NCI Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Diversity (K01) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The NCI Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Diversity (K01) is a National Cancer Institute career development grant run through the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch (CMBB) in the Office of Centers, Training, and Resources. Its central aim is to expand and strengthen the pipeline of independent cancer researchers by supporting investigators from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related science. NCI frames this program as part of a broader workforce effort: by improving diversity in cancer research, the field is better positioned to recruit and retain talented scientists from all backgrounds and, in turn, improve the quality and reach of cancer research across prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

This K01 is designed as a mentored, protected-time pathway to independence. The award supports an intensive, supervised career development experience lasting 3, 4, or 5 years, during which the awardee builds the skills, publications, preliminary data, and professional trajectory needed to compete successfully for independent research funding and to lead a competitive cancer research program. The supported work must be relevant to cancer and can span biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research areas, including topics tied to cancer biology, etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

A key expectation is that the career development plan and research project represent training in an area that is new to the applicant or one where additional mentored experience will clearly and substantially strengthen the applicant's research capabilities. In other words, this is not meant to simply fund more of what the applicant is already fully trained to do; it is meant to strategically add new expertise and training that accelerates the transition to independence. The applicant and their mentor(s) share responsibility for planning and carrying out the research and career development activities, with the candidate taking an active leadership role in shaping the program.

Eligibility focuses on individuals who both (1) are from underrepresented groups in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and/or social sciences and (2) have already demonstrated a mentored research trajectory through specific prior support mechanisms. The announcement highlights three major pathways that can satisfy this prior support expectation: having received an NIH Research Supplement to Promote Diversity, having held a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) such as an individual F31/F32 or being supported on an institutional T32, or being able to document mentored support through a research grant comparable to an NIH peer-reviewed research grant (for example, an American Cancer Society research grant). Underrepresented groups described include individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, with detailed definitions and documentation requirements referenced in the full announcement.

Citizenship and effort commitments are also central. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or lawful permanent residents, and they must hold a research doctoral or health professional doctoral degree (or equivalent). Awardees must commit at least 75 percent of their full-time professional effort to research and career development activities described in the application, reflecting the program's emphasis on true protected time rather than a small add-on to an otherwise full clinical or teaching workload. The notice also cautions that prior support history can affect eligibility, so applicants need to carefully check how previous awards align with NIH career development rules.

Applications are submitted by an eligible U.S. institution on behalf of the candidate. Eligible applicant organizations include domestic public or private institutions such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories, and they may be for-profit or non-profit. Foreign institutions are explicitly not eligible. Beyond basic eligibility, the institution is expected to have well-established cancer research programs (basic, clinical, prevention, and/or population-based as relevant), qualified faculty who can serve as mentors, and a clear institutional commitment to developing the research careers of junior underrepresented scientists in cancer research. In practice, that commitment typically shows up through access to strong mentoring teams, research resources, protected time, and an environment where the candidate can develop into an independent investigator.

Financially, the mechanism provides up to $75,000 per year in salary support (plus fringe benefits) and up to $30,000 per year for research development support. The research development funds are intended to help cover costs that directly support the career development and research plan, such as supplies, technical assistance, tuition for relevant coursework, or other training-related expenses consistent with NIH policy. The award is not renewable and cannot be transferred to a different principal investigator, underscoring that it is a targeted, time-limited investment in a specific candidate's development.

There are also important application and administrative limits. An applicant cannot concurrently apply for or have another NIH career development award pending at the same time, which prevents overlap among K mechanisms. The program allows up to two revisions (resubmissions) of an application. Funding levels and the number of awards are not fixed; they depend on peer review outcomes, available funds, program priorities, and the quality, duration, and cost of the submitted applications.

The opportunity referenced in your text is archived (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-06-220). It was originally posted March 8, 2006, with multiple receipt dates, and it shows an archived timeline with a last listed closing date of January 7, 2009 and an archive date of January 8, 2009. Even though this specific announcement is historical, the summary captures how NCI structured this diversity-focused K01: a mentored, protected-time award intended to help underrepresented early-career researchers become independent cancer investigators within a strong institutional and mentoring environment.

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Next opportunity: NCI Mentored Clinical Scientist Award to Promote Diversity (K08)

Previous opportunity: Established Investigator Award in Cancer Prevention and Control

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