Career Development Grants

Questions and Answers Table of Contents

Where can I find basic information about career awards?

Find information and advice on our Training and Career Awards page and Tutorial for Training and Career Awards, Fellowships, and Supplements tutorial.

Should I submit my application electronically?

Yes. Follow the supplemental instructions for K awards in part 7 of the Application Guide SF424 (R&R) – Adobe Forms Version A.

Who submits my reference letters to the eRA Commons?

People writing your reference letters submit them to the eRA Commons. As the applicant, you can check the status of letters, but you may not read them since they are confidential.

For further details, including information you should give to those writing your reference letters, read the supplemental instructions for K awards in part 7 of the Application Guide SF424 (R&R) – Adobe Forms Version A.

What is the Pathway to Independence Award?

The Pathway to Independence (PI) Award is an NIH program to help promising postdoctoral scientists achieve research independence earlier in their career. The PI Award provides up to five years of support, divided into two phases:

• Phase I provides one to two years of mentored support under a K99 mechanism.
• Phase II provides up to three years of independent research support under an R00 mechanism.

Note that NIAID gives preference to applicants requesting three years of support -- one year for the K99 and two for the R00 -- instead of the five years that NIH allows. We also make very few awards.

For more information, see the December 12, 2008, Guide notice and read our Tutorial for Training and Career Awards, Fellowships, and Supplements tutorial. Also see our Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00) SOP.

If my K application is approved for funding, when would be the earliest start date?

This depends on the application submission date. See the Review and Award Cycles table; however, keep in mind this process may take longer.

Can I submit an application for a new, independent clinical trial?

No. NIAID will not accept K-series applications proposing to conduct new, independent clinical trials. For more information, read the March 28, 2008, Guide notice.

What does "nine person month minimum effort" mean?

Most K awards require a nine person month time commitment. Thus, you can devote up to three person months of your time to clinical and other duties and get paid for it but not from federal funds. The K24 requires three to six person months of effort.

Note on effort requirement: Most Ks require you to spend a minimum portion of your full-time effort, generally nine person months, on the research supported by the award and have a full-time appointment at the organization applying for the grant. You can now meet the effort requirement with your full-time position while simultaneously holding another position part-time.

For example, an investigator with a full-time appointment at a university and a half-time position at a clinical practice can qualify because he or she can commit at least nine person months of the full-time position to the award.

See the Person Months Calculation Example for more information on how to measure personnel effort.

I work in the field of biodefense. Does NIAID award K01s for research in my area?

Do I need independent funding to apply for K02?

Yes. An R01 or equivalent is the best independent source of funding.

I have an R01 grant. Will I be able to keep a portion of the R01 salary, if I receive a K02?

No. Your maximum salary from all NIH sources will be the $75,000 from the K02. You must relinquish any salary on other NIH research grants you may have.

What is the amount I can receive for research development support for a K08?

See Quick Facts on Research Training and Career Development Awards.

Is human subjects research excluded from K08s?

No. K08s do not exclude humans subjects research. However, if you are interested in patient-oriented research, you may want to consider the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23).

Is the K08 open to veterinarians?

Yes. Anyone with a clinical doctorate level degree can apply.

For a K08, does NIAID require a professional license to practice in the U.S.?

Yes. For other eligibility requirements, go to Career Development Awards in our Tutorial for Training and Career Awards, Fellowships, and Supplements. Note that other institutes may have different requirements.

Can I apply for and receive an R01 after I receive a K01, K08, K23, or K25? May I then hold these awards simultaneously? What about salary?

In the last two years of your support, you are allowed to hold concurrent salary support from a career award and a research grant. To learn more, go to Career Development Awards and read Do any career awards allow you to receive a salary from a second NIH-funded grant? in the Salaries and Stipends questions and answers.

May I apply for a K23 and an STTR at the same time?

As long as your work for the K23 is different in scope than the STTR, you can apply for both, according to the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) program announcement. 

Can I have my salary supplemented from other sources if I receive a career award?

Yes. Your institution may supplement the NIH contribution up to a level consistent with its salary scale; however, it cannot use federal funds.

Can I pay for a technician on a career award?

Yes. These expenses are allowed from the research development support costs.

Can I name more than one sponsor or mentor for my K01, K08, K23, or K25? Who would sign as my sponsor?

Yes. You can name more than one sponsor. Generally, the more senior sponsor should sign as your sponsor.

For a mentored K award (K01, K08, K23, or K25), what determines where my application is assigned: my mentor's field of research or mine?

