NIH Loan repayment part time job or volunteership

[ProfessionalStudent5]

Hello,
I was reading the guidelines to apply for the NIH loan repayment and it seems to state that qualified positions require you to do at least 20 hours of research. Has anyone ever applied to this loan repayment program without being fully employed by the entity that you are doing the research with. For example, I am primarily clinical, but I have been granted opportunities to work on research studies and I was wondering if it would be possible to apply for the loan repayment option if I put myself in a position to be added to a grant, or given a volunteership on a research study, or something of that nature as long as it attested to me doing 20 hours of research per week. Sorry if this was confusing, and thank you for the replies.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AlmostaPhD]

Hello,
I was reading the guidelines to apply for the NIH loan repayment and it seems to state that qualified positions require you to do at least 20 hours of research. Has anyone ever applied to this loan repayment program without being fully employed by the entity that you are doing the research with. For example, I am primarily clinical, but I have been granted opportunities to work on research studies and I was wondering if it would be possible to apply for the loan repayment option if I put myself in a position to be added to a grant, or given a volunteership on a research study, or something of that nature as long as it attested to me doing 20 hours of research per week. Sorry if this was confusing, and thank you for the replies.

I'm a former awardee and an LRP Ambassador, and my sense is that your research needs to be part of your regular employment because the purpose of the award is to assist folks who want research careers and will contribute to NIH-relevant research for years to come. However, you should check with the NIH contact person about the specifics of your situation.

In my case, my postdoc supervisor had to sign off quarterly on the fact that I was doing at least 20 hours/week on the research I described in my application, plus HR at the AMC had to attest to my employment in an eligible position and the fact that I had a contract so I would be engaged in that research for X amount of time. That seems more challenging in your position, but maybe it could work. In any case, 20 hours/week is a lot to commit outside of your regular job.

More info is available here: Frequently Asked Questions | National Institutes of Health | Division of Loan Repayment

I would highlight these parts:

Can I work for more than one nonprofit entity and still qualify?
Generally as long as your research is affiliated with your primary employer, your research is funded by a qualified domestic nonprofit entity, and you are conducting qualified research for a minimum of 20 hours per week averaged over the quarter. For example: You are an associate professor working 40 hours per week with 75% protected time for research. If in addition, you work 10 hours per week for a nonprofit, you would be eligible. However if you are an associate professor working 35 hours per week not engaged in research at the university and working for another nonprofit where you are engaged in 20 hours of research per week, you would not be eligible.

Can I conduct research on a volunteer basis for 20 hours per week and still qualify?
NIH strongly discourages volunteer research, but ultimately your eligibility would depend on the specific circumstances.