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The MOSAIC program has three K99/R00 NOFOs:
Not all NIH Institutes and Centers participate in each of these Announcements. Applicants should carefully note which ICs participate in each announcement and view their respective areas of research interest and requirements at the Tables of IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts website. ICs that do not participate in this announcement will not consider applications for funding. Consultation with NIH staff before applying is strongly encouraged.
Answers to Questions Cover the Following Topics:
The purpose of the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program is to support a cohort of early career, independent investigators from diverse backgrounds, for example individuals from underrepresented groups, conducting research in NIH mission areas. The program has two components: an individual career transition award for postdoctoral scholars (K99/R00) and a research education cooperative agreement (UE5) awarded to organizations to provide these scholars with additional mentoring, networking and professional development activities to support their transition to and success in independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty careers.
Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria specified in the NOFO can apply.
Please refer to the NIH Extension Policy for Eligibility Window for Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00).
Individuals are NOT eligible if they:
Consistent with existing NIH practice and applicable law:
For the purpose of this announcement, organizations are encouraged to recruit prospective candidates from groups underrepresented on the national basis. In addition, because underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting, organizations should design a recruitment strategy to foster a diverse candidate pool based on the organization’s local context as well as national needs.
In addition to the strong research plan and a plan to foster independence, there are a few additional items to consider for prospective candidates:
No. One difference from the Parent K99/R00 Announcement is that MOSAIC awards are limited to US citizens and permanent residents. From the NOFO: “By the time of award, the individual 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).”
No. DACA recipients are not eligible for the MOSAIC K99, as DACA does not confer lawful permanent resident status or a path to citizenship. For NOFOs that do not have a citizenship requirement, such as the parent K99, DACA recipients would be eligible to apply.
Generally, the 4-year period begins when an applicant has completed all requirements to satisfy their doctoral degree (e.g., completed their dissertation defense).
All time spent in postdoctoral research training counts toward K99 eligibility.
Thus, time spent in a Ph.D. advisor's lab as a postdoctoral researcher after completing degree requirements typically counts toward the 4-year limit.
Yes. 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.
Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 4-year limit.
Please refer to NIH Extension Policy for Eligibility Window for Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00) and see NIH FAQs on K99 Extensions.
Applicants seeking an extension of the 4-year eligibility window must contact a Scientific/Research Contact at least 12 weeks before submitting the application.
Generally, it is good to provide information about your training in a table format (date, description, percent effort in lab) to help NIH effectively evaluate the request and the length of the extension. A sample format is below:
NIH no longer provides automatic extensions for COVID-19 related training disruptions.
In a cover letter with the application, the investigator should include an explanation of the special circumstances of their career training that warrants consideration for an exception from the 4-year limit.
Both the MOSAIC K99/R00 award and parent K99/R00 provide up to five years of support in two phases:
MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars are part of organized scientific cohorts and participate in mentoring, networking, and professional development activities coordinated by MOSAIC Organizational Research Education Awardees (UE5).
As with all K99/R00 awardees, MOSAIC scholars propose rigorous research and career development activities—and their mentors provide tailored career development plans—as part of their applications. Additionally, MOSAIC scholars have demonstrated meaningful contributions toward promoting broad participation in the biomedical research workforce (for example, furthering inclusive, supportive, and accessible biomedical research environments), and proposed well-developed plans for how those activities will be continued as an independent investigator.
Per the NOFO, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply no later than the third year of their postdoctoral training to ensure awardees receive maximum benefit from both the K99 phase of the award, and to facilitate a timely transition to independence. However, candidates can apply at any time during their eligibility window, as long as the time frame is well justified.
NIH encourages applicants to apply as early as possible to facilitate their career transitions. Because the program aims to support the career development of scholars early in their postdoctoral training, candidates who have not yet published a first-author manuscript during their postdoctoral training, but whose previous and current studies and future plans are likely to support a successful independent research career are encouraged to apply.
