The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25) program has announced its FY 2019 competition. This year, the NIH SEPA intents to commit approximately $2 million in funding to support educational activities that help in the training, and recruitment of a diverse workforce of the biomedical, behavioral and/or clinical science fields and those that help “foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.” Proposals must be submitted by 5PM local time on July 9th, 2019, with a Letter of Intent deadline 30 days prior (June 9th, 2019).
The National Institutes of Health’s Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) states “this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages the development of innovative educational activities for pre-kindergarten to grade 12 (P-12), pre-service and in-service teachers (Teachers) and students from underserved communities with a focus on Courses for Skills Development, Research Experiences, Mentoring Activities, Curriculum or Methods Development and Outreach.”
SEPA supports programs in formal and informal science education (ISE). The program encourages creative, sustainable partnerships between biomedical researchers and P-12 and educators. This includes work with NIH-funded IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) and Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE).
More information about the NIH SEPA grant program can be found on the SEPA page. Click here to find funded SEPA proposals. Rockman et al (REA) has designed and led 18 independent SEPA evaluations. In addition, REA staff are active in SEPA’s annual program conference. Drs. Kristin Bass and Camellia Sanford-Dolly have presented workshops on research and evaluation at the last eleven meetings. Dr. Bass has also served on the conference’s organizing committee since 2017.
If you are planning or considering an application for SEPA and are seeking an evaluator, we encourage you to contact us (info@rockman.com) to discuss your project and needs. We are always happy to share what we’ve learned to help you develop a strong proposal.