NHLBI Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22) (Clinical Trials Required) | PAR 18 424

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 424

The NHLBI Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22) is a National Institutes of Health grant opportunity aimed at helping outstanding postdoctoral fellows currently working within the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research move into independent faculty-style research careers at extramural institutions such as universities, academic medical centers, or other eligible research organizations. The central idea is to create a structured bridge between advanced postdoctoral training inside NHLBI and the early years of independence outside NIH, so that strong intramural fellows can carry their research programs forward without the typical loss of momentum that can happen during a career move.

The award is set up in two connected phases that together can provide up to five years of support. The first phase is a mentored intramural period lasting up to two years, during which the fellow remains within NHLBI and continues to develop as a scientist under close guidance. This phase is meant to strengthen the fellow’s skills, productivity, and scientific direction, and to generate the accomplishments needed to be competitive for a faculty-level position. The second phase is an extramural period of up to three years that begins only after the awardee secures an eligible position at an extramural institution and receives NHLBI approval to transition. The extramural phase is designed to support the awardee as a new investigator building an independent program, establishing a lab or research team, publishing, and positioning themselves for longer-term independent funding.

A key point is that the move from the intramural phase to the extramural phase is not automatic. NHLBI requires a formal progress review to determine whether the intramural phase has been successful and whether the candidate’s proposed plan at the extramural institution is strong and feasible. That review looks at what the awardee accomplished during the mentored period and includes an evaluation of the research plan that will be carried out after the move. In practical terms, this means applicants need to treat the intramural period as a true proving ground, with clear milestones and a credible trajectory toward independence, because the second phase depends on performance and a convincing extramural proposal rather than simply the passage of time.

This specific FOA is tailored to a particular clinical trials expectation: it is intended for applicants whose proposed work does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to a clinical trial as the lead investigator. However, it does allow applicants to gain clinical trial experience as part of their career development if the trial is led by a mentor or co-mentor. In other words, you can build clinical trial exposure into your training and research environment, but you should not be the person responsible for directing the trial as the independent leader under this announcement. Candidates who plan to lead a clinical trial or lead an ancillary study tied to an existing trial are instructed to apply under the companion FOA designed for that purpose.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a discretionary NIH grant in the health funding category, with the agency being the National Institutes of Health and the program administered through NHLBI. The listing references CFDA numbers associated with NHLBI-related research areas. Eligibility information in the summary indicates that public and state-controlled institutions of higher education are among eligible applicant organizations for the extramural phase, with the FOA itself containing the full eligibility rules and any additional eligible applicant types. The opportunity number is PAR-18-424, with an original closing date of May 7, 2018, reflecting the published cycle for that announcement.

Overall, the K22 mechanism here is best understood as a career bridge for NHLBI intramural postdoctoral fellows who are ready to move toward independence: it supports mentored productivity and focused preparation inside NHLBI, then provides time-limited support to launch and stabilize an independent research program after securing an extramural position, with the transition contingent on a rigorous progress and plan review by NHLBI.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NHLBI Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22) (Clinical Trials Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for PAR 18 424

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