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

The National Institutes of Health, through the Office of Acquisition on behalf of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is seeking contractors to deliver a two-year training program known as the Gateway to Research Opportunities for the Workforce (GROW) Program. This initiative targets high school and undergraduate students to build research capacity at contracting institutions and increase access to competitive research training pathways at R1 institutions and NIH Intramural programs. The program consists of a base twelve-month period with a twelve-month option, totaling no more than twenty-four months, and includes summer intensive programs of seven to eight weeks for both years, along with one-day enrichment activities in the fall and spring. The contract is a firm-fixed price arrangement requiring offerors to submit pricing in two volumes: a business volume containing a detailed, unmodified firm-fixed price structure for both the base and option periods, and a technical volume limited to thirty pages that must demonstrate alignment with the Statement of Work, including personnel qualifications, student recruitment and retention plans, curriculum schedules, sample lesson plans, program evaluations, and student tracking mechanisms. Institutions applying for the undergraduate track must meet mandatory eligibility criteria including the award of biomedical science degrees, receipt of less than six million dollars annually in NIH R01 funding over the past three fiscal years, and enrollment of at least twenty-five percent of undergraduate students receiving Pell Grants. The solicitation, issued under NAICS code 611310 and identified by number 75N98026Q00122, is unrestricted and not set aside for small businesses. Offerors must comply with a range of FAR clauses, including deviations for simplified acquisition terms, security prohibitions, subcontracting controls, and whistleblower protections, with explicit adherence to Section 508 accessibility standards for electronic information. Key personnel must have documented expertise in biomedical or clinical research, be available full-time during summer operations, and cannot be altered without the Contracting Officer’s prior written approval. Proposals must be submitted via email with the solicitation number and company name in the subject line, signed by an authorized representative, and must include all required representations and certifications. Payments will be processed through the Department of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform, tied to three-way matching and subject to a thirty-day payment window after invoice receipt or government acceptance. The contracting officer has sole authority over contract administration, and the Contracting Officer Representative will oversee technical progress, interpretation of the work statement, and inspection. All submissions must be received by June 29, 2026,