Individual Career Development

Scope Note

NIH career development awards (often referred to as the "K" series) provide support for mentored research career development experiences.

Purpose

Career development (K) awards are intended for investigators at earlier phases of their research career to enhance skills development and provide time for research and training activities in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences.

These awards typically provide three to five years of salary, mentored research support, and protected time under the guidance of an experienced mentor. 

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Search for Individual Career Development (K) Funding Opportunities
The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is NIH's official publication of notices of grant policies, guidelines, and funding opportunities.

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Grants Process

Ready to develop your application? Learn from a step-by-step guide.

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Review Criteria

To find the criteria reviewers will use to evaluate your application, see Section V of your funding opportunity.

Still looking for a funding opportunity? Check out the Career Development Parent Announcements, which are broad funding opportunities allowing applicants to submit investigator-initiated applications. Parent Announcements include the minimum standard review criteria appropriate for their program.

Programs by Career Stage

Postdoctoral refers to a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training for those who have received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue their chosen career path. Residency refers to a graduate medical education program that provides physicians with hands-on experience and training in a specific medical specialty after they graduate from medical school.

Stage at which investigator leads research programs in an academic, industry, or government setting with independent (often peer-reviewed) research funding and have delivered significant research outputs due to their experience and scientific quality.

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This page last updated on: September 19, 2024
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