Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PA 19 119

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 19 119

The Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is an NIH career development grant meant to help clinically trained professionals build the skills, publication record, and independent research trajectory needed to become successful patient-oriented investigators. It targets individuals who already hold a clinical doctoral degree and who are committing their careers to research that directly involves human subjects or uses material of human origin in ways that are clearly connected to understanding disease in patients, improving clinical care, or translating findings into patient benefit. In practical terms, the K23 is structured as a mentored award: the applicant proposes a career development plan and a research plan that will be carried out under close guidance from an experienced mentor (and often a mentoring team), with the goal of transitioning to independent funding later.

A key feature of this specific announcement, labeled "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed," is its restriction on the applicant leading a clinical trial. This FOA is designed for projects that do not involve the K23 candidate serving as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a standalone ancillary clinical trial. The intent is to support mentored, patient-oriented research training without placing full trial leadership responsibilities on the candidate as the main scientific driver of a trial. At the same time, the FOA still allows the candidate to gain meaningful clinical trial experience as part of their development, as long as the trial is led by the mentor or co-mentor. That means an applicant can participate in and learn from a mentor-led clinical trial (for example, managing a substudy, conducting patient-oriented mechanistic analyses, or leading secondary analyses), but should not propose to be the primary trial leader. If a candidate wants to lead a clinical trial or an ancillary clinical trial as the main investigator, NIH directs them to apply to the companion K23 FOA that permits independent clinical trials.

From an organizational eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is broadly available across many types of U.S.-based institutions and organizations. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and a wide range of governmental entities such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and certain housing authorities. The listing also highlights eligibility for a variety of mission-serving and community-based institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. Tribal governments and tribal organizations are included in multiple categories, including federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities. U.S. territories and possessions are also included as eligible applicants.

The FOA draws a clear boundary around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. 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 defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning the research or training plan may include certain foreign elements (such as a defined collaboration, resources, or activities taking place outside the U.S.) when appropriately justified and compliant with NIH policy. This distinction matters because it allows international collaboration and specialized training experiences without making a foreign institution the direct grant applicant.

Administratively, this opportunity is run by the National Institutes of Health and is categorized as a discretionary grant program. The funding activity falls under broad categories that include education and health (among others), reflecting that the K23 is as much a structured career development mechanism as it is a research award. The opportunity number is PA-19-119, and the source information notes an original closing date of May 12, 2020, with the creation date listed as December 20, 2018. Multiple CFDA numbers are associated with the announcement, which typically signals that many NIH Institutes and Centers participate in the parent K23 and that awards can be made across a wide range of disease areas and clinical research domains depending on institute missions and priorities.

Overall, the K23 "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed" mechanism is best understood as NIH support for early-stage clinician-researchers who need protected time, mentorship, and a coherent training plan to become independent patient-oriented investigators, while keeping the candidate from being responsible for leading a clinical trial as the primary investigator during the K23 period. It is designed to build rigorous research skills, strengthen mentorship and institutional support, and produce the preliminary work and track record that typically positions awardees to compete for independent NIH research funding later on.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 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): 93.113, 93.121, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.361, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.859, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-12-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-12. (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.

Apply for PA 19 119

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: