It seems that the text to be summarized is missing. Please provide the content you would like to have summarized.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the Support for Research Excellence – First Independent Research (SuRE-First) award aimed at enhancing research capacity in underfunded higher education institutions. Specifically targeting faculty who have never received independent, peer-reviewed research funding, this program seeks to foster investigator-initiated biomedical research while involving students in high-quality research experiences. Eligible institutions are those with limited NIH funding and a substantial percentage of undergraduates supported by Pell grants. The awards can provide up to $125,000 in direct costs per year for a maximum of four years, supporting research in basic, clinical, behavioral, or translational sciences. Applicants must designate a mentor with a strong funding record to guide their research proposal. Key dates include an application deadline on September 29, 2025, and the grants aim to bolster the research environment and train future scientists. Submission of applications will occur through the Grants.gov portal, following comprehensive guidelines laid out in the announcement. This initiative underscores the NIH's commitment to diversify and strengthen the nation's biomedical research landscape by enabling resource-limited institutions and their faculty to contribute significantly to scientific inquiry.