The NIH Pathway to Independence Award is an innovative program that provides an opportunity for promising postdoctoral scientists to receive both mentored and independent research support from the same award. The award provides up to 5 years of support consisting of two phases: the initial phase (K99) provides 1-2 years of mentored support to highly promising, postdoctoral research scientists. This phase is followed by up to 3 years of independent support (R00) contingent on the scientist securing an independent research position. Award recipients are expected to compete successfully for independent NIH R01 support during the career transition award period. The PI Award is limited to postdoctoral trainees who propose research relevant to the mission of one or more of the participating NIH institutes and centers (see http://www.nih.gov/icd/).
For more information on the Pathway to Independence Award, go to the NIH Pathway to Independence Award Web page or see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts December 12, 2008 (PA-09-036).
The NIGMS encourages postdoctoral trainees to apply by their third year of postdoctoral training. Awardees must complete at least one full year of mentored training under the K99 phase before transitioning to the R00 phase. Individuals, who already have extensive postdoctoral training and expect to transition to an independent position in less than one year, may not be appropriate for this grant mechanism. In making funding decisions, the NIGMS will give high priority to applications directly related to the missions of the five Institute divisions and centers. New K99 awards are generally made from April through September. Before preparing an application, each investigator is encouraged to contact NIGMS staff to discuss the potential application. In some cases, the applicant may discover that there are better options for his/her specific situation.
Applicant Eligibility
Eligible principal investigators include outstanding postdoctoral candidates who have terminal clinical or research doctorates including the Ph.D., M.D., D.O., Pharm.D., D.C., N.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., Sc.D., D.N.S. or equivalent and no more than 5 years of postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission(s). NIGMS does not intend to use this award to support individuals who already have faculty appointments—including assistant professor, clinical assistant professor, research assistant professor, and instructor—or their equivalent in academia, industry, or elsewhere. A candidate for this award may not simultaneously submit or have an application pending for any other NIH career award (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K22, K23, K25) or any PHS award that duplicates any of the provisions of the Pathway to Independence Award. Ineligible individuals include current and former principal investigators on NIH research project grants, comparable individual career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25) or equivalent non-PHS peer-reviewed research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or project leaders on subprojects of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants.
Exceptions to the Five-year Limit
In unusual circumstances, exceptions to the 5-year limit may be approved. An exception may be considered when a significant change in fields of study has occurred, such as moving from physical science to life science research, or when a significant break in training has occurred as a result of family responsibilities. Such unique exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis. Investigators are encouraged to contact NIGMS staff to discuss issues regarding eligibility prior to applying. In a cover letter with the application, the investigator should include an explanation of the special circumstances of his/her career training that warrants consideration for an exception. The applicant should provide similar information in the “career development” section of the application.
Mentored Phase (K99) Costs
The total cost per year for the initial mentored phase may not exceed $90,000 at either an NIH intramural or an extramural sponsoring institution site. Salary is limited to $60,000 plus applicable fringe benefits and up to $20,000 for research support costs for a 12-month budget period. Candidates (intramural or extramural) are required to commit a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort to pursue their career development and research experience during the mentored phase.
Independent Phase (R00) Costs
The total cost for the independent investigator phase may not exceed $249,000 per year. This amount includes salary, fringe benefits, research support allowance, and applicable facilities and administrative costs.
Activating the Independent Scientist Phase (R00)
The candidate must receive approval in writing from the NIH awarding component and must be accepted by an extramural institution in a tenure-track, full-time assistant professor (or equivalent) position in order to activate the extramural support phase. The extramural institution will submit an application on behalf of the candidate using the PHS 398 and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/cdafp3.doc. The noncompeting application must include a letter from the department or division chairman describing the institution's commitment to the candidate and plans for his or her career development. The application submitted by the awardee and the extramural institution will be evaluated by extramural program staff of the awarding component for completeness and responsiveness to the program. Transition from the mentored phase to the independent phase is intended to be continuous in time.
Funding Decisions
In making funding decisions, NIGMS will give high priority to applications directly related to the missions of its divisions and center.
Contact the following NIGMS staff members for more information:
Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics
Dr. Paula Flicker
Phone: 301-594-0828
E-mail: flickerp@nigms.nih.gov
Division of Genetics and Developmental Biology
Dr. Anthony Carter
Phone: 301-594-0943
E-mail: cartera@nigms.nih.gov
Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry
Dr. Richard Okita
Phone: 301-594-3827
E-mail: okitar@nigms.nih.gov
Division of Minority Opportunities in Research
Dr. Shiva Singh
Phone: 301-594-3900
E-mail: singhs@nigms.nih.gov
Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Dr. Karin Remington
Phone: 301-451-6446
E-mail: remingka@nigms.nih.gov