If you are concerned about publication record, there are a few options to consider:
The MOSAIC K99 application follows the page limits of other K awards (see: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/page-limits.htm#car). The one exception, the Description of Institutional Environment has a two-page maximum. Applicants should disregard the following warning message "The Description of Institutional Environment attachment on the PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form is limited to 1 page." This NOFO permits 2 pages for this attachment.
Biosketch instructions are available here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm. Please use the Non-Fellowship Biosketch.
Yes, the NIH Data Management and Sharing policy applies to all research that generates scientific data, including, K99 awards.
Be sure to follow all instructions in the SF424 Application Guide, "Other Plans" Section, including addressing all Elements of a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
Current MOSAIC UE5 Awardees are the:
NIH staff (i.e., MOSAIC K99/R00 program officers) assign scholars based on a range of factors including the type of research they are conducting as well as the capacity for the UE5 awardees to serve additional scholars.
All UE5 awardees provide comparable and high-quality professional development activities.
In the “Candidate’s Plan for Career Development/Training Activities During Award Period,” candidates should Identify one of the organizations the candidate would like to be affiliated with, and explain the reasons for the affiliation.
Typical UE5 Assignments for MOSAIC K99/R00 Scholars based on scientific disciplines include:
Yes. MOSAIC K99/R00 applications must include:
Highlight activities relevant to addressing underrepresentation within the biomedical research workforce within the United States and territories. Examples can include, but are not limited to:
Highlight the impact of past and present activities.
For future plans as a faculty member, describe activities that go beyond those considered a regular part of an individual's academic duties (for example, mentoring the trainees who are in the faculty member’s research group).
Describe planned activities during the career award to develop or enhance skills in working effectively with researchers and trainees from a wide variety of backgrounds.
As applicable, candidates may discuss how aspects of their personal background and lived experiences have motivated their pursuit of the activities or informed their plans to promote broad participation in biomedical research.
Applications lacking this attachment will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
No. The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. An individual may not have two or more competing NIH career development applications pending review concurrently. In addition, NIH will not accept:
Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria specified in the NOFO can apply. Previous application to the Parent K99/R00 does not impact your ability to apply for the MOSAIC K99/R00 program. Note, as you are applying for a new notice of funding opportunity, this would be considered a new application, not a resubmission (or A1).
Please consult the Tables of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts and email the relevant Scientific Contact with a specific aims page and biosketch to assess appropriateness of the proposal.
If you're a postdoc interested in the MOSAIC program, but your research falls within the mission of an NIH Institute that is not participating in the program (i.e., NCI), we encourage you to reach out to Dr. Kenneth Gibbs and Dr. Kalynda Gonzales Stokes to discuss your options.
MOSAIC K99/R00 applications will be reviewed by review panels organized by the Review Branches of participating ICs. Some Institutes and Centers use standing study sections to review their K awards, while others organize special emphasis panels. The name and contact information for the scientific review official (SRO) assigned to each application will be posted in the eRA Commons once the assignment has been made, and any review related questions can be directed to the assigned SRO.
MOSAIC K99/R00 applications use Standard Due Dates. A table summarizing this information is presented below.
Yes. The Scientific Review Officers of participating ICs will ensure that reviewers have the relevant expertise to review the application, bearing in mind that MOSAIC is intended to support a broad program of research and the breadth of research areas that are encompassed by the missions of participating ICs.
Rosters will be available 15 days before the study section meeting.
The review criteria are the same (Candidate, Career Development Plan/Career Goals and Objectives, Research Plan, Mentors, Environment & Institutional Commitment). In some cases, the wording has been modified to enhance clarity and ensure the candidate's record is evaluated relative to their years of experience. Additionally, there are review criteria to assess the activities to promote broad participation in the biomedical research workforce, and intentions to participate in the MOSAIC UE5 activities.
