Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 12, 2025 (New) | July 12, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | September 7, 2025 (AIDS) | October 12, 2025 (New) | November 12, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | January 7, 2026 (AIDS) | February 12, 2026 (New) | March 12, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | May 7, 2026 (AIDS) | June 12, 2026 (New) | July 12, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | September 7, 2026 (AIDS) | October 12, 2026 (New) | November 12, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | January 7, 2027 (AIDS) | February 12, 2027 (New) | March 12, 2027 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | May 7, 2027 (AIDS/Final)
Funding Amounts: Salary and research support for up to 5 years; award budgets include salary, fringe, and research expenses as per NIH IC-specific guidelines.
Summary: Supports mentored career development for clinical doctoral degree holders to lead independent clinical trials in biomedical or behavioral research.
Key Information: Application must propose an independent clinical trial; consult IC-specific requirements before applying.
Description
The NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08, Independent Clinical Trial Required) provides protected time and research support for individuals with clinical doctoral degrees to develop their careers as independent investigators in biomedical or behavioral research, including translational research. This award is specifically for candidates proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to an existing trial. The program aims to ensure a pipeline of highly trained clinical scientists capable of addressing the nation’s health-related research needs.
Due Dates
- Standard NIH due dates apply:
- New Applications: June 12, 2025 | October 12, 2025 | February 12, 2026 | June 12, 2026 | October 12, 2026 | February 12, 2027
- Renewal/Resubmission/Revision: July 12, 2025 | November 12, 2025 | March 12, 2026 | July 12, 2026 | November 12, 2026 | March 12, 2027
- AIDS-related: September 7, 2025 | January 7, 2026 | May 7, 2026 | September 7, 2026 | January 7, 2027 | May 7, 2027
- Expiration date: May 8, 2027
- All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
Funding Amount
- Award duration: Up to 5 years.
- Budget: Includes salary and fringe benefits (as per NIH Institute/Center [IC]-specific caps), plus funds for research and career development expenses (e.g., supplies, tuition, travel, technical personnel).
- Indirect costs: Reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs.
- Number of awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications.
- See IC-specific budget details for precise limits.
Eligibility
- Eligible applicants (institutions):
- Public/State and Private Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal governments and organizations
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- Regional organizations
- U.S. territories and possessions
- Ineligible: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations.
- Eligible individuals (candidates):
- Must have a clinical doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD, ND, DVM, or PhD in a clinical discipline such as clinical psychology, nursing, clinical genetics, speech-language pathology, audiology, or rehabilitation).
- Must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or permanent resident by the time of award.
- Must not have held or currently hold major NIH independent research awards (e.g., R01, P01, P50, or equivalent).
- Must commit a minimum of 75% full-time professional effort to the award.
- Must identify a qualified mentor (or mentoring team) with a strong track record in the proposed research area.
Application Process
- Application submission:
- Use the NIH ASSIST system, institutional system-to-system solution, or Grants.gov Workspace.
- Required registrations:
- Applicant organizations must register with SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.
- All PDs/PIs must have an eRA Commons account and a linked ORCID ID.
- Application components:
- SF424 (R&R) forms
- PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form (including candidate background, career goals, research plan, mentor statements, institutional commitment)
- Letters of reference (submitted directly via eRA Commons)
- Data Management and Sharing Plan
- Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information (if applicable)
- Review process:
- Peer review based on candidate potential, career development plan, research plan, mentor qualifications, and institutional environment.
- Only applications proposing an independent clinical trial are eligible under this announcement.
Additional Information
- Mentorship: A primary mentor (or mentoring team) is required; the mentor must have relevant expertise and a strong record of training.
- Level of effort: At least 75% of full-time professional effort must be devoted to the award.
- Clinical trial requirement: The application must propose an independent clinical trial, feasibility study, or ancillary study. If not, apply to the companion NOFO for non-clinical trial K08s.
- IC-specific requirements: Not all NIH Institutes and Centers participate; applicants must consult the Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements, and Staff Contacts to ensure alignment with IC priorities and requirements.
- Data sharing: All applications must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
- No cost sharing required.
External Links
Contact Information