NIH Early Career Grant Programs

Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00):

Deadlines are October 12, February 12, and June 12. The primary, long-term goal of the Pathway to Independence (PI) Award program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented NIH-supported independent investigators.  The PI award program is designed to facilitate a timely transition from a mentored postdoctoral research position to a stable independent research position with independent NIH or other independent research support at an earlier stage than is currently the norm. Participating Organizations:  More than 20 NIH institutes, centers, and offices participate in the K99/R00 program.  Because individual program requirements vary considerably, prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the NIH’s Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts to make sure that their application is responsive to agency requirements.

Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01):

Deadlines are October 12, February 12, and June 12. The purpose of the NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) is to provide support and “protected time” (three, four, or five years) for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence. Although all of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) use this support mechanism to support career development experiences that lead to research independence, some ICs use the K01 award for individuals who propose to train in a new field or for individuals who have had a hiatus in their research career because of illness or pressing family circumstances. Other ICs utilize the K01 award to increase research workforce diversity by providing enhanced research career development opportunities.  Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the NIH’s Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts to make sure that their application is responsive to agency requirements.

Independent Research Scientist Development Award (K02):

Deadlines are October 12, February 12, and June 12. The purpose of the K02 program is to foster the development of outstanding scientists and enable them to expand their potential to make significant contributions to their field of research. The K02 award provides salary support and protected time for newly independent scientists who can demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus as a means of enhancing their research careers.  Each independent scientist career award program must be tailored to meet the individual needs of the candidate. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant Institute or Center (IC) staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information.

Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08):

Deadlines are October 12, February 12, and June 12. The primary purpose of the NIH K08 program is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that have a significant impact on the health-related research needs of the Nation.  This program represents the continuation of a long-standing NIH program that provides support and “protected time” to individuals with a clinical doctoral degree for an intensive, supervised research career development experience in the fields of biomedical and behavioral research, including translational research.  Individuals with a clinical doctoral degree interested in pursuing a career in patient-oriented research should refer to the NIH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23). Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant NIH staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information.

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award:

Deadline is October 16. The NIH Director’s New Innovator (DP2) Award initiative supports a small number of early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative new research approaches that have the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important problems in biomedical and behavioral research. The New Innovator Award initiative complements ongoing efforts by NIH and its Institutes and Centers to fund early stage investigators through R01 grants, which continue to be the major sources of NIH support for early stage investigators.  Applicants must meet the definition of an Early Stage Investigator (ESI). An ESI is a new investigator (defined as a PD/PI who has not competed successfully for a significant NIH independent research award) who is within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or is within 10 years of completing medical residency (or the equivalent).

NIH Director’s Early Independence Award:

Deadline for 2016 to be announced in fall 2015. The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award supports exceptional early career scientists with the intellect, scientific creativity, drive, and maturity to flourish independently by bypassing the traditional post-doctoral training period.  To be eligible, candidates must be within one year (before or after) of completion of their terminal degree or clinical residency at the time of application. Moreover, since each institution may submit only up to two applications, candidates must be chosen by FIU through an internal institutional selection process.  Please contact Maureen Pelham, Director for Research Development for more information.