How to Get a K Award from NIH

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How to Get a K Award from NIH

• Nancy Halnon, M.D.
• Department of Pediatrics
• David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

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What is a K Award?

• Career development award
• Career enhancement award
• Individual
• Institutional
• http//grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmenta
  wards.htm

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Types of K Award

• K 01 Mentored Research Scientist Development
  Award
• K 02 Independent Scientist Award
• K 04 Modified Research Career Development Awards
• K 05 Senior Scientist Award
• K 06 Research Career Awards
• K 07 Academic Career Award
• K 08 Clinical Investigator Award (CIA)
• K 10 Special Scientific Projects (NLM)
• K 11 Physician Scientist Award (Individual) (PSA)
  
• K 12 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development
  Program Award
• K 14 Minority School Faculty Development Awards
• K 15 Dentist Scientist Award (Individual)
• K 16 Dentist Scientist Award (Program)

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Types of K Award

• K 17 Research Career Re-Entry Program
• K 18 Career Enhancement Award for Stem Cell
  Research
• K 20 Scientist Development Award for Clinicians
• K 21 Scientist Development Award
• K 22 Career Transition Award
• K 23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career
  Development Award
• K 24 Midcareer Investigator Award in
  Patient-Oriented Research
• K 25 Mentored Quantitative Research Career
  Development Award
• K 26 Midcareer Investigator Award in Mouse
  Pathobiology Research
• K 30 Clinical Research Curriculum Award (CRCA)
• K99/00 Pathway to Independence
• K D1 Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse KDA
  Grants (SAMHSA)

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K12 and K30

• Institutional awards
• K12
• Award to institution to make individual awards
  based on K08 and K23 criteria
• K30
• Award to institution to provide didactic training
  in translational or clinical research
• Includes analytical training and ethics
• Participants may be individuals with K awards or
  others including fellows
• Completion of curriculum results in certificate

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K Award Wizard
K99/K00
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K99/R00

• NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award You
  have no more than five years of postdoctoral
  training, you need one to two more years of
  postdoctoral mentored training, but expect to
  transition to an independent research position by
  the end of two years, and are seeking support for
  both the mentored training and your subsequent
  independent research project.

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K99/K00

• Commit to 75 time for research and career
  development in year 1 2
• Time may decrease to 50 in years 3-5
• Salary support 75,000 year 12 and project
  support increases to 249,000 after
• Must be independent after 2 years and able to
  pass review
• Requires submission of R01 application in
  independent phase

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K08 or K23 Awards

• Specifically developed for clinician scientists
  in basic (K08), translational, or
  patient-oriented research (K23)
• Salary support plus research project support
• Length of support 5 years (may be less depending
  on other awards)
• Additional research training
• Transferable
• Guaranteed 75 research time
• May apply for other funding (R03, R21, AHA,
  foundation, etc.) during award period
• Loan repayment program

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Applications Are Judged By

• Environment
• Program
• Candidate
• Mentor(s)
• Research plan

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K23 vs K08

• K08
• You are seeking salary and research support for a
  full-time supervised career development
  experience in area of health-related research
  that doesn't involve patients
• K23
• You have completed specialty or sub-specialty
  training and are seeking salary and research
  support for a full-time supervised career
  development experience in patient-oriented
  research

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Patient-Oriented Research

• Research conducted with human subjects (or on
  material of human origin such as tissues,
  specimens, and cognitive phenomena) for which an
  investigator directly interacts with human
  subjects

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Areas of Patient-Oriented Research

• Mechanisms of human disease
• Therapeutic interventions
• Clinical trials
• Development of new technologies

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Disease Related Research

• Animal models
• De-identified specimens
• No patient interaction

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Eligibility (1)

• Clinical doctoral degree or its equivalent M.D.,
  D.D.S., D.M.D., D.O., D.C., O.D., N.D., D.V.M.,
  Pharm.D., Ph.D.
• Must have completed their clinical training,
  including specialty and, if applicable,
  subspecialty training prior to receiving an award
  (K08 or K23)
• Must identify a mentor with extensive research
  experience

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Eligibility (2)

• Must be willing to spend a minimum of 75
  full-time professional effort conducting research
  career development and clinical research
• Applications may be submitted, on behalf of
  candidates, by domestic, non- Federal
  organizations
• Must be citizens or noncitizen nationals of the
  United States, or have been lawfully admitted to
  the United States for permanent residence

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Not Eligible

• Ineligible individuals include current and former
  principal investigators on NIH research project
  (R01), FIRST Awards (R29), comparable career
  development awards (K01, K07, or K08),
  sub-projects of program project (P01) or center
  grants (P50), and the equivalent
• Former principal investigators of NIH Small
  Grants (R03) or Exploratory/Developmental Grants
  (R21) remain eligible

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Allowable Costs

• Up to 75,000 per year salary support
• Up to 25,000 per year project expenses can be
  used for
• tuition, fees, and books related to career
  development
• research expenses, such as supplies, equipment
  and technical personnel
• travel to research meetings or training
• statistical services including personnel and
  computer time
• Amount depends on budgetary considerations

