NIH R15 Grants — AREA / REAP Award
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed June 9, 2026Data refreshed June 9, 2026Editorial standards
Strengthen research at undergraduate-focused institutions
Funding
Up to $300,000 direct costs over the project
Duration
Up to 3 years
Eligibility
Faculty at eligible non-research-intensive institutions
Activity code
R15
What is the NIH R15 grant?
The R15 — Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for undergraduate-focused institutions, and the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for institutions that provide health-professional training — supports meritorious research at institutions that have not been major NIH research recipients. Only certain institutions are eligible.
Recent R15 awards from NIH RePORTER
Examples of funded R15 projects across the last two fiscal years. The matching-award count comes from the full result set; funding totals, averages, rankings, and examples use the first 500 records returned by NIH RePORTER. Figures reflect a snapshot last refreshed on June 9, 2026.
Example R15 projects from the sample
Light-Responsive Inorganic Compounds for Diagnosis and Therapy
1R15CA309873-01Sherri McFarland · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ARLINGTON, TX · $565,569 · awarded Jun 5, 2026 · NIHSurgery, alone or in combination with other therapies, is a cornerstone of cancer treatment. However, incomplete resection leads to increased risk of recurrence and reduced overall survival. Here optical image guided surgery (IGS) has a role to play by enhancing tumor visualization and improving surgical precision. It has notable advantages over visual…
The role of MAB-5, a Hox transcription factor, in establishing and maintaining neuronal identity and connectivity
1R15NS145107-01A1SETH TAYLOR · BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, UT · $550,159 · awarded Jun 5, 2026 · NIHProject Summary/Abstract A nervous system requires a wide diversity of cell types for an organism to properly function. This diversity must be both established during development and maintained over the life of an animal. Neuronal cell type identity is characterized by distinct patterns of gene expression, morphology, connectivity and function. The neurons…
Determining the mechanisms of membrane repair in the human pathogen Leishmania major
1R15AI194040-01A1Peter Keyel · TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, TX · $609,035 · awarded Jun 3, 2026 · NIHPROJECT ABSTRACT Membrane integrity is key to the survival of pathogenic protozoa, but their mechanisms of maintaining membrane integrity are poorly understood. For example, the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis, Leishmania major, maintains membrane integrity using distinct lipids compared to mammalian cells. Targeting key functional differences…
Microfluidic Isolation and Deep Learning-based Profiling of Subtypes of Circulating Tumor Cells during Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition
1R15CA313429-01Wei Li · TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, TX · $607,488 · awarded Jun 3, 2026 · NIHTitle: Microfluidic Isolation and Deep Learning-based Profiling of Subtypes of Circulating Tumor Cells during Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition Project Summary/Abstract Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are highly heterogeneous and contain many cellular subpopulations. It is known that specific CTC subpopulations, rather than the whole, are responsible for…
Bioengineered Models of Intramural Uterine Fibroids: A Dual-Platform Approach to Study Molecular Transport Barriers and Biochemical Interactions
1R15HD122160-01Catherine Whittington · WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, MA · $555,371 · awarded Jun 3, 2026 · NIHPROJECT SUMMARY Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyoma, affect 70-80% of women in the United States of reproductive age and carry significant health and economic burdens. Fibroids are benign fibroproliferative tumors characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodeling that alters the biophysical and biochemical…
New Cobalt-mediated Methods for the Synthesis of Bioactive Triterpenoid Natural Products
1R15GM163256-01Kyle Lambert · OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY, VA · $580,064 · awarded Jun 1, 2026 · NIHProject Summary: The development of new, concise, and modular approaches toward physiologically important natural products that are synthetically flexible and amenable to late-stage modification is important for accessing new lead compounds and novel structural motifs for investigation as therapeutics to treat human disease. Provided that from 1981-2020…
Investigating the role of NRF-2 signaling in promoting HIV latency
2R15AI165295-02Vir Singh · ALBANY COLLEGE OF PHARMACY, NY · $493,213 · awarded Jun 1, 2026 · NIHABSTRACT The ‘Block and Lock’ approach has emerged as a lucrative method of achieving functional cure that may also address heterogeneity among latent reservoirs that is a main concern for eliminating virus by ‘shock and kill’ approach. This approach involves permanent silencing of the latent reservoir using specific latency-promoting agents (LPAs) to block…