Yes. Appeals are allowed for PARs. For more information on appeals, see NOT-OD-11-064. Before beginning the appeals process, the applicant is strongly advised to speak with the program director responsible for the application.
Yes, if you still meet the requirements stated in the eligibility criteria of the NOFO, including having no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the Resubmission application.
As a reminder, the NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. Per the NIH resubmission policy, once your application has been reviewed, you must wait for the summary statement to be issued before you resubmit that application or submit any other application with substantial scientific overlap.
The summary statements for MOSAIC applications will be made available to the Advisory Councils of participating Institutes and Centers in the same way as for other applications.
Participating IC will notify applicants when to submit Just-in-Time information. This information will be requested for all applications under consideration for funding, but the request is not meant to imply a guarantee of funding the application.
Each IC will make funding decisions consistent with their priorities and missions.
For NIGMS, staff will carefully consider the study section and advisory council recommendations, including the scores and language in the summary statement, and Just-in-Time information. As with all funding decisions, NIGMS uses a multifactorial process that also considers the breadth of the Institute's research portfolio.
Investigators who contact Program staff will be provided feedback in the usual way on the reviews and their prospects for receiving a MOSAIC K99/R00 award. As always, staff cannot make any definitive statements until the plan to make an award is approved at an appropriate level. The Notice of Award is the only official notice of a government commitment to fund an NIH award.
Yes!
For the K99 Phase:
For the R00 Phase:
For more information on any of these supplement opportunities, please reach out to your program officer.
To activate the independent phase of the grant, individuals must have:
Note: Transition from the mentored phase to the independent phase is intended to be continuous in time and, except in unusual, extenuating circumstances, the awarding NIH Institute/Center will not extend the K99 phase beyond the 2-year limit. ICs may, at their discretion, make exceptions to this time limitation when individuals have been invited for faculty job interviews but final decisions have not yet been made by the potential R00 institution or, rarely, because of unusual, extenuating circumstances.
Each participating NIH Institute and Center has its own process. Contact the program officer and grants management official for the K99 award to discuss the transition process and timeline. General instructions are found in "Section VI. Award Administration Information" of the MOSAIC K99/R00 Notice of Funding Opportunity (see "Transition to the Independent Phase").
Candidates are required to devote no less than 75% of their full-time, 12-month professional effort to research (i.e., full-time for 9 person-months). That said, the required 9 person-months of research effort need not be devoted exclusively to the R00-supported research. Per the NOFO, the sponsoring institution must document that protected research time will be guaranteed (minimum of 9 person-months or 75% of the candidate's full time professional effort) at least for the duration of the R00 award.
The total cost for the R00 may not exceed $249,000 per year. This amount includes salary, fringe benefits, research costs, and applicable indirect costs. Indirect costs vary by institution and will impact the direct costs drawn from the grant.
Example: If the indirect cost rate is 50%, then the maximum direct costs are $166,000.
$249,000 (Total Costs) = $166,000 (Direct Costs) + $83,000 (Indirect costs, or 50% of the direct costs)
Yes.
The following types of organizations are eligible:
Awardee organizations must provide career development and mentoring activities aligned with and appropriate for the disciplinary backgrounds of scholars supported through the MOSAIC K99/R00 program. Areas of programmatic need will be indicated through Notices of Special interest (NOSIs) released annually by NIH. Applications that do not address the program areas of need specified in the NOSI will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.
Applications are especially encouraged from organizations with:
Applicants must be able to provide well-designed and appropriate mentoring, skills building, networking and professional development in one or more of the following scientific areas of program priority:
Applications that can broadly cover more than one of the areas above are also encouraged.
For more, see NOSI for the September 2024 receipt date is NOT-GM-24-025.
Yes. Multiple organizations can partner for a MOSAIC UE5 application, with one organization serving as Primary Performance Site Location. If multiple organizations partner for an UE5 application, follow all instructions for Consortium/Contractual Arrangements in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Yes. Current MOSAIC UE5 Awardees are the:
