The objective of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Outstanding Early Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) is to help outstanding postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of a creative, independent research program that will be competitive for subsequent independent funding and that will help advance the mission of the NCI.
This program is designed for outstanding postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require extended periods of mentored research training beyond their original doctoral degrees before transitioning to research independence, which is common for those working in data science and cancer control science, as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility. Therefore, researchers from these disciplines are particularly encouraged to apply.
This K99/R00 award is intended for individuals who require no more than 2 additional years of mentored research training and career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the independent stage (R00 phase) of the program. Consequently, the strongest applicants will require, and will propose, a well-conceived plan for 1–2 years of substantive mentored research training and career development that will help them become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs.
Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program. If an applicant achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be made. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will provide support for up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training and career development. The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time. Therefore, although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those K99 PDs/PIs who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.
Pre-Application Webinar: The NCI anticipates holding a pre-application webinar to which all interested prospective applicants, mentors, adminstrators, and grant managers are invited. An NCI program director will explain the goals and objectives of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Outstanding Early Stage Postdoctoral Researchers, discuss the eligibility and nomination requirements, explain the application peer review process, and answer questions. For details on the nomination letter see Sections III and IV. Information about the pre-application webinar will be available after the publication of the FOA under the "NCI Early K99 Award" tab of the NCI Cancer Training Branch website.
For More Information: See NOFO's:
RFA-CA-21-060 (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-21-060.html
RFA-CA-21-061 (Independent Clinical Trial Required): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-21-061.html
RFA-CA-21-062 (Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-21-062.html
Each eligible institution (defined as having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) may submit up to a combined total of three applications (one in Data Science, one in Cancer Control Science, and one in Other Sciences) to any combination of companion RFAs (RFA-CA-21-060, RFA-CA-21-061, and/or RFA-CA-21-062).
If you are interested in submitting a proposal to any of these programs, click on the submit intent on the right side of page and follow the required prompts to give us your contact information by 4:00PM on the internal submission deadline. If interest exceeds the sponsor's institutional limit, the Office of the Vice President for Research will hold an internal Limited Submissions competition.