National Institute of
Mentored Career Development Awards in Clinical Research for Faculty in Areas Supported by NIGMS (K08, K23)
Program Goals and Objectives
NIGMS offers the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08) and the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) in the following areas to support the development of outstanding academic physician-scientists:
- Anesthesiology
- Clinical pharmacology
- Innate immunity and inflammation
- Sepsis
- Injury and critical illness.
These awards provide salary and research support for a period of 3 to 5 years. K08 and K23 candidates who have the commitment and potential to develop into productive, independent investigators are expected to participate in didactic study and/or intensive, supervised research career development experience. The awards support developmental experiences in either a laboratory or a clinical research setting. Candidates focused on patient-oriented research should consider the K23 funding opportunity which is intended to:
- Encourage research-oriented clinicians to develop research skills and gain experience in advanced methods and experimental approaches needed to become independent investigators conducting patient-oriented research;
- Increase the pool of clinical researchers who can conduct patient-oriented studies, capitalizing on the discoveries of biomedical research and translating them to clinical settings; and
- Support the career development of investigators who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research.
Candidate Eligibility
Eligible candidates must have an M.D. degree or its equivalent (Pharm.D., D.V.M., D.O., etc.), must have completed postgraduate clinical training and secured a full-time faculty appointment in an appropriate research-intensive environment, must identify a mentor with extensive research experience, and must be willing to spend a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort conducting research and research career development.
The following individuals are ineligible for K08 or K23 grants: 1) current and former principal investigators on NIH research project (R01), program project (P01), and center (P50) grants, 2) project leads of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants, and 3) recipients of other major individual career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K22, K23, K25, K76, K99/R00) or the equivalent. Because of the focus on progression to independence as a researcher, candidates should propose a period of development consistent with this goal and with their previous research and clinical experiences. Before submission, potential applicants should consult with NIGMS program staff to verify eligibility for this grant support.
Length of Support
The K08 and K23 project periods may be for up to 5 years, with a minimum of 3 years required. Awards are not renewable and are not transferable from one principal investigator to another.
Mentored career award recipients in the last 2 years of career award support may reduce effort on the career award to a minimum of 50 percent and hold concurrent support from their career award and a competing NIH research grant if they are recognized as a principal investigator or subproject director on the research project grant. This policy can be found in NOT-OD-08-065.
Budget
NIGMS will provide salary for the recipient at a maximum of $100,000 per year plus appropriate fringe benefits. The institution may supplement the NIGMS contribution up to a level that is consistent with the institution's salary scale; however, supplementation may not be from Federal funds unless specifically authorized. In addition, NIGMS will provide up to $50,000 per year to support tuition, fees, and books related to career development; supplies, equipment, and other research expenses; travel to research meetings or training; and statistical services, including personnel and computer time.
For more information about the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08), see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, (PA-24-182). For more information about the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23), see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (PA-24-184 - clinical trial required and PA-24-185 - clinical trial not allowed). Visit Contacts by Research Area for Program contacts for more information about either award.
