Pathway to Independence Award

The NIH has initiated a new kind of award, the Pathways to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00).

This initiative will develop and implement a new Pathway to Independence Award Program (PI) designed to facilitate receiving an R01 award earlier in an investigators research career.  The primary, long-term goal of the PI Award Program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented, NIH-supported independent investigators. 

• The Pathway to Independence Award will provide up to five years of support consisting of two phases.  The initial phase will provide 1-2 years of mentored support for highly promising, postdoctoral research scientists.  This phase will be followed by up to 3 years of independent support contingent on securing an independent research position.  Award recipients will be expected to compete successfully for independent R01 support from the NIH during the career transition award period.  The PI Award is limited to postdoctoral trainees who propose research relevant to the mission of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers http://www.nih.gov/
• The initial application for the mentored phase may be submitted on behalf of the candidate (principal investigator) by any domestic for-profit or non-profit institution/organization such as universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories, and eligible agencies of the Federal government, including NIH intramural laboratories.  Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
• The subsequent application for the independent phase may be submitted on behalf of the awardee (principal investigator) by any domestic for-profit or non-profit institution/organization such as universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories at which the awardee has been recruited.  Agencies of the Federal government (including NIH intramural laboratories) and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply for the independent phase of the PI award.
• Eligible Principal Investigators include outstanding postdoctoral candidates who have terminal clinical or research doctorates (including Ph.D., M.D., D.O., D.C., N.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., Sc.D., D.N.S. or equivalent doctoral degrees) who have no more than 5 years of postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission(s).
• Applicants may submit only one PI Award application, and may not simultaneously submit applications or have awards pending for any other PHS career development award (K-series mechanisms). Up to two revisions of an application will be accepted.
• PI award recipients are expected to apply for independent research grant support during the later independent phase of the award.
• Planning, direction, and execution of the proposed research and career development plans are the joint responsibility of the applicant and mentor(s).  Pathway to Independence Awards are neither renewable nor transferable from one principal investigator to another.
• It is anticipated that 150 to 200 PI Awards will be issued for this program in the initial year.
• Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the number, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.
• Applications must be submitted on or before the receipt dates described at  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
  
  
• The NIH will not accept any application in response to this PA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.  The NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed.  This does not preclude the submission of a substantial revision of an application already reviewed, but such an application must include an introduction addressing the previous critique.