REACH

Join the REACH Network

Scholar Application Requirements

All documents should be prepared as separate, clearly labeled PDF files that meet NIH formatting guidelines, and submitted together as a single ZIP file for upload.

Statement of Interest (2 Pages)
  1. Introduction (½ page)
    • Briefly introduce yourself, your current role, and your emerging research focus as it relates to homelessness, SUD, and/or HIV or other infectious diseases. State clearly why you are applying to this R25 and how it fits into your emerging research identity.
  2. Background & Relevant Experience (½ page)
    • Summarize prior experiences that have prepared you for this training, including:
      • Research, clinical, or community engagement work with people experiencing homelessness
      • Training in research methodology, epidemiology, or scientific writing
      • Experience working with vulnerable or marginalized populations
      • Any exposure to substance use or HIV/infectious disease‑related research
  3. Career Goals & Training Needs (½ page)
    • Describe:
      • Short‑term goals (skills you need to develop, methods you hope to learn, immediate research outputs)
      • Long‑term goals (your path toward becoming an independent, NIH‑funded investigator and your envisioned research niche)
    • Specific competencies you need to achieve these goals 
  4. Proposed Pilot Project Area (½ page)
    • This is a conceptual overview only – not the detailed proposal.
    • Include:
      • The topic you hope to investigate 
      • How it integrates homelessness with substance use, HIV or other infectious diseases, or both
      • The population and setting you expect to work with 
      • The anticipated contribution to science or public health 
      • Potential data sources, community partners, or intervention ideas
  5. Mentorship & Fit with the REACH Program (¼ page)
    • Describe:
      • Your primary and secondary institutional mentors, including their relevant expertise, funding record, and qualifications to support your proposed research
      • Skills you hope to gain from mentorship and how the mentoring team’s expertise collectively addresses your proposed research aims
      • How your home institution’s environment supports the proposed research
  6. Expected Impact of Participation (¼ page)
    • Describe:
      • How participation in REACH will accelerate your path toward an independent, NIH-funded research career
      • Your commitment to contributing to the REACH scholar community and to advancing research on homelessness
Project Proposal (3 Pages)

The proposal must include a focus on homelessness and the intersection with 1) substance use, 2) HIV or other infectious diseases, or 3) both.

Proposal must include the following sections:

  • Specific Aims (with hypothesis as appropriate)
  • Study design
  • Methods including a description of the study site and/or data
  • Analysis plan  
  • Mentoring plan: identify primary and secondary mentors; describe planned meeting frequency; specify skills, methods, or content areas each mentor will support; and describe how the mentoring team’s expertise collectively addresses the proposed research aims
  • Anticipated dissemination product(s) (e.g., presentations, publications, grant submissions) expected to result from the project
  • A brief description of how the project may impact science and/or public health as a whole
  • Timeline for the proposed project  
  • References (not counted toward the 3-page limit; append as a clearly labeled section)
  • If projects involve human subjects, vulnerable populations, and/or community engaged research, applicants much provide brief human subjects compliance statements (e.g., IRB plans, Data & Safety Monitoring expectations, and anticipated IRB submission timeline) (not counted toward the 3-page limit; append as a clearly labeled section)
Optional: Community Partership Funds (2 Pages)

If community partnership funds are being requested. Community Engagement Plan describing:

  • How the project follows community-engaged research principals
  • Why the requested funds fall outside traditional pilot award costs
  • How community engagement will be maintained throughout the project
  • How funds will support sustainable, long-term partnerships
Budget and Budget Justification

The maximum allowable pilot research award is $10,000. An additional $10,000 is available for community engagement activities and requires submission of a separate Community Engagement Plan (see Section 3 above). Applicants requesting community engagement funds must justify why these activities fall outside the scope of the standard pilot award. Indirect costs are strongly discouraged, and we recommend they be waived by the applicant’s institution given the limited availability of funds. All expenditures must comply with NIH rules for allowable costs under 2 CFR § 200 and the terms of award R25DA065058. Note that funds may not be used for salary support, stipends, tuition, or equipment purchases exceeding NIH thresholds without prior written approval.

  • Total costs must still fit within the per‑scholar pilot cap; institutions are encouraged to waive or minimize F&A.
SciENcv Biosketch(s)
  • Scholar Biosketch
  • Institutional Mentor Biosketch
Letter(s) of support
  1. From mentor
  2. From community site(s)