By the time of award, the applicant must be a citizen, or a non-citizen national, of the United States of America (U.S.), or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status), or be a non-U.S. citizen with a valid U.S. visa. For applications submitted on behalf of non-U.S. citizens with valid U.S. visas, the visa status during each phase of the F99/K00 award must allow the PD/PI to conduct the proposed research at the applicant institution. For the F99 phase of the award, the applicant's current institution is responsible for determining and documenting that the applicant's visa will allow the applicant to remain in the U.S. to complete the F99 phase of the award and that there are no known obstacles that would prevent the applicant from obtaining a visa for the K00 phase. For the K00 phase of the award, the U.S institution at which the K00 phase of the award will be conducted is responsible for determining and documenting, in the transition application, that the PD/PI’s visa will allow the PD/PI to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the K00 award. NIA may request verifying information as part of the pre-award process.
The applicant must have a baccalaureate degree and be currently enrolled as a student in a mentored PhD or equivalent research degree program (e.g., DrPH, ScD) at a domestic institution. The applicant must show evidence of high academic performance, and provide a comprehensive plan to successfully transition into, and advance, aging research.
At the time of award, the applicant must be at the dissertation research stage of training and is expected to require no more than 2 years to complete their PhD dissertation research training (F99 phase) before transitioning to mentored postdoctoral research training (K00 phase). At the time of application, the applicant will typically be in the third or fourth year of their graduate program. Applicants are required to use at least one year of the F99 phase of the award.
The F99/K00 award may not be used to support studies leading to an MD, DDS, or other clinical, health-professional degree (e.g., DC, DMD, DNP, DO, DPM, DVM, ND, OD, AuD). Students matriculated in a dual-degree program (e.g. MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, or DVM/PhD) are not eligible for the F99/K00 program.
If an applicant completes all doctoral dissertation requirements or begins a postdoctoral position before an F99 award is issued, neither the F99 nor the K00 will be awarded.
Individuals who are currently being supported under F31 and/or R36 are eligible to apply for this program; however, they must give up the F31 and/or R36 if they decide to accept the F99 award. Individuals who receive F99/K00 support remain eligible and are encouraged to apply for subsequent individual career development awards (e.g. K01, K08, K23) and Pathway to Independence awards (K99/R00) provided they meet program eligibility.