NIOSH Education and Research Centers
Supports academic institutions providing graduate training in occupational safety, hygiene, and medicine.
The NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERC) program, funded through T42 cooperative agreements under NOFO RFA-OH-25-002, supports academic institutions providing graduate and post-graduate training in occupational safety and health. NIOSH — the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, operating within CDC/HHS under a mandate from the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 — runs this program to fulfill the statutory requirement to maintain an adequate supply of qualified occupational health professionals. Up to 18 cooperative-agreement awards are anticipated under the current NOFO, with approximately $32 million per year in total program funds. New applicants receive a three-year support cycle; renewal applicants receive a five-year cycle. The next application deadline is October 22, 2026, with a letter of intent due 30 days prior.
ERC awards fund training programs in four core disciplines: occupational safety, industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, and occupational medicine. Eligible applicants are domestic higher-education institutions, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations — with universities serving as the primary award recipients. For-profit entities and individuals are not eligible. The scientific merit review for applications submitted by the October 2026 deadline is scheduled for February 2027, with Advisory Council review in May 2027. Project start dates for awards from that cycle are anticipated around July 2027. NOFO RFA-OH-25-002 is a multi-cycle reissue running through an expiration date of October 30, 2028, with additional submission windows in October 2027 and October 2028.
Because ERCs function as cooperative agreements, NIOSH program staff participate actively in grant oversight — a distinction from standard investigator-initiated grants. Institutions currently holding ERC awards under predecessor announcements should note the renewal track's five-year support period, which differentiates the competitive landscape for established centers versus new program applicants. A letter of intent, required 30 days before the October 22, 2026 deadline, is not evaluated for scientific merit but is used by NIOSH to plan review panels.
Graduate and post-graduate occupational safety and health workforce training at U.S. academic institutions through cooperative agreements covering industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, and occupational health nursing.
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