Establishing the impact of 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoG) on the structure and function of RNA. Part III
2R15GM132816-03Marino Resendiz · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER, CO · $374,922 · awarded May 28, 2026 · NIHProject Summary: 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoG) is arguably the most important oxidative lesion that is generated within RNA under oxidative stress. As a consequence it is used as a common biomarker of neurodegeneration and disease progression/development, also suggested to be involved in signaling, and in regular RNA metabolism. Over the past decades…
Imaging Single Photocatalytic Turnovers in Photoredox Catalysis for Efficient DrugSynthesis
1R15GM159261-01A1Chunming Liu · UNIVERSITY OF AKRON, OH · $554,078 · awarded May 27, 2026 · NIHProject Summary Photoredox catalysis has been widely used in organic synthesis over the past decade. It has attracted significant attention from the pharmaceutical industry and has been employed in the discovery of drugs and bioactive compounds. To improve photocatalytic efficiency and product yield, a fundamental understanding of the mechanism and kinetics…
Microvascular hemodynamics and speech function in adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease
1R15AG101712-01Marziye Eshghi · MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, MA · $624,208 · awarded May 26, 2026 · NIHPROJECT SUMMARY Impaired microvascular function is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD)- related neurodegeneration. Although apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE-ε4) is a well-established genetic risk factor for both AD and cerebrovascular disease, the mechanistic relationships between APOE-ε4 status, cerebral hemodynamics, and…
Epigenetic Regulation of Diapause in Culex pipiens: The Roles of H3K27me2/3 and H3K27ac
2R15AI139861-03Cheolho Sim · BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, TX · $516,916 · awarded May 26, 2026 · NIHProject Summary/Abstract In temperate climates, the mosquito Culex pipiens overwinters in a dormant state known as adult diapause—a crucial survival strategy that enables persistence through cold seasons and facilitates the overwintering of pathogens such as West Nile virus. Despite the public health significance of diapause, the molecular mechanisms…
Mechanism-Based Design of Iron-Mediated Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis Protocols
1R15GM164970-01James Devery · LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, IL · $484,636 · awarded May 22, 2026 · NIHProject Summary The activation of carbonyl-containing substrates by Lewis acids is ever present in organic synthesis. However, Lewis acid-catalyzed carbonyl-olefin ring-closing metathesis exhibits reactivity not typically seen in traditional Lewis acid-mediated systems. Building on our detailed understanding of the catalyst behavior in carbonyl-olefin…
Funding institutes in the sample
| Institute | Awards | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| NIH | 281 | $136.5M |
Most frequent institutions in the sample
- BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY — 9 awards
- BAYLOR UNIVERSITY — 8 awards
- OAKLAND UNIVERSITY — 6 awards
- UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON — 6 awards
- UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO — 5 awards
- ROWAN UNIVERSITY — 5 awards
- WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE — 5 awards
- UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ARLINGTON — 5 awards
Source: NIH RePORTER. Verify any award in the official record by searching its project number. See our data methodology for how this sample is built and its limitations.
Decision guide
Choose R15 when
Choose R15 if your institution is on the eligible list and you want to fund a discrete research project that will involve undergraduate trainees.
Choose another mechanism when
R15 is not available to faculty at major research universities. Check institutional eligibility before drafting.
Who applies for R15
Faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and certain health-professional schools. Eligibility depends on institutional NIH funding history. Each institution has a single R15 eligibility status that determines whether AREA, REAP, or neither apply.
Compare nearby NIH grant mechanisms
Searchers often land on R15 while deciding between adjacent NIH activity codes. Compare scope, NIH staff involvement, budget scale, and applicant stage before choosing a funding opportunity.
Discrete, specified investigator-led research project
Small, short-term projects (pilot studies, secondary analyses, methods development)
Novel, high-risk/high-reward exploratory research
For broad grant lookup, use the NIH grant search to find funded examples by activity code, PI, institution, and award year.
Search tips for R15
- R15 awards are concentrated at PUIs and small institutions — useful for finding research-active small colleges.
Search NIH grants by activity code
Find R15-funded PIs
R15 funding trends
R15 frequently asked questions
How do I check if my institution is R15-eligible?
NIH publishes the eligibility list at the Office of Extramural Research website, updated annually based on institutional NIH funding. Check the list before drafting.