NIH Guide: NIDCD SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR THE NIH CAREER DEVELOPMENT (K-SERIES) AWARD PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

NIDCD SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR THE NIH CAREER DEVELOPMENT (K-SERIES) AWARD PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Release Date: April 27, 1999

P.T.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

This notice provides additional information to potential applicants on the
unique guidelines and award provisions of the career development programs
offered by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD). In addition to this notice, prospective applicants should
consult the relevant trans-NIH K-series program announcement (PA) referenced
below and the Form PHS-398 for instructions when preparing an application.

This notice replaces and supersedes the following NIDCD notice:

NIDCD Supplemental Information to the NIH Career Development (K Award) Program
Announcements, NIH Guide, Vol. 24, No. 32, September 1, 1995

It addresses the following trans-NIH PAs issued in the NIH Guide:

PA-95-050: Independent Scientist Award (K02) (issued on 04/28/95)
PA-95-053: Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08) (issued on
04/28/95)
PA-98-052: Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
(issued on 04/06/98)
PA-98-053: Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
(issued on 04/06/98)

These PAs may be accessed through the NIH website using the following URL
convention:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-XX-XXX.html (e.g., PA-95-050).

INDEPENDENT SCIENTIST AWARD (K02)

The K02 award provides five years of salary support to recently independent
scientists, having research support at the time the award is made, who
demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus (a minimum of 75
percent effort) in order to foster their career development as outstanding
scientists. Applicants for the K02 award must document within the application
that they will have peer-reviewed research support at the time of the award,
or are awaiting a funding decision on a submitted research grant application.
It is the policy of the NIDCD not to renew a K02 award beyond its original
period of five years. Scientists with firm salary support for their research
endeavors must demonstrate a compelling need for a K02 award (e.g., release
time from other duties for research).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The applicant must hold a doctoral degree and have demonstrated independent
research accomplishments at the time of application. Applicants will normally
have had at least five years of postdoctoral research experience, but not yet
be considered well-established in the research area of the K02 application.

ALLOWABLE COSTS

1. Salary

The NIDCD provides up to $50,000 per year of salary support, based on the
established salary structure at the applicant's institution for staff members
of equivalent qualifications, rank and responsibilities. When requested, the
NIDCD will provide fringe benefits based on the sponsoring institution's
established policies and on the proportion of the applicant's salary provided
by the K02 award. Salary support in currently funded Federal research grants
must be forfeited upon award of a K02 grant and cannot be rebudgeted to
another budget category on the research grant.

Research Development Support

The NIDCD will not provide support for incidental expenses related to research
and career development, such as tuition, fees, books, publication costs or
travel to scientific meetings.

MENTORED CLINICAL SCIENTIST DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K08) AND MENTORED PATIENT-ORIENTED RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K23)

The purpose of the K08 award and the K23 award is to foster the development of
clinically trained professionals into independent investigators in the
biomedical and behavioral scientific mission areas of the NIDCD. These awards
serve to facilitate the awardee's progression from mentored research status to
research independence, not to maintain a promising clinician-scientist in
postdoctoral training status. Candidates seeking to concentrate their
research career development on fundamental research should apply for a K08
award. Candidates seeking to concentrate their research career development on
"patient-oriented research," as defined in PA-98-052, should apply for a K23
award. The K08 and K23 awards provide for three, four or five years of
mentored research experience and specialized study tailored to individual
needs. The duration of the project period and the design of the career
development program will depend on the number of years of prior research
experience, and the need for additional experiences to achieve independence as
an investigator. At least 75% of the awardee's full-time professional effort
must be devoted to the program. In addition to the primary mentor, one or
more co-mentors may be designated. The role(s) of the mentor(s) in the career
development plan and the schedule for contact between the candidate and the
mentor(s) must be carefully described in the application. In order to
facilitate regular face-to-face contact within the mentoring relationship, the
primary mentor should be based at the applicant's home institution or at an
institution within a reasonable distance of the applicant's institution.

The K08 and K23 awards are not renewable beyond the original term of three,
four or five years. Furthermore, an individual is limited to one NIH mentored
career development award. The NIDCD generally strongly encourages K08 and K23
recipients who are successfully progressing in their career development
program to submit an application for independent research support through an
NIH research project grant mechanism during the latter years of their award.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The applicant should hold a clinical doctoral degree, have completed his/her
postgraduate clinical training and have secured employment in an academic or
nonacademic research institution prior to award of a K08 or K23. However, one
may submit an application during the final stages of his/her clinical
training. In certain cases, the NIDCD may consider an individual holding a
doctoral degree in a non-clinical discipline, but certified or licensed to
perform clinical duties, eligible for these career development awards.
Consult with the NIDCD staff member listed under INQUIRIES in such cases.
Individual holding dual clinical and non-clinical doctoral degrees are, of
course, eligible. At least one year of prior postdoctoral-level research
training is desirable before applying for the K08 and K23 awards. Individuals
holding positions of senior academic rank, such as associate professor or
professor, or the equivalent in nonacademic settings, are not eligible to
apply for these awards.

