Executive Summary: 4th Annual National Institutes of Health Workshop for Early Career Investigators in HIV

Introduction

The 4th Annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) Workshop for Early Career Investigators in HIV, held on September 26, 2025, aimed to strengthen the research enterprise and build a vibrant and sustainable HIV workforce by providing early career investigators (ECIs) with information on NIH’s HIV research efforts. Supporting the next generation of scientists is essential to the NIH and Office of AIDS Research (OAR) missions. During this time of rapid change and significant challenges for HIV science, NIH is actively investing in the success of ECIs and is committed to sustaining the pipeline of HIV science—from basic discovery to behavioral research to implementation science. This workshop was based on feedback from listening sessions with ECIs that highlighted some of the barriers they experienced, such as limited mentoring and training, unclear funding pathways, and the need for more communication and feedback from NIH. OAR is committed to supporting and advocating for ECIs, aligning resources and reducing burdens on ECIs, focusing on the needs of the communities most affected by HIV, sustaining the full pipeline of HIV science, and mentoring and investing in ECIs.

Session 1: NIH HIV Research Priorities and Policy Updates

Currently, more than 20 NIH institutes and centers (ICs) award grants with HIV funding, and OAR works across ICs to coordinate research and catalyze science. OAR also establishes HIV research priorities for NIH and ensures that the HIV research portfolio supports high-impact science with the greatest potential to improve public health and quality of life. Crosscutting principles include the need for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research program to effectively address the HIV epidemic; the task of tending to the needs of populations most affected by HIV with NIH-supported research; and the critical role of multisectoral partnerships. 

NIH is increasing its focus on implementation science in HIV, which addresses the gap between identifying an effective intervention and putting it into practice. Despite this shift in focus, NIH’s HIV research program continues to support a broad, comprehensive research portfolio, including fundamental discovery research. In this session, recent changes to grant structures and the peer-review framework were outlined, and the new Highlighted Topics resource, which emphasizes specific areas in which NIH encourages applications, was described. 

Attendees were directed to visit the grants.nih.gov portal to review the full listing of NIH policy changes and subscribe to weekly updates. NIH policy changes that were reviewed included the change in indirect rate caps, which currently is blocked by a legal challenge; policies restricting each principal investigator to six applications per year and forbidding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in application development; changes to the inclusion policy to align with the current administration’s directives; and changes to the structure of foreign subawards. All NIH-funded research that generates scientific data must follow the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. NIH continues to support animal research but encourages researchers to use nonanimal resources, including new approach methodologies, whenever possible. Opportunities for ECIs include the Loan Repayment Programs and the Office of Disease Prevention’s Early Stage Investigator Lecture Award. ECIs were encouraged to network, work with mentors and program officers, and foster partnerships across multiple sectors to strengthen their careers and research.

Session 2: Preparing a Responsive Grant Application

Presenters reviewed the funding mechanisms most applicable to ECIs and encouraged investigators to identify gaps by reviewing notices of funding opportunities, grants approved by institute councils, OAR’s strategic priorities, and listings on NIH RePORTER and ClinicalTrials.gov. The RePORTER Matchmaker page was identified as a way to find program officers who might align with an applicant’s areas of interest. Attendees were advised when writing grants to allow sufficient time; use clear, concise, and consistent prose; align the grant with the aims and research strategy; use a conceptual framework with appropriate statistical power; and address potential threats to internal validity. An overview of the grant process was presented, with information about the roles of all parties involved. ECIs were encouraged to visit the NIH grants website often and contact program officers at any time.

An overview of the resubmission process was presented, with an emphasis on the fact that resubmission is common. ECIs were advised to discuss the summary statement with a program officer to make an informed decision about whether reviewer feedback can be addressed for a resubmission. Improvements that can aid resubmission include adding new preliminary data, revising the design and methods, clarifying the rationale and hypothesis, aligning the aims and research strategy, and updating the literature. Reviewers are instructed to judge each resubmission independently from the original application.

Session 3: Breakout Rooms

Attendees engaged in small group discussions with NIH staff in nine breakout rooms. The discussion topics were:

• Epidemiology, Surveillance, Data Science, and AI Applications;
• Implementation Science and Applications, Programs, and Behavioral and Social Sciences Research;
• Prevention, Vaccines, and Diagnostics;
• Clinical Research, Therapeutics, and HIV Across the Lifespan;
• Comorbidities, Coinfections, and Complications;
• Basic and Translational Science: Pathogenesis, Reservoirs, Cure;
• Training, Fellowship, Career Development (T/F/K) Applicants;
• NIH HIV Research 101: Orientation and Basics; and
• An ECI Listening Session.

Session 4: Support During Career Transitions

NIH has many programs that support the careers of biomedical researchers, including trainee-specific grants and awards and payline bonuses for ECIs. Uncommon types of awards, such as cooperative agreements and U awards, may provide additional opportunities. Several NIH Director’s Awards that are focused on or open to outstanding early stage investigators also are available. Developing strong relationships with mentors who are experts in their fields was identified as a significant way for ECIs to improve career stability and predict whether the ECI’s field of interest would continue to grow. ECIs were encouraged to be prepared for each step in their career and to plan for their next transition while being supported during the previous stage.

Two researchers outlined their career trajectories and provided advice on identifying funding opportunities, finding mentors, and navigating challenges. Considerations that were identified included the need to plan purposely and engage in a variety of activities to support the desired career path, as well as the importance of opportunities provided by nontraditional pathways, which mentors can help identify. ECIs were encouraged to be persistent, leverage their resources, and apply for opportunities regardless of the odds.

Conclusion

OAR staff encouraged ECIs to contact [email protected] to connect with program officers and opportunities.