NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (DSPP)(K12-Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA DE 18 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DE 18 012

The NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (DSPP) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity that supports institutional research career development programs using the K12 mechanism. Its purpose is to help organizations build structured, mentored training pathways that produce highly capable clinician-scientists in dental, oral, and craniofacial research. The core idea is an integrated program that combines advanced clinical training in a recognized dental specialty with intensive, supervised research training that culminates in a PhD. The PhD can be in biomedical science, behavioral science, or another research field that clearly connects to dental, oral, and craniofacial health.

This opportunity is designed to shorten the timeline and smooth the transition for early career dentist-scientists who want to be strong in both worlds: clinical expertise and rigorous research skills. Programs supported under this FOA are expected to build trainees competencies in specialty clinical practice while also developing deep research capabilities such as experimental design, data analysis, scientific communication, responsible conduct of research, and career development planning. The long-term goal is to move participants toward independence as productive investigators, ultimately strengthening the research workforce focused on improving dental, oral, and craniofacial health outcomes.

The FOA is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trials Not Allowed," meaning the supported K12 program and the research training it funds are not intended to include independent clinical trials as part of the award scope. Applicants would generally be expected to propose research training experiences that fit within non-clinical-trial parameters while still providing strong mentorship and a credible path toward later independent research funding.

Eligible applicants are broad across U.S.-based institutions and organizations. These include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. Eligible entities also include nonprofit organizations, whether they have 501(c)(3) status or not (as long as they are not institutions of higher education, where that distinction is listed separately). The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible, reinforcing that the training program and its supported activities must be domestic.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant under the NIH, within the health funding activity category, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.121. The specific funding opportunity is titled "NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (DSPP) (K12 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" with Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DE-18-012. The source data indicates an original closing date of February 9, 2018, and a creation date of December 11, 2017. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing, so those details would typically require checking the full FOA text or NIH notices tied to the announcement.

In practical terms, applicants are being asked to propose an institution-wide, well-mentored training framework that deliberately integrates specialty clinical education with PhD-level research training, with the explicit expectation that trainees will be positioned to become independent researchers. A competitive application would usually need to show a strong training environment, qualified mentors, an effective program structure for integrating clinical and research demands, and clear methods for tracking trainee progress and outcomes aligned with the program mission of advancing dental, oral, and craniofacial health research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (DSPP)(K12-Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-02-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for RFA DE 18 012

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