The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) aimed at transforming the National Human Genome Research Institute's (NHGRI) Diversity Action Plan (R25 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) to enhance workforce diversity in genomics. This initiative seeks to support the training, employment, and retention of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical workforce, aligning with NHGRI's strategic objectives and recent efforts to promote diversity in scientific teams. The FOA is expected to be published in Summer 2023, with applications due in Early 2024, and the estimated award date is set for September 9, 2024. For further inquiries, interested parties can contact Dr. Lucia A. Hindorff at hindorffl@mail.nih.gov.

The purpose of this Notice is to alert the community that NHGRI plans to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to transform NHGRI&#65533;s Diversity Action Plan (R25 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) to better align with more recent NHGRI efforts to enhance workforce diversity. Background Recent strategic planning undertaken at NHGRI underscores the commitment to genomic workforce diversity, as described in the 2020 NHGRI Strategic Vision, the NHGRI Action Agenda for Building a Diverse Genomic Research Workforce, and the NHGRI Training Task Force Report presented to the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research in February, 2020. As described in the NHGRI Director&#65533;s letter in the 2021 NHGRI Action agenda, data show that enhancing the diversity of scientific teams produces better ideas and more creativity. Developing teams of individuals from diverse backgrounds, however, means recognizing that some groups are underrepresented in the biomedical workforce. These groups include individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and women in staff, faculty, and leadership positions in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences research enterprises as well as in healthcare professions.Toward that end, NHGRI is committed to training, employing, and retaining a diverse genomics workforce, by supporting pathways that help diverse groups of individuals develop the skills and knowledge to pursue a career in genomics. Since 2002, the Diversity Action Plan (DAP) program has supported over 600 undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate trainees to participate in research experiences and courses, with the goal to help transition them to the next stage of their research career in a genomics-related field. These individuals have represented diverse groups, including those identified as underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences, as described in the Notice of NIH&#65533;s Interest in Diversity, NOT-OD-20-031. As described in the Notice, research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. Additional assessment is needed to evaluate the unique contributions of the DAP to NHGRI&#65533;s diversity-related training portfolio. In recent years, NHGRI has supported new initiatives and programs focused on enhancing diversity, including, but not limited to, the Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates into the Genomics Field to Enhance Diversity, Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity, and NHGRI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award for a Diverse Genomics Workforce. This Notice is being provided to inform the community that NHGRI is transforming the DAP program to continue training a diverse group of individuals who are well prepared to tackle the challenges in genomics, while aligning more strongly with current NHGRI strategic objectives. The FOA is expected to be published in Summer, 2023 with an expected application due date in Early 2024. This FOA will utilize the R25 activity code. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

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