stage indicator - find a funding opportunity

Choose an Award by Career Stage

NIAID funds training and career awards to develop and support the next generation of biomedical researchers—people just entering graduate school, finishing their doctorates, or coming in from other fields.

These awards enable promising scientists to gain education and experience. We award some grants to people, while others go to specific projects or educational institutions.

Table of Contents

Overview

NIAID funds grants for different career stages and types of research. We support awards for basic, clinical, and patient-oriented investigation, as well as awards for special populations at various career stages.

To help you decide which award best suits your needs, you may use the timelines below which show the grants that might be appropriate for where you are on the Ph.D. or M.D. (or equivalent) spectrum.

Support by Career Stage—Research Career Track (e.g., Ph.D., Dr.P.H.)

If you are pursuing or already have a Ph.D., use the two timelines below to find an appropriate award type and where (NIH or your academic institution) you would apply for the programs. For M.D.s and other clinical degrees, refer to Support by Career Stage—Health Professional Career Track (e.g., M.D., D.V.M.) below instead.  

Career Timeline for Applying to NIH

 

Shows NIAID's training awards across career stages. F30 and F31 awards are given to graduate students before they earn a research degree. F32, K01, K22, and K25 awards are given to trainees who have a research degree before securing a faculty position. K99/R00 awards are given to trainees with research degrees to support 1 year in the mentored K99 phase while securing a faculty position; and the R00 phase provides 2 years of support to continue research independently.

Graduate students pursuing biomedical research doctoral degrees (e.g., Ph.D., Dr.P.H.) can apply for an F30 (for dual degree pursuits, such as M.D./Ph.D. training) or F31 (including the Diversity F31, if eligible). After your Ph.D., as a postdoctoral fellow apply for an F32, K01, or K25. To ease your transition into a faculty position, apply as a postdoctoral fellow to either the K22 or K99/R00.

Career Timeline for Applying to Your Institution

 

A diagram shows how awards from academic institutions support training for graduate students with and without research degrees in NIAID's areas of interest. T32 awards and Diversity Supplements are given to both trainees with and without research degrees before they obtain a faculty position.

Your institution can use diversity supplements to support eligible high schoolers, college students, post-baccalaureates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. A T32 can support graduate students in Ph.D. programs or postdoctorates, and an R25 Award can be used to support graduate students (at the Ph.D. level), postdoctoral fellows, and early-stage faculty (within 8 years of their first faculty appointment).

Support by Career Stage—Health Professional Career Track (e.g., M.D., D.V.M.)

If you are pursuing or already have a health professional doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., D.V.M.), use the timelines below to find an appropriate award type and where (NIH or your academic institution) you would apply for the programs. For the research career track, refer to Support by Career Stage—Research Career Track (e.g., Ph.D., Dr.P.H.) above instead.

Career Timeline for Applying to NIH

Shows NIAID's training awards across career stages. For medical students before receiving a health professional degree: F30 awards. After receiving a health professional degree: F32, K01, K08, and K23 awards for individuals in the clinical training phase; K01, K22, and K25 awards for individuals in the research training phase, prior to a faculty position; K99/R00 awards for individuals after obtaining a faculty position. K24 awards for independent investigators with independent grant funding, such as an R01

 

Trainees who intend to pursue careers as physician or clinician scientists can apply for an F30 or FM1 for dual degree training programs. They can also participate in T35 short-term research training. In the clinical training phase of your degree, apply for an F32. In the research training phase, you can apply to the Loan Repayment Program (LRP) or a K01, K08, K23, or K38 (limited eligibility). Toward the end of your research training, you can apply for a K22 or K99/R00 (either the parent K99/R00 or the NIAID Physician-Scientist K99/R00) to ease your transition into a faculty position. Lastly, if you are a midcareer faculty member with independent grant funding such as an R01, and you are already conducting patient-oriented research (POR) and would like to spend more time mentoring young clinicians who want to pursue POR in NIAID areas of interest, you can apply for a K24.

Career Timeline for Applying to Your Institution

A diagram shows how diversity supplement awards from academic institutions support training for predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates in NIAID's areas of interest. T35 awards are given to predoctoral students in health professional schools (usually medical students). For example, T32 awards are given to both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees before they obtain a faculty position.

 

Your institution can use diversity supplements to support eligible high schoolers, college students, post-baccalaureates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. A T35 can support medical students. An R25 Award can support medical students, M.D.s in clinical training, and early-stage clinical faculty. An R38 Award can support medical residents who are then eligible to apply for their own career development support directly from NIH in the Limited Competition K38 Program. And a T32 can support M.D.s in their clinical training phase.

Opportunity Descriptions

These brief descriptions may further help you in choosing a grant type.

Fellowship Grants Support Predoctoral Students

If you have a baccalaureate degree and are enrolled in a Ph.D. (or equivalent research degree) or a combined degree (e.g., Ph.D. and M.D.) program, you have three fellowship choices.

  1. National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions Without NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30) or the NRSA Individual Fellowship for Students at Institutions with NIH-Funded Institutional Predoctoral Dual-Degree Training Programs (Parent F30)
    • You must be in a combined M.D. and Ph.D. or other dual doctoral degree training, for example, D.V.M. and Ph.D., D.D.S. and Ph.D., Au.D. and Ph.D.
  2. NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31)
    • You must be at the dissertation research stage of training.
  3. NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31)
    • You must be a member of an underrepresented group, e.g., an underrepresented racial and ethnic group. Students from diverse backgrounds include those from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research workforce.

Some NIH institutes support other predoctoral grants. Check NIH’s Research Training and Career Development website.

Postdoctoral Grants Fit Different Interests

If you recently earned a doctoral degree and are beginning your career as a junior researcher or faculty member, you qualify for several types of research support. Choose the award type that matches your area of interest.

  • To obtain training, apply for an NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32).
  • If your background is in quantitative science and engineering and you want to integrate this expertise with biomedicine, apply for a Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (K25). To qualify, you'll need experience at the junior-faculty level, such as early- to mid-level assistant professor or research assistant professor.
  • If you have a clinical doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., Pharm.D., or Ph.D. in clinical disciplines) and you are interested in pursuing a career as a clinician scientist in biomedical research, including translational research, apply for a Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) or an NIAID Physician-Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). If your research focus is on patient-oriented research, apply for a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23).
  • To pursue an assistant professorship, apply for an NIAID Career Transition Award (K22) or NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00).

Midcareer Grants Target More Experienced Investigators

If you're an established researcher, select an award type that supports your career goals.

  • To have protected time to devote to patient-oriented research, apply for a Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24).
  • If you oversee a research training program at a domestic, non-profit, private, or public educational institution, apply for an Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) for your program.
  • To provide short-term research training for students in health professional schools, apply for a Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant (T35).

Have Questions?

If you have questions, contact
AITrainingHelpDesk@niaid.nih.gov.

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