NIDA sponsors several types of career development grants that offer support for early, mid, and senior career researchers. Some are mentored in order to help a researchers more rapidly move into a new area of drug abuse research or to return after a prolonged absence from the field. Other awards support newly independent scientists who can demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus, or provide stability of support to outstanding senior scientists with high productivity and strong records of accomplishment.
- NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) New
The Pathway to Independence Award will provide up to five years of support consisting of two phases. During the Mentored K99 Phase, awardees may request up to 2 years of mentored support as postdoctoral research scientists. Phase I works much like the K01 grant listed below. The R00 phase, awards up to 3 years of independent research support which will enable award recipients to compete successfully for subsequent independent R01 support from the NIH during the career transition award period.
- Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01)
This award offers a period of sponsored postdoctoral experience as a way to gain expertise in a research area new to the candidate or conduct research in an area that would demonstrably enhance the candidate's preparation for an independent scientific career (including reentry after a period of absence.
- Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (with training; K02)
This award offers a period of sponsored postdoctoral experience as a way to gain expertise in a research area new to the candidate or in an area that would demonstrably enhance the candidate's preparation for an independent scientific career. This is basically at K01 that includes some formal training.
- Independent Senior Scientist Development Award (K05)
This Award provides stability of support to outstanding scientists who have demonstrated a sustained, high level of productivity and whose expertise, research accomplishments, and contributions to the field have been and will continue to be critical to the mission of the particular NIH center or institute.
- Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08)
This award provides specialized study for clinically trained professionals who are committed to a career in research and have the potential to develop into independent investigators.
- Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
This award provides support for investigators who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. The grant provides a period of supervised study and research for clinically trained professionals who have the potential to develop into productive, clinical investigators focusing on patient-oriented research.
- Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
This award provides support for clinicians to allow them protected time to devote to patient-oriented research and to act as mentors for beginning clinical investigators. Its goal is to expand involvement in patient-oriented research and to enhance clinical research skills in order to conduct meritorious patient-oriented research and mentor beginning clinical investigators.
- Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25)
This award provides a period of supervised study and research to research-oriented scientists with experience at the level of junior faculty who have quantitative scientific and engineering backgrounds outside of biology or medicine who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on behavioral and biomedical research (basic or clinical).
