Grants 360: K99/R00

Below are take-home points collated from the Grants 360: K99/R00 session hosted by research@BSPH in December 2022.

Overview:

• One of the few NIH training-related grant mechanisms where a US citizen/permanent resident is not required for eligibility

• There are limited opportunities for postdocs, in contrast to numerous awards for students and lots of mechanisms to support early-stage faculty

• In general, applicants will propose a two-year mentored postdoctoral phase, followed by a 3-year junior faculty component

• Having 3 years of funding in the R00 phase positions you well to be competitive for tenure-track equivalent faculty positions

Application Process:

• The levels of funding and success rates vary significantly by which Institute funds the award (see table and Institute specific guidance). In general, your postdoc salary will be consistent with institutional levels. The faculty component will cover $75-$100,000 of your salary. In general, you will get from $25-$50,000 for research-related expenses.

• Use NIH Reporter and other sites to identify the best Institute to target for your application

• Timing of your application needs to be strongly considered based on the expected duration of your post-doc and the application process takes several months to build the mentoring team and prepare the grant, then will take 6 to 9 months before the grant will be reviewed and potentially funded. Double this time with the expectation that you will likely need to revise and resubmit.

• The training component of the grant is notably more heavily emphasized than the research component. Many applicants will write the grant as if they are staying at the same institution, with a qualifying statement stating how this research could be transported and adapted to other institutions

• Identifying examples of other successful applications is incredibly helpful!

• Receiving this award does not preclude you from getting the early-stage investigator (ESI) bonus on your 1^st R01 application.

Mentoring team:

• The mentoring team needs to be distinctive from your prior supervisors, although keeping a prior mentor on as a consultant or in a limited role may be an advantage.

• The number of individuals and expertise of your mentoring team should be tailored to fit your specific career development and research goals.

• Don't be afraid to knock on doors, but it should also be your primary mentor's role to help facilitate making connections to new mentors.

• Strive for a diversity of perspectives and other characteristics in your mentoring team. While senior-level people with notable reputations might be compelling, make sure that they actually have the bandwidth and capacity to engage and support you as part of the mentoring team.

Career Development Plan:

• Include specificity (individual course numbers and timing) of your detailed training plan

R00 Transition:

• Most applications will be funded for the transition phase, although this is not guaranteed

• Need to provide a detailed offer letter with the total package from your institution.

• It makes sense to communicate regularly with your program officer during the postdoc phase, and to enlist them to be your advocate

Resource Links:

• https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/career-development/K99-R00

• https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-20-188.html

• https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/contacts/parent-K99-CT-not-allowed.html

• https://reporter.nih.gov/

The number of applications and success rates by Institute for 2021