NINDS Sustainable Transformation of Institutional Research Rigor (STIRR) Program (RC2 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 25 019

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 25 019

The NINDS Sustainable Transformation of Institutional Research Rigor (STIRR) Program (RFA-NS-25-019) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity that supports institutions in building and putting into practice concrete, durable programs that improve research rigor and transparency in neuroscience. The central goal is culture change at the institutional level: helping departments or similar intra-institutional units adopt stronger norms and everyday practices around rigorous study design, careful execution, and clear, transparent reporting. NINDS is positioning this as a practical, implementation-focused effort meant to raise the overall quality and credibility of neuroscience research by reducing avoidable bias, improving reproducibility, and making findings easier for the broader community to evaluate and build upon.

This NOFO emphasizes that rigor and transparency are not just ideals, but operational habits that need systems, training, incentives, and oversight to stick. Projects funded under STIRR are expected to implement innovative approaches that can be embedded into routine workflows, such as improving how experiments are designed, how methods and results are documented, and how key details are reported so that others can interpret and replicate the work. While the announcement does not prescribe a single model, it clearly signals interest in strategies that go beyond one-off workshops and instead create sustained infrastructure at the departmental, inter-departmental, or equivalent organizational level within an institution. The intent is to move from informal expectations to consistent, institution-supported practices that strengthen the validity of experimental conclusions and the value of published outputs.

The award mechanism is an NIH RC2 (a grant instrument often used for large-scale, transformative or high-impact initiatives), and it is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning applicants should not propose clinical trial activities under this opportunity. The funding activity category is Health (CFDA 93.853), and the sponsor is NIH through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The original application due date is October 17, 2025, and the opportunity was created on October 31, 2024. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO for budget limits, project period details, and any institute-specific expectations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Tribal eligibility includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply either. However, "foreign components" as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which typically means a U.S. applicant may include certain defined foreign elements in the project when well justified and compliant with NIH policy, even though a foreign organization cannot serve as the applicant institution.

In practical terms, STIRR is aimed at institutions that want to take a serious, structured run at improving how neuroscience research is planned, conducted, documented, and reported, with an emphasis on changes that can persist after the grant ends. Competitive proposals will likely be those that identify specific rigor and transparency gaps in current practice, propose implementable solutions at the unit level where research happens, and show how those solutions will be adopted, monitored, and sustained as part of the institution's standard operating culture rather than treated as optional add-ons.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Sustainable Transformation of Institutional Research Rigor (STIRR) Program (RC2 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA NS 25 019

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