Short-Term Research Experience for Underrepresented Persons

Opportunity Description:

The STEP-UP Program is a federally funded program managed and supported by the Office of Minority Health Research Coordination (OMHRC) in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The overall goal of STEP-UP is to build and sustain a biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science research pipeline focused on NIDDK’s core mission areas of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases.

Program details:

• 8 to 10 weeks of full-time research experience
• Students receive a summer research stipend
• Students are assigned to a STEP-UP Coordinating Center to help coordinate and monitor their summer research experience
• Students are paired with experienced research mentors at institutions throughout the nation
• Students are encouraged to choose a research institution and/or mentor near their hometown or within commuting distance of their residence. Students are not required to relocate in order to conduct their summer research.
• Students receive training in the responsible conduct of research
• All-paid travel expenses to the Annual STEP-UP Research Symposium held on NIH’s main campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Students are given the opportunity to conduct a formal oral and poster presentation.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

Applicants must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen, non-citizen national, or legal permanent resident
• Be 16 years of age or older
• Give proof of personal medical/health insurance coverage throughout the duration of the program. Exceptions will be made for students residing in the following U.S. territories: Marshall Island, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Saipan, and Guam.
• Commit to completing the program
• Be enrolled in a high school or an accredited U.S. college or university, or plan to be enrolled in the fall
  • High school students should be in their junior or senior year of high school during the application period
  • Undergraduate students should currently be enrolled as a full-time student at a U.S. accredited two-year or four-year college or university. Graduating college seniors are not eligible for the program.
• Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale), although exceptions may be granted

Additionally, applicants must meet the following diversity and equity requirements:

• Be or identify with one of the following racial and ethnic groups: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.
  Underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting; individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be demonstrated convincingly to be underrepresented by the grantee institution should be encouraged to participate in NIH programs to enhance diversity.
  For more information on racial and ethnic categories and definitions, see the OMB Revisions to the Standards for Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. External link
• Have a disability, defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. View NSF data. External link
• Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria:
  1. Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act External link;
  2. Were or currently are in the foster care system External link, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families;
  3. Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years (view Lunch Program Eligibility External link);
  4. Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (Read about First-Generation and Continuing Generation College Students External link);
  5. Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants (view Pell Grant Eligibility External link);
  6. Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child (view WIC Eligibility Requirements External link);
  7. Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer External link, or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas External link (qualifying zip codes are included in the file). Only one of the two possibilities in #7 can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.

Application Process: 

How to Apply

1. Create an account If you are eligible to participate in the STEP-UP program, create an account through the Student Portal. Confirm your eligibility by checking the Eligibility Requirements.
2. Submit an application All applications must be submitted through the Student Portal prior to the submission deadline.
3. Submit required documents View the Required Documents Check List for a list of documents that need to be submitted in order to complete your application.

Status and Review Process

Your application status can be found online when you log in to the Student Portal. It is recommended that you check your application status weekly.

STEP-UP program staff will only review completed applications. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

• If your application is incomplete, you will receive an email instructing you to check your application. Log in to the Student Portal to find out which components are missing and submit the missing documents prior to the deadline.
• Completed applications will be reviewed by STEP-UP staff. While staff are reviewing your application, your status will read ‘review in progress.’ Once the review is complete, the status will change to ‘reviewed.’

Notifications of acceptance into STEP-UP will be sent via email, starting March 15, and will continue until all available spots are filled.

If offered a STEP-UP award, within one week of notification, you must confirm your acceptance and send the following to your coordinating center:

• Proof of existing medical insurance. If you do not have medical insurance, you will need to obtain it and show proof prior to the start of the program. Exceptions will be made for students residing in the following U.S. territories: Marshall Island, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Saipan, and Guam.
• A copy of your U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, or a government-issued photo identification document.

Application Deadline: