NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 23 287

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 287

The NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) career development and research award that helps outstanding postdoctoral researchers move quickly from mentored postdoctoral training into independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The overall goal is to strengthen and sustain the next generation of NCI-supported independent investigators by providing structured support during the high-risk transition period between postdoctoral work and launching an independent research program.

This K99/R00 mechanism is aimed at postdoctoral fellows who already have strong research preparation through a research and/or clinical doctoral degree and who are not expected to need a long additional period of mentored training. In practice, it is meant for early-stage postdocs who are ready to sharpen a focused scientific and career development plan under mentorship (the K99 phase) and then rapidly step into an independent faculty role where they can lead their own research (the R00 phase). The award is designed to provide continuity of support across that transition so investigators can build momentum, generate independent findings, and compete effectively for future research funding as independent principal investigators.

A defining feature of this specific funding opportunity is that it is for applicants who will be the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial as part of their research and career development plan. That includes leading an independent clinical trial, conducting a clinical trial feasibility study, or leading a distinct ancillary clinical trial. In other words, the applicant is expected to take primary responsibility for planning and executing the clinical trial-related work within the project scope, rather than simply gaining experience on a clinical trial run by another investigator. If a candidate is not proposing to lead an independent clinical trial, or if the candidate plans to participate in a clinical trial led by someone else for training purposes, they are directed to apply instead to the companion announcement that does not allow independent clinical trials (PAR-23-286).

From a scientific emphasis standpoint, NCI highlights cancer control, cancer prevention, and cancer data sciences as particularly encouraged areas. This signals an interest in proposals that can improve cancer-related outcomes through prevention strategies, population and behavioral interventions, healthcare delivery and implementation approaches, survivorship and quality-of-life research, and modern data-intensive methods such as biostatistics, informatics, machine learning, real-world data, and related analytic frameworks applied to cancer questions. Applicants in these areas are encouraged to coordinate with their institutions when planning submissions, especially because the award is tied to the transition to a faculty position and requires institutional alignment.

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with NCI as the participating institute, and the opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant under Funding Opportunity Number PAR-23-287 (CFDA/Assistance Listing 93.398). The original closing date listed for this opportunity is 2026-10-14. An explicit award ceiling is not provided in the supplied listing, and the number of expected awards is not specified in the excerpt, so applicants typically need to consult the full NOFO text for budget structure, allowable costs, and any institute-specific funding expectations.

Eligibility is broad at the institutional level and includes many common U.S. applicant organization types such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various government entities (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as certain housing authorities and tribal governments/organizations. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISI institutions, along with faith-based or community-based organizations and certain regional organizations. At the same time, it states that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant organization may include certain clearly justified international components within the project under NIH rules, even though the applicant organization itself must be U.S.-based.

In practical terms, this opportunity is best understood as a structured launchpad: it supports a promising postdoc who is ready to lead an independent clinical trial-related project, build a track record of leadership and productivity, and then convert that momentum into a stable independent faculty appointment with continued NCI support. The program is explicitly designed to help talented early investigators clear the biggest career bottleneck in academic biomedical research: securing the first independent position while also establishing a fundable, clinically meaningful cancer research agenda.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.398.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-10-14. (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 PAR 23 287

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