Henry Khachaturian, Ph.D.Email: hk11b@nih.gov

Training Program Policy OfficerDivision of Biomedical Research Workforce

Office of Extramural Programs

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Navigating NIH Programs to Advance Your Career

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National Institutes of Health

NIH is made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, each with a specific research and research training agenda, focusing on particular diseases or body systems.

Research Project Grants:53.0%

Intramural Research:

10.0%

R&D Contracts:11.0%

Research Centers:

10.0%

Career Dev. 2.0%

Other Research:3.5%

All Other:2.0%

Research Mgmt & Support:

5.0%

Research Training:

2.5%

Training: $762,071

Career: $614,794Total: $1,376,865

Training: $762,071

Career: $614,794Total: $1,376,865

NIH Budget Office: http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/index.htm

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FY 2015 Budget: $30,559,349

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Advice for Navigating NIH Programs

Review Institute/Center priorities and goals. Each IC has a research training and career development program.

Learn the NIH application and review process

Identify the specific grant programs offered by each Institute/Center – NIH Guide

Make early contact with program officers

Find innovative, well-respected mentors and collaborators

Study successful grant applications

Propose your best and most creative ideas

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https://researchtraining.nih.gov

NIH Research Training Website

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Career Path Funding Options

T32, T35

F30, F31

K01, K25

K22

K99

K12/KL2

R03, R21, R01, P01, P50

R00

Loan Repayment Programs

Diversity Supplements

Re-Entry Supplements

F32

K02, K24

T32R25

Postdoctoral Training/Clinical

Residency

Predoctoral/ Clinical Training

Early Research

Career

K08, K23

Established Investigator

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Predoctoral/Clinical Training

T32, T35

F30, F31

Predoctoral/ Clinical Training

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Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA)

• Goal 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.

• Institutional Training Programs:

– Awards to an institution to support research training activities for students selected by the institution.

– Requires a program director and experienced faculty to serve as mentors.

• Individual Fellowships:

– Awards for combined clinical and research doctoral degree training.

– Awards for graduate students working toward research doctoral degree.

– Both require an experienced mentor(s)

Dr. Kirschstein

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Common Features of National Research Service Awards

• Fellows and trainees are required to pursue their research training full-time—40 hours/week or as specified by the sponsoring institution.

• Stipends: Provided as a subsistence allowance for fellows and trainees to help defray living expenses during the research training experience.

• Tuition and Fees: NIH will contribute to the combined cost of tuition and fees at the rate in place at the time of award.

• Institutional Allowance (F) or Training Related Expenses (T): Help defray expenses such as health insurance, research supplies, equipment, books, travel to scientific meetings, etc.

F-Kiosk: https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/fellowships

T-Kiosk: https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/training-grants

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Institutional NRSA Predoctoral Research Training Program

• T32: Training programs to prepare qualified individuals for careers that have a significant impact on the health-related research needs of the Nation.

• T35: Short-term training programs to expose medical/clinical students to research and encourage them to pursue research careers.

• Training grants are restricted to domestic (U.S.) institutions.

• Trainees must be citizens, non-citizen nationals, or lawfully admitted for permanent residence by the time of appointment.

• Trainees are eligible for a combined total of 5 years of NRSA support; 6 years if pursuing dual research-clinical degree.

• Training in basic and/or clinical biomedical or behavioral research.

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Individual Predoctoral NRSA Fellowship

• F30: Supports predoc fellows during clinical and graduate training leading to a combined doctoral degree, e.g., MD/PhD, DDS/PhD.

– Matriculated no more than 48 months prior to initial application, and must have identified a dissertation research project and sponsor.

– At least 50% of the award period must be devoted to full-time graduate research training leading to the research doctoral degree.

• F31: Supports promising research doctoral candidates who have identified a mentor and will be performing dissertation research.

• Diversity F31 program supports individuals from groups underrepresented in the biomedical or behavioral sciences.

• NRSA fellowships may be at domestic (U.S.) or non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions.

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Predoctoral/Clinical Training Postdoctoral Training/Clinical Residency

DP5 DP5

Postdoctoral Training/ Clinical

Residency

Predoctoral/ Clinical Training

Early Career

Early Career

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NIH Director's Early Independence Award Program

• DP5: Supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their research doctoral degree or clinical residency

• Bypass the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerate entry into an independent research career.

• At the time of application, the individual must be within 12 months before or after receiving a research doctoral degree or completing clinical residency.

• The awardee is expected to be competitive for continued funding of his/her research program and for a permanent research position.

• Awards are up to $250,000 in direct costs each year for 5 years, plus applicable indirect costs.

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Postdoctoral Training/Clinical Residency

K01, K25

K22

K99 R00

F32

T32

Postdoctoral Training/Clinica

l Residency

Early Career

K12/KL2

R25

K08, K23

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Institutional NRSA Postdoctoral Research Training Program

• T32: Provides a strong foundation in research design, methods, and analytic techniques to enhance the trainees’ ability to conceptualize research problems with increasing independence.

• Enhancement of the trainees’ understanding of the health-related sciences and the relationship of their training to health and disease.

