Notice Number: NOT-AI-19-071

Key Dates
Release Date: September 20, 2019

Issued by
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to inform potential applicants of a revision to the Eligibility Information in PAR-19-371, "NIAID Career Transition Award (K22 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)."

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Current language:

Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

By the time of award, the individual must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status).

Candidates for the K22 award must have a research or clinical doctorate (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD, or equivalent doctoral degree), or a combined research and clinical doctoral degree.

Individuals for the K22 award not affiliated with an organization may also apply (specific information is available for unaffiliated candidates).

Revised to read:

Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

By the time of award, the individual must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status

Candidates for this award must have a clinical or research doctorate (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD, or equivalent doctoral degree), or a combined clinical and research doctoral degree.

Individuals not affiliated with an organization may apply (specific information is available for unaffiliated candidates).

Individuals are NOT eligible if they:

• Have currently or previously held an independent research faculty or tenure-track faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry or elsewhere; or
• Have more than 5 years of related postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission; or
• Have been an independent PD/PI on NIH research grants (e.g. R01 or equivalent), NIH career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25), or other peer reviewed NIH or non-NIH research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or project leaders on sub-projects of program project applications (e.g. P01, U19).

Individuals are eligible for a K22 award if they have been, or currently are, the PD/PI of an NIH R03 or R21 grant or a PHS or non-Federal award that duplicates the specific aims or research goals of an R03 or R21 grant. Individuals are NOT eligible to apply if they have pending an application for any other PHS career development award, an NIH institute-specific K22, or a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00).

Some institutions appoint postdoctoral fellows in positions with other titles although they are still in non-independent training positions. Candidates in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that the position s/he is in compliance with the intent of this eligibility requirement.

The following is provided as an aid to distinguish independent from non-independent positions. However, it is not sufficient merely to cite one or more of the following items to document eligibility.

Evidence for non-independence may include:

• The candidate’s research is entirely funded by another investigator’s grants.
• The candidate’s research is conducted entirely in another investigator’s assigned space.
• According to institutional policy, the candidate cannot hire postdoctoral fellows or technical staff or be the responsible supervisor of graduate students.
• According to institutional policy, the candidate is not allowed to submit an application as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant application (e.g., R01).
• The candidate lacks other rights and privileges of faculty, such as attendance at faculty meetings.

Conversely, evidence for independence, and therefore lack of eligibility, includes:

• The candidate has a full-time faculty position.
• The candidate received a start-up package for support of his/her independent research.
• The candidate has research space dedicated to his/her own research.
• The candidate may attend faculty meetings, be the responsible supervisor for graduate students, and/or hire technical support or postdoctoral fellows.

Clinicians (including those with M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M. and other licensed professionals) in positions not designated as postdoctoral positions:

Following clinical training or fellowship training periods, clinicians often obtain a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research. A clinical faculty member who does not hold an independent research faculty position may be eligible for the K22 award and should contact the NIAID Scientific/Research Contact (see below) for guidance. Clinicians in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. Such individuals may also wish to consider other career awards (see K Kiosk) available for junior faculty development.

All other aspects of the FOA remain unchanged.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Shawn Drew Gaillard, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Telephone: 240-627-3857
Email: [email protected]