Notice of Intent to Publish the Reissuance of Funding Opportunity Announcement NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)

Notice Number: NOT-OD-13-034

Update: The following updates relating to this announcement have been issued:

• October 22, 2013 - Updated Timeline for Late Resubmission (-A1) Applications to PA-11-197 "NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)".
• March 22, 2013 - See Notice NOT-OD-13-050. This notice of information on the reissuance of the K99/R00 Pathway to Independence FOA reiterates the major changes in the program, and provides additional guidance to prospective applicants concerning the deadlines for resubmission applications.

Release Date: February 7, 2013
Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: December 12, 2013
First Estimated Application Due Date: February 12, 2014
Earliest Estimated Award Date: December 2015
Earliest Estimated Start Date: December 2015

PA-11-197

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), with participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), intends to make significant changes to the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00) (PA-11-197), including reducing the application window from 5 to 4 years of postdoctoral research training experience. As a result, NIH will reissue PA-11-197 later this year for applications due February 12, 2014 and subsequently.

• Several modifications to the program (see below) were recommended by the Biomedical Workforce Task Force, a working group of the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH. This Notice is being published now to provide ample time for prospective applicants to plan in advance of the modifications in the K99/R00 program.

The primary purpose of the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented NIH-supported independent investigators. The program is designed to facilitate the timely transition of exceptionally talented postdoctoral investigators from mentored postdoctoral research positions to stable, independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions with independent NIH or other independent research support at an earlier career stage than is currently the norm.

The Biomedical Workforce Task Force recommendations that will be implemented when the K99/R00 program is re-issued include the following.

Program Implications:

• Candidates must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research training experience at the time of the initial application or the subsequent resubmission.
• Although the duration of postdoctoral training may vary across scientific disciplines, candidates must propose a plan for a substantive period of mentored training not to exceed 2 years.
• It is expected that K99 awardees will benefit from no less than 12 months of mentored research training and career development before transitioning to the independent, R00 phase of the program.
• Individuals who are close to achieving an independent faculty position, and cannot make a strong case for needing a minimum of 12 months of additional mentored training, are not ideal candidates for this award.
• If an applicant achieves independence prior to initiating the K99 phase, neither the K99 nor the R00 phase will be awarded.

Review Implications:

• Review criteria will be modified to encourage reviewers to evaluate the candidate’s potential to utilize the mandatory period of mentored (K99) phase training (no less than 12 months) effectively to advance to an independent position.
• Because the R00 research plan may be less well-developed for earlier-stage postdoctoral candidates, appropriate guidance will be provided to reviewers to modulate their expectations for the research plan for the independent (R00) phase of the program.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Please direct all inquiries to:

Rodney Ulane, Ph.D.
NIH Research Training Officer
Email: nihtrain@mail.nih.gov
Website: https://grants.nih.gov/training/extramural.htm