NHLBI Loan Repayment Programs

NHLBI Loan Repayment Program — Extramural

Supports researchers through NHLBI loan repayment tied to sustained extramural work.

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRP) are congressionally established programs that recruit and retain health professionals in biomedical and biobehavioral research careers by repaying up to $50,000 per year of qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to conduct NIH mission-relevant research. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute participates in three of the five extramural LRP tracks: the LRP for Clinical Researchers, the LRP for Pediatric Research, and the LRP for Health Disparities Research (added 2019). NHLBI provides the highest level of Institute support to the NIH LRP among all participating Institutes.

The extramural program targets researchers working outside NIH, including trainees and fellows, who are conducting NHLBI-relevant research in heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. The FY2026 extramural cycle opened September 1, 2025, with a deadline of December 4, 2025, and awards starting July 1, 2026. The next FY2027 cycle is expected to open in September 2026, with a deadline approximately November 15, 2026, and awards starting July 1, 2027. Awards are individual rather than institutional — the health professional applies directly, not through an institution as a grantee entity.

Eligibility requires the applicant to be a qualified health professional who is a US citizen, national, or permanent resident, and who is conducting NHLBI-relevant research at an extramural institution such as a university, hospital, or nonprofit research center. For-profit entities cannot receive LRP awards. Applicants must demonstrate qualified educational debt and a commitment to conduct NIH mission biomedical research. Program administration is handled by the NIH Division of Loan Repayment (lrp@nih.gov); the program website migrated from lrp.nih.gov to grants.nih.gov/funding/funding-categories/lrp.