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Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08)

Applicant Profile

To qualify, you must have a clinical doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., D.V.M., or O.D.); a professional license to practice in the United States; and currently work in biomedical or behavioral research, including translational research.

You should be committed to a career in biomedical or behavioral research.

If you have a substantial publication record in the field and/or have been a PI on an independent research grant (e.g., R01), you may want to consider applying for an R01 instead of a K08.

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08, Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Award Specifics

Duration of 3 to 5 years, not renewable. Award length depends on experience.

Salary up to $100,000 (if institutional base salary is equivalent or more) plus fringe benefits.

Research support of $50,000 each year.

Facilities and administrative costs based on eight percent of modified total direct costs.

Minimum nine person months (or 75 percent) effort required each year. Learn more about Percent Effort and Concurrent Salary Support for Research Career Development (K) Awards.

Application

When you apply, bring together the following elements to succeed:

  1. Strong curriculum vitae, with outstanding academic record and letters of recommendation.
  2. Mentors who are top-notch scientists with superior funding, robust publication history, and the time and interest to mentor you as the K08 applicant. See
  3. Application Advice for Mentored Ks and Know What To Look for When Choosing a Mentor.
  4. State-of-the-art Research Plan showing strong institutional commitment.

NIAID will not accept K08 applications proposing an independent clinical trial. Learn more at Clinical Trials and NIAID Research Career Development (K) Opportunities.

Also see our Application Advice for Research Career Development (K) Awards.

During Your Award

In the last 2 years of a K08 award, NIH permits concurrent salary support from a peer-reviewed grant from any federal agency if 1) your K award is active, and 2) you are a principal investigator on a competing research project grant or director of a subproject on a multicomponent grant from NIH or another federal agency.

More Information

Learn more on the NIAID Research Career Development (K) Awards main page.

Email your questions to AITrainingHelpDesk@mail.nih.gov.

We can also advise you on your eligibility for a particular K program and whether your proposed research aligns with NIAID if you send us your NIH-formatted biosketch and Specific Aims page. Learn more at Create Biosketches and Draft Specific Aims.

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