The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Region 4 Professional Development Awards Year 5 Funded Extension Period (2026-2027) is open to eligible individuals affiliated with NNLM Region 4 member institutions in Colorado and eight other states. The program is administered by the University of Utah Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library using federal National Library of Medicine/NIH funds under Cooperative Agreement UG4LM013732.
Funding: Up to $2,500 per award; NNLM reports a minimum of 10 awards available. Awards are cost-reimbursable. The period of performance is July 15, 2026 through February 28, 2027.
Deadline: Applications are accepted and awarded on a rolling basis until January 2, 2027 at 5:00 PM Mountain Time or until funds are depleted. NNLM’s central funding listing expresses the same deadline as 7:00 PM EST. Source-control note: the same official Region 4 page contains an internally inconsistent Express Application instruction stating February 20, 2027 or earlier for online activities under $500. Because that date conflicts with the page’s Funding Summary and the central NNLM funding record, applicants using the Express route should confirm the operative deadline with Region 4 at reg4_funding@lists.utah.edu before relying on the later date.
Eligibility: Individuals must be affiliated with an NNLM Region 4 member institution. Region 4 includes Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Awards may be issued to member institutions or to eligible affiliated individuals. If an institution is reimbursed, Tax ID and UEI/SAM information may be required. Applicants must not begin an approved activity until the University of Utah completes and signs the required subaward or memorandum documentation.
Purpose and eligible activities: Funding supports professional development that strengthens health-data or health-information-access skills, builds capacity to deliver reliable health information, and advances NNLM/NLM goals. Examples include workshops, conferences and meetings in areas such as patient safety, biomedical information, informatics, health information access and data services; hosting continuing-education events or expert speakers; student professional-development activities in library/information science or health occupations; and qualifying online training. Budget categories may include registration or educational fees, travel, lodging, per diem and other justified costs. Online activities costing $500 or less may use the Express Application.
Match/cost share: No mandatory match or cost share is stated. Applicants should disclose other funding if it will support the proposed activity.
Restrictions and compliance: Human-subjects research is not permitted under this award. Speaker fees above $1,000 require sufficient justification. Web resources developed with award funds must meet applicable Section 508 accessibility requirements. Recipients have reporting and information-sharing obligations, and NIH/NLM acknowledgement, public-access, and data/training-material sharing rules may apply.
Submission: Applicants use the NNLM Region 4 Professional Development Application Template and submit the completed Microsoft Word application to reg4_funding@lists.utah.edu. Pre-award questions may be directed to John Bramble or region4@nnlm.gov.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 68/100. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. QC Healthcare/other Dr. Miltie fit: 0/100. The opportunity is legitimate healthcare-workforce and health-information capacity funding, but its small professional-development structure does not create a defensible N9+, remote physical examination, RPM/CCM/TCM, or clinical-device procurement pathway. Dr. Miltie should not be positioned as a technology vendor under this award.
Colorado applicant example: The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Strauss Health Sciences Library is a verified NNLM Region 4 member (NNLM ID 2256-O-13729) and is a strong institutional prospect for eligible staff/student professional development. Melissa De Santis is identified by NNLM as the member liaison. Provisional applicant Opportunity Score: 94/100. This is a fit identification only; no applicant-specific outreach is warranted because there is no legitimate N9+/QC commercial pathway.