The purpose of the NIA K22 Career Transition Award is to facilitate the transition of mentored, postdoctoral researchers to tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions conducting research that advances the mission of NIA. This award does not provide postdoctoral phase funding; therefore, candidates should be prepared to transition to tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions within 12 months after confirmation of a positive funding decision. After transition to an approved faculty position at an extramural institution/organization, the award will provide three years of protected research time through salary and research support.
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial.
Application Due Date(s): Feb. 12; Jun. 12, Oct. 12
PAR-24-120 Expiration Date: New Date July 13, 2026 as per NOT-AG-25-019 (Old Expiration Date: November 13, 2025)
Private (profit or non-profit) or public institutions, including the NIH intramural programs and other federal laboratories, are eligible to submit K22 applications. For an intramural fellow to activate the K22 award, the candidate must transition to a tenure-track faculty position at an extramural institution. NIH intramural laboratories and other agencies of the Federal Government are not eligible to be the awardee institution.
Applications will only be considered from candidates that have earned a terminal research doctorate or clinical degree (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DMV, ScD, DNS, PharmD, or equivalent) or a combined research doctorate/clinical degrees. At least 2 years of postdoctoral or equivalent training in areas relevant to the mission of NIA is required. Candidates with a prior individual career development award or research project grant from the Federal Government are not eligible (with the exception of R03 or R21).
Clinical faculty members who do not hold an independent research faculty positions may be eligible for the K22 award but are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. Individuals are eligible for a K22 award if they have been, or currently are, the PD/PI of an NIH R03 or R21 grant or an equivalent non-NIH award. Individuals are NOT eligible to apply if they have pending an application for any other PHS career development award, an NIH institute-specific K22, or a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). Individuals are not eligible to apply if they have been or are currently a PD/PI on an NIH research grant (such as R01, R29, or DP2) or a subproject leader on an NIH multicomponent grant or cooperative agreement (e.g., P01, U19, P20, P30, P50, U54, UM2), or an equivalent NIH or non-NIH award.
Individuals are NOT eligible for the K22 award if they:
- Have less than 2 years or more than 8 years of non-independent research training; or
- Currently hold or have held an independent tenure-track or research faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry or elsewhere; or
- Currently hold or have held another NIH career development award (eg: K01, K07, K08, K18, K23, K99, K99/R00) or other peer-reviewed NIH or non-NIH research grants, with the exception of an R03; or
- Have been an independent PI/PI on NIH research grants (e.g. R01, R21, P01), or a Project Lead on a Program Project (P01) or Center Grant (P50), or a non-NIH research grant of similar equivalence.