REVISION OF NIH CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANT MECHANISMS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 24, Number 15, April 28, 1995



P.T. 34



Keywords:

  Grants Administration/Policy+ 



National Institutes of Health



The program announcements that follow in this edition of the NIH

Guide for Grants and Contracts describe the six new career

development grant mechanisms (K-series) that replace the 14 previous

awards.  The new grant mechanisms have been developed to streamline

the system of career awards.  They do not change the instructions for

preparing career award applications as described in the Research

Career Development Awards section of the Public Health Service (PHS)

Grant Application Form (Form PHS 398) nor do they appreciably change

the eligibility of individuals for career award support.  They do,

however, simplify the career grant options so that prospective

applicants can more easily understand how these awards mesh with

their own career goals and can be used to enhance the development of

their research skills.



The new awards are organized by career level, the type of previous

training, and whether a mentor is required.  For example, the

Mentored Clinical Scientists Development Award (K08) provides support

for individuals with health-professional degrees who require an

intensive, supervised research experience that will lead to

independence as a researcher.  This award replaces four awards with

comparable provisions:  the Clinical Investigator Award (K08), the

Physician Scientist Award (K11), the Dental Scientist Award (K15),

and the Scientist Development Award for Clinicians (K20).  The

program announcement for the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development

Award (K08) will provide applicants with general information about

application characteristics and review criteria that are common

across most of the NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs).



Prospective applicants are advised, however, that some of the new

awards are not supported by all of the ICs, some of the ICs

selectively encourage career development in specific fields or for

individuals with previous training in specialized areas, and some of

the ICs offer different award provisions such as salary and research

expenses.  In some cases, an IC will issue a separate program

announcement (PA) or request for applications (RFA) to describe the

specific provisions or intent of their award.  Accordingly,

applicants are strongly encouraged to examine the list of

participating NIH institutes and centers for each program

announcement and to make contact with one of the individuals listed

at under the INQUIRIES section of each program announcement, prior to

developing an application.



The new awards are organized as follows:



o  MENTORED RESEARCH SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K01)--an award to

provide research scientists with an additional period of sponsored

research experience as a way to gain expertise in a research area new

to the applicant or in an area which would demonstrably enhance the

applicant's scientific career.  This award is generally reserved for

individuals interested in switching to a new research field, for

individuals who have interrupted their career because of illness or

pressing family care responsibilities, or for faculty at minority

institutions who wish to enhance their capacity for independent

research.  This proposed mechanism replaces the K01, K14, K17 and K21

mechanisms.



o  INDEPENDENT SCIENTIST AWARD (K02)--an award to support recently

independent scientists with outstanding potential to become future

leaders in biomedical, behavioral or clinical sciences.  This

proposed mechanism replaces the K02 and the K04 mechanisms.



o  SENIOR SCIENTIST AWARD (K05)--an award to support senior

scientists who are recognized leaders in the field.  This mechanism

is the same as the K05 mechanism.



o  ACADEMIC CAREER AWARD (K07)--an award to support individuals who

wish to develop expertise in a specific academic area or to support

acknowledged experts to develop curricula and research capacity

within an academic institution.  This mechanism is the same as the

current K07.



o  MENTORED CLINICAL SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K08)--an individual

award for clinicians who need an intensive period of mentored

research experience.  This proposed mechanism replaces the K08, K11,

K15 and K20 mechanisms.



o  MENTORED CLINICAL SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AWARD (K12)--the

program variant of the K08.  This award replaces the K12 and K16

mechanisms.



As mentioned above, not all of the NIH ICs participate in a regular

basis in each of these awards.  The following is a listing of the

currently participating ICs:



o  MENTORED RESEARCH SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K01) -- National

Institute on Aging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism, National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and

Skin Diseases, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of

Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health,

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National

Institute of Nursing Research, National Center for Human Genome

Research, National Center for Research Resources



o  INDEPENDENT SCIENTIST AWARD (K02) -- National Institute on Aging,

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National

Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute on

Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institute

of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Deafness

and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Dental

Research, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney

Diseases, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of

Environmental Health Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute, National Institute of Mental Health



o  SENIOR SCIENTIST AWARD (K05) -- National Institute on Alcoholism

and Alcohol Abuse, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National

Institute of Mental Health



o  ACADEMIC CAREER AWARD (K07) -- National Institute on Aging,

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National

Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases,

National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health

Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health



o  MENTORED CLINICAL SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K08) -- National

Institute on Aging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,

National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin

Diseases, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Child

Health and Human Development, National Institute on Deafness and

Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Dental Research,

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,

National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Environmental

Health Sciences, National Eye Institute, National Heart, Lung, and

Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, National

Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke



o  MENTORED CLINICAL SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AWARD (K12) --

National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Dental Research



Applicants should direct inquiries to one of the Institute or Center

contacts listed in the program announcement for each specific career

award.  If you need additional information about the policies and

procedures related to career awards or you need assistance in

identifying an appropriate contact, you may wish to write or call:



Dr. Walter Schaffer

Research Training and Special Program Office

National Institutes of Health

Building 31, Room 5B44

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-9743

FAX:  (301) 496-0166

Email:  ws11q@nih.gov



.

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