• Clinicians must devote their time to the proposed research training and must confine clinical duties to those that are an integral part of the research training experience.

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Individual Postdoctoral NRSA Fellowship

• F32: Supports highly promising applicants during their mentored postdoctoral training under the guidance of outstanding faculty sponsors.

• Fellows must have a research or clinical doctoral degree from an accredited domestic (U.S.) or foreign institution.

• Integrated program of research and training to enhance the individual’s potential to develop into a productive, independent researcher.

• Training plan should document the need for, and the added value of, the proposed mentored training in relationship to the individual’s research career goals.

• Training plan should facilitate the Fellow’s transition to the next stage of his/her career.

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Research Career Development Awards

• Goal is to help develop a diverse pool of highly trained scientists, in appropriate scientific disciplines, to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.

• Institutional Career Development Programs:

– Awards to an institution to support career development activities for appointees (scholars) selected by the institution.

– Requires a program director and experienced faculty to serve as mentors.

• Individual Career Development Programs:

– Applicant scholars must identify a mentor at a domestic (U.S.) institution.

– Mentor must be well-funded and have significant experience in helping advance the career of the scholar.

– Significant institutional commitment is critical to success of application.

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Common Features of Research Career Development Awards

• By the time of award/appointment, candidates must be citizens, non-citizen nationals, or lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S.

• Awardees/appointees must have a research or clinical doctoral degree from an accredited domestic (U.S.) or foreign institution.

• Awardees or appointees must have a full-time appointment at the institution, and must commit a minimum of 9 person-months (75% of full-time professional effort) to research career development.

• Former PD/PIs on major NIH research grants (e.g., R01), other career development awards (K–awards), or the equivalent are not eligible.K-Kiosk: https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/career-development

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Institutional Mentored Research Career Development Awards

• K12/KL2: Institutional program to support highly promising candidates (scholars) who are training for careers in specified research areas of interest to one or more NIH Institutes and Centers.

• Provides institutions with a greater capacity and flexibility for preparing clinically-trained scientists for independent research careers.

• Requires an experienced program director with both research and administrative experience, and highly competent faculty to serve as mentors.

• Individualized and intensive supervised research experiences and career development guidance for scholars selected by the grantee institution.

• It is expected that scholars will apply for own individual mentored career development award, e.g., K08, K23.

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Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award

• K01: Supports an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical or behavioral sciences leading to research independence.

• Provide salary and research support for up to 5 years of protected time under the guidance of an experienced mentor, or sponsor.

• It is expected that the awardee will launch an independent research career and become competitive for new research project grant, e.g., R01.

• Some Institutes/Centers use the K01 for individuals who propose to train in a new field or those who have had a hiatus in their research career.

• Some Institutes/Centers utilize the K01 award to increase research workforce diversity.

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Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award

• K08: Supports protected time for individuals with clinical doctoral degrees for an intensive, mentored research career development experience.

• Supports translational research—application of basic research discoveries toward the diagnosis, management, and prevention of human disease.

• Can support candidates with different levels of prior research training and at different stages in their mentored career development.

• Candidates with limited experience may propose a period of didactic training followed by a period of closely supervised research experience.

• Candidate with previous research experience and training may use the award to support a career development experience that focuses transitioning to an independent position.

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Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award

• K23: Supports career development of investigators who have made a commitment to Patient-Oriented Research (POR).

• Supports protected time to help develop a cadre of well-trained scientists conducting NIH-supported POR.

• Encourage research-oriented clinicians to develop independent research skills and gain experience in advanced methods and experimental approaches needed to become independent investigators.

• POR is defined as research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator directly interacts with human subjects. This area of research includes:

– mechanisms of human disease, therapeutic interventions, clinical trials, and development of new technologies.

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Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award

• K25: Supports investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has thus far not been focused primarily on questions of health and disease.

• Candidates must have an advanced degree in a quantitative area of science or engineering, e.g., M.S.E.E., Ph.D., D.Sc., etc.

• Provides a unique opportunity for candidates holding degrees in quantitative science or engineering to embark on special study, including course work, seminars, meetings, and mentored research.

• Encourages research-oriented quantitative scientists (e.g., mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, imaging science, informatics, physics, chemistry) and engineers with little or no experience in biomedicine to conduct basic or clinical research.

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Career Transition Award

• K22: Facilitates the transition of investigators from the mentored stage of career development to the independent stage, typically transition from postdoctoral training to independent (e.g., assistant professor) position.

• Supports protected time (75%) in 2 distinct phases:

– Phase 1: Mentored, may or may not be affiliated with an institution. Some Institutes/Centers require NIH Intramural experience.

– Phase 2: Independent investigator with own lab and little to no teaching, clinical, and/or administrative responsibilities.

• Some Institutes/Centers support only the independent phase of the award.

• Transition to the independent phase requires administrative review.

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Pathway to Independence Award

• K99/R00: Facilitates a timely transition from a mentored postdoctoral research position to a stable independent research position with independent NIH research support at an earlier stage than is currently the norm.

• There is no U.S. citizenship requirement for K99 applicants.

