The NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is for promising postdoctoral scientists seeking to complete needed, mentored research career development that will facilitate their timely transition to an independent, tenure-track or equivalent, faculty position. The K99/R00 Award provides up to 5 years of grant support consisting of two phases: the Mentored Phase (K99) supports 1-2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training; the Independent Research Phase (R00) is a research project grant for up to 3 years, contingent on the scientist securing an independent, tenure track faculty position. It is expected that Pathway to Independence Award recipients will be positioned to submit an application for independent NIH Research Project Grant support (e.g., R01 or R35 MIRA for early-stage investigators) during or following completion of the Independent Research Phase (R00) period. The Pathway to Independence Award is limited to postdoctoral trainees who propose research relevant to the mission of one or more of the participating NIH institutes and centers.

NIGMS participates in the K99/R00 program through the following notice of funding opportunity (NOFO):

• PA-24-194: NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the specific requirements and eligibility detailed in the NOFO and email nigmsk99@nigms.nih.gov to confirm mission fit and eligibility before applying for an award.

The NIGMS expects that applicants seeking the K99/R00 award are postdoctoral scientists in biomedical science who require at least 12 months of mentored research training and career development to become a competitive candidate for an independent faculty position. This typically means acquiring and gaining skills with new research tools, systems or methodological approaches and organizational and management skills critical for an independent research career in an academic setting. Applicants should understand that the K99/R00 award supports both research project aims and career development objectives with both elements considered in review of the application.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply no later than the third year of their postdoctoral training to ensure awardees receive maximum benefit from the K99 phase of the award and to make a timely transition to their independent research program. Awardees must complete at least 1 full year of mentored training under the K99 phase before transitioning to the R00 phase.

As stated in the NOFO, "Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program." If an applicant achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99, nor the R00 will be awarded.

The K99 is not intended to extend time in the postdoctoral lab for an individual that is competitively prepared for an independent faculty position. Individuals nearing the end of their four-year eligibility must make a strong case for the need for additional mentored training.

For more information on the Pathway to Independence Award, see the NIH Pathway to Independence Award page, and the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (PA-24-194 for Parent Award). This Frequently Asked Questions page may also be useful.

Before preparing an application for NIGMS, each investigator is strongly encouraged to contact K99 NIGMS staff (nigmsk99@nigms.nih.gov) to discuss their potential application. In some cases, the applicant may discover that there are other options for their specific situation.

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the initial or the subsequent Resubmission application. Eligible principal investigators include promising postdoctoral candidates who have terminal clinical or research doctorates including the Ph.D., M.D., D.O., Pharm.D., D.C., N.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., Sc.D., D.N.S. or equivalent. NIGMS will not use K99/R00 awards to support individuals who already have faculty appointments — including assistant professor, clinical assistant professor, research assistant professor and instructor — or their equivalent in academia, industry or elsewhere.

A candidate for these awards may not simultaneously submit or have an application pending for any other NIH career award (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K22, K23, K25) or any PHS award that duplicates any of the provisions of the Pathway to Independence Award. Ineligible individuals include current and former principal investigators on NIH research project grants, comparable individual career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25) or equivalent non-PHS peer-reviewed research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or project leaders on subprojects of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants or similar awards.

Exceptions to the Four-Year Limit

Consistent with the NIH Extension Policy for Early Stage Investigator Status (ESI), NIH will approve an extension of one year for childbirth within the 4 year K99 eligibility window. Applicants who will be PD/PIs on a K99 application must provide the child's date of birth in the extension request justification submitted to IC program officials and/or scientific/research contacts listed in the NOFO at least 12 weeks before submitting an application.

In addition, parental, medical, military, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations of generally less than 12 months duration is typically not included in the 4-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 4-year limit. Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly.

In unusual circumstances, exceptions to the 4-year limit may be approved. An exception may be considered when a significant change in fields of study has occurred, such as moving from physical science to life science research, or when a significant break in training has occurred as a result of family responsibilities. Such unique exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants seeking an extension of the 4-year eligibility window must contact relevant NIGMS staff at least 8 weeks before submitting the application to discuss their case for extension. In a cover letter submitted with the final K99/R00 application, the investigator should include an explanation of the special circumstances of their career training that warrants consideration for an exception and indicate NIH approval for an eligibility extension.

Please refer to the NIH Extension Policy for Eligibility Window for Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00).

Mentored Phase (K99) Costs

The total cost per year for the initial mentored phase may not exceed $125,000. Salary is limited to $75,000 plus applicable fringe benefits (consistent with effort committed to the award and institutional compensation policies) and up to $25,000 for research support costs for a 12-month budget period. Candidates (intramural or extramural) are required to commit a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort (9 calendar months) to pursue their career development and research experience during the mentored phase.

Independent Phase (R00) Costs

The total cost for the independent investigator phase may not exceed $249,000 per year. This amount includes directs costs (personnel, research and other expenses) and applicable facilities and administrative costs. For NIGMS, total costs for equipment are limited to $50,000 in the R00 phase. Grantees are required to commit 75% of their total effort to establish their entire research program conducted during the R00 phase.

Activating the Independent Phase (R00)

The transition to the independent phase (R00) is contingent on the K99 recipient's scientific and career development progress and receiving and accepting an offer of a tenure track faculty or equivalent position. Transition from the mentored phase to the independent phase is intended to be continuous in time but may occur at any time after the first year of the K99 phase or within one year after completing the K99 phase.

The activation of the R00 phase is not automatic but requires prior approval from the NIGMS. Therefore, the K99 recipient should not accept an offer for a faculty position without first consulting with their NIGMS program officer. Once it has been determined that the offer meets the requirements and expectations for the R00, the PI can accept the position and will receive approval from the NIGMS to submit the R00 application. The new extramural institution will submit an R00 application on behalf of the candidate using the PHS 398. PIs can submit their R00 application a couple of months after starting their new position. The R00 application is noncompeting and must include a letter from the department or division chair describing the institution's commitment to the candidate and supporting plans for establishing their research program and their career development. The R00 application will be reviewed by NIGMS program and grant administrative staff for completeness and responsiveness to the R00 program requirements before approval of the R00 award is made. See NOFO Section VI. Award Administration Information, Transition to Independent Phase for detailed expectations of the R00 application.

Funded Parent Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) Grants

Funding Decisions

In making funding decisions, NIGMS will give high priority to applications directly related to the missions of its divisions, with consideration of the significance of the research, technical merit, and the applicant's training and career development potential.

Applicant Inquiries

For more information about the Parent K99/R00 (PA-24-194), email nigmsk99@nigms.nih.gov.