National Institute of
General Medical Sciences

ARC has two components: an institutionally-focused research education cooperative agreement (UE5) and an individual predoctoral to postdoctoral career transition award (F99/K00) to enhance diversity.

ARC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award (UE5)

ARC UE5 Notice of Funding Opportunity
PAR-23-221

The overarching goal of the ARC UE5 program is to provide ARC F99 fellows/K00 scholars with professional skills and the appropriate mentoring and networks to allow them to transition into and succeed in postdoctoral research and career development opportunities, positioning them to advance in impactful careers in the biomedical research workforce that typically require postdoctoral training (e.g., academic research and teaching at a range of institution types, industry or government research). To accomplish the stated overarching goal, this Notice of Funding Opportunity will support evidence-informed educational activities with a primary focus on Courses for Skills Development and Mentoring Activities.

The ARC Research Education Awards are intended to fund organizations that can provide robust mentoring and career development opportunities for ARC F99 fellows/K00 scholars to:

• Develop cohesive and mutually supportive cohorts that span the F99 to K00 award phases;
• Assist ARC scholars with identifying and obtaining postdoctoral positions with strong mentoring and scientific opportunities;
• Provide opportunities for ARC scholars to engage in career development activities that will foster their progression to and success in impactful careers in the biomedical research workforce that benefit from and utilize their postdoctoral training;
• Enhance the scientific and professional networks of ARC scholars beyond their local institutions;
• Identify and connect scholars with additional mentors who can facilitate appropriate career advancement and skills development;
• Provide skills development for scholars in areas such as grant application writing, communication, and mentorship;
• Engage primary research sponsors/mentors of ARC scholars to enhance mentoring relationships, and promote career development of the scholars; and
• Track and publicize outcomes (e.g., publicly available websites).

ARC Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award to Promote Diversity (F99/K00)

ARC F99/K00 Notice of Funding Opportunity
PAR-23-222

The purpose of the Advancing Research Careers (ARC) Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award to Promote Diversity (F99/K00) program is to support promising, late-stage graduate students from diverse backgrounds, for example those from underrepresented groups (see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity), to transition into and succeed in mentored postdoctoral research positions. It is anticipated that successful completion of this phased award program will position ARC scholars to advance in impactful careers in the biomedical research workforce that typically require postdoctoral training (e.g., academic research and teaching at a range of institution types, industry or government research). This two-phase award will provide support for late-stage graduate students pursuing research related to the mission areas of participating NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) to facilitate the completion of doctoral dissertation projects and research training (F99 phase), and to transition into and succeed in postdoctoral biomedical research and career development opportunities (K00 phase). ARC F99 fellows/K00 scholars will be part of organized cohorts and will be expected to participate in mentoring, networking, and professional development activities coordinated by ARC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award to Promote Diversity (UE5) recipients.

ARC F99/K00 Program Goals and Considerations

The F99/K00 award will provide up to 5 years of support:

• The initial phase (F99) will provide 1-2 years of support to complete Ph.D. research training, identify postdoctoral research mentor(s) distinct from their predoctoral sponsor(s), and work with these mentors to develop a postdoctoral research project. An individual who cannot provide a compelling rationale for at leas​t one year of additional mentored predoctoral research training at the time of award is not a strong candidate for this award.
• The second phase (K00) will provide up to 3 years of support for mentored postdoctoral research and career development. A K00 award will be made only to a candidate who has successfully completed the F99-supported training, secured an appropriate postdoctoral position, and provided a strong research and career development plan that will occur in a supportive research environment. Candidates are not required to identify a sponsor for the K00 phase at time of the initial F99/K00 application.
• The candidate's research interests should be related to the mission area(s) of one or more of the participating NIH ICOs. Candidates are strongly encouraged to reach out to the relevant Scientific/Research Contact(s) listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NIGMS contacts are listed below) to discuss the appropriateness of their application. Candidates whose research interests are outside these areas are encouraged to explore other NIH F99/K00 opportunities.

ARC F99/K00 Candidate Eligibility

The candidate must have a baccalaureate degree and be currently enrolled as a student in a mentored, biomedical Ph.D. or equivalent research degree program (e.g., Dr.P.H., Sc.D.) at a domestic institution, and should propose research relevant to the mission area of one or more participating NIH ICOs. By the time of award, the candidate must be:

• A citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status).
• At the dissertation research stage of training and expected to require 1-2 years to complete their Ph.D. dissertation research training (F99 phase) before transitioning to mentored postdoctoral research training (K00 phase).

Individuals from diverse backgrounds, for example those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities, are always encouraged to apply for NIH support (See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities). For the purpose of this NOFO, NIH encourages institutions to recruit prospective candidates from groups identified as underrepresented in the biomedical sciences (for example, see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity).

For more information about the ARC UE5 and K99/R00 Programs, please read the NOFOs, and contact Dr. Laurie Stepanek or Dr. Lameese Akacem.​

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