NIDCR Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Diversity (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 22 050

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 050

The NIDCR Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Diversity (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed), funding opportunity number PAR-22-050, is an NIH career development grant designed to help build a stronger and more diverse research workforce in dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) science. Its central aim is to support postdoctoral fellows and early career faculty who come from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences. In practical terms, the program is meant to help promising researchers transition into more independent, research-focused careers by giving them a stable runway of mentored training, protected research time, and resources to develop as investigators within the DOC research space.

A key feature of this K01 is that it is mentored and career-development focused rather than primarily a standalone research project grant. The award provides salary support along with research support so the recipient can set aside a sustained, protected portion of their time for intensive research career development. That protected time is typically the make-or-break ingredient for early researchers who are balancing clinical responsibilities, teaching, or other institutional demands. Under this award, the expectation is that the applicant will carry out a structured career development plan under the guidance of an experienced mentor, building the skills, publication record, and scientific direction needed to compete for future independent funding and to establish a durable research trajectory in DOC-related fields.

As the title indicates, this particular K01 is an "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed" mechanism. That means the proposed work cannot include the applicant leading an independent clinical trial as the primary purpose of the award. The intent is to keep the focus on mentored development and research activities that do not involve the applicant acting as the independent clinical trial lead. Applicants considering human subjects research generally need to ensure their plans fit the NIH definition and rules for clinical trials under this FOA and structure their work accordingly.

Eligibility is broad at the organizational level, spanning many common U.S. applicant types. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education where relevant); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other categories listed by NIH. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant organization types that align with the diversity-focused mission, 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, and faith-based or community-based organizations, as well as regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA draws clear boundaries around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant organization may include certain foreign elements in the project when justified and consistent with NIH policy.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant in the health funding activity category, administered by the National Institutes of Health, with CFDA number 93.121. The posting indicates an original closing date of 2024-07-16, and while the award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, the overall structure is consistent with NIH mentored career development awards: support is tied to a supervised development plan, with the goal of positioning awardees for research independence and long-term contributions to the DOC research enterprise, while also directly advancing workforce diversity in these fields.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCR Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Diversity (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-16. (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.

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