NINDS Postdoctoral Mentored Career Development Award (K01 No Independent Clinical Trial Allowed) | PAR 20 049

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 049

The NINDS Postdoctoral Mentored Career Development Award (K01 No Independent Clinical Trial Allowed), Funding Opportunity Number PAR-20-049, is an NIH career development grant aimed at helping exceptional postdoctoral researchers transition into independent investigators in neuroscience and neurological disorders research. Its central goal is to provide protected, mentored time and structured support so a postdoc can build a strong foundation for independence by combining two required elements: a potentially high-impact research project and a detailed, deliberate career development plan. The program is explicitly framed as a launchpad toward an independent research career, meaning that by the end of the K01 period the awardee is expected to have a mature research direction, the skills and track record needed to compete for independent funding, and the professional readiness to become a leader in their field.

This K01 is designed for candidates in the earlier-to-middle portion of postdoctoral training. NINDS encourages applicants to apply between the second and fourth year of cumulative mentored postdoctoral research experience, and candidates may be supported under this mechanism as long as they are within the first six years of cumulative postdoctoral experience. The emphasis on applying early is intentional: NINDS places heavy weight on the career development plan as a core component of the application, not as an afterthought. In practice, that means applicants are expected to describe a thoughtful training strategy (for example, new technical skill acquisition, formal coursework where appropriate, grant writing training, presentations, networking, and other professional development activities) that is tightly integrated with the proposed research and clearly moves the candidate toward independence.

A defining feature of this specific FOA is its restriction on independent clinical trials. Applicants may not propose to lead an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to an existing clinical trial as the main research plan under this K01. However, the FOA does allow the candidate to gain clinical trial experience if the trial is led by a mentor or co-mentor. This distinction matters for planning: the candidate can be involved in clinical trial-related activities for training purposes, but the proposed K01 research itself must not be structured around the candidate serving as the independent trial lead.

Eligibility is broad at the organizational level and includes many common U.S.-based applicant organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses as well as small businesses), and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district), along with independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant types that NIH often encourages to participate, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and tribal governments or tribal organizations (with distinctions between federally recognized and other-than-federally recognized entities). At the same time, there are clear restrictions regarding foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations/institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. That said, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which generally means certain scientifically justified activities can occur abroad under the umbrella of an otherwise eligible U.S. applicant organization, subject to NIH rules.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NIH grant (Funding Instrument: Grant) in the health area (Funding Activity Category: Health) with CFDA number 93.853, administered by the National Institutes of Health, specifically aligned to NINDS. The opportunity record lists an original closing date of 2023-05-07 and a creation date of 2019-11-07; applicants should still verify current receipt dates and active status in the official NIH/Grants.gov listing because NIH FOAs can be reissued, updated, or closed over time even when older records circulate.

Overall, this K01 is best understood as a mentored transition award for postdocs who are far enough along to propose a compelling research direction, but early enough in training to benefit substantially from a structured development plan and sustained mentorship. Successful applicants are expected to show that the mentorship team, training environment, career development activities, and research plan fit together into a coherent pathway that ends with the candidate ready to operate independently, while staying within the FOA boundary that the candidate will not lead an independent clinical trial as part of the proposed work.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Postdoctoral Mentored Career Development Award (K01 No Independent Clinical Trial Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-11-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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 PAR 20 049

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