National Library of Medicine (NLM)

The National Library of Medicine prioritizes its budget to maintain support for investigator-initiated research grants at the highest possible level. As a result, there is very limited flexibility to support administrative supplements. Accordingly, requests must be limited to meeting increased costs that are within the scope of the approved award but were unforeseen.

Applications may be submitted throughout the fiscal year but should be requested at least 90 days prior to the anticipated need and should be submitted by May 15 for full consideration. Supplements are not awarded Oct-Nov due to fiscal constraints.

NLM Extramural Programs

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The National Library of Medicine (NLM) supports high-quality scientific meetings, conferences, and workshops that advance biomedical informatics, bioinformatics, computational biology, data science, health information technology, workforce development, and library and information sciences. Meetings should align with NLM’s mission to accelerate data-driven discovery, improve access to trustworthy biomedical information, and strengthen the biomedical data science workforce. Areas of interest include standards and interoperability, knowledge representation, trustworthy and transparent AI, data stewardship, information dissemination, and human-centered health information delivery. Events must foster meaningful scientific exchange and collaboration among researchers, clinicians, librarians, trainees, and other stakeholders. NLM will not support the annual meeting of a professional organization, society, or trade group. 

While the National Library of Medicine will consider requests for conference support up to $70,000, typical awards have ranged between $10,000 and $25,000. 

• Accepts applications for standard receipt dates.
• Final funding decisions are often made toward the end of the fiscal year, contingent on the availability of funds.
• It is recommended that applicants apply well in advance of meeting/conference date, especially if requesting support to plan the event.

• Support may be provided for single conferences.
• NLM will consider support for a series of annual or biannual conferences for up to 5 years.
• Continued support depends on programmatic relevance and availability of funds.

NLM Extramural Programs
[email protected] 

• Bioinformatics and biomedical data science, including AI/ML for genomic, multi-omics, clinical, and population health analysis
• Clinical and translational informatics, integrating clinical, genomic, and real-world data for research and care
• Biomedical knowledge representation and discovery, including ontologies, knowledge graphs, information retrieval, and NLP/text mining
• Data infrastructure, standards, and interoperability, including FAIR principles, metadata harmonization, and scalable, privacy-preserving ecosystems
• Open science and reproducibility, including data sharing, benchmarking, and transparency
• Digital health and human-centered informatics, including mobile and consumer health tools that improve access to trustworthy health information
• Responsible and ethical data science, including accountability, stewardship, privacy, security, and attention to fairness, transparency, and societal impact

Current NRSA stipends, tuition/fees, and budgetary levels apply.

NLM Extramural Programs 
[email protected] 

NLM is interested in research education (R25) applications that strengthen the biomedical informatics and data science workforce through innovative, short-term training and curriculum development. NLM has two primary goals: (1) to develop a pipeline of well-trained professionals in biomedical informatics, data science, information science, and related fields; and (2) to ensure curricula meet the growing and evolving demands of the field. Applicants should ensure that the impact of educational programs is rigorously assessed to demonstrate outcomes and inform continuous program improvement. 

Topics of Interest: 

• Short-term training programs (e.g., summer or modular formats throughout the academic year) in biomedical informatics, data science, information science, and related fields, incorporating experiential learning opportunities (e.g., research internships, hands-on projects, team-based science) to build practical informatics skills  

• Development of new or updated biomedical informatics curricula designed for adaptability, generalizability, and dissemination across institutions and educational settings  

• Training that develops core competencies in biomedical informatics and data science (e.g., data management, analysis, interpretation, and responsible data use) 

• Training in open science practices, data sharing, reproducibility, and FAIR data principles  

• Programs that broaden participation and expand reach to areas with limited biomedical informatics or data science training opportunities  

• Interdisciplinary training that integrates informatics with biomedical, clinical, or public health domains  

• Activities that increase awareness of and preparation for educational and career pathways in biomedical informatics and related fields 

• Undergraduate
• Predoctoral
• Postdoctoral/Residency
• Early Career
• Other

  • High school students 

  • Community college students  

  • Post-baccalaureate students

  • Master’s-level students 

Applicants should propose project durations consistent with the scope of the proposed education activities.

• Up to $250,000 in direct costs for R25 Education Projects focused on research experiences.

• Up to $250,000 in direct costs for R25 Education Projects focused on curriculum, courses, and methods development.

• Requested budgets should reflect the scope and needs of the proposed project.

• NLM awards Research Education Cooperative Agreements (UE5)
• NLM awards Research Education Grant Projects (R25)

NLM Extramural Programs 
[email protected] 

The NLM Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program supports the development of biomedical informatics tools and methods which are best disseminated through commercialization.

The program aims to encourage small businesses to develop innovative technologies, tools, methods, and software platforms that advance:

• Trustworthy, reproducible, and rigorous biomedical AI
• Biomedical data infrastructure at scale
• Sustainable biomedical reference resources and platform science
• Market innovative human-centered use and impact informed biomedical informatics tools and methods

Applications which utilize, integrate, or build upon data, resources, and tools fostered by NLM and NIH supported communities are encouraged. 

NLM does not accept budget cap waiver requests.

NLM Extramural Programs

[email protected]