NIH Gateway to Research Opportunities for the Workforce (GROW) Program

• The NIH GROW program expects offerors to design a program for rising junior and senior high school students who intend to pursue a career in STEM-M (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine).
• For the high school track, eligible institutions must be situated near AI/AN communities and have an established relationship with members of the AI/AN community.
• Offerors are required to develop a program that includes a seven- to eight-week summer program, along with at least one enrichment activity in both the fall and spring. Both the summer program and enrichment activities should promote strong mentor/mentee relationships within the institution as well as provide opportunities for students to network with scientists in the local community. A comprehensive curriculum should introduce students to both clinical and basic research, key areas of biology such as neuroscience and mental health, professional development and career opportunities in biomedical research and STEM-M fields, as well as a Traditional Knowledge component that must be presented by a Native American community member or researcher.

The estimated period of performance shall include one 12-month base period and one 12-month option period. It is anticipated that this requirement is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

The NIH Office of Acquisition on behalf of NINDS anticipates awarding one, multiple or no fixed-price purchase orders from the solicitation with a base period and one option period.  There is no obligation for the NINDS to exercise any Option Period; NINDS may end the performance after the Base Period expires. It is also anticipated that the award(s) will be made in June/July of 2026.

Offerors are required to be registered with a Unique Entity ID (UEI) and active in the System for Award Management (SAM) for all awards when submitting an offer or quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from a solicitation.

Processing time should be taken into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not registered in SAM should consider applying for registration immediately upon receipt of this pre-solicitation notice. See FAR 52.204-7 System for Award Management (DEVIATION DATE) and https://www.sam.gov for information on registration.

This is NOT a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Request for Quotations (RFQ). A Request for Quotations (RFQ) will be available electronically and may be accessed through the Contract Opportunities on www.sam.gov 15 or more calendar days after the issuance of this pre-solicitation notice. THE SOLICITATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY ONLY. OFFERORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUTINELY CHECKING THE WEBSITE FOR ANY POSSIBLE SOLICITATION AND/OR AMENDMENTS THAT MAY BE ISSUED. NO INDIVIDUAL NOTIFICATION OF ANY AMENDMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which shall be considered by the agency.