NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DE 23 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DE 23 001

The NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (DSPP) is a National Institutes of Health training grant opportunity designed to build a strong pipeline of dentist-scientists by supporting structured, institution-run programs that integrate three major components: advanced clinical specialty training in an approved dental specialty, intensive research career development, and mentored research training that culminates in a PhD in a biomedical or behavioral science discipline. The overall goal is to speed up the development of early career dentists so they gain real competency on both sides of the profession, high-level clinical expertise and rigorous research capability, and then move more quickly into independent, productive research careers focused on improving dental, oral, and craniofacial health.

This opportunity uses the K12 mechanism, meaning the award is made to an eligible organization (not to an individual) to support a cohort-style scholar program. In practice, the funded institution recruits and appoints Scholars (often dentists in early career stages) and provides them with a clearly organized pathway that blends specialty training with protected time for research and career development. The program is meant to be highly structured and mentored, with the expectation that scholars will leave the program positioned to compete for independent research funding and to contribute as clinician-scientists who can connect patient-centered questions with strong scientific methods.

A notable feature of the announcement is the clinical trial language. Although the title includes the phrase "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," the provided description states that the FOA allows appointment of K12 Scholars who propose to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, to propose an ancillary clinical trial, or to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator as part of their research and career development. For applicants, the practical takeaway is that the program is intended to support substantive research experiences that may include clinical trial involvement, and institutions should read the full FOA carefully to ensure their proposed scholar activities align with NIH and NIDCR requirements and definitions around clinical trials.

Eligibility is broad across many types of U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, and special district governments), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and other tribal organizations. The opportunity is also open to nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), other than institutions of higher education), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and other categories listed in the source data. The description also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and certain regional organizations. At the same time, foreign entities are not eligible to apply: non-U.S. organizations and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are explicitly excluded.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant in the health funding activity category under CFDA 93.121, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, specifically NIDCR. The funding opportunity number is RFA-DE-23-001. The source data lists an original closing date of 2022-07-07 and a creation date of 2022-02-07. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided data, which typically means applicants need to consult the full announcement for budget limits, project period expectations, and institute-specific constraints.

In plain terms, the DSPP is aimed at institutions that can credibly run an integrated dual-training environment where dental specialty education and PhD-level research training are not separate tracks but a coordinated plan. The intent is to produce dentist-scientists who can move confidently between clinic and lab (or behavioral and population research settings), build competitive research portfolios early, and ultimately lead research that advances oral health and related craniofacial fields.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCR Dental Specialty and PhD Program (K12 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): 93.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-07. (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.

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