The National Institutes of Health invites applications from early and mid-career investigators (i.e. postdoctoral fellow/associates associate professor) who strive to expand their research trajectories through the acquisition of new knowledge and skills in the areas of therapeutic drug, biologic, or device development.
Donor Name: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/22/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $35,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
The overall goal of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of mentored and non-mentored career development award programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence and to support established investigators in achieving specific objectives. Candidates should review the different career development (K) award programs to determine the best program to support their goals.
The objective of the Career Enhancement Award for Experienced Investigators (K18) is to provide support for experienced scientists who either wish to broaden their scientific capabilities or to make changes in their research careers by acquiring new research skills or knowledge. The purpose of this NOFO is to provide such investigators with support for an intensive period of mentored research experience to acquire new research capabilities in research areas supported by the sponsoring NIH Institute(s)/Center(s). Such experiences will afford candidate investigators protected time to: enrich and expand their expertise and research programs through retooling in new techniques, emerging technologies, and/or scientific areas; and/or, redirect their research programs in new trajectories; and/or, catalyze research collaborations in new research directions. It is expected that this initiative will lead to new and/or augmented research programs competitive for NIH funding.
Program Objective
For the purposes of this NOFO, the following definitions apply:
- An Early-Career Investigator is a new investigator or assistant professor level individual who has completed their terminal research degree or medical residency—whichever date is later—within the past 10 years and has not yet competed successfully for a substantial, competing NIH research grant.
- A Mid-Career Investigator is at the Associate Professor level or functioning at that rank in an academic setting or equivalent non-academic setting with an established record of independent, peer-reviewed patient-oriented research grant funding and record of publications at the time of application
The objective of this Career Enhancement Award for Early and Mid-Career Investigators (K18) is to provide support for experienced scientists who wish either to expand their scientific capabilities or to change their research careers by acquiring new research knowledge or skills specific to small molecule, biologic, or device development. In addition to preparing the awardee to apply for future independent funding in areas beyond their current expertise, it is expected that this career development activity also will lead to new research collaborations that could be competitive for future NIH funding; particularly projects that are focused on the development of novel therapeutics and devices for the treatment of pain, addiction, and overdose.
Applicants are expected to identify one or more research mentors with relevant expertise in applicant knowledge-gap areas. The mentor(s) must be established, well-qualified, and willing to support the applicant’s short-term research career development experience. The candidate and the proposed mentor(s) should not currently have established, longstanding collaborations at the time of the application. Candidates are expected either to establish new collaborative arrangements or to strengthen and enhance relatively new or developing collaborations on a research project.
Novel skills that might result from mentored career development can be from the entire translational space for small molecule, biologic, or device development, such as: assay development, high-throughput screening technology, medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, advanced informatics, CMC, formulation, and toxicology needs assessments, risk assessment, benchtop models, in vitro models, in vivo models, cadaver testing, biocompatibility, shelf-life/stability, sterilization, leachables/extractables, electromagnetic compatibility, quality and data management systems, Phase I, II, III clinical trials, FDA regulatory requirements, human subjects protections, and data and safety monitoring. Notably, the application should describe a career development plan that will ensure a broad translational research experience, rather than focusing on one specific technical aspect of the translational process.
This short-term period (up to 12 months) of mentored research experience should expand the investigator’s current expertise and lead to new knowledge and skills and potential new collaborators. The research career enhancement experience may be conducted in a different department within the candidate’s home institution or in a different institutional setting from the location where the candidate holds their primary appointment. The research experience proposed must have the potential to augment the candidate’s research capabilities substantially and provide new research opportunities and benefits that would not be achievable through a collaborative research grant with the mentor(s). The research career enhancement experience should be tailored to the individual needs and level of experience of the candidate. The career enhancement plan may include a didactic academic enrichment plan, e.g., coursework, seminars, journal clubs, etc., and a small-scale research project or hands-on participation in an ongoing development project. The research project is expected to expand the candidate’s desired expertise with knowledge of translational science for small molecule, biologic, or device development. ICs participating in this NOFO may have specific interests.
Funding Information
- NIH will contribute up to $35,000 direct costs toward the research development costs of the award recipient, which must be justified and consistent with the stage of development of the candidate and the proportion of time to be spent in research or career development activities.
- The total project period may not exceed 12 months.
Uses of fund
These funds may be used for the following expenses: (a) tuition and fees related to career development; (b) research-related expenses, such as supplies, equipment, and technical personnel; (c) travel to research meetings or training; and (d) statistical services including personnel and computer time. Salary for mentors, secretarial and administrative assistants, etc. is not allowed.
Eligibility Criteria
- Higher Education Institutions
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
- The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
- Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
- For-Profit Organizations
- Small Businesses
- For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
- Governments
- State Governments
- County Governments
- City or Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
- Federal Governments
- U.S. Territory or Possession
- Other
- Independent School Districts
- Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
- Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
- Regional Organizations.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