To assign your application, the Division of Receipt and Referral in NIH's Center for Scientific Review will look at your field of research not your mentor's. That said, you and your mentor should share research interests since your mentor must be an accomplished investigator in your proposed research area.

If your research is related to infectious, immunologic, or allergic diseases, your application would come to NIAID. However, if your focus is on gastroenterology, for example, your application would go to NIDDK.

Another good indication of where your application will be assigned: who provides your mentor's funding. If he or she has grant awards from NIAID, your application will likely be assigned here.

If I move to another institution, can a career award be transferred?

Yes. A career award may be transferred to another institution depending upon the circumstances. First, you must get approval from NIAID. Contact your program officer and grants management specialist as early as possible for instructions on what documents are required to request a transfer.

Can you apply for a K22 after you've taken a position as an assistant professor?

No. You must be a postdoctoral scientist at the time you apply. For more information, see our Career Development Awards and Advice for Applicants tutorial pages.

Who is eligible to apply for a K22?

See Career Development Awards and Quick Facts on Research Training and Career Development Awards. Note that NIAID changed eligibility requirements to include any postdoc working in a laboratory supported by an NIAID research grant or cooperative agreement.

For details, read the April 2, 2007, Guide notice.

What is the application process for K22s?

The K22 application process has two phases. Phase I consists of completing certain items on the PHS 398 application, including the biographical sketch and Research Plan. If an application gets a fundable score, the investigator will receive a letter of conditional commitment for funding and will have one year to search for a suitable position.

After negotiations are complete, the candidate and sponsoring institution will submit a phase II PHS 398 application with additional information on budget and the total start-up package for the candidate. The overall quality of the package will be carefully assessed. Institutional commitment of resources and protected lab time will be very important factors.

Phase II will be reviewed by NIAID staff and, if satisfactory, an award will be made. For more information on awards, see Understanding Award Specifics.

For further details on the application process, read about the Research Scholar Development Award.

Are no-cost extensions allowed for K22s?

Since K22s are awarded under Expanded Authorities and Federal Demonstration Partnership, you can extend the final year once for up to 12 months. For more information, see the No-Cost Extension SOP and the Expanded Authorities or Federal Demonstration Partnership SOP.

The extension request has to go through your grantee institution's approval process. Any additional extensions require NIAID prior approval.

During the time of my K24, I was promoted to full professor. May I apply for a renewal?

Yes. If you were promoted from associate professor to full professor during the the course of your initial award, you are eligible to apply for a renewal K24. For more information, see the August 22, 2006, Guide notice.

May a K24 PI use his or her K24 award to meet the cost sharing requirement for other federal awards?

It depends on the cost sharing requirements of the other federal agency. Check with the agency that requires the cost sharing to see if there are any restrictions.

For the K99, what funds are used to support NIH intramural scientists?

Funds will come from the intramural lab in which they'll be conducting research.

Do I need to include a sponsor's report in my progress report?

Yes. For mentored awards, your PHS 2590 progress report must include feedback from your sponsor. Read more at Progress Reports for Career Development Awards.

Should I include a budget in the noncompeting grant progress report?

No. Career awards do not require a budget.

Do I need to submit an Inclusion Enrollment Form in my progress report?

You must provide the Inclusion Enrollment form only if you participated in research involving human subjects not reported in the progress report of another PHS-supported project.

If you are conducting clinical research, you must report the annual cumulative enrollment of subjects and their distribution by sex/gender and ethnicity/race using the Inclusion Enrollment Report. The Inclusion Enrollment Report is not included in the two-page summary limit.

For more information, see our Noncompeting Progress Reports and Program Officer Approval SOP.

Where do I send my annual noncompeting grant progress report?

Send your PHS 2590 progress report to:

Division of Extramural Activities Support, OER
National Institutes of Health
6705 Rockledge Drive, Room 2207, MSC 7987
Bethesda, MD 20892-7987 (Use this ZIP code for the U.S. Postal Service, including express mail.)
Bethesda, MD 20817 (Use this ZIP code for commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.)

What if my question wasn't answered here, or I'd like to suggest a question?

Try our central page for Career Development Awards (K), Tutorial for Training and Career Awards, Fellowships, and Supplements tutorial, Quick Facts on Research Training and Career Development Awards tool, and the main Training, Career Awards, and Fellowships questions and answers page.

If you still can't find the answer, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. We answer questions by email and post them here. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.