K awards provide support for senior postdoctoral fellows or faculty-level candidates.
The objective of these programs is to bring candidates to the point where they are able to conduct their research independently and are competitive for major grant support. Current NIH policies require that, by the time of the award, applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen U.S. nationals, or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Please note that this requirement applies to all the mechanisms below, EXCEPT the K99/R00.
K01: Mentored Research Scientist Development Award
- Purpose: Supports 3 to 5 years of mentored research training experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences. NICHD accepts K01 applications for only three research areas: Rehabilitation Research, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Population Research.
- Eligibility: Those with a research or health professional doctorate
- View:
- NICHD and Other NIH Institute/Center-Specific Requirements for the K01 Mechanism: Select the “Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts” link within the parent announcement to find NICHD-specific information.
K08: Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award
- Purpose: Supports "protected time" for an intensive, supervised research career development experience in the fields of biomedical and behavioral research, including translational research
- Eligibility: Those with a clinical doctorate
- View:
- NICHD and Other NIH Institute/Center-Specific Requirements for the K08 Mechanism: Select the “Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts” link within the parent announcement to find NICHD-specific information.
K23: Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award
- Purpose: Supports 3 to 5 years of mentored research training experience in patient-oriented research
- Eligibility: Those with a health professional doctorate
- View:
- NICHD and Other NIH Institute/Center-Specific Requirements for the K23 Mechanism: (Select the “Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts” link within the parent announcement to find NICHD-specific information.
K25: Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award
- Purpose: Aims to attract to NIH-relevant research those investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has thus far not been focused primarily on questions of health and disease
- Eligibility: Those with a research or health professional doctorate and a background in engineering or quantitative sciences (e.g., mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, imaging science, informatics, physics, or chemistry)
- View:
- NICHD and Other NIH Institute/Center-Specific Requirements for the K25 Mechanism: Select the “Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts” link within the parent announcement to find NICHD-specific information.
K99/R00: Pathway to Independence Award
- Purpose: Two-stage award to support the final stages of postdoctoral training and to provide independent funding when the candidate secures a faculty position. This award aims to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented NIH-supported independent investigators.
- Eligibility: Those with a clinical or research doctorate and no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission
- View:
- NICHD and Other NIH Institute/Center-Specific Requirements for the K99/R00 Mechanism: Select the “Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts” link within the parent announcement to find NICHD-specific information.
Career Development Awards for Independent Investigators
IMPORTANT NOTE:
NICHD no longer participates in the K02 or K24 programs.
Career Development Award Resources
- NIH Information on Career Development Awards (K): This site provides a description of various career development awards, along with eligibility considerations and funding policies.
- Application Guides and Instructions: This page links to the different NIH application instruction sets. Applicants for Career Development Awards (K-series) should use the “Career Development Instructions.”
- Peer Review of K Applications: The NICHD Scientific Review Branch reviews applications for career development awards. View rosters for review panels.
- NIH Grants Policy Statement (GPS): The GPS outlines policies for all grant mechanisms at NIH, including fellowships, career development awards, and institutional training grants. The GPS is the ultimate resource for policy questions. Career Development (K) Award policies are in Chapter 12.
- FAQs about K Awards: Get answers to common questions about K awards in general and specific aspects of K awards.
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