• Supports protected time (75%) in 2 distinct phases:

– K99 (Phase 1): Mentored, must be affiliated with an institution. Some Institutes/Centers also support NIH Intramural postdocs.

– R00 (Phase 2): Independent (tenure-track or equivalent) with own lab and little to no teaching and/or clinical responsibilities.

• Transition to the independent phase (R00) requires administrative review.

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Early Research Career

R03, R21, R01, DP2

R00

K08, K23

Early Research

Career

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New and Early-Stage Investigators

• Definition of New Investigator: An individual who has not previously competed successfully for a significant NIH independent research award, other than the following awards:

– Research Project Grants: R00, R03, R15, R21, R25, R90, (RL9, RL5), R34, R36, (R41, R43), R55, R56, SC2, SC3

– All training Grants: T32, T34, T35, T90, D43

– All Fellowships: F awards

– Mentored Career Awards: All individual and institutional mentored K awards

– Loan repayment contracts: L30, L32, L40, L50, L60

– Instrumentation, Construction, Education, Health Disparity Endowment Grants, or Meeting Awards: G07, G08, G11, G13, G20, R13, S10, S15, S21, S22

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New and Early-Stage Investigators

• Definition of Early-Stage Investigator: An individual who qualifies as a New Investigator and is within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or is within 10 years of completing medical residency.

• Early-Stage Investigator Applying for R01 or DP2 grants:

– Receive special attention at Review (career stage) and at National Advisory Council (high program priority).

– No imposed reductions in duration and amount of awards (beyond the recommendations of the initial review group).

– Increased payline for scored R01 applications from Early-Stage Investigators.

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Small Grant Program

• R03: Provides limited funding for a short period of time to support a variety of types of projects, including:

– Pilot or feasibility studies

– Collection of preliminary data

– Secondary analysis of existing data

– Small, self-contained research projects

– Development of new technology, etc.

• Limited to two years of funding, and grants are not renewable.

• Direct costs generally up to $50,000 per year.

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Academic Research Enhancement Award

• R15: Supports small-scale research projects conducted by faculty and students at educational institutions that have not been recipients of major NIH research grant funds.

• The goals of the program are to: (a) support meritorious research; (b) expose students to research; and (c) strengthen the research environment of the institution.

• The project period is limited to 3 years, and grants are renewable.

• While preliminary data are not required, it may be provided as appropriate.

• Direct costs are limited to $300,000 over the entire project period.

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Exploratory/Developmental Research Award

• R21: Encourages new, exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early stages of project development.

• Sometimes used for pilot and feasibility studies.

• Preliminary data are not required but may be included if available.

• Limited to up to two years of funding.

• Combined budget for direct costs for the two year project period usually may not exceed $275,000.

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NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

• DP2: Supports early-stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative new research approaches that have the potential to produce a major impact in biomedical and behavioral research.

• Applicants must hold an independent research position at a domestic (U.S.) institution as of September 1 of the fiscal year of the competition.

• Complements ongoing efforts by NIH to fund early-stage investigators through R01 grants.

• Awardees are required to commit at least 25% of their research effort each year to activities supported by the New Innovator Award.

• Awards are up to $300,000 in direct costs each year for 5 years, plus applicable indirect costs.

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Established Investigator

K02, K24

Established Investigator

R01/U01, P01, P50/U54, T32, K12

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Awards for Established Investigators

• R01/U01: Supports discrete, specified projects to be performed by the PD/PI in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies.

• P01: Supports broadly based, multidisciplinary, often long-term research programs which have a specific major objective or a basic theme.

• P50/U54: Supports full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort.

• T32: To enable institutions to train individuals selected by them for predoctoral and/or postdoctoral research training in specified areas.

• K12: To support newly trained clinicians appointed by an institution for development of independent research skills and career progression.

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Independent Scientist Award

• K02: Fosters the development of outstanding scientists and enables them to expand their potential to make significant contributions to their field of research.

• For newly independent scientists who can demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus as a means of enhancing their research careers.

• Must have independent grant support as Principal Investigator (e.g. R01).

• Each independent scientist career award program must be tailored to meet the individual needs of the candidate.

• The sponsoring institution must demonstrate a commitment to provide the environment, resources and the protected time required for the candidate to accomplish the proposed research and career plans.

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Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient Oriented Research

• K24: Supports mid-career health-professional doctorates (MD, or equivalent) who are typically at the associate professor level to:

– Devote more time to augment their capabilities in Patient-Oriented Research (POR); and

– Provide mentoring to new clinical investigators in the conduct of POR.

• Typically associate professors, but can continue to support those promoted to full professor.

• Must have independent grant support as Principal Investigator (e.g. R01).

• It is expected that award recipients will obtain new or additional independent funding for POR.

Useful NIH Websites

NIH Institutes and Centers: http://www.nih.gov/icd/ Grants and Funding Opportunities:

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/ Research Training Opportunities: https://

researchtraining.nih.gov/index Forms and Applications:

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm Electronic Submission of Applications:

http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/ Grants Policy and Guidelines:

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (the NIH Guide)

http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html

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