-system solution, or Grants.gov Workspace, with eRA Commons used to track the application.
Applicants are encouraged to submit early enough to identify and correct submission errors before the deadline.
Potential Neuroarts Applications
Although this is not a neuroarts-specific funding opportunity, its scope creates several potential points of intersection with the field. Examples might include short courses focused on:
- Research methodologies for music- and arts-based health interventions
- Measuring behavioral, cognitive, emotional, physiological, or neural responses to arts engagement
- Research design for complex arts-based interventions
- Neuroimaging or neuroscience methods relevant to behavioral research
- Mixed-method approaches to studying arts and health
- AI, machine learning, or multimodal data analysis in arts-and-health research
- Implementation and dissemination methods for arts-based health interventions
- Whole-person approaches to studying music and art therapy
Applicants should ensure that the proposed course addresses a cross-cutting methodological need and aligns with the mission and priorities of at least one participating NIH Institute or Center.
Key Takeaway for the Neuroarts Community
This is not a conventional project grant for testing an arts intervention. Instead, it offers an opportunity to build the methods, skills, educational resources, and research capacity needed to strengthen fields such as neuroarts and arts-in-health.
Its relevance is particularly notable because NCCIH explicitly includes music and art therapy among the complex interventions for which research-methods education is of interest.