Individuals who are current or former principal investigators (PIs) on NIH
career development awards (K-series), research project grants (R01), FIRST
awards (R29), program project (P01) and center (P-series) grants, including
subprojects of multiproject grants, or the equivalent, are not eligible for
the K08 and K23 awards. However, recipients of small grants (R03), AREA
grants (R15) and exploratory/developmental grants (R21) remain eligible. The
NIDCD does not allow K08 and K23 recipients to maintain a concurrent PHS
research grant during the period of the career development award. Acceptance
of a PHS research grant award during this period will require that the K08 or
K23 be terminated. K08 and K23 recipients who are offered research support
for other Federal agencies or from private foundations should consult with the
NIDCD staff contact listed under INQUIRIES prior to accepting the non-PHS
award.

ALLOWABLE COSTS

Salary

The NIDCD contribution to the salary of the K08 and K23 recipient is geared to
the institutional salary structure for a full-time, 12-month staff appointment
as follows:

Institutional Base Salary NIDCD Contribution

Up to $50,000 100% of institutional base
$50,000 to $67,000 $50,000
$67,000 to the legislatively-imposed 75% of institutional base salary, up
to a maximum salary cap for PHS
grants, currently contribution of
$75,000
set at $125,900

Awardees are eligible for fringe benefits on the portion of the applicant's
salary provided by the K08 or K23 award. The amount of allowable benefits
will be based on the sponsoring institution's established practices.

Research Development Support

The NIDCD will generally provide up to $25,000 per year for the research
development expenses outlined in PA-95-053 and PA-98-052. However, when
strong justification can be provided, up to $50,000 per annum may be
requested.

If additional research development support is needed for the third, fourth
and/or fifth year(s) of a K08 or K23 grant already in progress and compelling
justification can be provided, additional support, not to exceed a total of
$50,000 per annum, may be requested from the NIDCD as an administrative
supplement application. The awardee should consult with NIDCD program staff
prior to submitting such an administrative supplement application.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Career Development Plan

In addition to the guidelines stated in PA-95-053 and PA-98-052, the NIDCD
requires that applicants describe a plan to complete a graduate-level didactic
course in biostatistics and research design during the first year of the
award, if such a course was not previously completed by the applicant.

Letters of Reference

Three sealed letters of reference addressing the candidate's potential to
develop into an independent investigator must be included with the
application. The mentor's statement within the application should not be
included as one of these letters, although the mentor(s) may submit a separate
letter(s) of reference.

Environment and Institutional Commitment

The sponsoring institution must provide a statement of its commitment to the
career development of the applicant within the body of the application,
including an assurance that the applicant will be able to devote the requisite
75 percent effort to the career development plan described in the application.

MIDCAREER INVESTIGATOR AWARD IN PATIENT-ORIENTED RESEARCH (K24)

The NIDCD will support established clinician-investigators who have attained
the rank of full-professor academic rank and have a record of Federal or
private research grant funding, past and present, and scientific
accomplishment in patient-oriented research who seek protected time to: 1)
enhance their research program and capabilities, and 2) mentor medical
residents, clinical fellows and/or junior clinical faculty in research.
Individuals holding the rank of associate professor who are under
consideration for full professorships by their university may submit a K24
application, but will not be funded until they attain the higher rank. Such
individuals are at a period in their careers when their research time has been
seriously challenged by the increasing demands of clinical service, teaching,
clinical training and administration. The award protects up to 50% of the
time of such individuals and allows them to become role models for newer
clinician-investigators during a period of research renewal. Applicants for
this career development award must present a compelling justification for the
need and utility of this mechanism for their continued career development in
patient-oriented research.

INQUIRIES

Consultation with NIDCD program staff is strongly encouraged prior to
submitting an application. Direct inquiries to:

Daniel A. Sklare, Ph.D.
Division of Human Communication
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Executive Plaza South, Rm. 400C, MSC-7180
6120 Executive Blvd.
Bethesda, MD 20892-7180 (regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (overnight/express mail)
Tel: (301) 496-1804
FAX: (301) 402-6251
Email: daniel_sklare@nih.gov

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