Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) (R38 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for residents and early-career physicians who want to conduct clinical research during their training. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have a valid visa. They must have a faculty mentor and institutional support.
Eligible institutions include ACGME-accredited residency programs, medical schools, and research organizations. The research must be patient-oriented clinical research. Applicants cannot run independent clinical trials.
This is a career development grant for building research skills during residency. The goal is to launch careers in clinical research. Funding supports protected research time and mentorship.
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Program description
The overall goal of the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) program is to provide resident clinicians in training with in-depth research experiences early in their careers, in order to recruit, retain and accelerate independence of a pool of clinician-investigators with both clinical and research experience necessary to perform basic, clinical and/or translational research.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (Federal Application Form)
- Research Strategy (limited pages)
- Biosketch of applicant
- Biosketch of mentor
- Budget and budget justification
- Institutional commitment letter
- Letters of support from mentor and department
Program contact
- 👤 National Institutes of Health
- 📧 grantsinfo@nih.gov
- 📞 301-402-2541
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.866 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$463,372,200
-
$172,327,224
-
$115,145,694
-
$99,649,073
-
$93,275,174
-
$82,572,681
-
$81,344,612
-
$78,657,309
-
$75,825,492
-
$75,398,895
Top States by Funding
- CA 10 awards $633.7M
- MI 2 awards $511.9M
- MO 8 awards $453.5M
- IN 4 awards $303.9M
- PA 6 awards $298.0M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.866). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $3,746,886,731 | |
| 2025 | $3,777,464,644 | |
| 2026 est. | $261,814,471 |
FAQ
Who can apply to StARR?
Residents and fellows in ACGME-accredited programs who plan to practice medicine. You must have a designated research mentor and institutional commitment.
What research is eligible?
Patient-oriented clinical research that studies disease prevention or treatment in humans. Independent clinical trials are not allowed under this grant.
What does the grant fund?
Protected research time, mentorship, research supplies, and travel for professional meetings. It supports career development during residency.
How competitive is this grant?
Very competitive. Reviewers prioritize research innovation, mentor quality, and clear career goals in clinical research.
What's the typical funding range?
Typically $30,000–$80,000 per year for 2–3 years. Exact amounts vary by program and institutional contributions.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start building your research project 6+ months before the deadline with your mentor.
- Show a clear timeline from protected research time through your clinical training.
- Highlight your mentor's track record in clinical research and mentorship.
- Include evidence of institutional support: protected research blocks, faculty oversight, resources.
- Emphasize how this research leads to your independent clinical research career.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications lack evidence of true institutional commitment. Weak or inadequately experienced mentors undermine competitiveness. Vague research questions without clear clinical significance fail to convince reviewers.
Similar grants
- CLOSED Limited Competition: Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARRTS) — National Institutes of Health
- OPEN Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health
- OPEN Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required) — National Institutes of Health
- OPEN Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health
- OPEN Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health