Mentored Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | PA 21 194

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 21 194

The Mentored Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22, Clinical Trials Not Allowed) is an NIH/NIMH career development grant aimed at helping NIMH Division of Intramural Research Programs (DIRP) postdoctoral fellows move efficiently from an intramural postdoc position into an extramural, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty role at an eligible US institution. It is structured as a two-phase program: an initial intramural mentored phase while the fellow is still in the NIMH intramural environment, followed by an extramural mentored phase after the awardee secures and begins a faculty position. The main purpose is to bridge that often difficult transition period by combining structured mentorship with research support, so the investigator can establish momentum, publish, generate preliminary data, and become competitive for independent funding as a new faculty member.

A central feature of this particular announcement is the clinical trial restriction. This FOA is intended for applicants whose proposed work will not involve leading an independent clinical trial, running a clinical trial feasibility study, or serving as the lead investigator on an ancillary study to a clinical trial. In other words, the applicant cannot be the person responsible for directing a clinical trial under this mechanism. However, the FOA does allow applicants to gain clinical trial experience as part of their training so long as the trial is led by a mentor or co-mentor. If an applicant intends to lead a clinical trial or lead an ancillary study tied to an existing trial, they are expected to use the companion FOA referenced in the notice rather than this one.

Eligibility is centered on the applicant being an NIMH intramural postdoctoral fellow (since the mechanism is specifically designed for NIMH DIRP fellows) and then transitioning to an eligible extramural host institution in the United States for the second phase. The broader set of eligible applicant organizations listed for the extramural phase includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other eligible entities. The announcement also highlights categories of institutions that may apply or host awardees, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as eligible federal agencies.

There are important geographic restrictions. Non-domestic (non-US) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of US organizations are also not eligible to apply. At the same time, the FOA notes that foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning certain project elements may be carried out with foreign collaborations/components if they meet NIH policy requirements, even though the applicant organization itself must be US-based for this mechanism.

Administratively, this opportunity is a discretionary grant under the NIH health funding category and is associated with CFDA number 93.242. The funding opportunity number is PA-21-194, and it is described as a reissue of PA-18-614, indicating it continues an existing program with updated numbering and/or terms. The listed original closing date in the provided record is 2023-04-20. The public listing does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpt shown, but the stated intent is clear: provide mentored, structured support during the intramural-to-extramural transition, with research support in the extramural phase specifically aimed at helping awardees launch an independent research program and compete successfully for subsequent major NIH research grants.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mentored Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-03-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PA 21 194

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