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Scoring Applications

• The scientific review group will address and
  consider each of the following criteria in
  assigning the application's overall score,
  weighting them as appropriate for each
  application.
• Candidate
• Appropriateness of and statements by Mentor,
  Co-Mentor(s), Consultant(s), and Collaborator(s)
• Career Development Plan (including didactic
  training and advising committee)
• Research Plan
• Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research
  (can be part of didactic training)
• Environment and Institutional Commitment to the
  Candidate (75 protected time, core and other
  facilities, didactic resources)

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THE CANDIDATE(PERSONAL STATEMENT)

• Candidates Background
• Career Goals and Objectives
• Scientific Biography
• Career Development/ Training Activities During
  Award Period
• Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

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Candidate Background

• A description of the candidate's commitment to a
  career in patient-oriented research
• Evidence of the candidate's potential to develop
  into an independent investigator
• A description of immediate and long-term career
  objectives, explaining how the award will
  contribute to their attainment
• A commitment of at least 75 percent effort to the
  clinical research program
• Three sealed letters of recommendation addressing
  the candidate's potential for a research career

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Letters of Reference

• 3 letters required
• In addition to collaborators
• In addition to mentor (sponsor) letter
• Members of the advising committee may be
  acceptable
• Provided in sealed unopened envelopes addressed
  to PHS USE ONLY

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Mentor

• Established investigator in the field
• Professor or associate professor
• Nationally recognized
• Currently holding a R01 (CRISP database)
• Track record of previous trainees
• Knowledgeable
• Available and accessible
• Interested in your career development

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How to Find Mentor(s)

• Talk to senior faculty in your division or
  department
• Medline search
• CRISP database
• Primary mentor, co-mentors
• Within division, department, institution, or your
  geographic area?

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CRISP Database
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Career Development Plan

• Applications must contain a career development
  plan as well as a research plan.  The career
  development plan must justify the need for the
  requested period of support, be tailored to the
  prior research experience and career development
  needs of the candidate, and be designed to move
  the candidate from the mentored phase to the
  independent phase of their research career. 

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Didactic Training

• The didactic and the research aspects of the
  plan must be designed to develop the necessary
  knowledge and research skills in scientific areas
  relevant to the candidate's career goals. The
  candidate must demonstrate they have received
  training or will participate in courses such as
  data management, epidemiology, study design,
  hypothesis development, drug development, etc.,
  as well as the legal and ethical issues
  associated with research on human subjects.

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Career Development

• K30 program
• GCRC courses
• MS or MPH
• Meetings, seminars, workshops, coursework
• Training specific to your field
• Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research
• Frequent meetings with mentors and advising
  committee

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Career Development

• Include course names, numbers, and content from
  course catalogue if available
• example- Research Ethics M261
• Advising committee can include mentors providing
  professional development as well as assistance in
  research field
• Describe advising committee members
  qualifications and contribution to your career
  development

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Institutional Commitment

• Department Chair
• Standard content with statement describing
  commitment to protected time and promise of
  infrastructure
• In addition to sponsor letter, collaborator
  letters, and reference letters

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Research Plan

• Degree of relevance of the research plan to
  developing an independent research program
  focused on patient-oriented research.
• Usefulness of the research plan as a vehicle for
  enhancing existing research skills as described
  in the career development plan.
• Scientific and technical merit of the research
  question, design and methodology judged in the
  context of the candidate's previous training and
  experience.

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Research Plan

• The research plan must have intrinsic research
  importance as well as serve as a suitable vehicle
  for learning the methodology, theories, and
  conceptualizations necessary for a well trained
  independent researcher. 

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RESEARCH PLAN
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Which Institute or Center?

• Each K program is subject to the general
  guidelines of the Program Announcement. However,
  certain institutions award more funds or request
  slightly higher effort than what is in the
  general PA. Once a K program is identified and a
  likely institute is chosen, a visit to the
  institute's website should indicate whether there
  are variances from the standard.
• Instructions, suggestions, sample exemplary
  applications at many Institutes websites

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Oh NO! My score is high

• Critique Critique Critique!!!!

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Alternatives to K Award

• Advanced research fellowship
• Institutional support
• American Heart Association, American Cancer
  Society, March of Dimes, etc.
• R03, R21 awards
• Private foundations or donors (Department or
  Medical school)
• Sarnoff Scholar

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PLAN AHEAD!!!!!

• 3 reference letters, institutional commitment
  letter, and sponsor statement
• Formulate career development plan and gather
  assistance from advising committee and sponsor
• Formulate and revise research plan
• 3 months minimum after identifying a mentor and
  rough draft of a research plan
• Contact program officer at Institute where your
  application will be reviewed

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Helpful Instructions

• Several institutes have instructive samples,
  templates, or lessons http//www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn
  /grants/default.htm
• Model K08 http//www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/trainin
  g/redbook/k08model.htm
• 2 sample K23 http//www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/trai
  ning/redbook/k23models.htm